Another thought re: avoiding fires

I continue to reflect on ways to steer sparks in a safe direction, i.e., out the garage door. One suggestion was to hang up cheap blue tarps, but I was concerned about how easily they would melt, and whether they might catch on fire.
Now I see that HF has a 9' x 16' canvas tarp on sale for a low price. Hmmm -- I would think the weave on the canvas would offer places for sparks to lodge and begin to smolder, but would there be some sort of inexpensive spray that would make it fire-retardant?
Thanks,
Andy

On E-bay and a few fire dept. related sites my dad got me an aluminized fire blanket/tarps. I keep it handy and the ones I have are 15'x9' and it was $12.00 It's the same material from fire suits and they are used in foundry plants, etc. No way I'd go with plastic. I don't know what canvas jackets are treated with but I have just pin-holes in mine, no burn/smolder marks. The one I have has eyelets for mounting it to a frame or staking it to whatever. Sort of makes since I guess. I keep them over the fuel cells of race cars in the shop when working on them.
Also, is it possible for the average "Joe" to get a foam system? I had an alcohol fire I did not see until it started combustibles on fire in the engine compt. a C02 20lb got it out but it bled to the floor drain and it was a " oh shit- call 911" In my blast shed way in the back of the lot we keep about 300+ gal of race fuel, nitromethane, alcohol for my cars and the dyno and acetylene, propane and propylene cylinders. I have a halon system in there but it's really not gonna help and we know it... My MSDS book looks like a bomb factory. At least we have a good berm around it. Any one have experience with AFF foam? how hard would it be to get and set up? I would like to get a used one from a hangar for the shop and a smaller one for my trailer and another for the fuel shed.
Rob
Fraser Competition Engines Chicago, IL.
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Rob,
Foam is fun stuff EXCEPT during clean up. Some questions for you. What is available for the water supply? How many people are available "normally"? Located near any open water (ponds,lakes,rivers,constant flowing streams)?
http://www.interstateproducts.com/fire_fighting/ for a place to try.
If you really want to impress the insurance folks why not buy an older fire engine and have it there on site? We have one for sale if your interested. Priced VERY low (like under 4K and it is still a front line engine, we just need to get it out of the friggen way.....) Runs good, pumps, drafts ready to go. It looks almost identical to this engine. http://cnyfiretrucks.com/qr/RuralGroveE5r.jpg With a different name and brighter paint and less rust. Just needs a small leak in the fuel tank repaired so it can be filled farther than 3/4 tank. It is a gas 534 engine with a 5 speed behind it.
falcon at telenet dot net if you want to talk about foam or the truck. Steve W.
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Rob,
we used lots of AFF when i was in the navy, the details are a little sketchy now, that was a while ago, but i do remember it came in a 55gal drum and I think there was just some sort of siphon attachment for the drum that hooked into the spray nozzle, or back at the valve, so it should not be a big deal to set somthing like that up in your shop. Although i think id get the hell outa dodge if i had a fire in a room like that. If you have halon, that should be good though, as long as the room is closed up when it goes off. And if I remember correctly if the halon dumps you need to leave the room closed for a good while so stuff cools down and your dont get a re-flash when you open the door and get some o2 back in the room
Sam.

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A saturated solution of 20-Mule Team Borax works rather well.

Sounds interesting -- tell me more. Saturated as in keep putting it in until I can't dissolve any more? Sprayed on how heavily?What makes it work?
Many thanks,
Andy
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Soak the canvas in the "cant disolve any more" solution, then lay flat and let dry.
this may help as well...
http://www.fabrics.net/fireproofing.asp http://www.natfire.com /
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"Considering the events of recent years, the world has a long way to go to regain its credibility and reputation with the US." unknown

Thanks, Gunner! I'll follow up with these companies, as well as doing some experimenting with the borax.
Andy
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Taken from Formulas, Methods, Tip and Data For Home and Workshop : You can apply flame retardent solutions by dipping, spraying or sprinking. Resin treated fabrics and some unused fabrics resist wetting. To overcome this add about 1 teaspoon of a wetting agent( any dishwashing detergent willl do) to each gallon of solution.. Materials must be dry before treatment.
Borax 7 oz Boric acid 3 oz Hot water 2 qt. Dissolve boric acid by making a paste with a small quantity of water. Add this and the borax to water. Stir until the solution is clear. Warm the solution if it becomes cloudy or jellylike from standing.
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Andrew H. Wakefield wrote:
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HF has 'welding blankets' that are designed for spark arresting - Can't remember how much we paid for them, but not a lot
Carla

Well, I had an experience with a canvas tarp. It had been out in the rain and I brought it in, draped it over a garbage can. This was a good quality tarp; I can't say for sure if it was flame retardant treated or not, though.
I did some mig welding nearby, not thinking about it. The next day, I came out and wondered, "where did my tarp go?". I finally noticed some small shreds of stuff on the floor. The chunk of beeswax on a nearby metal shelf was melted, and the paint on a nearby machine (about 1 foot away) was discolored. The tarp apparently caught some sparks and smoldered until gone.
Definitely too close for comfort.
Steve
Andrew H. Wakefield wrote:
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Your local HVAC contractor will sell (and if you talk nice to them, deliver) 4 ft x 8 ft sheets of galvanized sheet metal to your shop. They purchase tons of this stuff for use in fabricating ducts, so it is no big deal for them to sell a few sheets to you.
I lined the entire interior of my garage with sheet metal and then painted it all white. This way, there are no exposed combustable surfaces for a spark to land on.