A friend gave me any OA rig that did not have flame/flash arrestors. I don't seem to recall seeing them when I was welding in college. Anyone know when they first started being used by the general public? Are they required? Are accidents caused by them not being in place very likely? -Mike
Their use is pretty common now and in most cases compulsory via Workers compensation rules in Canada and OSHA in the States. I ordered a pair and installed them in a British Columbia high school shop around 1974. The WCB inspector came by and saw them on the torches. He made a positive comment. I found out later that he ordered the school district to install them on all gas welding outfits in the district. In 1985 they were still not required in the province of Saskatchewan to my amazement but the policy was about to change when I inquired. In early 1985 I was working in a steel fab shop that had the check valves in place. I was new there and commented that this was the first shop that I had been in that was equipped with them. The guy I was talking to rolled up his sleeve to show the burn scars from flashback to the gauges. He had been standing beside the tanks. A whole combinations of things have to go wrong to initiate a flashback. I am not interested in playing the slot machines though. Randy
They prob. got real popular when God learned I was going to have a cutting torch in my hands circa 1984 :)
Rob
Fraser Competition Engines Chicago, IL. Long Beach, CA.
Although I no longer break out into a cold sweat every time I strike a torch I do gulp and say a little prayer. It's not dying I fear. It's dying in agony.
The last time I used a torch, about two months ago, I thought I smelled acetylene while I was welding. I decided to just "finish the weld" before I'd shut down. No sooner than the thought flitted through my head then there was a brief flash of fire from the tip back to where the Quick Disconnects were, at the base of the torch.
Needless to say, I decided "to hell with finishing the weld" and immediately shut down. I haven't yet gone back out there to investigate. But metinks the QDs are leaking. I've decided to remove 'em from the torch handle altogether. I was always ill at ease with 'em even when they were new.
I think it's a good idea to replace the O/A hoses every couple of years, too. I was privy to an accident a blacksmith had while O/A cutting inside an enclosed and elevated man lift bucket. Apparently the hose either burst or began leaking badly. The plastic bucket filled up with acetylene and ignited. I'm told the victim survived but was badly burned.
Between stark terror of O/A rigs at one extreme and fumbling "what? me worry?" ignorance of their potential for disaster at the other, I like to stay exactly one notch on the "stark terror" side of healthy respect and attention to little details whenever I light a torch. My foolish desire to "finish a weld" could easily have made me toast.
Enthusiasm, when it trumps safety, is a bad thing. So everybody, be careful out there! If you're new to O/A you would do well indeed, to get the safety drill down until it's second nature. If you've been using O/A forever, you owe it to yourself to ask yourself if you're getting just a tad complacent.
VJust an aside: Most quick disconnects also have flashback arrestor screens in them as an added bonus. I have never experienced them leaking but have had a few foul words trying to separate them. Randy
The last time I used a torch, about two months ago, I thought I smelled acetylene while I was welding. I decided to just "finish the weld" before I'd shut down. No sooner than the thought flitted through my head then there was a brief flash of fire from the tip back to where the Quick Disconnects were, at the base of the torch.
Needless to say, I decided "to hell with finishing the weld" and immediately shut down. I haven't yet gone back out there to investigate. But metinks the QDs are leaking. I've decided to remove 'em from the torch handle altogether. I was always ill at ease with 'em even when they were new.
snip V
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