# Respect Compressed Air



## MrDan (Feb 22, 2017)

This one happened back in the 70's, when I was a green kid out of high school. I worked in a auto body shop. We had a huge compressor with a 120 gallon receiver. It was a 2-stage compressor and so the cutoff pressure was 175 psi.

I needed another air line, and the tank had a 2" galvanized steel plug on one end. I decided to replace the plug with a bushing reducer down to 3/4" pipe and hook my new line in there.

I shut off the compressor and opened the little 1/4" drain valve on the bottom of the tank to relieve the pressure, but it was taking forever.

I loosened up the 2" plug a little, so that some air was leaking past the threads to try and hurry things up. Still slow as molasses.

Finally the pressure was down to around 25 psi. That didn't seem like much at all to me, figured I could just finish unscrewing the plug and catch it as it came off. 

Fortunately I was standing to the side, as the plug shot out of the end like a cannonball. It went right through a doorway and into the field next door. We never found it.


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## kvt (Feb 22, 2017)

Where did the wrench you were using wind up.


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## MrDan (Feb 22, 2017)

It put a dent in the wall...


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## Tony Wells (Feb 22, 2017)

I did something along those lines when I was a kid, with my uncle's compressor. Wanted to put a new gage on it, and it was in that end port, bushed down to 1/4 NPT. Pressure was low, as I was thinking at the time, so I proceeded to unscrew it by hand. When it turned loose, I managed to keep hold of it, but the my hand was filled with tiny pieces of rust and debris, like it was shot with rat shot or something. I picked out all I could, and had to keep iodine on it for a few days. And I will always remember that. I was about 10 I guess, but even a few PSIG can do some damage. Yep, respect your air pressure.


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## cathead (Feb 22, 2017)

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.


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## kvt (Feb 22, 2017)

I can attest to that one,  just a little to much air on the bearing and all of a sudden there is an explosion of parts,  and those little balls hurt,   How does a ball that size go through such a small hole in the skin.


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## jim18655 (Feb 22, 2017)

I was working on a townhouse project and the plumbers air tested the water lines at about 100 psi. The apprentice went around to drain the air and remove the test caps. He got the order wrong on one or two units and just put the torch to the cap. It blew across the small kitchen and stuck in the dry wall. He was lucky the hot cap didn't hit him.
Airless sprayers can inject paint into the skin also.


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## mzayd3 (Feb 22, 2017)

Yup, learned this one the hard way!


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## FOMOGO (Feb 22, 2017)

Yes, air can be dangerous, and compressed gas bottles, and hydraulics even more so, not to mention angry wives and girlfriends . So lets all be careful out there. Mike


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## jocat54 (Feb 22, 2017)

Oil field grease injectors will lube you right up Don't ask.


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## bcriner (Feb 22, 2017)

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.


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## Kevin J (Feb 23, 2017)

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.


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## dave2176 (Feb 23, 2017)

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


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## ch2co (Feb 23, 2017)

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!


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## FanMan (Feb 23, 2017)

cathead said:


> 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...


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## Cactus Farmer (Feb 25, 2017)

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!!!


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## graham-xrf (Feb 26, 2017)

dave2176 said:


> 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!


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## woodchucker (Feb 26, 2017)

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..


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## xman_charl (Feb 26, 2017)

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


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## Hidyn (Apr 6, 2017)

xman_charl said:


> 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.


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## British Steel (Apr 6, 2017)

Back at school we had a 220 bar hydrogen cylinder about 5 feet tall fall and neatly shear off the valve - when we could hear and think again we saw the hole through the concrete block wall, the fence, the school head's new car... it came to rest in a field after passing through a brick wall on the far side of the car park :/

I'm still scared of gas cylinders.

Dave H. (the other one)


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## extropic (Apr 6, 2017)

On a lighter note, once upon a time, I slid the sleeve back on a quick connect coupling so the plug/hose popped out. The hose end did a backflip and smacked my girlfriend on the top of her foot.
She was not at all happy. Acted like suffering the most pain since child birth.
Subsequently, I noticed she paid a little more attention to the proximity of air fittings.


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## extropic (Apr 6, 2017)

I was on the verge of calling BS regarding the multiple references to unscrewing the 2" plugs/fittings on an air receiver.

When I've had to remove them, there was nothing casual about it. It took a 24" pipe wrench + cheater, had to tie the receiver to the wall and apply all the grunt I could muster.


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## extropic (Apr 6, 2017)

I just remembered that I was once responsible for a potentially life threatening laps of intelligence with compressed air.

In about '78, my employer bought a used 4' kick sheer that had been converted to pneumatic by a previous owner. When it arrived it had  a 4x4 lagged under  each support leg. I figured they were there for transport purposes only and removed them (the importance of this will soon be clear). The sheer was in rough shape so I took bits apart and made adjustments/repairs as I thought appropriate. After reinstalling the air cylinder and treadle, I decided to use air to retract the cylinder. I put a nipple on a hose from the cylinder and plugged it in to shop air.

!!! BAMMM !!!    The cylinder EXTENDED and the treadle hit the floor causing the machine to flip onto it's back.   !!! BOOM !!!

The 4x4s were needed to clear the travel of the modified treadle. And, obviously, yours truly charged the wrong hose.

People came from distant parts to see WTF? No physical injury befell any persons (thank God) or the sheer (small dent in the concrete floor).

My embarrassment hit a new record high and I suffered additional discomfort from the massive, instantaneous injection of education. That was bad, but I feel much better now.


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## Hidyn (Apr 6, 2017)

I would have definitely removed the 4x4's as well... it's unusual to see machine modifications made of wood :/


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## Rustrp (Apr 6, 2017)

MrDan said:


> Finally the pressure was down to around 25 psi. That didn't seem like much at all to me, figured I could just finish unscrewing the plug and catch it as it came off.


Ahhh, youth. I have something similar. I was unscrewing the valve, it quit hissing so I though the pressure had bled off. One quick turn an BAM, 300 psi of oxygen sent the valve ricocheting off the fuselage three or four times before it stopped. No one was hurt and I never found the valve.


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## 4GSR (Apr 22, 2017)

British Steel said:


> Back at school we had a 220 bar hydrogen cylinder about 5 feet tall fall and neatly shear off the valve - when we could hear and think again we saw the hole through the concrete block wall, the fence, the school head's new car... it came to rest in a field after passing through a brick wall on the far side of the car park :/
> 
> I'm still scared of gas cylinders.
> 
> Dave H. (the other one)



This reminds me of several stories I've heard over the years. One in particular, happen at a company over on the east side of Houston on Navigation boulevard.  Anyone who deals with the oilfield  may know of whom I'm talking about. The incident took place in the 1970's.  They were testing a tool with nitrogen in a piece of pipe when a 3-1/2" Pipe bull plug let go at around 5,000 psi.  It went thru a cinder block wall across Navigation Boulevard and who knows where it went from there.  It was never found nor did it take out any cars in it's path on that busy street!


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## Superburban (Apr 22, 2017)

Don't clean your hands with a pressure washer.


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## epanzella (May 7, 2017)

I had built a wood powered boiler with a storage tank the was 5x5x5 feet. Across the centerline of the tank was a steel bar anchored on each end by a 1/2 inch grade 5 bolt to prevent bowing. I was planning on running the tank pressurized to 10 psi so I was testing it with my compressor. While slowly increasing the pressure one of the bolts sheared right off and I was only at 3 psi. Doesn't sound like much but 3 psi over a 5 x 5 ft area is over 10,000 pounds of force. I ended up venting the tank to the atmosphere.


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## benmychree (May 11, 2017)

kvt said:


> I can attest to that one,  just a little to much air on the bearing and all of a sudden there is an explosion of parts,  and those little balls hurt,   How does a ball that size go through such a small hole in the skin.


Another thing one can do with compressed air is to take a large hex nut and spin it on a screwdriver shaft with your air nozzle to the point of it screaming and then tilt the driver downwards so the nut creeps off the end and hits the ground and goes flying like a bat out of hell ---- of course do not attempt this at home!!!!  Apprentices where I worked were known to do this caper and scare the S--- out of whoever was in range; none that I aimed at were unable to get out of the way.


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## Tony Wells (May 11, 2017)

Allen wrenches and inserts with holes in them do the same thing. I knew a guy that ended up with 6 stitches from doing that.


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## benmychree (May 11, 2017)

Tony Wells said:


> Allen wrenches and inserts with holes in them do the same thing. I knew a guy that ended up with 6 stitches from doing that.


Was he the perpetrator or victim?


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## Tony Wells (May 11, 2017)

He was the perp in this case. And the cause of an adjustment in the employee handbook.


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## benmychree (May 11, 2017)

Another caper with compressed air also took place where I worked at Kaiser Steel Co. in Napa Ca. was that one of my friends loaded up a air lead hose with ball bearings about 3/8" diameter, and when fully loaded had an associate charge the air hose; it was reportedly like a machine gun, and was directed against a corrugated steel wall panel in the pipe mill, made a hell of a racket.  I was not a witness to this one.
Another funny thing was that one of the machinists that worked in the Fabrication shop on a huge Ingersoll floor mill had just taken a hike to the vending machine to get a Coke in a paper cup; he no sooner set it down on the machine, when a pigeon flew over and took a dump in it; needless to say, he was not happy, and got his slingshot out and got the crane operator to let him go up on this 30 ton bridge crane and run down and dispatch the offending birds; in the course of this, numerous steel balls (the ammunition) were expended and fell to the floor.  I think this took place on an off shift when there was not much going on in the shop; the next swing shift, the maintainance supervisor noticed all the balls on the shop floor, and thought the crane was falling to pieces; of course he never found the cause ---


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## jocat54 (May 11, 2017)

When I was stationed at Fairchild AFB (Spokane Washington). I was in charge of snow removal on the runways (big priority B52 base) We sometimes plowed snow at 60-70 mph with Oskosh rollover snow plows Anyhow there were times when the big fire extinguishers would get covered up in a berm and then the snow blowers would come along and hit them sometimes breaking the valve off---like a torpedo on snow. Damage to the blowers was usually pretty minimal. 
I always thought they were out of their minds for putting a south Texas boy in charge of snow removal.


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## tdfirearms (May 25, 2017)

Compressed air, or the release of it, ended my 35 year carrier as a mechanic. When replacing tires for many years, I have released the air from the tire by poking a small hole in the sidewall of the tire. The LAST time I did it, the tire (probably over inflated) split open about 8". The rapidly escaping air blew the knife out of my hand and 3" into my left knee. After healing time, physical therapy and then surgery, I can no longer spend much time on my feet before my knee is in a good bit of pain. Now I am a service adviser, chained to a desk. Taking a lot of getting used to. Also started a gun shop to build a little more freedom for myself.

Dan H


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## Keith Foor (May 29, 2017)

As far as shop air being dangerous.  Don't forget about the storage tanks themselves.  Old rusty tanks are not to be trusted. And there is a water drain in the bottom of those tanks for a reason.  To use them.  I have both heard of and seen where an old tank would rupture a seam and dump all the air at once.  Saw one that blew a chunk out of it that hit a guy in the leg and created a cut serious enough that he would have bled to death if he was alone.  I can't tell you the number of old galvanized water tanks I have seen used as air pressure tanks that showed visible signs of rust coming through the galvanize.  And those tanks working pressures were only rated at 60 to 90 PSI to begin with.  That sort of thing may look like a good deal at an auction, but they typically are not.


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## British Steel (May 29, 2017)

Definitely a bad idea, Keith, using those tanks! Even proper air tanks, if bought used or of questionable quality should be *hydraulically* tested to at least 1-1/2 or 2 x the highest pressure in use, if possible until a relief valve  (though many don't have them...) or rupture disc blows.

If you think about it, a 3HP compressor is putting (assuming about 25% efficiency, a WAG) about 500 Joules of energy *per second* into compressing the air, say it takes 2 minutes to fill the tank to pressure that's 60 KJ, if my schoolboy physics serves that's about 45000 ft-lb, or about 120  500 Joule/370 ft-lb .45 ACP rounds... Would you stand in front of that?

Dave H. (the other one)


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## British Steel (May 29, 2017)

tdfirearms said:


> Compressed air, or the release of it, ended my 35 year carrier as a mechanic. When replacing tires for many years, I have released the air from the tire by poking a small hole in the sidewall of the tire. The LAST time I did it, the tire (probably over inflated) split open about 8". The rapidly escaping air blew the knife out of my hand and 3" into my left knee. After healing time, physical therapy and then surgery, I can no longer spend much time on my feet before my knee is in a good bit of pain. Now I am a service adviser, chained to a desk. Taking a lot of getting used to. Also started a gun shop to build a little more freedom for myself.
> 
> Dan H



Dan, that's a bad one - and probably why it's a get-your-cards-and-get-out here in England (and probably most of Europe) and would get worker and company a prosecution and big fines if caught / an injury resulted. How long does it take to unscrew the valve core, 20 seconds?

Dave H. (the other one)


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## Keith Foor (May 29, 2017)

Well. as far as a catastrophic tank failure and sudden release of air through the hole lets do some math.  A compressor will typically pump up to over 100 PSI.  We are gonna go with this number because it's an easy number to work with doing the math.  PSI is Pounds per SQUARE INCH.  That means that for every square inch of area on the wall of a tank, it has 100 pounds of force applied to it when the gauge says 100 PSI.  Here's why that is significant.  If you were to open a 4 square inch hole in a tank at that pressure the force applied to the outside area, beyond the envelope of the tank would be 1600 pounds. Now, if your compressor is not bolted down and this happens in the bottom of the tank, it's gonna take off flying.  Also, if that 4 by 4 piece of metal comes loose completely.  It has a launched force of 1600 pounds.  So who wants to catch that in the leg.  Not to mention that flat squarish sheets of metal don't fly that way for very long.  They tend to lay down because of wind resistance and fly edge to edge.  SO  now you have a .25 inch piece of metal flying across the shop that was launched with 1600 pounds of force.  At yes, I understand drag and ballistics but again the numbers are interesting enough and if you were close enough it's not going to matter all that much.  That .25 inch wide 4 inch long piece of tank is now moving at some high rate of speed.  With a force of 1600 pounds per square inch.  When that hits you, it's enough to tear through frail old you and make a hole for the red stuff to leak out.  

This is another reason that shop air can be dangerous, is it can pick up small things and propel them with alot of energy.  Which is the reason that OSHA has regulations about the maximum amount of shop air in PSI that can be used to clear dust and such on a job site.


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## Superburban (May 30, 2017)

There used to be a picture floating around the net, that had a ruptured air compressor on the roof of a two story apartment building. The story I think was that the tank had ruptured, and flown over a block. Just Google air compressor failures, and you will get a new respect for the power contained in an air tank. 

You can't just go by training, or "Thats the way we been doing it forever". Back in 1980, when I went through the Army truck drivers school at Ft Dix, NJ,  They had a bunch of us changing tires on the two piece split rims, with a pry bar, sledge hammers, and an air hose. Now I know how dumb that was, but back then, it was just the way it was done. Reading reports over the years, it is obvious that the Army does not learn from others mishaps. It seemed like every installation had to have a death to get them to change.

We could also discuss the stupidity of using PVC pipe for shop air lines. There is still way too many that think it is ok.


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## ddickey (May 30, 2017)

Five years ago yesterday I was going to tech school in St. Cloud when the Verso paper mill had an explosion. It was an air compressor that overheated. Killed one person and shut the plant down permanently.


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## Reeltor (May 30, 2017)

These stories are just downright scary!  
When I first saw this thread I thought it was going to discuss people horsing around and injuring someone with compressed air.  I remember reading about two occurrences of horseplay with a air hose.  In both cases some idiot took the air hose and shoved it at someone's rear end.  IIRC one was at a high school and the other was in a factory setting.  One recipient of this prank died and the other had serious internal injuries.  I don't know if the new style blow-guns limiting the amount of air will prevent these injuries or not.  I learned way back when (in the olden days) that shop air is dirty and full of bacteria, that a nasty infection can be gotten by blowing the air into (and under) the skin.


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## tdfirearms (Jun 1, 2017)

British Steel said:


> Dan, that's a bad one - and probably why it's a get-your-cards-and-get-out here in England (and probably most of Europe) and would get worker and company a prosecution and big fines if caught / an injury resulted. How long does it take to unscrew the valve core, 20 seconds?
> 
> Dave H. (the other one)



Dave, not that it makes it ant better, but the reason for doing it that way is that the core seizes in the stem. The valve stem is also the tire pressure sensor and is aluminum. The valve core is steel. dissimilar metals and they corrode and break if you try to remove them. The cost to replace one and program to car is $275 US. All it takes is one time for the cost of trying to save the customer that cost is very high. I consider my self very fortunate, it could have been much worse.


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## koehlerrk (Jul 24, 2017)

This past year I've gotten into HPA (High Pressure Air) rifles. These are NOT your old Daisey Red Ryder BB gun... My guns currently charge to 2000 and 3000 psi. My storage tank gets filled to 4500. You're darn right I respect those things, they're bombs waiting to explode. But dang if they aren't fun to use! One simply needs to pay attention to what you're doing, and do all the steps in the correct order, no exceptions.


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## KBeitz (Jul 23, 2018)

I did that with a 12" machine gear. It went through a block wall...


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## tjb (Jul 23, 2018)

Superburban said:


> Back in 1980, when I went through the Army truck drivers school at Ft Dix, NJ, They had a bunch of us changing tires on the two piece split rims, with a pry bar, sledge hammers, and an air hose.


I knew a guy back in the '70's who lost a friend that worked at a tire shop.  He was changing a tire on an old-style snap ring wheel.  Did something a little too hastily, and the snap ring blew off.  Took most of his head with it.  Not too many tire shops will even touch those things anymore.


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## pontiac428 (Jul 23, 2018)

It's no mystery why OSHA forbids cleaning with compressed air unless it is regulated below 30 psi.  I prefer a shop vac and a chip brush...

After reading this thread, I'd say y'all are lucky.  "Learning by doing" has some serious limitations in this case.


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## Silverbullet (Jul 24, 2018)

My first day in the vocational school in machine shop we were worned about air pressure and it's power. Our shop time was book time before machine time. So we had pictures of injuries and missing parts . Stands out when it's seen. I keep my compressor set at 125 with 90 to the lines and restart at 80. Blow guns are all reduced nozzle types. Best thing to do on any compressor tank is have a drain added to where you can blow off moisture daily . I piped mine out side with a ball valve pet cocks are boys toys use the ball valves .


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## jdedmon91 (Jul 25, 2018)

I know about exploding compressors. I had about a 25 year old oil less CH compressor and tank. That sucker was noisy so I mounted it to a lean to outside. Several months ago I was working and shooting video and the tank exploded. Video attached 





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## MozamPete (Jul 25, 2018)

Another scary explosion


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## vincent52100 (Jul 26, 2018)

Pressure uncontrolled is a dangerous enemy. Several years ago I was trying to remove a pin from a Komatsu loader. Oxy torch with large heating tip. Got it really heated up and was getting ready to try and bang it off. Heard a bang, the grease fitting on the end of the went off like a bullet, buried itself in a 3/4 inch sheet of plywood. Scared the you know what out of me. Captive pressure not respected can be a killer.


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## SCLead (Jul 27, 2018)

My dad once told me a similar story with water. He was a brand new apprentice pipefitter working on a Dow Chemical plant. They were bleeding water out of a system that had a 10" cap they had to remove to do their job. The guy he was working with walked away for a bit, and he saw the 0-25psi gauge drop to near zero and started unscrewing the cap. Next thing he knew, he was pinned to the wall on the opposite side of the room and couldn't breath, then the site foreman pulled him out of the stream of water. This was back in the days of "well, hope you learned your lesson" and work carried on.

Edit: Or another one of his stories along the lines of British Steel's: somebody in his highschool welding class dropped a compressed gas cylinder unloading it out of a truck, sheared the valve off and they watched it punch through a foundation wall of a house under construction in the field next door.


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## Aukai (Jul 27, 2018)

Experience is something you get right after you needed it......


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## mcostello (Jul 27, 2018)

Had a Boss that would not send 2 men on a job when only 1 was needed. Had a small job come up on a Sunday night and did not want to call factory labor in for a 10 minute job,4 hour call in rate. He tripped a switch and a cylinder closed pinning Him in an akward position where He could not release it. Had to stay in that position for 8 hours till morning shift came in. Adjusted His attitude quickly, not hurt just embarrased.


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