There is a bottleneck building up around the HT process. I've got 10 blades in need of HT, but I use a charcoal fired ground forge that is outside in the shade, and in the shade it's been over 100 every day for about 2 weeks. I've GOT to fire it up today and get some work done even though it is supposed to reach 107 with a heat index of 115. Any recommendations for how to keep cool/not die?
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Too hot/shameless sympathy ploy
- Thread starter wordsmith
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camelback full of ice water?
Hat containing an Ice pack?
set up an ac unit with a hose blowing the cold air down your neck?
Hat containing an Ice pack?
set up an ac unit with a hose blowing the cold air down your neck?
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- Oct 6, 2008
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Soak your clothes down with ice water. It helps, at least for a while.
Take frequent breaks... go inside and cool off. Heat stroke sneaks up on you quick. One minute you're thinking, "geez it's hot", the next minute you're going "what's my name?!?"
That happened to me once while off-loading nitric acid into drums. It was hot and humid as, well, Texas, and due to the nature of the acid I had to wear a full chemical suit, facemask and respirator. I suddenly realized that I couldn't read the numbers on the scale anymore and had basically no idea what I was doing. Not cool when you have an open hose in your hands, connected to a tanker truck full of deadly corrosive liquid.
Luckily I had just a thread of common sense left, closed the valve and went and passed out in front of the fan for a few minutes. Coworkers helped me get the jacket and mask off and got me cooled down. I had a splitting headache and didn't feel right the whole rest of the day.
Boy, I sure miss that job...
Take frequent breaks... go inside and cool off. Heat stroke sneaks up on you quick. One minute you're thinking, "geez it's hot", the next minute you're going "what's my name?!?"
That happened to me once while off-loading nitric acid into drums. It was hot and humid as, well, Texas, and due to the nature of the acid I had to wear a full chemical suit, facemask and respirator. I suddenly realized that I couldn't read the numbers on the scale anymore and had basically no idea what I was doing. Not cool when you have an open hose in your hands, connected to a tanker truck full of deadly corrosive liquid.
Luckily I had just a thread of common sense left, closed the valve and went and passed out in front of the fan for a few minutes. Coworkers helped me get the jacket and mask off and got me cooled down. I had a splitting headache and didn't feel right the whole rest of the day.
Boy, I sure miss that job...
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- Jun 20, 2007
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- 1,361
Soak your clothes down with ice water. It helps, at least for a while.
Take frequent breaks... go inside and cool off. Heat stroke sneaks up on you quick. One minute you're thinking, "geez it's hot", the next minute you're going "what's my name?!?"
That happened to me once while off-loading nitric acid into drums. It was hot and humid as, well, Texas, and due to the nature of the acid I had to wear a full chemical suit, facemask and respirator. I suddenly realized that I couldn't read the numbers on the scale anymore and had basically no idea what I was doing. Not cool when you have an open hose in your hands, connected to a tanker truck full of deadly corrosive liquid.
Luckily I had just a thread of common sense left, closed the valve and went and passed out in front of the fan for a few minutes. Coworkers helped me get the jacket and mask off and got me cooled down. I had a splitting headache and didn't feel right the whole rest of the day.
Boy, I sure miss that job...
And that's if your lucky and don't wake up dead!!!!!!!!
Frequent breaks wetting your clothes and hat helps but just remember a true heat stoke is someting you will never be the same afterward. The least bit of heat will bother you from then on and many don't live too experience that. Be careful my friend!!!
I was planning to soak myself beforehand, and I have the water spigot with hose about 4 feet from my forge. That setup was intended more for fire dousing rather than personal dousing, but it'll help. I used to mow yards in this weather, and then I lived on the equator for a while, but you just never get used to this.
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Right you are. I don't know if I had a "true" heat-stroke; probably not. But it was bad enough to scare the dickens out of me. The worst part was how fast it happened. It was literally minutes between "I'm hot but I can handle it" and near-total confusion. When I say "couldn't read the scale" I mean I could still see the numbers (digital) but I didn't know what they meant. They may as well have been Japanese characters. Spooky.
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I didn't know there was a maker so close to me. And you are right sir, it is way too hot.
Just try to drink as much as you can and keep yourself doused(as mentioned above)
I was in Marble Falls yesterday and it was 107 there, I had to change shirts between customers it got so hot.
We (central Texans) haven't seen any clouds in weeks/months.
Good luck on your heating today.
If it gets any hotter you could lay them out on the street.
**edited** that was my 3800th post. sweet
mike
Just try to drink as much as you can and keep yourself doused(as mentioned above)
I was in Marble Falls yesterday and it was 107 there, I had to change shirts between customers it got so hot.
We (central Texans) haven't seen any clouds in weeks/months.
Good luck on your heating today.
If it gets any hotter you could lay them out on the street.
**edited** that was my 3800th post. sweet
mike
Maybe a wet towel on your head, and a cooler of ice to keep the towel cool? Or maybe fire up the forge at 8 p.m. and work till midnight, ahead of your day off, of course. Remember that the colors aren't the same in the dark, but nonmagnetic doesn't change.
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How about a case of Dos Equis on ice to keep the innards cool?
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I hear you James I was trying to say you were very lucky, bud!
I had a buddy several years ago had a crew digging a foundation for an addition on his place. One of the workers walked around the house to the water spicket and didn't come back. When they went around the house to check on him he was dead laying by the water faucet.
It happens so quick that yu don't always realize what is happening! The temps have been in the 100*'s here and the heat index anywhere from
110*to 115*. Too hot for this time of year. I have been wanting to do things in my shop but it's not AC so have to use fans and take it in small doses.
Too old and fat, plus bad ticker don't help. Good luck to all working in this heat, I use to do but have to be more carful the older I get!!!
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I hear you loud and clear, buddy. :thumbup: Exactly, I do feel very lucky. If I had been alone when that happened.... yikes. I barely made it across the shop to the fan near the open door; I was too weak to get my gear off by myself.
Yes, I bought beer for the boys after work that day.
If they hadn't been here to help me... *shudder*I'm not trying to spook anyone, just saying... be real careful.
A report: It wasn't that bad. Yeah, it was 105 outside and yeah, it was hot, but I wet myself down with the hose, drank out of it periodically, and only stayed with it for about 2 hours. Managed to quench 7 and only broke 1 by idiocy. Also forged my first blade and the tang for another. Not too bad. Now for some rest and a Lone Star...