# Dangers of steel wool



## barefoot (Aug 30, 2018)

One day I was leaving my shop to go eat. At the last moment, I remembered needing a bolt inside the house so stopped and picked one out. A tiny sound got my attention and I went back to my workbench and searched but found nothing. About to turn away, I saw a very thin thread of smoke coming off of the top of my carpenter's chest. It was a wad of steel wool. It looked normal so I picked it up and almost fried my hand. Grabbed it with two chisels and threw it out into the snow. When I looked at it, it was white hot inside but nothing showed on the surface. Five minutes later it was still white hot inside, laying in 5" of snow! 

I had been cutting some metal with my Foredom and must have thrown a spark into the steel wood. It had smoldered and started burning the oak chest. If I had gone into the house, that steel wool would have ignited the wood and that would have ignited the overhead shelf containing all of my volatiles. That would have caused an explosion that would have left a hole in the ground where my shop is--acetone, 91% alcohol, mineral spirits, paints, stains, paint stripper, you name it! 

Called the fire department about the steel wool and the fireman told me that it's the favorite of arsonists because a spark can smolder for hours before catching. *He said that humidity alone can cause steel wool to burst into flames and it should ALWAYS be kept sealed tight in glass or metal.  *

I came sooo close to losing my whole shop. Here's the steel wool half an hour later.

Reactions: Like 1 | Thank You! 4 | +Karma 2 | Informative 13 | Useful 3


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## Mike1950 (Aug 30, 2018)

Thanks

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Nature Man (Aug 30, 2018)

Great warning to all of us! Chuck


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## Bigdrowdy1 (Aug 30, 2018)

Thanks Carla. Steel wool once it starts to heat up will set rubbers car tires on fire and yes it stays hot and glowing for a long time. Steel wool for whatever reason is used in some of the detonators used in air bags of cars and trucks. We have had numerous fires cause from impacts to the canisters that never flame only glow white and red hot.

Glad you caught it. That could have been disastrous to say the least.


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## Tony (Aug 30, 2018)

Did not know that, thanks for the info, glad you are okay! Tony


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## ironman123 (Aug 30, 2018)

Thanks for that warning.


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## ripjack13 (Aug 30, 2018)

Interesting . I have a 30lb roll of the stuff hanging in my cellar. I think I'll cover it up with a tarp....

Great info....


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## barefoot (Aug 30, 2018)

ripjack13 said:


> Interesting . I have a 30lb roll of the stuff hanging in my cellar. I think I'll cover it up with a tarp....
> Great info....



Marc, 
I think you missed the Fire Marshall's point. He insists that steel wool MUST be kept in an *air tight container*. The worry is that a spark or simple moisture (humidity, would you believe) can start this stuff off. He emphasized this to me very strongly. Just saying.

Reactions: Like 1


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## tocws2002 (Aug 31, 2018)

We used to use steel wool and an 9V battery as fire starter. Just touch the battery terminals to some loosely packed steel wool and in no time you have your fire. Thanks for the PSA!

-jason

Reactions: Informative 1


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## FranklinWorkshops (Aug 31, 2018)

Thanks for posting this, Carla. I had no idea it was this dangerous. I have been keeping pieces in a plastic zip-lock bag. My purpose was to keep it clean and the tiny slivers from contaminating my finishing surface. Think I will now move it to my fire-proof can I use for oily rags.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Karl_TN (Aug 31, 2018)

This spontaneous combustion begs a question: What about all the hardware stores with shelves full of wire wool wrapped in cardboard sleeves?

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Herb G. (Aug 31, 2018)

When I was in the Boy Scouts, I always carried a small piece of steel wool in a plastic baggie when we went camping.
Let's just say I never failed to get a fire going with a single wooden match.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## barefoot (Sep 2, 2018)

Karl_TN said:


> This spontaneous combustion begs a question: What about all the hardware stores with shelves full of wire wool wrapped in cardboard sleeves?



Karl,
That's a very good question. I can only presume that a retail store with A/C and heat that's on most of the time might have a hedge against the humidity, but it is a VERY good question. I'll mention it next time I'm in the local hardware store.


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## Nubsnstubs (Feb 18, 2019)

barefoot said:


> Karl,
> That's a very good question. I can only presume that a retail store with A/C and heat that's on most of the time might have a hedge against the humidity, but it is a VERY good question. I'll mention it next time I'm in the local hardware store.



What you should do is go to the local fire dept you got your info from and ask them that question. I remember when I was in business back awhile ago, and Tucson started adopting National Fire Codes. In order to comply, several businesses went out of business because of the costs involved to comply with non existent problems that were common in the northern parts of the country. One example; explosion proof plugs/receptacles. Explosions happens in confined area, and since Tucson is 95% of the time warm or downright hot, our doors were usually open allowing explosives dust and or gasses to escape. Just the smell of lacquer will not cause an explosion. But, if the fumes build up in an enclosed space, yes, you can have an explosion. If your shop is wide open like most here, highly unlikely, but tell it to the fire department. I'm done rantin'......... Jerry (in Tucson)

Reactions: Like 1


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## rocky1 (Feb 18, 2019)

Nubsnstubs said:


> What you should do is go to the local fire dept you got your info from and ask them that question. I remember when I was in business back awhile ago, and Tucson started adopting National Fire Codes. In order to comply, several businesses went out of business because of the costs involved to comply with non existent problems that were common in the northern parts of the country. One example; explosion proof plugs/receptacles. Explosions happens in confined area, and since Tucson is 95% of the time warm or downright hot, our doors were usually open allowing explosives dust and or gasses to escape. Just the smell of lacquer will not cause an explosion. But, if the fumes build up in an enclosed space, yes, you can have an explosion. If your shop is wide open like most here, highly unlikely, but tell it to the fire department. I'm done rantin'......... Jerry (in Tucson)




That's our screwed up Government for you! Under the Safe Drinking Water Act public water systems in ND are required to test for herbicides and pesticides used explicitly on Pineapples.

Reactions: Funny 2


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## Lou Currier (Feb 19, 2019)

rocky1 said:


> That's our screwed up Government for you! Under the Safe Drinking Water Act public water systems in ND are required to test for herbicides and pesticides used explicitly on Pineapples.



Well you wouldn’t want your North Dakota pineapples to be contaminated would you?

Reactions: Funny 4


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## rocky1 (Feb 19, 2019)

Yeah... That was just a part of the stupidity in the Safe Drinking Water Act. I don't recall how many hundreds of millions of dollars were spent to save people from water they'd been drinking all their lives with no ill effect. The running joke among those of us in the industry was... "Yep... Talked to another dozen 90 year olds today, that have been drinking the same well water all their lives, and now they're gonna die from it."


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