Model room fire safety?

[Gramps2u]

After noticing in the spray can thread of how many of us have a large stash of paint & chemicals for our hobby needs . My question is : How many Builders have a fire extinguisher on hand in your work area ? Basic extinguisher or a class ABC?

[JunkPile]

Yes, ABC, just in case.

[kitbash1]

I have a ABC extinguisher as well.

[FIREMODELMAN]

I have several of these in my room. Response time is VERY quick .

[ScaleDale]

I have a fire extinguisher within reach while running my spray booth. It's half way between my bench and booth, which are in separate rooms. I should have another.

Someone should open a permanent modeling safety thread. No joke, I've heard of exploding spray booths.

Dale

[mr moto]

I have an ABC mounted on the door frame of the exit door. If there's a fire, step one is get out of that door. Step two is decide if I should go back in or keep running. If I decide to go back in, the extinguisher will be handy. You definitely don't want your extinguisher to be anywhere that the fire could get between you and it.

[Tom Geiger]

I have an ABC mounted on the door frame of the exit door. If there's a fire, step one is get out of that door. Step two is decide if I should go back in or keep running. If I decide to go back in, the extinguisher will be handy. You definitely don't want your extinguisher to be anywhere that the fire could get between you and it.

Amen, you are 100% correct. Code in commercial buildings is to have both a water and chemical extinguisher mounted right next to the exit, just for the reasons you stated. I have an ABC mounted just as you describe.

I live in Pennsylvania and it's code here to have a sprinkler system in houses over a certain size. So I have sprinkler heads in every room.

One time I rented a vacation home in the Poconos. It came with a charcoal grill on the wood deck. I couldn't find a hose, but I found a spackle size bucket in the basement. I filled that with water and put it on the deck. Somehow the three legged grill collapsed and shot hot coals across the deck. I was standing there and easily extinguished it with the bucket. So I let the rental agent know. Both he and the home owner were very impressed that I had that kind of fore thought and delivered a brand new grill and steaks to me the next day.

Edited June 7, 2013 by Tom Geiger

[Miatatom]

Same here! I have an ABC next to the exit door. Lots of flammables so it's really a no brainer.

[lanesteele240]

We dont need no water let the model room burn

Burn model room,

Burn

Just a play on an old song. None the less, i am prepaired with an extenguisher. But pre fire safety is just as important. House keeping and only storing what you need Helps.

Also keep the the fire sources out. Keep the area Well ventalted and clean.

[W-Machine]

My model building and crystal meth manufacturing operations are carried out at separate locations. My model stuff is safe.

[Skip]

Yes on the ABC fire extinguisher, plus a flammable kick can for solvent, thinner, paint rags. You can also use a gallon sized paint can or glass jar anything that will seal off air intake. Working in Sign Shops before vinyl sigs were around; fire safety was one of the first things that got driven into an apprentice's thick noggin! A lot of what I learned there is very transferable to the model building corner of my hobby room.

Another thing to think about is if there isn't a working smoke alarm in your hobby room and paint area is adding a surface mount smoke alarm onto the ceiling. Should actually have two extinguishers, one inside the hobby room and one outside, since my garage is just feet away from the hobby room that is the back up location.

Edited June 8, 2013 by Skip

[DrKerry]

ABC in mine!!!!

[Dave Ambrose]

I keep an ABC extinguisher in the kitchen and the garage. Gotta replace them every few years too.

[slusher]

l do plan on buying an extinguisher next time l am at Lowes. Great thread Bob..

[Ridge Rider]

Yes,15 ft away and hopefully never to be needed.

[rel14]

Hmm, if it burns down,,i collect more with insurance, then if i try to sell,, 50-50 here,,, For real, got a couple ABC fire Exinguishers,,

[Tom Geiger]

and don't forget other safety issues. I reminded myself of that yesterday when I swapped in a new Number 11 blade. I wrapped the old one in masking tape before I dropped it in my trash basket. You don't want to encounter a blade when putting out the trash!

[Gramps2u]

I myself Have an ABC class extinguisher as well as a smoke detector. My area for improvement would be paint storage. I use an old steel desk for my work bench & one drawer is dedicated strictly to the paint. Not the safest place. I Like the Idea of a kick can, Spontaneous combustion is a real threat to us all. I don't use cloth shop towels, I have been using paper towels easy to dispose but still a risk. Wrapping the #11 blades in tape, not a bad idea ! My extinguisher is large enough to give two options, Extinguish the fire, or clear a path for exit.

I notice my air filter gets clogged up with over spray & creates fumes long after the paint has dried. I replace my paint booth filters after every 4 uses. keeps the stench down.

[Art Anderson]

and don't forget other safety issues. I reminded myself of that yesterday when I swapped in a new Number 11 blade. I wrapped the old one in masking tape before I dropped it in my trash basket. You don't want to encounter a blade when putting out the trash.

For used Xacto blades, I keep an empty soda can right next to whichever bench I am using at the time, and simply drop the used blade in that. Whenever I toss out a can with blades in it, I put it in a small box, tape it up securely, and with a Sharpie, I write SHARPS on all 6 sides, and put that box in with my recyclables.

SHARPS is the standard warning for anything that can cause cuts or punctures, such as used hypodermic needles (many diabetics know this, for example) glass (whether broken or not) and certainly used sharp knives or blades. It's something I've taken to heart from work.

Art

[Art Anderson]

Another thing for fire safety: Our fire department periodically surveys neighborhoods and apartment complexes to ascertain any special hazards or needs. This can include, for example, oxygen tanks as used by people with that medical need, rooms where children, infants or the elderly sleep, and anything that can be a special fire hazard.

I simply remind them of the existence of the dozen or so spray cans of paint I might have on hand at any one time. Why spray cans? Look at the label--since Freon went out of use as a propellant, the most common propellant is propane, which is highly flammable.

Art

[sjordan2]

The plastic #11 X-Acto blade dispensers include a slot for used blades to be inserted -- sort of like the old Gillette double edged razor blade dispensers. Don't know about various other types of blades besides #11, but soda (or beer) cans, as mentioned, are a good idea.

Edited June 8, 2013 by sjordan2

[Skip]

Skip, again I like using jars with screw on lids for used X-Acto and s ingle edged razor blades. When full I toss it in the trash. Kind of "old school" I know, something learned in high school graphic arts then reinforced in sign shops long ago!

I asked the (garbage)/recycling pickup guy about recycling the blades in the jar; he thought it would be safer on their end if they were trashed vs. recycled. Because there would be less chance of someone grabbing a blade at the sort facility. He was also very appreciative that I thought of their safety as well as recycling.

[Art Anderson]

Skip, again I like using jars with screw on lids for used X-Acto and s ingle edged razor blades. When full I toss it in the trash. Kind of "old school" I know, something learned in high school graphic arts then reinforced in sign shops long ago!

I asked the (garbage)/recycling pickup guy about recycling the blades in the jar; he thought it would be safer on their end if they were trashed vs. recycled. Because there would be less chance of someone grabbing a blade at the sort facility. He was also very appreciative that I thought of their safety as well as recycling.

Skip,

I work in Building Services at the university here, and it's far more into recycling than either of our twin cities are. As a major research university that receives considerable funding from federal grants, the safety requirements are pretty strict, as regards any discarded items that can cut, puncture, lacerate, regardless of whether those items are made that way on purpose or are made of materials (such as glass) that when broken, presents those same safety hazards. My use of a soda can for storing used Xacto (and even surgical scalpel blades--as I use those in model building as well) is for my own personal safety, as well as keeping them from the trash bag, where they could very easily do someone harm, anywhere from the person tossing that bag into the packer truck to people at the trash transfer (read that "sorting") station. The small corrugated box for packaging up sharp or potentially sharp objects is standard throughout the medical, veterinary, biosciences, and chemistry fields--and is an OSHA requirement--one of the OSHA regs that truly makes a lot of sense. When I have a burnt out light bulb (either incandescent or CFL) I do exactly the same thing, and put the small box in my recycle tub for city pickup. Believe me, they do know how to handle those things in sorting, as the public trash transfer station here also processes what we at the university call "mixed recyclables".

Art