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Welders beware!! Read this......!!

well with all this input ...NOW we know why we call him GhostRider! Heck I guess my days are numbered...I've done ALL the above.
 
One of the key ingredients, tetrachloroethylene, I actually found in something You won't belive. Anti Splatter welding spray!
Now what dumb *** decided to use this in something that was going to be burned!
When you hear about a train derailment that was carring chlorine, they evacuate a five mile radius because of the extream danger, mainly for the hazard of the burning fumes.
We had a forklift tech in the shop one day and he was useing parts cleaner. Well when we were welding you could smell a different oder in the air. Sort of like strong bleach (chlorine). Next thing is you start to get a dry mouth and a sore throat. Then dizziness. You can spray one burst of these products in a confined area and not even smell it untill you strike an arch.
I could not believe we bought some anti splatter that had these ingredients in them. Sent it back to the supplier. Found out shortly after that it was taken off the market.
If you smell this bleach like smell when you are welding, stop immediately and get to fresh air!
 
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Y'all are scaring me a little here. Like I'm sure most of you have, I've used these chemicals all my life (50+ years).
They're on the shelf now, in fact. I LOVE Brakleen, use it on about everything mechanical because "it doesn't leave any residue" and it cuts through gunk better than anything I've ever seen, including carb cleaner.
I don't weld, though.
Maybe that will be my saving grace...but like a lot of folks, I've never worn gloves when working on cars.
 
HaHa.....nope. It's my call sign from IRAQ. The Iraq's called our Apache choppers flying ghosts, they were painted lite gray. And AGAIN....IT WAS NOT ME that this happened to. The fellas name is listed before the article.

bkleenfltx said:
well with all this input ...NOW we know why we call him GhostRider! Heck I guess my days are numbered...I've done ALL the above.
Click to expand...
 

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moparedtn said:
Y'all are scaring me a little here. Like I'm sure most of you have, I've used these chemicals all my life (50+ years).
They're on the shelf now, in fact. I LOVE Brakleen, use it on about everything mechanical because "it doesn't leave any residue" and it cuts through gunk better than anything I've ever seen, including carb cleaner.
I don't weld, though.
Maybe that will be my saving grace...but like a lot of folks, I've never worn gloves when working on cars.
Click to expand...

As automotive chemicals go Brakeleen is fairly safe, I use it all the time too, but only if used properly. It's mostly Triclorethane so you should take proper precautions, especially if you are using it indoors. Ventilate the shop, open the doors and windows. Get a fan going to blow the fumes outside. Yea, I know, I don't like opening the doors when it's cold out either, but I'd rather be cold than sick, or worse. Like the article that Ghostrider posted says, the fumes from burning triclor can be deadly so never spray it on anything that's hot or around open flame. Here's the MSDS. http://www.crcindustries.com/faxdocs/msds/5089.pdf
 
Would have been nice to know 30+ years ago...LOL
I did know about it probably 20+ years back now...
I use to use brake clean, carb cleaner, lacquer thinner, mineral spirits, others
you name it cleaning parts, tubing, brackets, to be welded etc.,
on fabrication/welding projects years ago...
I did let them dry I knew they were all flammable, might be my saving grace,
I seem to be OK, "so far", my fingers & toes crossed for luck...

Still a good article Ghostrider 67,
Moparsmitty's input too, thanks for sharing you knowledge...
 
Done a refrigeration pipe welding job back in 1997 for a plant expansion at a Heinz bakery in Swedesboro, NJ where they used freon instead of ammonia for the refrigerant.

The MSDS sheet for the freon stated that when the freon came into contact with a welding or cutting torch flame, the freon turned into phosene. Even with a hazmat suit and respirator, I was sick as hell for three days afterwards.....couldn't hold down food or fluids.

Never again. Period.
 
Thanks for the info. I knew that cleaning with chemicals before welding could be dangerous but had no idea it was this bad!
 
in 1975, while laying under an Army jeep working on bleeding the brakes, I had two roach coach cups sitting up on the flat front fender. One had brake fluid the other had apple juice. I reached up with my left hand while talking to a guy standing nearby and brought what I thought was apple juice down for a gulp. It was at Ft Polk, LA and it was hotter than hell outside. I took a big gulp of brake fluid. Funny, it tastes nothing like apple juice. I was very sick for weeks. Hospitalized for 8 days. Different than welding dangers but hey, **** happens.
 
D
Ghostrider 67 said:
HaHa.....nope. It's my call sign from IRAQ. The Iraq's called our Apache choppers flying ghosts, they were painted lite gray. And AGAIN....IT WAS NOT ME that this happened to. The fellas name is listed before the article.
Click to expand...
Eeeehhh THAT is sweet ghost rider! I would love to have one ride in that badazz craft! My uncle was stationed in ft Bragg and I got to see the early versions. I the early 70's. He was a ranger or somthing had 5 tours in Vietnam nam "when we didn't have a military presence there " and thank you for your service !!!
 
67Satty said:
My 77 year-old dad recently went through a bout of kidney and bladder cancer. He lost one kidney and had to have tumors removed from his bladder but otherwise he lucked out and is going to be OK. The surgeon who operated on him asked me what kind of work my dad did and if he worked with a lot of solvents. I said no because my dad was always a businessman but now I'm remembering how when he would work on his cars or motorcycles he would always use gasoline to wash the grease off his hands.
Click to expand...
My dad used gas for cleaning all kinds of stuff and with a cig hanging out of his mouth.

khryslerkid said:
One of the key ingredients, tetrachloroethylene, I actually found in something You won't belive. Anti Splatter welding spray!
Now what dumb *** decided to use this in something that was going to be burned!
When you hear about a train derailment that was carring chlorine, they evacuate a five mile radius because of the extream danger, mainly for the hazard of the burning fumes.
We had a forklift tech in the shop one day and he was useing parts cleaner. Well when we were welding you could smell a different oder in the air. Sort of like strong bleach (chlorine). Next thing is you start to get a dry mouth and a sore throat. Then dizziness. You can spray one burst of these products in a confined area and not even smell it untill you strike an arch.
I could not believe we bought some anti splatter that had these ingredients in them. Sent it back to the supplier. Found out shortly after that it was taken off the market.
If you smell this bleach like smell when you are welding, stop immediately and get to fresh air!
Click to expand...
For some reason, never used anti splatter spray.

Budnicks said:
Good idea !!

PM Joeychgo or Cranky, one of them, may do it...
Click to expand...
I'll bring it up in the mod's forum....

Ghostrider 67 said:
in 1975, while laying under an Army jeep working on bleeding the brakes, I had two roach coach cups sitting up on the flat front fender. One had brake fluid the other had apple juice. I reached up with my left hand while talking to a guy standing nearby and brought what I thought was apple juice down for a gulp. It was at Ft Polk, LA and it was hotter than hell outside. I took a big gulp of brake fluid. Funny, it tastes nothing like apple juice. I was very sick for weeks. Hospitalized for 8 days. Different than welding dangers but hey, **** happens.
Click to expand...
We ran two shifts at work and the day guy used to chew and used a styro coffee cup to spit in. Well, another guy that came in on grave yards ran the same machine (it was my machine on evenings and I just left it there) and made the mistake of grabbing the 'chew cup' instead of his coffee cup. Talk about pissed lol
 
You are entirely welcome sir. My father in law, Col. Bart M Hayward, RIP, was a province advisor in 1965 in Nam. He did 3 tours and then went to the Army War College to teach. The Apaches do not take passengers. Two pilots. One in the back seat, the command pilot, and one in the front. It's kinda like wearing an up armored suit of high-tech aircraft that is all guns and rockets and missiles, and that fights at night and in the day from right in front of it to all the way to the horizon. No cooler feeling than the vibration and noise as the 30MM rounds slither through the feeding shuts and out the barrel of the cannon hanging underneath your ***. It's slaved to the pilots helmet via IHADDS and puts up a digital display through a monocle in your right eye. You look at the target and the gun follows your head. it's scary badass.

bkleenfltx said:
D
Eeeehhh THAT is sweet ghost rider! I would love to have one ride in that badazz craft! My uncle was stationed in ft Bragg and I got to see the early versions. I the early 70's. He was a ranger or somthing had 5 tours in Vietnam nam "when we didn't have a military presence there " and thank you for your service !!!
Click to expand...
 
Well the small refrigerator on the work bench that I pocked a hole in years ago will remain a storage cabinet. Had thought of sodering the hole shut many times and refiling with R134 that it runs on. But after reading this spending the $80 or so dollars to replace it will be much cheaper.
 
So I’m 64. It didn’t start when I was 16 and fooling withcars. Dad had an old wooden boat and did his own mechanical work. Yeah, cleanthe starter with carbon tet, copper bottom paint dust THAT DAD MIXED WITH DDTto keep the stuff off the bottom! Oh, and when dad used the Bernzamatic he hadan Asbestos blanket! I learned how to use an acetylene torch early on. Lordknows what burnt stuff I snorted. CRC, Brakleen, carb cleaner, gasoline, dieselfuel, 90 weight and the sweet smell of battery acid. Washed my hands withSafetyKlean. Blew off brake dust. I worked at the restoration shop. They usedlead, solvents, paints and 3M Cement.
 
MEK is BAD...... I use it still with care, BUT I also use a lot of Lacquer thinner, Acetone, Mineral Spirits (not to to bad) but not OK to just use openly, I try not to breath ANY vapors.... BUT I've heard stories on MEK..... NASTY stuff to absorb through the skin!
 
I guess my lungs are beat up from all the stuff I did, including smoking, and all the above mentioned bad ideas. I still weld, but found my lungs hurt afterwards. I started wearing a simple particle mask under my helmet. Helps considerably. Don't get the chest pains after.
 
Yah this stuff will hurt you. I remember the day when the safety guys sweep through the hangers and collected up all of the MEK, I was sitting on top of an AH64-D Apache Longbow and I wondered what the hell was going on when they just took the stuff right out of my troops hands and off the work benches. We had a meeting later that day and all was explained, scary stuff.
 
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