WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

This guy got lucky!

Mods, maybe putting this in a higher profile location would be a good idea.

http://www.brewracingframes.com/id75.htm

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

Yikes!

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

Wow, that is crazy!

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

Phogene is nasty stuff. We learned about it in the navy many years ago because some of the refrigerants will convert to phosgene when heated. On a submarine, that ain't good.

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

I agree with vtblazer...Mods, can we get this posted maybe on all the sites. This is something that we have all probably been close to doing.

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

Holy....
I use that stuf all the time to clean the oil off metal before I tig weld. Yikes. I guess Ive been lucky. I should say that I use it to clean off new non pitted metal... but still...

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

Not anywhere as bad,parked a pickup in the company shop overnight to tune up in the morning.Tuned it then started it.Choke looked a little gummy so looked for some carb cleaner and found none.Can of brake cleaner was handy so I grabbed and started hosing down the choke and linkage on the carb WHILE it was running.The next breath I took told me I was in trouble.Made a run for the walk in door.Coughed and hacked hard enough to toss my cookies.Guys in the other shop helped and started in the shop.1st in came right back and asked WTH did you do? Welder in the other shop had a air supplied rig and went in and unlocked the shop doors.No lasting effects but that lesson was learned the hard way.

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

THANKS for the heads up! Never heard of Phosgene before, but it sounds nasty and would want to stay away from it...gotta tell my son

I agree on a broader broadcast of this information, everyone should know about this

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

WHOA!! its a good thing im reading these threads as much as i am. thanks for the warning. i do alot of brakes and alot of welding. i almost didnt see the thread. i strongly agree with all of you about spreading this around better. everyone should know about this, not just welders. there should be some kind of area where WARNINGS!! get posted. so it grabs everyones attention.

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

Wow.... Bad stuff there...

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

the crc brake cleaner in the green can wont kill you as fast I have acually welded over the other and its nasty, it smells horrible and made me sick for the day.

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

o u c h !!! that sucks. thanx for the heads up !

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

I too have misused brake cleaner as Carb Cleaner. Sprayed it into my Mom's 95 Buick. Next thing I noticed was the yard was full of white smoke/fog. Got a breath full of it and just about chocked to death. NASTY!!!!!!

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

I'm glad this is finally getting some exposure. When I posted this last month apparently not many read it.

It is definitely something to be taken very seriously.

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

Almost another 900 people have read it and hopefully they pass it on...and so forth...and so forth...;)

Easy mistake to make, tough way to learn.

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

I almost cant believe this is such an issue. I am not the smartest man around but i usually read the label on harsh chemicals like brake cleaner and other solvents. Especially when they are flammable too.

Use the brake cleaner in the GREEN CAN if you need to clean what your welding on, or use laquer thinner.

I weld in the field for work and use Lincoln LN-25 wire feeders. The drive rolls and wire guides get nasty and I use the green crc brake cleaner in threre often to clean it out with out problems.


The red can will make you sick at a minimum and it that smell doesn't just go away.

Phosgene gas?? ouch Whatever is in the red can is UV reactive and welding puts out 10 times the UV of the sun! So anything you have around that is UV reactive will be ACTIVATED by welding near it..

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

Welding in general is dangerous to your health. It can cause cancer, neurological disorders, and reproductive effects. You need to be careful if your welding coated steel and stainless steel also if your flux core welding. I've welded for years and quit my job one year ago. I have sinus problems that still did not clear up. I always wore a respirator (not a paper one either) and turned on the ceiling exhaust fans for ventilation.

http://www.thefabricator.com/Safety/...cle.cfm?ID=851

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

This is a great bit of info but it does beg the question. If the guy knows on day 2 that he's been poisoned, knows by what and knows the outcome. Why did he wait 9 days until he's almost dead to get treatment?

I'm sure that if a warning was written on the can in bold letters that stated exactly what he wrote, the outcome would have still been the same. oh wait!!! it was written on the can and he still did it. I wonder if they found any NEW brain damage at day 9?

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

Back to the top for more to read...

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

WOW thanks for this thread i had no ideathat brake cleaner was so dangerous

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

Worth a bump, good info if your a welder.

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

Being an hvac mech I'm well aware of Phosgene gas,never new it about the brake cleaner,THANKS for the heads up.

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

I'm in the HVAC industry as well. And yes, Phosgene is some serious stuff. I've inhaled more of it than I'd ever care to mention. It's no fun at all.

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

Thanks for the bump!

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

I know brew dude, and he attended sturgis that year with us. He was there only one day and then had to leave due to the illness. We thought we'd lost a good fellow builder...fortunately he was wise in getting to hospital in time....

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

Thanks

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

They used to use phosgene in chemical warfare. Nasty stuff.

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

Phosgene gas was used as a chemical weapon in WW1. It is also created when refrigerant is exposed to heat or open flame. Back in the old days we used to just vent the refrigerant into the air when working on AC systems. ( Before recovery systems were mandated by law) One guy got deathly sick just from smoking a cigarette in the area where he was venting freon into the air.

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

Yes it was. I have been in the mfg of it. We made it at Dow and GE. It is used in making plastics. I personally have worn full SCBA gear in rooms filled with 100% phosgene and 0 oxygen. you get used to it after the first time.

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

Thanks guys for bringing this old thread to the top.
I'll see if we can get it to migrate elsewhere.

Must admit that I have tended to think brake cleaner to
be safer than carb cleaner. Not. Thanks for the heads up!

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

Wow, i stumbled upon this when i was searching ETsC10 posts looking for when the next swap meet was.

Yesterday i was working on my new project.
Fatty Mc Chub Chub

Its my wifes car. Anyways, i made a patch panel for it, and before i welded i sprayed it off with brake clean and then started welding. When i weld, i sometimes hold my breath because i dont like the smell. well, i take a big breath and start welding and hit a spot of brake clean. I continue on with no issues. Later that night my left hand wont stop twitching. Sunday it was better.
I could of EASILY ended up like that dude if i didnt hold my breath like an idiot when i weld.... I had NO idea this stuff was so nasty.

pass this on.

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

Holy Schnikies!

Gary

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

A real eye opener.

I never use brake cleaner myself, just carb, but I've a good friend I need to alert to the hazard.

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

I tend to hold my breath too! I always use laquer thinner, or mineral spirits to clean before I weld new steel. Good info here!

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

This should pm'd to all members!:chevy:

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

Bump cause this **** is good info to know!

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

Any CFC type products will do this. Sucking on a cigarette while working on your AC system is a BIG NO NO. You think inhaling tar and nicotine is bad, throw in a little phosgene gas for more kick.

Re: WARNING! Read This if You Use a Welder
 

I always knew CFC Brakeleen was some serious stuff, but this, Dang!

Knew a guy who rebuilt transmissions and used the Brakeleen on everything. Can't even build anymore because he so much as picks up a wrench and he'll bust his hand. Doctors told him the stuff ate holes in his bones.