Shop almost caught fire today. The culprit?

[Jon Knauft]

Steel wool! I was cleaning my shop out and had put all my new sandpaper and steel wool in bags on my bench. I walked out of the shop for a minute and when I came back smoke was coming from my bench. I ran over and found a piece of steel wool that was smoking and red hot. I threw it on the floor and it started on fire. A well placed shoe put it out. Thankfully I had come back into the shop as soon as I did or I would have probably had some damage to the bench or worse! :eek:

The cause of the steel wool igniting? I had put my Dewalt screwgun on the bench and had put a spare battery pack next to it. A piece of steel wool was poking out of the bag and touched the exposed leads of the battery pack and had shorted it out. The steel wool was red hot and started smoking within seconds.

Thankfully no one was hurt and my battery pack even still works.

-Jon
Going to be real careful from now on where I put my steel wool.:rolleyes:

[David Christopher]

Jon, glad you caught it in time..would hate to here a horror story

[Greg Hines, MD]

My Boy Scouts have been using steel wool and a 9v battery to start fires for years. You are lucky to not have had it get out of control.

Doc

[Russ Boyd]

That was close. Glad you caught it. I once (heavy on the once) tried to clean my car cigarette lighter with steel wool. Don't know why I'm admitting this on the internet, but maybe someone else might respect steel wool now too.

[george wilson]

I guess you now know that steel wool will burn like crazy,due to it having a little oil in it,and it has a huge surface area.

[James Jackson]

Don't remember were I read this:

" Store steel wool in a metal container to prevent fire risk."

I have been using big Popcorn Tins that I liberated from the wife and kids, after the treats have been eaten.

The price is right, and has worked for 25+ years for me. This also extends the useful life by retarding its oxidation (rust). Most of what you see in the picture is 20+ years old.

jrj

[Bill Huber]

Sure glad you came back to the shop.....

I still have a small scar on my leg from a 9v. and a penny.

[glenn bradley]

Glad your return was timely. I keep the little plastic caps on my batteries when they are not in the tool or the charger for just this reason. Far fetched as it seems, you have shown that rare things do happen. I learned my lesson on a tractor battery and a mis-laid tool; ye-owch!

[Mark Bolton]

As an aside to the steel wool another thing to remember is the bad habit of storing bits, screws, and other metal items in your cordless boxes with the batteries.

Its very common for people to toss extra screws and odds and ends into their cordless box. They can short out the batteries causing the batteries themselves to catch fire. Hence the plastic "condoms" they ship with the batteries, but no on puts them on.

Mark

[Von Bickley]

Jon,

Sounds like this was your lucky day. Glad everything turned out O.K.

[Dewayne Reding]

My Boy Scouts have been using steel wool and a 9v battery to start fires for years. You are lucky to not have had it get out of control.

Doc

I learned that trick in the house quite by accident just a couple weeks ago. Steel wool burns real good!

[Dewey Torres]

You need to send that in to the Family Handyman great goofs!

Here is how. (http://www.rd.com/advice-and-know-how/the-family-handyman-handy-hints--great-goofs/article109565.html);)

[Rick Mellin]

That was a great tip on putting steelwool in a metal container, thanks James.

[Benjimin Young]

That was close. Glad you caught it. I once (heavy on the once) tried to clean my car cigarette lighter with steel wool. Don't know why I'm admitting this on the internet, but maybe someone else might respect steel wool now too.

I always wondered why it burt so well. Oil in it, go figure. I learned something today, thanks Russ.

[Dave Bureau]

Sure glad you came back to the shop.....

I still have a small scar on my leg from a 9v. and a penny.
Bill: same thing happened to me last week! I found a 9v in my desk drawer and put it in my pocket to bring up to the shop for my DP laser. Forgot about it. Then about an hour later I was sitting down sanding something and all of a sudden my leg was burning up. Thought my lighter lit in my pocket. reached in and pulled out the 9v and some hot coins.

[Bob Slater]

Just lit some steel wool in the shop to see how quick it goes. VERY quick with a small amount of sparks that shoot out a bit in all directions. It is a flash burn. I am gonna be careful about storage now and old stuff lying around in a messy shop.. So Bump this thread back up. My price for Subscription to the Creek just paid for itself...again!

[Don Abele]

Don't know if the boy scouts have upgraded past rubbing two sticks together, but those of us that frequently find overselves in positions where we might be by ourselves and in need of heat carry steel wool as a quick fire starter. Works better than any kindling and can be packed a lot smaller/tighter. My preference is 0000 as it lights the fastest.

Be well (and safe)...

Doc

[Peter Scoma]

Between this and reports of chargers starting house fires, I'm switching to corded power tools! :eek:

PS

[Mark Elmer]

Whew! That was close. Thank you all for the tips on proper care of steel wool. I wonder where they keep the herds of steel sheep that this wool comes from? :confused:

[Gordon Peery]

I read this thread with interest and a chill (near disaster). Has anyone heard of a collection of "AA" or "AAA" in a drawer or duffel bag, "Bringing Heat" .....or is the voltage so low that not enough heat to start something?

Gordon