[TheForge] TheForge Digest, Vol 62, Issue 12

[Ben Barrett]

I'm not as experienced as the others here, to give you life-or-death
safety advice, but I know the first firing of most gas forges will be
stinky -- I've read it suggested that the first firing start slow &
low but build up to full/high temp, and for it to be done outdoors, as
the kaowool will "set", that is melt a bit or at least settle into
place.  I think the kaowool, if nothing else, gives off a funky odor
the first time(s).  I hope this is all you're up against -- if so,
stand back and be patient.

That amount of combustion does use a fair amount of oxygen, so the
comments about needing airflow are primarily to avoid asphyxiation.  I
believe that if you do have limited ventilation, and suffer either
from a lack of O2, or an excess of CO (carbon monoxide), you'll have a
very tired/exhausted feeling before you die, so you'd have a fair
chance of getting fresh air.  From what I can tell, this is not quite
as dangerous as, say, realizing that you used galvinized components in
your forge, at which point you might die from zinc poisoning (unless
your ventilation is really good).  You don't have any zinc (or copper)
components (that get hot) in the forge, right?

Corollary:  If one gets a headache, either after arc welding or after
some potential exposure to galvi/zinc fumes, drinking milk is the best
first response, right?  I've heard this about welding, and try to
always have some milk or yogurt when I arc-weld.  I thought it was the
rod's flux, this doesn't apply to mig or torch welding, right?

thanks,

Ben

On Thu, Mar 5, 2009 at 9:13 AM, ~K~ <lucky7steel at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> To answr the questions people raised. Nah.. Wouldn't be acetylene. It's just a small bbq tank running.
> What's the consideration of the hoses? As far as air, I've got a squirrel blower vented outside quite close by. I've also got a ceiling vent and keep the door open to the hallway. I managed to make spark after and not die so no leaks thus far ;-) I used soapy water on the joints before I lit it up.
> I'd love to have someone come take a look but you are all so far away!
> Sadly.
>
> ~Karen~
> Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry
>