# Canned air is extremely explosive...



## JAndrew (Sep 28, 2013)

Hello HMEM,

This isn't exactly a machining blunder but there's still several lessons to be learned here.

Tonight was the wife and I's wedding anniversary. After a long day at the plant a good crockpot meal of chicken was just the ticket to lift my spirits. The wining and dining over...it was time to clean-up. And that's when the chicken gravy went down into the burner knobs on our gas stove range with electric ignition.

"Tick,tick,tick,tick,tick...."

Anyone who's had a gas stove long enough knows that wretched sound. The gravy was shorting out the ignitors for multiple burners and the ticking could carry on for days while the ignitors dry out. :wall:

Being the brilliant handyman I am (yeah right), I set to work removing the stove top to dry out the mess. It's, of course, that one size of torx screw that didnt come with your bit set but a small flathead will do. I got popped by the ignitors once which isn't pleasant but won't kill you.

BTW several of you probably already know the right answer and are asking the computer screen right now, "Why didn't you just go open the breaker for the ignitor?"

Thank you but I didnt think of that until later. A lesson hard learned.

I wiped out the majority of the gravy and it continued to tick away in mockery of my efforts. Somehow I needed to cleanout the plastic box switches that house the ignitor wires...

Ah! "Hey baby where's that canned air?"

Canned air is not air but is actually a very volatile tetrahexacarbinaloibillyatylenolibuprofen (or something close to that).

I managed to blow them out for quite a while filling up that low void with flammable gas before the ignitor caught...

And that's where the 1st and 2nd degree burns came on my index and middle fingers, thumb and wrist. Lost a lot of hair too. And the stove continued to tick. And the wife began to sob...

Ugh. Smartened up a bit. Opened the breaker. Cleaned then out and now they'll dry until tomorrow. Hand is throbbing and I have to be up for work at 4am but figured I'd go to sleep mad unless I write it down to turn it into a "humorous story from the past."

The TakeAway Lessons: (things I should have already known)
1.Canned air is extremely flammable/explosive! Don't use it except in a well-ventilated area AWAY from flames/sparks.
2. De-Energize before commencing work!
3. Do the dishes for your wife! She's tired and deserves it!

Hope this saves someone from a fate like mine. I'll post burnt hand pictures tomorrow to help drive the point home (maybe not).

-J.Andrew


----------



## Tinkerer58 (Sep 28, 2013)

I feel your pain, hope your hand heals soon. That reminds me when I was a young bloke on my honey moon, being a smoker, (yeah I know it stunts your growth) my lighter ran out of gas and I thought yeah I'll use the gas stove, cigarette in mouth, bent down to the burner pushed and turned the switch while you suck at the end of the smoke and bang. It suddenly lit with a big whooos of flame taking of all my eyebrows and some of my hair and what ever other facial hair I had. Man that scared me but luckily no serious burns. They do say smoking is bad for your health, in more ways than one. DUM DUM DUM still smoking so I have learnt nothing.


----------



## Tin Falcon (Sep 28, 2013)

I feel your pain . I singed a few hairs off the back of my hand a couple week ago . Home made gas forge .Just started using it.  stick lit long fireplace lighter in  turn on gas. no go pull out lighter flame is out . re light liter stick in forge poof. 

proper procedure . turn off gas . wait.... relight ligter then turn gas back on.

Tin


----------



## steamboat willie (Sep 28, 2013)

Thanks for the warning - I did not know what was in those cans and now I do - something that goes Boom.
Many thanks for the advice.
I hope that your hand recovers completely and quickly and that the lesson and your discomfort has not been lost on others.
Bill.


----------



## JAndrew (Sep 28, 2013)

Thanks all. Fingers are a bit crispy but at least they aren't throbbing anymore.

-J.Andrew


----------



## Brian Rupnow (Sep 29, 2013)

My uncle Jimmy had no electricity in his house. He had a stove that ran on Naptha gas, with a pressure tank you pumped up by hand. His lantern ran on Naptha gas. His wife's iron ran on Naptha gas---and he used Naptha gas in his cigarette  lighter!! It was always a thrilling experience to see uncle Jimmy light up a smoke. He would roll a smoke, stick it in his mouth, reach into his pocket and get out his trusty Zippo and flick the flint. About half the time his head would be enveloped by blue flames, and he would be shaking his lighter hand back and forth to put out the blue tendrils of flame running up and down his wrist. This was very exciting stuff to a 10 year old nephew. A few years later, I was inspired to write the following story---
​*"Aunt Betty&#8217;s Iron" 
*[FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman][FONT=Times New Roman,Times New Roman]The part of Ontario that I grew up in had no Hydro electric power until I was about 10 years old, and then when it did come through, a lot of people couldn't afford it until I was about 15 years old. 
This lead to a lot of strange and wonderful memories of when I was a kid. One of the more awe inspiring memories is of my aunt Betty's Naptha gas powered clothes iron. (And yes, she was married to the ill fated uncle who put the Naptha in grandpa's oilcan). 
Now I'm sure that not too many of you knew that there was such a thing as a Naptha powered clothes iron. 
It kinda looked like an electric clothes iron, but it had a round blue globe about 3" diameter on one end. This globe had a screw on lid and a pressure pump just like a gas lantern. 
The procedure to use this thing was to fill the globe with Naptha gas, pump up the internal pressure, then light it with a kitchen match and let it preheat.--And that was the fun part. My aunt Betty was deathly afraid of the damn thing, because when you lit it, blue flames would shoot in all directions, totally enveloping the iron and the hand of whoever lit it, and it would hiss like a ruptured dragon until the burners inside the iron heated up---then it would settle into a rather contented hiss and you would be ready to iron the days washing with it. 
She would make my uncle take it outside to light it and get it warmed up to operating temperature. My uncle knew no fear!! (Hell, he even used Naptha in his Zippo cigarette lighter, because it was cheaper than lighter fluid.). 
I always loved it if I happened to be at Grandpa's house on ironing day. My uncle never worked too steady---it interfered with his whiskey drinking and fiddle playing too much. As a consequence, him and my aunt lived in a little house on a piece of my grandpa's land. 
He wasn't big on working, but he was great with all of us various nephews and nieces, and could be depended on for some great pyrotechnic displays!!! 
Brian Rupnow----
[/FONT][/FONT]


----------



## ShopShoe (Sep 30, 2013)

Brian,

I remember trips to my grandmother's house in the 1950's. She had a "regular" iron and a steam iron that was used for the black art of "pressing" that also involved black felt cloths and changing the ironing board cover. Occasionally neither iron would work right and she'd get out the "gas iron." whenever this happened we kids would be banned from the house and told we couldn't come back until given the all clear. I later came to understand that several of our family's relatives had been hurt when those gas irons caught fire or exploded. I have also heard that when REA came through housewives were so happy they were able to get electric irons and that was a bigger deal for them than lightbulbs and radios.

--ShopShoe


----------



## JAndrew (Sep 30, 2013)

Mr. Rupnow and ShopShoe,

I havent seen gas irons before but it does make me think of those old gasoline powered torches. Same configuration with the pressure pump and they would compete easily with Oxy-Acetylene  torches. Very unsafe though! You can still find them for sale on Ebay every now and again.

Thanks,
-J.Andrew


----------



## tornitore45 (Oct 24, 2013)

I hope the can was not really labeled CANNED AIR. Doing so would be criminal because after reading "canned air" is reasonable to expect that the user is confident to know how to handle it without reading the fine prints saying do not use near open flames (or sparks).
Live and learn!


----------



## Tin Falcon (Oct 24, 2013)

It is usually labeled compressed gas duster.
Tin


----------



## Tin Falcon (Oct 24, 2013)

Dustoff MSDS

1,1-Difluoroethane 100% 


Spill or Leak: Although the chances of a large spill or leak are unlikely in aerosol containers. If a spill can cause 
 a concentration in excess of 1,000 ppm, stop flow and remove ignition sources. Evacuate area. 
 Ventilate area, especially low places where heavy vapors might collect


----------



## Art K (Oct 24, 2013)

While you all are checking your can of air I'm having visions of the "Lock out Tag out" video I watched for a previous job. Need I say more?
Art


----------



## Wizard69 (Nov 2, 2013)

One suggestion, read the label!   Even these so called canned air sources come with a variety of chemical make ups.


----------



## Kwtaylor (Oct 4, 2016)

Fond memories of being terrified.  Dear Dad,  cheap as he was,  put naphtha in the camp stove.  Wouldn't light,  pumped it up some more,  5 or 6 more matches, lit slow.  As it warmed up,  it did better, and the coffe pot was set on.

Then the stove decided we would cook coffee like right now.  Flames every where.  Flaring,  Billowing,  towering flames in the morning dew.

The image of my Dad launching the fuel tank out into the lake before it exploded is one of many fond memories of camping in my youth.  Fortunately,  I cannot give my kids the same nightmares!


----------



## mcostello (Oct 5, 2016)

Your lucky My Wife would laugh. This post makes Me wonder if a source of Model engine propellant was just found.


----------



## Foozer (Oct 5, 2016)

When kids were young - Gave them the lesson about pressured containers and the burn pile - Would toss a spray can into the pile and wait - Never explicitly told them not to do such a thing - Was enough to set the impression of knowing your surroundings and be aware of what could go wrong . .


----------



## mcostello (Oct 6, 2016)

Neighbor was welding and wanted to give the just welded part a "hot coat" of paint so it would dry quickly. He set the hot electrode down touching the aerosol can and it blew up,with a piece of the can taking out an eye ball permanently.


----------



## Lykle (Oct 20, 2016)

A lot of those cans are actually Propane.
It is stupid that it is not clearly marked on those cans. I use it for my 3D printing and went over the whole can looking for the content. It simply was not on it.
But boy, did it produce a flame!! 

Now I am using a different brand, Super Duster by AF and I cannot get that stuff to ignite. Happy with that, as the printer does have hot surfaces and might have a spark here and there.

Lykle


----------



## valentin (Nov 18, 2016)

Thanks for share this lesson painfully learned. Just once in my life I used canned air, for an airbrush, many years ago. I will take in mind your experience for if the case. Hope you´ll be better soon.


----------



## erik8ruth (Jul 2, 2021)

JAndrew said:


> Hello HMEM,
> 
> This isn't exactly a machining blunder but there's still several lessons to be learned here.
> 
> ...


butane , if administered right away, will freeze the burn, kill the pain and usually eliminates blistering. ive done it a few times and it worked wonderfully. also dont smoke while using it and make sure you are grounded out and no cats around. also, ANY powdered metal is explosive


----------



## olympic (Jul 3, 2021)

Just a note on burns here. If you have a stove-top tea kettle, make sure the lid is on properly before you pour that boiling water into the teapot. Though not quite "live," the steam will poach your little fingers in a trice--and please don't ask me how I know....


----------



## Ken I (Jul 15, 2021)

I had a similar experience with a hand held air horn - the "air" is in fact butane.

It ignited producing a big ugly yellow billow of flame - no harm done but nonetheless a surprise.

Regards, Ken


----------



## RonGinger (Jul 15, 2021)

I always was fascinated by naptha engines used in boats. They used the naptha not only to make the heat, but as the working fluid in the boiler. This was done to get around laws that required licenses to operate a boiler. Boilers were defined as steam and water items, so naptha was not against the law.

I have seen one naptha launch, at Mystic Seaport Museum.  Would make an interesting model.


----------



## Master (Aug 9, 2021)

About 1960 in our town an old galvanized metal water heater safety valve stuck.  It went through the roof and traveled a good distance before it landed.  Luckily no one was hurt.


----------



## Steamchick (Aug 9, 2021)

Hmmmm... A few salutary tales there. Hope you fingers heal quickly. We all know the intense pain from even tiny burns....
I once saw a motor repair man spray WD40 into a wet engine bay of a car with a very hot engine, the was running badly with sparks all over.... The loud "whoomph" as the whole engine bay was engulfed in a large plume of flame was drowned out by his shouts of "Oh F........!" The nearby family - only 2 yards away - looked at him and were upset by the swearing while he grabbed a fire extinguisher and extinguished their burning car.... Needless to say, the car was taken away on a trailer.....
Working in car manufacturing, we were taught that most car fires in accidents are started when Brake fluid hits hot exhaust manifolds.... it has a very low flash point! Petrol and diesel fuel don't  flash so easily, but always take care with any fluid and hot surfaces. 
Old fire extinguishers use flame extinguishing chemicals that were converted by hot metal into toxic gases, e.g. phosgene, like those used in trench warfare in the Great War.
And weedkiller sprays contain chemicals that can be absorbed through the skin and kill nerves.....
Take care,
K2


----------



## TSutrina (Aug 10, 2021)

Such a list of people getting hurt by explosions.  Lucky I do not have a story.  As a young boy we had fun creating a dust explosion.  Candle sitting on the ground at the center of a 3 inch diameter by about 6 foot long aluminum pipe resting on bricks to have an air inlet.  We dropped down a little bit of particle board saw dust.   About a third of the times a flame shot out the top of the pipe. Not a little flame but at least a foot above the end of the pipe.  
As an adult engineer I designed phase change products a few times.   The water tank going through the roof is different then other examples.  A water heater doesn't have an air bubble when it is at normal hot water temperatures.  As it gets hotter some air may come out of the water as bubble comes out of pop.  Still there is not sufficient are to produce the launch of the water heater.   What happens is that the water is super heated so that the actual vapor pressure of the water is well above the city water pressure.  Something causes a trip of the water to go out of super heat.  The energy in the water is converted to create water vapor.  This creates a huge water bubble at the water pressure.  The flame that heated the water caused the metal to be the weakest so if fails.  Water is pushed out at a high velocity with the reaction force lifting the heater up.  As the pressure drops due to water being pushed out more water boils so water is push out until atmospheric or a lower pressure is reached.


----------



## doc1955 (Aug 10, 2021)

JAndrew said:


> Mr. Rupnow and ShopShoe,
> 
> I havent seen gas irons before but it does make me think of those old gasoline powered torches. Same configuration with the pressure pump and they would compete easily with Oxy-Acetylene  torches. Very unsafe though! You can still find them for sale on Ebay every now and again.
> 
> ...


Lol  among other things I collect old irons I have many that you sat on a potbelly stove a couple coal fired and a couple gas. I attached some pictures of the gas.


 Speaking of canned air canned fix a flat is bad news also. once put in the tire it becomes a bomb and you can set it off with a spark while removing tire from rim not good.


----------



## GrahamJTaylor49 (Aug 11, 2021)

I did my apprenticeship as an Aircraft Toolmaker and ended up as a self employed compressed air engineer. I am also a pressure vessel examiner and carry out work for the HSE and some insurance companies. Whilst on a course with BCAS in London an example of how dangerous compressed gasses can be. This includes compressed air. A large car franchise in London had a workshop that had a compressor. The fitters in the workshop complained to the manager that the compressor was leaking and could he do something about it. The manager investigated the noise and found that the safety valve was lifting and to paraphrase the saying "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing" replaced the safety valve with a plug. A little while later the motor burnt out and instead of getting it rewound or replaced with the same size motor, he found a spare motor in the stores. Unfortunately, the replacement motor was of a size nearly double the size of the one that had failed. Now on compressors the motor is sized to the pump so that in the event of pressure switch failure the motor will stall before there is an accident. Now with the safety valve removed and replaced with a plug, the motor now being way larger than was required the "apprentice"  who was supposed to turn everything off when leaving for home in the evening forgot to switch off the compressor. During the night the pressure switch failed ON. The next day when the manager and staff came into work they found that the works was missing two walls and the roof and that four customers cars were rite offs. At the public enquiry the comedy of errors that had led to the devastating explosion was laid at the feet of the manager who, due to his interfering with the plant, had caused the problem. The insurance company used this as an out and refused to pay out and the manager was fired. Had anyone been inside the building at the time they would have been killed.
Compressed air, which is a gas, is more dangerous that electricity, and as we all breath it and consider it as harmless it cannot hurt us. Oh yes it can. So gentlemen and ladies, please be careful and remember compressed gasses are dangerous.
Please keep making these models and I will put the story of my Stuart Turner Major beam engine, which I will finish one day,
Regards to all,
Graham Taylor. B.Eng. Verwood, U.K.


----------



## harborfreight8x12 (Aug 11, 2021)

I am glad I saw this post.  You are all correct in saying that "Canned Air" is a misnomer and could cause a serious incident.  I remember as a kid using a hair spray can and a lighter as a blow torch.


----------



## harborfreight8x12 (Aug 11, 2021)

doc1955 said:


> Lol  among other things I collect old irons I have many that you sat on a potbelly stove a couple coal fired and a couple gas. I attached some pictures of the gas.
> 
> 
> Speaking of canned air canned fix a flat is bad news also. once put in the tire it becomes a bomb and you can set it off with a spark while removing tire from rim not good.


You mention tires becoming a "bomb", in my youth I worked in a scrap yard and we used to air up tires with a propane bottle.  When it was time for a load of scrap iron we would pile all the junk wheels and set them on fire and wait for the ones filled with propane to .......................................!


----------



## TSutrina (Aug 11, 2021)

GrahamJTaylor49 said:


> I did my apprenticeship as an Aircraft Toolmaker and ended up as a self employed compressed air engineer. I am also a pressure vessel examiner and carry out work for the HSE and some insurance companies. Whilst on a course with BCAS in London an example of how dangerous compressed gasses can be. This includes compressed air. A large car franchise in London had a workshop that had a compressor. The fitters in the workshop complained to the manager that the compressor was leaking and could he do something about it. The manager investigated the noise and found that the safety valve was lifting and to paraphrase the saying "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing" replaced the safety valve with a plug. A little while later the motor burnt out and instead of getting it rewound or replaced with the same size motor, he found a spare motor in the stores. Unfortunately, the replacement motor was of a size nearly double the size of the one that had failed. Now on compressors the motor is sized to the pump so that in the event of pressure switch failure the motor will stall before there is an accident. Now with the safety valve removed and replaced with a plug, the motor now being way larger than was required the "apprentice"  who was supposed to turn everything off when leaving for home in the evening forgot to switch off the compressor. During the night the pressure switch failed ON. The next day when the manager and staff came into work they found that the works was missing two walls and the roof and that four customers cars were rite offs. At the public enquiry the comedy of errors that had led to the devastating explosion was laid at the feet of the manager who, due to his interfering with the plant, had caused the problem. The insurance company used this as an out and refused to pay out and the manager was fired. Had anyone been inside the building at the time they would have been killed.
> Compressed air, which is a gas, is more dangerous that electricity, and as we all breath it and consider it as harmless it cannot hurt us. Oh yes it can. So gentlemen and ladies, please be careful and remember compressed gasses are dangerous.
> Please keep making these models and I will put the story of my Stuart Turner Major beam engine, which I will finish one day,
> Regards to all,
> Graham Taylor. B.Eng. Verwood, U.K.


The only good thing to say is at least there wasn't combustible vapor or gas in the air, like the oil lubricant and a spark created when the failure happened.


----------



## gunner312 (Aug 11, 2021)

Cats????


----------



## Steamchick (Aug 12, 2021)

Dust-Off sounds useful until you read the health hazards... I'll stick to motorcycling, it sounds safer! (BUT I know it isn't, just fun!).
K2


----------



## Bentwings (Aug 16, 2021)

Worked in a big truck shop building a race car for the owner. They regularly used carb cleaner, brake cleaner and ether starting spray to mount semi tires. Spray it and light it, boom  tire seated. It’s amazing they didn’t blow themselves up. I stayed in the car shop while they mounted tires. It’s no wonder why big truck tires explode if there is residual flammables in them.  Steel portable air tanks can accumulate water in them then they get rust internally weakening them. Most of the time it just start arts as a leak but but they can explode too. An R&D lab I worked in did vessel pressure testing but it was always hydraulic. In a water tank. They just split and leaked water all over. Once in a while a weld failed but in the water tank it just created a big wave gas pressurization was not allowed.


----------



## Steamchick (Aug 16, 2021)

In the frozen northern countries, Iceland, Finland, etc. They do a lot of winter off road stuff and low pressure sin tyres to improve grip on snow and ice... but tyres pop-off frequently... After re-fitting, they squirt liquid butane into the tyre - it is sub-zero - then ignite it with a whoomph to inflate the tyre and set it on the rim... no idea how long tyres last though.... 
K2


----------



## Bentwings (Sep 6, 2021)

Steamchick said:


> In the frozen northern countries, Iceland, Finland, etc. They do a lot of winter off road stuff and low pressure sin tyres to improve grip on snow and ice... but tyres pop-off frequently... After re-fitting, they squirt liquid butane into the tyre - it is sub-zero - then ignite it with a whoomph to inflate the tyre and set it on the rim... no idea how long tyres last though....
> K2


I’ve seen this done on big truck tires too. It’s a scary process.


----------



## MRA (Sep 7, 2021)

Steamchick said:


> Working in car manufacturing, we were taught that most car fires in accidents are started when Brake fluid hits hot exhaust manifolds.... it has a very low flash point!


I found that out when annealing a bit of brake pipe on a car, where I had sheared-off the nipple (and the flare on the end of the copper pipe) when taking off a very knackered slave cylinder.  So when my ebay flaring kit turned up, I thought it would help to anneal the remaining pipe, on the car and full of (well, fairly full of) fluid.  It didn't half make me jump, and I probably had my head inside the wheel arch when it went pop!


----------



## Eoin (Sep 8, 2021)

This has been a most interesting series of posts, to say the least.
I haven’t had any explosions but have been using various insect and ‘smell nice’ sprays for years to start reluctant engines, particularly the now ten year old lawn mower, it’s been a reluctant starter for all of its life but a quick spray from a can (above) sees it spring into life.
Once its hot it starts normally so I’ve never used the sprays around a hot motor.


----------

