Turbinator Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 Gents, over past three years my shop has collected , cleaners, solvents, aerosol paint, aerosol solvent, liquid solvent, engine oil along with acetylene and oxygen tanks. im a safety conscious person that wants to minimize risk of fire. At what point do you get a fire cabinet for flammable fluids. Are there any quick study charts that guide you for fire safety? i don’t have any open flame tools appliances used in the garage. Torch cart goes outside when I use it. I don’t want to catch my garage on fire. Turbinator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 You should have steel drum with lid storage for all rags with solvent or chemicals.......and a fireproof safety cabinet for all paints and chemicals.......from day one. You NEVER recover from a fire.......no matter how much insurance you carry. Spend a grand to fifteen hundred on a cabinet, rag cans, and extinguishers.........do it from day one........it’s actually a better return on you dollar if you do it sooner....... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbinator Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 43 minutes ago, edinmass said: You should have steel drum with lid storage for all rags with solvent or chemicals.......and a fireproof safety cabinet for all paints and chemicals.......from day one. You NEVER recover from a fire.......no matter how much insurance you carry. Spend a grand to fifteen hundred on a cabinet, rag cans, and extinguishers.........do it from day one........it’s actually a better return on you dollar if you do it sooner....... Ed, it all makes sense. As a hobbyist I did not think my 880 sq ft space would collect so much flammable materials. All I know is I’ll need a fairly large cabinet for all stuff I have that can fire. my zRiviera takes up one bay and I’d really hate to lose the car. thank you for the good advice and direction. Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1965rivgs Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 Hi Bob, I completely agree with the previous poster. For trash cans I use metal barrels with covers which formerly contained "parts washer solvent". I obtained the barrels as a result of being a customer of the solvent company free of charge. The barrels are on the small side which reduces their filled weight and encourages me to move the refuse out of the garage sooner rather than later. For a flammable cabinet you might want to check out a website which auctions the contents of factories, businesses which are liquidating. One such website is bidspotter.com which many auction companies use to expose their offerings to the public on line. I recently followed and bid on an auction in my area which had several of the flammable cabinets. The hammer price on the cabinets was a small fraction of the original cost of the cabinets which are expensive for a hobbyist. Also, be sure if you have a parts washer to close the lid when not in use. Most of the quality units have a provision to close automatically when exposed to elevated heat levels but IMO it is good practice to manually close the lid. And dont forget about the possibility of the spontaneous combustion of solvent soaked rags, etc...thats what the lid on the trash cans is meant to suppress. Turbinate on! Tom M Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 I've been using Paper towels for anything I normally use rags for and just burn them at the end of the day in my fire pit. Then I don't have a bunch of rags to figure out what to do with. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbinator Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 1 hour ago, auburnseeker said: I've been using Paper towels for anything I normally use rags for and just burn them at the end of the day in my fire pit. Then I don't have a bunch of rags to figure out what to do with. Auburn seeker, yes Sir I use paper towels often. I buy clean cut up T shirt rags by 50 lb carton. I was them at the laundromat. Still I must put them in a safe place to avoid an accident. Thank you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 New rags are safe as long as you don't have a fire elsewhere. If you have a fire elsewhere, then new rags are the least of your worries. Walmart on-line sells 6 gallon fire proof can for oily rags for a little over $50. It has the foot operated lid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbinator Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 Ed, how about a heavy weight galvanized trash can with lid? I’m not opposed to spend what is needed for safety, but seems to me a metal container with a lid should be safe for oily rags. I’m in for a fire safe cabinent at auction. thank you Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 I am a paper towel user as well. Those "real" mechanics hate it when they come around. I guess it's not manly enough for them. Cloth is for polishing. As for the flammable liquids (or is in inflammable), I keep that in the house and away from the cars. I keep it on the shelf in the laundry room. Right above the freshly washer polishing cloths my wife folds and stacks into neat piles after I drop them on the washer. Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edinmass Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 (edited) I have a rather elaborate shop.......so I have two rag cans with foot operated lids, and three trash cans with a foot operated lid. Very heavily soiled rags or pigmat goes outside on a cement pad to “air dry” before being placed in the proper container. We had a busy week this week in the shop, and I am sure I used 100 micro fibers and fifty red shop rags.........too many to take a chance with all the chemicals we use. My total Haylon fire extinguishers in the building? Over twenty five of them 10 15lbs units, and one two pound unit for each car......except the V-16’s that have two in them. Also every car has an Element 100 unit in it. Look it up on google. Edited February 1, 2020 by edinmass (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbinator Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 10 minutes ago, 60FlatTop said: I am a paper towel user as well. Those "real" mechanics hate it when they come around. I guess it's not manly enough for them. Cloth is for polishing. As for the flammable liquids (or is in inflammable), I keep that in the house and away from the cars. I keep it on the shelf in the laundry room. Right above the freshly washer polishing cloths my wife folds and stacks into neat piles after I drop them on the washer. Bernie Bernie, your gum cutter, spray paint, solvents, parts cleaning fluid, adhesives, and whatever can catch fire easy you keep in the laundry room? You must not have much of that flammable stuff around. The cloth rags can be recycled by washing them at the laundromat. The cost is about $10 for the washer and dryer. Paper towels work anytime and I have them. I just feel cotton rags are economical when you wash them and use them again. i use a good bit of solvent to clean my work so I can shine it, paint, or powder coat it. You’ve got to keep it clean. Turbinator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbinator Posted February 1, 2020 Author Share Posted February 1, 2020 3 minutes ago, edinmass said: I have a rather elaborate shop.......so I have two rag cans with foot operated lids, and three trash cans with a foot operated lid. Very heavily soiled rags or pigmat goes outside on a cement pad to “air dry” before being placed in the proper container. We had a busy week this week in the shop, and I am sure I used 100 micro fibers and fifty red shop rags.........too many to take a chance with all the chemicals we use. My total Haylon fire extinguishers in the building? Over twenty five of them 10 15lbs units, and one two pound unit for each car......except the V-16’s that have two in them. Also every car has an Element 100 unit in it. Look it up on google. Ed, I must say you have a first class set up in your shop. Right now I have two fire extinguishers and they are charged. I don’t smoke, nor do I use my acetylene torch in the garage. I take the rig and work and go outside. The amount of flammable have grown in the shop and I was giving thought to minimizing a fire. I’m a hobbyist, but I sure generate a lot dirty oily rags. Thanks for the tip. At this stage of the game you cannot be too careful. No sense in casting safety to the wind. Turbinator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 4 hours ago, Turbinator said: Ed, how about a heavy weight galvanized trash can with lid? I’m not opposed to spend what is needed for safety, but seems to me a metal container with a lid should be safe for oily rags. I’m in for a fire safe cabinent at auction. thank you Bob The nice thing about the foot operated ones are that they allow you to use both hands if they're both in use, you don't have to contend with where to put the lid, and you don't dirty the lid with your dirty hands. I found this one, a 10 gallon unit, at Walmart Online for about $55 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 49 minutes ago, Turbinator said: Bernie, your gum cutter, spray paint, solvents, parts cleaning fluid, adhesives, and whatever can catch fire easy you keep in the laundry room? You must not have much of that flammable stuff around. The cloth rags can be recycled by washing them at the laundromat. The cost is about $10 for the washer and dryer. Paper towels work anytime and I have them. I just feel cotton rags are economical when you wash them and use them again. i use a good bit of solvent to clean my work so I can shine it, paint, or powder coat it. You’ve got to keep it clean. Turbinator Do you know what the girl's name is who has one leg shorter than the other? Eileen. She has one short leg because Bernie has been pulling it; make sure you don't let him pull yours. 😎 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 Eileen Dover, Ben's sister. I really do only use rags for polishing..... and I just bring then in, drop them on top of the washer, and pick them up neatly folded in a pile on the Kitchen table by the door. Gum cutter?? My kids stayed for a week with their cousin when they were in their early teens. They cornered me when they got home and told me they really could swallow food inside a car. A lot of things we don't get exposed to in these parts. Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted February 1, 2020 Share Posted February 1, 2020 I have a couple of old clothes basket in the garage for rags; one for polishing rags, one for dirty, oily, greasy rags When one of them gets full I take it inside, load the washer (yes I know how and Linda lets me) then I take them out, put the rags into the dryer, start it, and when the rags are dry, fold them and take them back to the garage. Since the kids, now 51 and 45, are no longer in diapers, I buy new microfiber towels and use them for polishing. Old towels, T-shirts, etc. are used for the dirty work. Ed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbinator Posted February 2, 2020 Author Share Posted February 2, 2020 58 minutes ago, 60FlatTop said: Eileen Dover, Ben's sister. I really do only use rags for polishing..... and I just bring then in, drop them on top of the washer, and pick them up neatly folded in a pile on the Kitchen table by the door. Gum cutter?? My kids stayed for a week with their cousin when they were in their early teens. They cornered me when they got home and told me they really could swallow food inside a car. A lot of things we don't get exposed to in these parts. Bernie Bernie, Berkible 2+2 Gum Cutter in an aerosol can is great for cleaning carburetors and removing paint. I buy it by the case. I like the product quite a bit. I’m afraid the gum cutter, acetone, denatured alcohol, paint thinner and all the rest might catch fire from something goofy like a battery charger left on. Who knows? That is why I asked the question? Turbinator.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbinator Posted February 10, 2020 Author Share Posted February 10, 2020 Gents I purchased two govt’t surplus safety cabinets from Ft Detrick, Md which has been closed for a long time. I feel better migrating all the flammables to a safer place. I bought an oily rag can. My fire extinguisher is up to snuff. Turbinator 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PWB Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 (edited) Flammable lockers should be grounded to earth. It was a rule in the military. I assume for lightning and or static electricity. (Metal lockers) Edited February 11, 2020 by PWB (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RivNut Posted February 11, 2020 Share Posted February 11, 2020 I had a wooden footlocker and a wooden wall locker when I was in artillery school at Ft. Sill, OK. Housed in old WWII barracks. The ammo shed was made of wood as well. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbinator Posted February 11, 2020 Author Share Posted February 11, 2020 13 hours ago, PWB said: Flammable lockers should be grounded to earth. It was a rule in the military. I assume for lightning and or static electricity. (Metal lockers) PWB, having sold various types of back office mailing/shipping/weighing systems to the DoD for a long time I quickly adapted to their way of doing business. The military had different demands which I thought goofy, BUT give the customer what they want. I found on the bottom of the cabinet the place they want it grounded. Never fault a man for being safe, but there are limits. Thank you Turbinator 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BulldogDriver Posted February 12, 2020 Share Posted February 12, 2020 And sometimes no matter how diligent to safety you are, bad things happen. This is a photo of my hanger early winter 1980. 2 ‘65 Rivieras - one owner cars with less than 50k ’40 Lincoln Mark 1 - on it’s way to the body shop the following week. ’55 Chris Craft 25’ Continental with twin Cadillac V8’s - one of two ever built The plane was at another airport for the winter. I didn’t restore another car after that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turbinator Posted February 12, 2020 Author Share Posted February 12, 2020 Terrible horrible loss. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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