WELDING and USING BRAKE CLEANER!! READ THIS!! - Page 3 - Lateral-g Forums

brian mc · #21 07-30-2009, 03:36 PM

I heard something similar about WD-40 that it turns into a poisonis gas when exposed to high heat like welding or torching, i didn't research it, just heard it from an old-timer who worked in a shipyard....

Patrick · #22 07-30-2009, 07:18 PM

Wow....that is F'ing scary. I use brake clean all the time. Thank you for posting this article.

awr68 · #23 07-30-2009, 07:27 PM

Greg did you find out anything today at AirGas? Do they know of any cleaner that is safe to use?

rwhite692 · #24 07-31-2009, 04:07 PM

Thanks for posting that!

Wasn't Phosgene used at one time as a chemical weapon?

Oh wait, here we go:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phosgene

BlkBird · #25 08-01-2009, 06:58 AM

Wow....and as fast as brake cleaner evaporates you would think the heat would've made it "go away" well before he got close enough to really hit it....you never know what's gonna get you, do you?!

RaceMan · #26 08-01-2009, 08:11 PM

Wow !!! Good info Thanks !!!!!!

jst8a5.0 · #27 08-02-2009, 06:36 PM

Yeah that's scary! I used brake cleaner because I thought it would be effective. There was one particular incident about a year ago where no matter what I did with the settings and how I cleaned the aluminum, it would not weld without getting nasty. I finally called up Thermal Dynamics and he immediately asked what I used to clean it. I said brake cleaner and he cut me off and said, "Did you smell sour apples?" I told him yeah and he told me that smell is a toxic gas and can kill me with a few wiffs. He told me the only chemical to clean aluminum that was "safe" was acetone.

**GregWeld** · #28 08-02-2009, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jst8a5.0

Yeah that's scary! I used brake cleaner because I thought it would be effective. There was one particular incident about a year ago where no matter what I did with the settings and how I cleaned the aluminum, it would not weld without getting nasty. I finally called up Thermal Dynamics and he immediately asked what I used to clean it. I said brake cleaner and he cut me off and said, "Did you smell sour apples?" I told him yeah and he told me that smell is a toxic gas and can kill me with a few wiffs. He told me the only chemical to clean aluminum that was "safe" was acetone.

Okay... but now I'm curious as to what was the cause of the bad welding?? Is that related to using Brake Cleaner as well??

Seriously -- I'm going to AirGas on Monday to see what they recommend as a cleaner - because after learning of the Phosgene gas thing - I really don't want to inhale any "burning chemicals" --- I quit doing that back in high school!

jst8a5.0 · #29 08-02-2009, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GregWeld

Okay... but now I'm curious as to what was the cause of the bad welding??

Me too!! LOL!! As I think back, maybe some clear coat had settled on that particular piece because I cleaned, wire brushed, pre heated, set the welder to max clean to bury the impurities (not a common practice at my shop). Yeah I felt like I was asking directions because I was admittedly lost. LOL! When you weld anything, material and filler rod need to be clean to get great results. Aluminum is particularly picky about being clean before welding. Just don't use brake cleaner. If you do multiple tasks in your shop or work space like I do, keep your metal covered and your filler wire out of the elements however you can.

**GregWeld** · #30 08-02-2009, 08:14 PM

I keep all my TIG filler in gasketed tubes... CLEAN and DRY and dust free... I just label the outside with a sharpie...

I even scuff the edge etc on aluminum - even with the 'cleaning action' (I have a Miller Dynasty 200 DX)... I guess maybe I'm old skool...