Fireproof Overalls

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

I saw a video on cellulose (chopped newspaper) house insulation that was treated with something that made it very non-flammable but can't remember what that was. We have to get our exhibition table covers treated with flame retardant too. There is also a video of various loft insulation being flame tested and a product made from chopped blue jeans (ie cotton) burned nicely.

So anyone know what the treatment is? I think it was some quite common chemical sounding a bit like 'borate'.

[Bob RodgersonParticipant @bobrodgerson97362]

I worked in the Oil Industry most of my life and The overalsl used there remade from Fireproofed cotton. Synthetic materials are not approved because the plastics used in them can melt and make any burns much worse than they would be from smouldering cotton. Thick cotton does not easily burst into flames, it will smoulder though.

The fireproofing they use has the most disgusting smell and you can always tell when somebody has a new pair on. The smell usually disappears after a few washes, presumably the fireproofing remains for a bit longer. I believe they make this retardant from some nasty chemicals such as Bromides but can't be sure if that's what causes the smell.

[Dave DanielsParticipant @davedaniels93256]

Posted by Bazyle on 04/02/2017 12:13:03:

I saw a video on cellulose (chopped newspaper) house insulation that was treated with something that made it very non-flammable but can't remember what that was. We have to get our exhibition table covers treated with flame retardant too. There is also a video of various loft insulation being flame tested and a product made from chopped blue jeans (ie cotton) burned nicely.

So anyone know what the treatment is? I think it was some quite common chemical sounding a bit like 'borate'.

Sodium Silicate aka Water Glass has some fireproofing effect.

D.

[roy entwistleParticipant @royentwistle24699]

What do firefighters wear these days ?

[SillyOldDufferModerator @sillyoldduffer]

Posted by Bazyle on 04/02/2017 12:13:03:

I saw a video on cellulose (chopped newspaper) house insulation that was treated with something that made it very non-flammable but can't remember what that was. We have to get our exhibition table covers treated with flame retardant too. There is also a video of various loft insulation being flame tested and a product made from chopped blue jeans (ie cotton) burned nicely.

So anyone know what the treatment is? I think it was some quite common chemical sounding a bit like 'borate'.

Helping backstage in amateur dramatics at school I was issued Borax to fireproof scenery made of cloth tacked to a wooden frame. The cloth was fireproofed before painting . I've no idea if it's still legal to fireproof that way in a theatre, but this link is pretty much how I remember it being done. It's odd I remember painting scenery with borax l when I've no recollection of the production itself, or who was in it, or even why I was involved. I expect it was a punishment.

Dave

[vintagengineerParticipant @vintagengineer]

Drag racers race suits are similar to donkey jacket material, I assume this is for insulation in case of fire!

[JAParticipant @ja]

Posted by Mike on 04/02/2017 10:28:17:

………. I think I lost more sweat that day than I ever have before or since, but it was a great experience.

Just an aside

If you ever get the opportunity of visiting a steel works, grab it. It is awe inspiring, very spectacular and incredibly frightening all at the same time.

JA

[Owain SamuelParticipant @owainsamuel55325]

I wear flameproof cotton boiler suits at work, at home it's usually jeans and a cotton tshirt if driving machines or bench work. There's a boiler suit there for when it's either dirty or hot work. However overalls should be as clean as possible, I (in the middle of a mad rush repair job) managed to get the hems of my overalls smouldering quite nicely whilst cutting a piece of plate with a plasma cutter. I'd spent the morning stood in an inspection put under a locomotive and the hems had soaked up oil.

I currently work with three lads ex Teesside steelworks, their tales are sphincter clenching….

Owain

[simondavies3Participant @simondavies3]

Just an aside

If you ever get the opportunity of visiting a steel works, grab it. It is awe inspiring, very spectacular and incredibly frightening all at the same time.

JA

I did have the opportunity whilst doing some work at a German steelworks, working with the very appropriately named Herr Stahlschmidt. This was a highly unofficial tour at about 3 am while we waited for a 300Mb disk drive to format (that rather dates it!). I was taken over the gantries above the streams of white hot steel pouring down from the furnace and we then zigged and zagged across more gantries watching as it cooled and I think started to be formed. We also wandered into the main area just as one of the crucibles was up ended, presumably to empty the clag out of it roughly 5 tons of stuff hit the floor and reverberated through the enormous building. My lasting impression was the colossal scale of everything.

I was almost certainly dressed in my standard jeans, trainers and a cotton sweatshirt or ex army green woolly pully, so perfectly in line with H&S….. I still have the photos that I took somewhat surreptitiously with my then super new SLR

On the original subject, I had a source of plastic coated paper overalls from a friend who did composites at BA – wonderful working coveralls especially while stripping gearboxes or other very oily items -until the very cold evening when I was standing right next to the space heater and felt a tightening around my lower parts and discovered that I was being slowly shrink-wrapped….

Simon

Edited By Simon0362 on 05/02/2017 11:32:21

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Bazyle on 04/02/2017 12:13:03:

I saw a video on cellulose (chopped newspaper) house insulation that was treated with something that made it very non-flammable but can't remember what that was.

I used to work at a place that had an environmental centre with chopped newspaper wall insulation. The gap between the inner and outer skins of the walls was about 8" and over the years the newspaper had become a neat, compacted layer about six inches thick. It was installed was when it was a very new idea, but in this case it had become totally useless.

neil

[Author]

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