Catastrophic pressure pot failure...my wife almost became a widow!

[Rifleman1776]

Why do I need to cast at such high pressure? Becasue I WANT to cast at such high pressure! You have not seen some of the things that I have cast and gotten excellent penetration that was not possible at lower pressure when tested. I normally do not cast at 95 but I do routinely cast at 80.

I will say it again, THE POT DID NOT FAIL. The failure was caused by the pot savers slipping off of the pot due to the use of an inadequare adhesive. Simply a rush decision on my part. The other pot sitting next to this one has been in service for 3 years with the pot savers installed for 1 year with absolutely no problem, always being used right at 80 psi.

OK, you know your mistake and, hopefully, will not repeat it.
Glad you are alright. It could have been very bad.
I don't cast and don't plan to. But, I do stable and use only vacuum.
My set-up will be moved from my shop (under hill side house garage) to big garage separate from house. Mostly for safety reasons. Keeping and using so many volitiles presents several risks. I sure don't want to lose the garage to fire but better that and the contents than the house.

 

[Daniel]

Curtis, I also want to thank you for sharing your mistake. It is easy to share the successes. Flanting the embarrassing stuff takes character. And there is no need to scold you for anything, it is pretty obvious that you already know it was a bad idea.
maybe it is time to find a stronger solution to the HF pot for those that are determined to push the envelope.

 

[PTJeff]

Check this one out, entry #6. You may want to talk to him about his new pot since you said
"I do agree that it may be time to look into something more robust since I do cast as a business and not just for the fun of it."

http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=44437

Stay safe

Jeffrey

 

[wolftat]

Screw it! The chances of this happening are very slim, and the chance of it repeating is even slimmer. I think you had your blow out, now go for broke, I cast above 80# as standard practice and I do it in my basement casting area. Build another pot and go back to work but try stronger than bubble gum on the next one.:wink:

By the way, all those that think a plywood cover would have helped this are forgetting about shrapnel that would be produced by that.

Time to put this behind you and get back to casting. Good luck.

 

[dogcatcher]

Not real sure on this but I think metal fatigue could have something to do with it. Every so often I have to have my acetylene and oxygen tanks pressure tested to be sure they are safe. From what I understand on my tanks it is a federal requirement. Pretty sure there is no requirement on paint pots, but after time the pressure and the heat of the resins are bound to change the make up the metal.

Was it metal fatigue or operator error? That will never be answered but this should be a warning to start a safety procedure to keep someone from dying. The hose to fill the tank and the pressure gauge needs to extended so the operator has a few few of clearance from the tank and it can be set behind some sort of safety wall.

 

[sbell111]

... By the way, all those that think a plywood cover would have helped this are forgetting about shrapnel that would be produced by that.

I was wondering if a plywood box would have contained this type of 'splosion. Perhaps one of the resident math dudes knows how to calculate that.

 

[stolicky]

Screw it! The chances of this happening are very slim, and the chance of it repeating is even slimmer. I think you had your blow out, now go for broke, I cast above 80# as standard practice and I do it in my basement casting area. Build another pot and go back to work but try stronger than bubble gum on the next one.:wink:

By the way, all those that think a plywood cover would have helped this are forgetting about shrapnel that would be produced by that.

Time to put this behind you and get back to casting. Good luck.

Yeah, famous last words.... : )

No really, it probably is a rare occurrence. Although, as much as he uses that post, it would be a good idea to get something a little more robust.

As for the plywood box, it may not fully contain shrapnel, but it would certainly mitigate the result and slow down the momentum of flying objects. Kind of like those safety cables for garage door springs. I had a spring let loose a week after I installed the safety cable (good timing!) and it broke. However, it absorbed enough of the load/momentum to prevent the spring from flying across the garage and really damaging something...

 

[Bree]

I was wondering if a plywood box would have contained this type of 'splosion. Perhaps one of the resident math dudes knows how to calculate that.

The best way to contain the explosion of a paint pot pushed beyond its design limits is not to push it in the first place.
:wink::wink::wink:

 

[mtup]

Whew!..Glad your ok there Curtis. Hot glue has failed me so many times. Only thing I use it for now is for turning tea lights. Sometimes then it breaks loose. Also, to anyone installing the steel plates on your pp, I'd grind the paint off first before jb weld.

Mark Tupper

 

[RHossack]

I'm sure you may be getting a tad bit tired of everyone saying they are glad you are ok, but I echo that crowd.

What I am simply amazed at is how your work area looks after that bomb went off ... it's spotless!

I was going to add the pot savers to mine and was going to use JB-Kwik but now will rethink that and wait till I get some JB-Weld ...

 

[wolftat]

As for the plywood box, it may not fully contain shrapnel, but it would certainly mitigate the result and slow down the momentum of flying objects. quote]
My thinking was more that the plywood box would become the shrapnel and would be more dangerous than the pot lid. I have seen more than my share of explosions and it's not the explosive that causes the damage but all the stuff around it that breaks up goes flying.

 

[RichAldrich]

Curtis: Glad you are OK. Please be careful. Your imput on many topics is valued.

 

[THarvey]

Curtis,

I am glad you were not hurt. This thread has some amusing points, mixed in with the serious notes. Here's one more.

Maybe it's time you changed you signature to:

Official IAP Pressure Pot Crash Tester! :beat-up:

 

[Daniel]

Curtis, just as a follow up because I did see your other post on this issue. I am glad to see you went to better quality pots since you like to play around on the fringe. Otherwise I agree with Neil. The shop is a dangerous place, act accordingly because there are not a min number of accidents before that fact changes. Above all I am glad the pots where the only casualties. You wouldn't be selling the good HF pot on the cheap cheap would you???

 

[thepenguy]

That Harbour Freight pressure pot is not intended to me used at 95 lbs max pressure is 60 psi

 

[Jim Smith]

WOW! That was a very close call to a serious injury or worse. I'm glad that you're okay and thanks for the warning about the HF pressure pots. Perhaps you should contact HF to tell them what happened. If nothing else, perhaps they will change manufacturers just to avoid the liability of a major lawsuit. Just a thought...

Jim Smith

 

[MesquiteMan]

You guys do realize this thread is nearly 7 years old, right? And just FYI, not all HF pots are only stated at 60 psi. The ones used here were stamped 80 psi. Sure, I went past that and should not have.

 

[SDB777]

You guys do realize this thread is nearly 7 years old, right? And just FYI, not all HF pots are only stated at 60 psi. The ones used here were stamped 80 psi. Sure, I went past that and should not have.

They are all about the time warp....don't you wish you were seven years younger?



Scott (I know I wanna go back seven) B

 

[rockb]

Glad you're okay Curtis....we need you around here. : )