Official Luthiers Forum!

Who carries a fire extinguisher in the shop and what type......? I have not done that before but setting up a new shop and think it's time I got a bit smarter. Have recently purchased an air filter and plan to install that this week and am thinking I should be doing some more safety related things.
Tom

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A person who has never made a mistake has never made anything!!!

I've got a ABC type extinguisher in my shop that I bought at Costco. It is good for electrical, flammable liquid, and combustibles ie wood, paper, etc. Bought it after I got an earful from a friend a couple of years ago for not having one. Then got it from him again because he was going to get me a commercial one for Christmas.
If you ask at your local F.D. I'll bet they could set you straight on exactly what you need. Hooray for your new shop, Tom!

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

Type A would probably cover 99% of what's going to put on a show in a luthier workshop, but almost all consumer extinguishers are ABC now. I keep a small $20 one in my shop. Life was much easier and fun as a kid, breathing paint vapors, sawdust, washing hands in MEK.....now I gotta worry about all that bad stuff and fire!

ABC as above and a fire blanket. Fine air filter.
Couple other safety things - First aid kit, ear defenders and earplugs, dust masks/respirator, safety glasses and goggles, cut proof gloves, welder's gauntlets (hot pipe side bending), safety trainers.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

I have one in each room...

I'd also add that it is a good idea to have an emergency Eye wash station, or a bottle of emergency eye wash fluid (what I have). There is a lot of stuff we handle on a daily basis that can cause major damage if splashed in the eye. I also have a variety of fire extinguishers.

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Josh House

Canadian Luthier Supply
http://www.canadianluthiersupply.com
https://www.facebook.com/canadianluthiersupply?ref=hl
House Guitars - Custom Built Acoustic Instruments.
http://www.houseguitars.com

ABC is pretty standard, but don't scrimp on the size. A cheap household 1lb unit has a discharge of about 3 sec. Even the minimum required for commercial shop, 5 lb only lasts about 15 sec.
Your best bet is to hit up a local safety supply house and get a few extinguishers and some of the other items suggested.
When I set up my shop recently it was a about a $500 dollar bill for the items I felt were necessary.

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My memory is so good, sometimes I remember things that never happened.

Also realize they need to be recharged. If you are a pro yet fortunate enough to be running "under the radar" as far as permits and insurance is concerned don't forget to get a fire safety company to come out yearly. They recharge or exchange any units over 2 years. I know a fella with a vintage 911 that backfired and the webers caught fire. He went for his extinguisher and nothing, nada, zip. Goodbye Porsche!

Tim

One of those clear plastic face shields is a good idea. I use mine at least once every week.

Bob

I have a few of these smaller aerosol type of fire extinguishers around the shop and house.

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Another day, another dollar.

I keep my extinguisher close to the door. I want to be close to the exit and not have to go deep into the shop if I need it.

Pat

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Yep, me too. Got a 16 lb ABC mounted right next to the door.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I like this thread as at this time I have no fire extinguishers. Plan on getting three of them. One for each shop and one for the house.


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Hey Tom
Greetings from the rock. You'll never need a fire extinguisher until you really really need
one. I hope you never need one in your shop but combined with proper use they can be
an amazing peice of insurance. A couple recomendations, get a five or ten lb. ABC type. one with a hose if possible ( better to aim) and one with a guage. When the guage is in the green you know you're good to go. A decent one isn't too expensive, take a look at Home Hardware or I bet even Walmart has them. Or you could go to a safety supply house and they'll set you up with what you need, more money of course. And like someone else said, hang it by the door.
Ken

For fire extingushers, big is good. Mount it on a permanent bracket by the door so you won't forget where it is. I've put out a neighbors car fire and failed to stop another neighbor's burning attic. Each time it was well worth the recharge fee. Little piddly fire extingushers are for little piddly fires.

What are those for??? Putting out your cigarette? My first impression was "My gosh that's useless". A few seconds on Google: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news ... /index.htm

I've worked in the oil industry my whole life and I've put out large multi-level hydrocarbon fires using fire extinguishers. I've also worked in welding shops where we've used extinguishers to put out small wood and garbage fires, and brought a fire extinguisher to readiness when the gelled naththa tins - used for reaheating food in one of those straw roofed Tiki huts at an all-inclusive resort in Mexico - tipped over and caused a large flare up.

You want a real fire extinguisher and you need to know how to use it. I have a 3A-10B-C in my shop, located near the exit door. I'd like a larger extinguisher, but the one I have is adequate. The problem in a garage sized shop will be smoke! If the fire is large enough to need a larger extinguisher, then I'll be running away.

I highly recommend contacting your local fire department to ask if they offer or can recommend a place that offers fire extinguisher training where you get to put out a real fire with a real fire extinguisher. Unfortunatey in recent years many fire departments have stopped doing this or they have switched to using a "fire simulator" rather than using a real extinguisher. Failing that, next time you have a back yard fire pit going, buy a cheap small extinguisher and put out the fire just for practice. It makes a mess, but I think it's worth it.

ps. I have two young kids and we practice smoke alarm drills at home every once in a while. A friend of mine is a fire fighter and he mentioned one common problem is that people hide during a real fire - kids huddle in the corner of a closet and run away when they see a firefighter in full gear and breathing apparatus approaching to rescue them. Adults hide under the bed. Teach your kids not to hide and not to be scared when the fire-fighter approaches.

pps. Another fire department where my relatives live have a "smoke truck" they bring to parades and festivals where kids and parents sit in a simulated kitchen to watch a training video. While the video is on, they fill the room with smoke and have the people evacuate by crawling along the floor through a simulated living room. Very effective! See if your fire department has something similar.

Training and readiness make all the difference in an emergency.