Tips.

[MartB]

Rod, many thanks for the warning, and sorry to hear about your condition. If it were ever possible that I could ever help out in any way, I would be pleased to do so.

Regards

Mart

[Ron Beaufort]

the “smell the gas” idea in Alan Case’s post brought this one to mind ...



in a former lifetime I used to work on restaurant equipment ... the plumbers had just installed about 50 feet of 2-inch natural gas line into a Pizza Hut ... I was the guy who was to purge the air from the line and then fire up the brand new pizza oven ... we opened all of the doors ... we turned off all of the circuit breakers ... we made sure that everyone (especially the smokers) stayed clear ... I posted a helper by the door to make sure that no one walked in with a cigarette ... then I cracked the valve near the oven and started sniffing for gas ... and I sniffed ... and I sniffed ... and I sniffed ... nothing ... for a long - long time ... nothing ...



finally I decided that “something” must be wrong ... I “pretended” that I had smelled the gas - and proceeded with the next steps ... we closed the valve and vented the room ... then I fired up the oven ... it lit up just fine ... the gas HAD been flowing ...



I called the gas supplier’s emergency number and told the guy on shift about the situation ... he gave an “Oh, my God!” kind of reaction and thanked me for the call ...



secret handshake: both natural fuel gas and propane are basically ODORLESS gases ... at flammable/explosive concentrations you cannot smell them ... the odor that we smell when we smell “gas” is actually an artificial additive which is SUPPOSED to be mixed in for safety reasons ...



point of the story: the additive is NOT always there ... sniffing for gas can be a dangerous method of detection ...

[elevmike]

Originally Posted by Rod

I'm now 57 years old - found a spot on my forehead 5 years back, then 3 years ago had 60% of my tongue cut out and NOW I have TERMINAL bone cancer. Cancer HURTS!!!! All my docs can do is write a 'script for *******.

Those labels that say "This product is known to cause cancer in California" - well guess what - they cause cancer here in Texas too.

Some years ago a friend of mine painted three motorcycles, (one of them mine), with Imron. He had an elaborate setup including a tent with a filter/blower, and a suit that looked like it came from the CDC bad bug room. Instead of a resperator the suit had an air hose. This guy wouldnt think twice about about standing on the motorcycle seat at 50 mph, but wouldnt chance taking one single wiff of the Imron.

Unfortunatly many regard the warning lables as overstated BS, and by the time your effected by it, it's way to late to turn back the clock.

MSDS sheets are required to be kept by the employer on any chem in your workplace. If they dont have it then you should be able to download it from the internet. Always take the time to review the MSDS, heed the warnings and take the approperate precautions.

[brucechase]

**** warning: the following is a rant, may not be suitable for all viewers ***



I am a little more than dumbfounded! I really can't believe that a site that is supposed to "help" people would instead give relative newcomers instructions on how to kill themselves and others. I also don't think that posting "don't try this at home kiddies" is an appropriate warning. People come to this site to find out how to fix problems, not the old way of doing things. I would put some of these tips in the category of testing for voltage with your bare fingers! I know I will get the "lighten up" posts but if I told someone to run current through a bucket of salt water as a way to test a breaker (or use acetylene for cleaning conduits, or spraying ether in tires, or use live voltage to cook food, or playing around with mercury, or using a wrench as a cheater bar - did I miss any??) I would feel very responsible if someone did that and got hurt.

You should not be using items in ways that they were not intended for. If you don't have the right equipment or tool, then go get it or find someone else to do the job. Shortcut attitudes should go by the way of the dinosaur. I would have thought that this thread would have gotten more "you shouldn't be telling people that" with the way some of the safety stuff is discussed here. I hope I'm not alone in my feelings.


****rant off - you may now return to normal view *****

[MartB]

Rant noted and understood, and for the most part I agree.

However.

Most people with any degree of common sense would realise that some of the actions described here are simply described to make the day a little more "light hearted".

Sometimes it's nice to sit back and remember the "good ol' days" and BS about experiences.

Generally people visiting this site are at an education level where common sense will prevail, and they will seek further information at alternative sources to confirm their findings.

I'm not slamming your rant, and I'm not going to tell you to "lighten up", but just maybe you could just admit to laughing at some of the antics that people have described?

Just my 2c worth.

[Mickey]

I don’t think anyone will argue with you brucechase, maybe their post

should have been labeled “stupid things I did, when I was immortal”.



.



You are absolutely right.

[Lancie1]

Bruce,
Lighten up! Had you rather the young guys learn by example what not to do, or just try it themselves?

[rsdoran]

I stated in my post about the tires that I was "young and dumb" for doing it that way and I would not do it that way again...alas it is still done in that manner by many.

The part about using buckets for load testing is still done but like all things there are proper procedures to follow.

For the most part the people that did make replies were stating " I did this and it was not the right thing to do. Rod talked of getting cancer from using improper procedures, I hope others would learn from those comments.

The only way for inexperienced people to "learn" the WRONG things is hearing it from the experienced that know what is WRONG but have done it and suffered the consequences or escape suffering and realized it. You can only learn so much from books and your peers. People make mistakes, it helps to learn from those mistakes and possibly help others to avoid those mistakes. NOTE: If you have kids you will learn that it is hard to get the young to learn from your mistakes but if you dont talk about it they definitely never get a chance.

The original idea was to share tips and since this is a public forum each idea can be given a recommendation, advice never to do, or offer an alternative.

[Lancie1]

The world is a dangerous place. We can pretend that if we always follow the rules, think before acting, and use our seat bealts, then everything will come out okay. That idea just is not true. You can improve your chances, but you can't completely eliminate the possibility that sooner or later you are going to get injured or killed.

Sometimes what sounds like a dangerous procedure is actually the practical way to do it. Take Ron's tire-sealing method. Has anyone else struggled for hours with a 6-foot diameter muddy, stiff, heavy, tractor tire? For the last flat I had on my farm tractor, after patching the hole, I worked 3 or 4 hours trying to get it to re-seat on the rim. I tried applying pressure with crow bars, and I tried wrapping a chain around it and compressing it. The old stiff rubber refused to seal and hold air. After getting completely exhausted, I got the spray can of starter fluid, and a charcoal lighter. I squirted in 2 seconds worth of the fluid, stood back, and lit it. Bang! I had an instant tire seal.

Sure, it was dangerous, but I would do it again in the same circumstance. I mean, which is more dangerous for an old guy, a heart attack, or a small controlled explosion inside a tire?

Life is about risks: knowing when to avoid them and when to take them. We older guys deninitely have an advantage here. We have proven that we can correctly judge risks. Many young guys have died trying.

PS: Mercury is hazardous if you absorb it into your body by eating or drinking it. Otherwise it is only a bright liquid metal.

[leitmotif]

PS: Mercury is hazardous if you absorb it into your body by eating or drinking it. Otherwise it is only a bright liquid metal.[/quote]

Mercury has a fairly low vapor pressure. Large quantities of it can give a fairly high vapor concentration. It is also very easily absorbed (as are many vapors and fumes) via the lung. Dental offices often had unsafe levels of airborne mercury in the mercury amalgam days of dentistry. A visit to the dentist would be no problem but if you worked there 40 hours a week well that could very well be a much higher exposure.

Dan Bentler

[darrenj]

Bruce while i agree on some things you said others i do not..

I howled with laughter when ron bought up the old tire trick..i havnt done that in years..The last time was on an ATV tire..Would i do it again..Yep..but i have at least half a brain so i know not to stand there for 5 mins with the accetaline then toss the match..

I was suprised to see my "Hot dog cooker" on your list of things not to do..Hell they used to sell them years ago!! They were all enclosed and had a limit switch that shut power off when opened but still its not that dangerous..

The one that realy suprised me was the wrench on an allen key...Who hasnt done that?? I mean how else can you do it? hand tight just isnt enough sometimes..

D

[marksji]

Originally Posted by elevmike

And when you done with that you can use a rag, (origionally intended for wiping grease or oil), and some electrical tape to patch your scrapped knuckels...

Super glue works best for those minor scrapes

[Peter Nachtwey]

Originally Posted by marksji

Super glue works best for those minor scrapes

http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/000069.php

It sure beats stitches and the resulting Frankenstein scars.

[Johnny T]

Firstly, I was very saddened to hear about Rod's condition. And, although it probably doesn't mean a lot from a guy across the pond who you don't even know, you are in my thoughts.

As for 'top tips' my initial thought when reading the thread was using a bit of air pipe to remove 24V lamps.. but someone beat me to it... so I've wracked my brains and come up with another one..

When using 'inline' connectors like these...



If you take the 'nut' out of one of them and tape it backwards onto one of the connectors, it makes an ideal 'spanner' for tightening and loosening the nuts on other connectors. Otherwise they can be a real pain to get at.

Only a simple thing but a real time saver.

Oh... and never, ever, ever, eat green snow...

;-)

[Beggar]

Here are a couple of mine:

1) When trying to solder copper water lines that are still dribbling, put a piece of bread up the tube to momentarily hold back the water while you solder.

2) If you bang your fingernail and blood starts to pool, take a very fine drill bit and drill a tiny hole at the base.