xena1•1mo ago

Rant: That time my forge fire nearly took out the shed

I was out in my backyard shop in Tulsa, heating up a 3/4 inch bar for a gate hinge, and the wind caught the draft just wrong... next thing I know, the wood siding near the forge is smoking. I doused it quick with a bucket of sand, but it melted the paint off in a 2-foot patch. Has anyone else had a close call from a stray spark catching something unexpected?

3 comments

3 Comments

kimr101mo ago

Bolted a 12x12 sheet of cement board to the shed wall behind my forge after a similar scare, and it's saved my bacon more than once since then. Also started keeping a five-gallon bucket of water right next to my stand instead of across the shop. That sand trick is smart though, I'll have to remember that for greasy fires.

lisaf383d ago

Honestly that's still water and water and hot metal don't mix well. A bucket is better than nothing but if that forge is going and you accidentally splash water on the workpiece you can get a steam explosion that'll send hot scale flying. Sand or kitty litter is the way to go. I keep a five gallon bucket of sand next to my stand with a small scoop in it. Works on grease fires, oil spills, and it won't shatter your hot steel if you dump it on something. Also have a fire extinguisher but that's last resort because the powder mess is insane.

gavinlopez1mo ago

I read somewhere that a guy uses a spray bottle of water to mist the area around his forge beforehand.

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