Still very hard to read, but the gist of it is, don't weld areas after cleaning them with brake cleaner, the heat and argon create phosgene which is lethal even in tiny quantities.
Thank you so much for the info. Hope the dude is OK. Guess it doesn't pay to be in a hurry. That is some serious shit.
About a year ago, I made the switch from dumbass to smartass, good, bad, or indifferent, the verdict is still pending
Been posted.. but still important the older thread was just up the other day..think it got posted back around 2009 or so? here tiz...http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=382835&highlight=warning
We just had it as a safety alert at work. It's likely not something someone is going to do a search for..... if it saves a life, I'll take the blame for the repost.
The brake cleaner in the story is the non-flammable kind. The flammable kind has its own issues, but the poison gas described isn't one of them. Solvents like trichloroethane and trichloroethylene, and those stinky chlorinated carb and parts cleaning solvents, can also produce the poison gas described in the article. In addition to heating, exposing chlorinated hydrocarbons to ultraviolet/sunlight can also cause decomposition that produces poison gas. Even without the poison gas, the multiple health hazards from skin exposure and/or breathing the vapors of chlorinated hydrocarbons is well documented.
Yikes. I'm glad I read that again because I have reached for the brake cleaner in a pinch. It made me uncomfortable more from a flammability risk but that is no bueno. I like to use a bottle with simple green and water, spray it on and scrub lightly with a plastic brush. It will cut the grease and contaminants no problem.
dont use acetone either.. believe it has tolulene in it.. for that matter dont drink diet cokes, do some research on whats in that stuff you'll be suprised..
...and here's a little clue for those here that may be a dumbass like the guy who wrote the article... don't wait 9 days to go to the doctor when you get exposed to chemicals and start feeling bad.
Acetone is acetone and toluene is toluene. Pure acetone should not contain toluene. Although toluene is more hazardous than acetone, to one degree or another pretty much all solvents are bad for you if not used correctly. Generally speaking, the more effective and active the solvent, the more health risks it has. There seems to be a direct correlation between how many skulls and crossbones on the container and how well a product works.
on a side note- some time back when I welded for a living, I worked makeing air compressors. Stood at my station on the assy. line all day. SOOOOOO one day they decide to start producing oil/air seperators next to my station, and before the sealing weld they would spray the inside with a rust preventor and then finish up welding it. Well the stuff smelled like rotting tomato's and made me sick to the point of up chucking.. so I go into the boss and tell him. He says I'm nutz and to get back to work so I put up withit for a couple days. then finally peel a label off a can and go see a DR.-- He calls OSHA and they tell him you aint spose to weld within 75 FT of the stuff, let alone ON it.. so I get a note that they are spose to provide me with a respirator to give my boss-- He gives me one of those cotton surgical masks!!!! ALWAYS check what you are about to gasify, and if not sure dont use it- you could end up real sorry
Just read this thread for the first time, and I've been TIG welding (Hobby) for over 25 years... This is definitely a thread that needs to be BTTT from time to time..
I always heard how bad it was to use Brake Clean before welding but no one could ever tell me why? Now I know. Its neat to see the chemistry behind it all. Any Can that says on it "known to cause cancer and birth defects in the state of california" means its bad stuff to breath. Good thing I dont live in California HAHA just kidding
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