The issue of safety in our hobby rooms

[Black Sheep 1]

Safety

 

[steezy]

Thanks Black Sheep 1 for sharing! I never thought to keep a fire extinguisher in the hobby room.

One thing to know about fire extinguishers is that they have different classes for different kinds of fires. Looks like a class B is what you should have in the hobby room.

Class A extinguishers are for ordinary combustible materials such as paper, wood, cardboard, and most plastics.

Class B fires involve flammable or combustible liquids such as gasoline, kerosene, grease and oil.

Class C fires involve electrical equipment, such as appliances, wiring, circuit breakers and outlets. Never use water to extinguish class C fires - the risk of electrical shock is far too great!

Class D fire extinguishers are commonly found in a chemical laboratory. They are for fires that involve combustible metals, such as magnesium, titanium, potassium and sodium.

Class K fire extinguishers are for fires that involve cooking oils, trans-fats, or fats in cooking appliances and are typically found in restaurant and cafeteria kitchens.

 

[Quaralane]

Nice safety tip.
Truth be told, I hadn't really thought about it much, and my bench has to be one of the worst offenders when it comes to the dangers involved.
Terrible clutter surrounds it almost constantly.
I'll take your words to heart, Blacksheep1

 

[Ravhin]

Food for thought . I usually have stuff packed away since I have a very small work space, and only have around what I'm using at the moment, plus my paints thinners and combustible stuff is stored in a pelican case, still I should also consider improving the safety of my room :

 

[JohnSimmons]

I'm in a wooden shed I'll make sure I grab a mini fire extinguisher.

 

[Dusky]

What if setting fires is my hobby? ;D

Kidding aside, it is a very good idea to keep a fire extinguisher in your hobby room. Just imagine how much it would cost to replace everything in it if there were a fire, and I doubt insurance will cover any of it. Not to mention putting your family and pets at risk.

 

[Grendels]

Nice video!

 

[Holden]

Well done Black Sheep 1, I already have one next to my modeling area but I'm glad someone did a video. To use it remember the acronym P.A.S.S

P- Pull the the safety pin
A- Aim the nozzle at the the base of the fire
S- Squeeze the the trigger
S- Sweep the the nozzle in a back and forth motion at the fire

Believe it or not some people don't know how to use one.

 

[Ian]

Picked up one today. $24 from my local small town hardware store. Rated for Class A-C fires.

 

[Black Sheep 1]

Good job!

 

[Ian]

It's something I hadn't even considered when fixing up the space, and getting supplies etc. I very much appreciate the safety advice.

 

[Texaslobo]

Guilty....

 

[fblanton]

Don't put out....

...the fire in my Mancave with my beer. Guess I'll go buy a fire extinguisher thingy.

 

[Ian]

So in addition to a fire extinguisher, another item I overlooked was a METAL trash can WITH LID.

The potential build up of flammable materials in the trash is high, especially when it comes time to paint, so having a metal trash can with a lid you can close when you leave is important. I'm using a basic bucket at the moment but I'm thinking about getting one of these so that it can air out, and thereby evaporate safely.

Countertop Compost Pail

 

[andrei383]

i was just thinking the same things as i finished my Luchs, i had several kitchen towels laced with turpentine and i realized thats just tinder waiting for a spark, i usually just throw out the trash on the day but a container like that may come in handy

 

[Ian]

Exactly. I mean it's not a pile of rags soaked in thinner, but it does accumulate. Even just a simple metal container with lid could prevent a possible disaster.

 

[Dusky]

I'd be weary of a metal trash can since it might be able to spark. I'd go for a nickel or chrome plated one.

 

[hooterville75]

When setting up a work area, do you guys do everything from one basic work area or do you have different stations set up that you different stuff ? If so how many stations do you have set up and what do you do at each station. Right at the moment I have a main desk that I use as my work area. Then I have a row of stations coming off each side of the desk going backwards. I dont have a desired specification that I do at each station though and continue basically doing everything at the main desks work area. The only station I really do anything at other then the main work area is the one desk type station I do my painting at. However, that will be changing when I get my spray booth finished. The spray booth will be moving over to the dryer duct which is beside my sink.

So I will have about four stations along with my main work area at the desk. Right now this is how I have things set up. Im always open for suggestions to make things more organized and easier.

Desk - Main work area. Coming off the left side going backwards, I have another miniature desk with my styrofoam block holding the Alligator sticks to help holding parts for painting. Parts of the model that are painted and ready to assemble. Next station is a childs desk with all my paints on seperated by Acrylics vs Enamels. Other side coming back from the main work area is a stand that I have all my supplies (Glues, sandpapers, finishing cloths, etc in) and a stero on top. Next stand is where I currently paint, with my rubber gloves, index cards, tape, etc on the bottom with my solvents, lacquer thinner etc. Then I have a miniature stand that I have my micro sol, micro set, novus, clear coats etc that is set up for decaling.

 

[Dusky]

I just have one work desk for everything and I have to do any spray painting outside on the concrete.

 

[andrei383]

i do almost all my work on a piece of 5mm MDF a bit larger than an A4 sheet of paper since i need to be able to move it out of the way to use my desk for studying, etc. the idea of a production line type modelling bench sounds like a good idea and if you have the space, i encourage you to go for it!