A while ago, I built a gopher killer device. It puts propane and oxygen
down a hole, and then ignites it with a spark from a stun gun.
I have a sequence of firing it. I have two spark arrestors in each line,
plus the ones in the torch. I have made the trocar long, with a terminal
valve I turn off before hitting the buzzer.
Well, today, I got out of sequence. I hit the igniter with the flow
going,
and it did what it was supposed to do. It lit. And then, I had a Roman
candle at the end of the trocar. I immediately shut off the gas flow.
But,
the end of the trocar and the electrical lead was burning, and shutting
off
the fuel flow does not shut off an oxygen fed fire, as any welder knows.
I
was reassured by my triple level redundancy, and shut off the O2. Fire
out.
What a pretty red flame, though. It was so loud, it sent the paint pony
in
the pasture adjacent fleeing and whinnying.
But it brings me to my point. When dealing with any welding equipment,
layer safety so that if something happens, it doesn't domino on you. I've
seen a lot of hose fires and hose incidents, but when the proper steps are
taken, it's just a few anxious moments instead of running and ducking.
Now, to go get another electrical contact and fix my rig. Minor, really.
Me and the gophers have been having fun lately. Seems fall has stimulated
the little bastards.
Now, if I could just find a way to quit setting frays on fire when I weld
.................
Steve
"Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large numbers."
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