Respect Compressed Air

I found out the hard way how dangerous airless paint sprayers can be. I shot myself in the end of my finger and filled it with an oil based paint. The surgeon split my finger open to clean out the paint, he worked on it for about 2 hours but wasn't able to get all the paint out. I spent the next 4 days in the hospital and finally after a very painful 6 weeks they finally took the finger off. It took about 3 months to finally regain full use of my hand. Guys be careful out there.
 
I had a 1979 Dodge pick-up and one of the front disc brakes locked up at 12,080 miles just over the 12,000 mile warranty. No help from the dealer so I decided " sure I can fix it myself". Got the caliper off and discover that the piston was a composite material. The new air compressor seemed to be the logical tool for this job. Put some air through the caliper and success, it came out, but violently. Unfortunately I was watching the progress a little too closely and it nailed me in the forehead. New metal replacement pistons were available making me think this was a common problem.

Kevin J.
 
While working in a dealership many years ago we had a mechanic add some hydraulic oil to the in-ground automotive lift. Success! The lift didn't jump anymore the last two inches where it ran on just air when the oil was low. He decided to help the mechanic in the next bay and top off his lift as well. He stuck a 3/4" impact gun in the plug and zip out came the plug along with several gallons of oil powered by a whole bunch of air pressure. The mechanic who removed the plug landed on the other side of a nearby car with most of his teeth missing and his nose broken with oil and blood making his hair stand straight up when he looked up over the hood of the car he landed by. The mechanic who was removing a transmission under the car that just lost hydraulic/air pressure needed a change of pants when the hoist dropped several inches before catching on the safety lock.

Be careful,
Dave
 
As a youngster, I was warned about using air hoses carelessly. "Son, never point an air hose anyway near your skin. You can shoot a blast of air right
through your skin and into an artery and bam! it will go right to your heart and kill you." I have always respected air hoses ever since, and that was MANY
years of air hose use since, and Im still here!;)
 
Another dangerous thing to do can be to spin up a ball bearing with an air hose nozzle. It can be done safely with care
but don't try to see how fast it can go as it can fly apart with disastrous results.

Is THAT why they always say not to do it? I always assumed it was because it could damage the bearing running it dry. Well, I guess that counts as damage... :eek 2:
 
Years ago, I was checking out a compressor/tank combo and the unloader was a type that was unfamiliar. We filled it with air several times to test and finally the owner was tired of waiting for it to drain and unscrewed the 1 1/2" plug on the end of the 80 gal. tank. It was pointed between two houses and since it was fall, a large amount of leaves were ejected out into the street. Traffic came to a screeching halt! At the time it had about 80lbs, which is 400+ gallons of air coming out of that small hole like a jet. Fred, the owner was warned before he did the deed by me and then he learned a lesson! And he never forgot it either!!!
 
While working in a dealership many years ago we had a mechanic add some hydraulic oil to the in-ground automotive lift. Success! The lift didn't jump anymore the last two inches where it ran on just air when the oil was low. He decided to help the mechanic in the next bay and top off his lift as well. He stuck a 3/4" impact gun in the plug and zip out came the plug along with several gallons of oil powered by a whole bunch of air pressure.
Dave
Loosening a hydraulic connector when the system is already bled is undramatic, and pretty safe if the connection is of the type that indirectly leaks to a side hole. BUT .. if there is still air in there, it stores energy like a spring! Not quite like death by diesel injector, but it is true that a squirt of hydraulic oil into below the skin is pretty much the end of all.

My direct experience with trying to vent Argon from a HIP (Hot Isostatic Press) out into the exhaust pipe...
From cooling back from 900C to below 300C, the pressure had reduced a bit, but was still at 800Bar (11,600psi).
The vent valve opens into only 1mm hole, which then ends up in a sort of "communal" exhaust about the diameter of a spray can.
The final vent pipe was 1/2", meaning it was 3/4" OD, in stainless 316. The problem was with the "communal" part being shared by a oil filled vacuum pump.

I never would have thought that one could blow hard enough through a tiny 1mm hole to make enough pressure in a 1/2" pipe open exhaust to blow back through the gaskets of a vacuum pump, and generate an expanding mist of white oil fog - that is oil bubbles filled with Argon.

Panic! It spread through the whole lab, filling up from the floor. I reached down into the fog, and spun the needle valve shut, but by the time we had made our way out, it was waist high, and I was tripping over all sorts of machinery under it. In 30 minutes with loading bay doors wide open - it was all gone, but the fright has stayed with me! Breathing reaction is driven by CO2. A lungful of Argon will stop you breathing!

Gas under pressure is just dangerous stored potential energy. The work the compressor has to do to get it there could have driven you somewhat far down the road. High pressure gas is something that you treat with very, very special care - as if it was dynamite!
 
Last edited:
I remember my dad was shooting a c02 pellet gun in the basement. He thought it was out of CO2 and loosened the cartridge. He said it removed a good amount of concrete from the wall when it shot out. A little co2 gun that could barely shoot through anything but targets, but that canister could take out concrete. I learned respect for pressurized vessels at that point..
 
working at 16 wheeler truck place, repairing flats...changing tires...
use 3/4 inch airlines
recall disconnecting quick change, blew a scab right off my arm
be careful with those quick disconnects!!

Charl
 
be careful with those quick disconnects!!

Charl

And always put the side of the coupler that cuts off the air, to the air supply side. I sure felt stupid popping one of those off with the coupler set up the wrong way around and I would have felt a lot worse if I had been whipped by the loose end.
 
Back
Top