Dan Cattermole
Dan Down - The Steampunk Womble
A Safety guide to Wire Wool Spinning
As many will agree, RPF has come a long way now, even more since I joined in august 2010. The posts are increasing ever more and the company on here is fantastic. What an excellent community we have here guys I'm sure all will agree. This forum has improved me as a photographer especially by expanding the types of photography.
You all should know by now that I am pretty much into my wire wool spinning, and I hope this has been a great encouragement to others to perform it themselves. I'm not saying that it's a new thing because it's by no means not. However, to RPF it is an increasingly popular subject. I enjoy the the fact that people are getting more involved by performing wire wool spins and there have been some fantastic efforts and results. I am very pleased. However, I am fairly certain that many people do not completely understand the dangers of spinning steel wool.
Now, I don't want to come across as a patronising individual and tell you that 'spinners' don't know what they're doing because that is simply not the case. The entire purpose of this thread is to make people aware of the hazards and to provide a basic safety guide to people who may, or may not, already know. Also to note that RPF holds a great reputation as being, from what I can evaluate, the best photography forum on the internet and I know we would not like that reputation to come under scrutiny by any type of organisation due to potential damage or injury that can be avoided through a simple guide that follows a basic instinct in the name of 'common sense'. I cannot stop anyone from performing these spins nor can anyone else; if you're going to do it, you're going to do it, but it is also important to understand that RPF has no responsibility for the actions or results of any individual who decides to carry out a wire wool spin. You are responsible for your own actions
Clothing
Full clothing cover is extraordinarily essential. For obvious reasons you're not going to do a spin naked despite how lovely the summer's night is. Full clothing using, preferably natural fibres is better than most materials out there.
Now, If you're very serious about safety there is always the option of purchasing expensive, fire-resisting clothing. Fire-resisting overalls are, as a rule, the best you're going to get your hands on. The Fire Service and other specific occupations use special flame-resistant clothing. The clothing is made from materials such as glass, Armid (Kevlar), Novoloid, Suran and sulphur. The combination is specially woven to deflect heat and becomes very flame resistant. These specific items of clothing would be difficult and expensive to get hold of, but could be worth it. I'm sure KK would agree. If these items of protection are not what one chooses, then wear tight clothing that makes the embers from the spin less likely to catch and burn.
Tightly woven clothing, such as denim, will burn slower as there is less oxygen amongst the fibres and significantly reduces the burning process. Nylon and acrylic fibres are not recommended as when they burn they melt producing a burning, dripping hot residue that will adhere to the skin and the injuries can be horrific. Fluffy hats and clothing, as well as loosely woven clothing, is most certainly not a good idea. The head must be covered: a cotton scarf with pre-wetted hair will offer more protection than nothing at all. This is MOLTEN STEEL guys! It will burn at around about 1500ºC. You do NOT want any contact with it on your skin.... so keep sensibly covered! Unless labelled as fire resistant, then it should be treated as highly flammable. Safety glasses would be a great suggestion too as a small fragment of molten steel in they eye could easily blind you!
Location
Okay, it would be silly for me to state the most obvious fact and say..... DO NOT DO A SPIN INSIDE!! lol
Location is of a great importance to this. YOU could be protected but is anyone else protected? Personaly, I would give a guideline of a 50 metre radius clearance of people and flammable materials such as leaves, trees, dry grass, petrol cans (Ha), but use your own discretion and judgment to assess every location. Remember, IF IN DOUBT.... DO NOT SPIN OUT!!!
The weather can contribute unexpected circumstances to your spin, especially the wind. Please take into account when spinning that the ember trail should be 'planned' and nothing should stand in it's way. However, the wind can alter this and should be taken into consideration at all times! A beach with massive clearance is probably the best location you can perform a spin to prevent causing a fire to anyone's property. If you're not as fortunate as Brodie, with a lovely beach (Ha), then a wasteland would be more appropriate. Another aspect to bear in mind is, who the owner of the property/land is. Please respect the fact that not many people would be pleased to find that there is a firework display going on in their back yard.
Company
NEVER do a spin unaccompanied! Safety in numbers is KEY!! The company should also have a sensible and mature mind throughout the performance. Remember, this is FIRE!!! If you're on your own, who's going to pat that fire out on your back?!
If this does unfortunately happen and you notice then I'm sure everyone has heard of the 'drop and roll' technique before? if not, please look it up.... It may just save severe burns! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop,_drop_and_roll)
Everyone was taught a simple lesson when they were younger; do not play with fire. And I know it presents a contradictory comment in this case, however, if you're going to play with fire, be safe! PRECAUTIONS AND SAFETY ARE PARAMOUNT!! I cannot stress this enough!
Safety Equipment
Although every safety aspect is taken into consideration, it would not do any harm to take a fire extinguisher and fire blanket with you. This is good practice.
I have witnessed an occasion where an extinguisher was needed. However unfortunately one wasn't present. Therefore a lot of kicking was performed and we could hev been mistaken as a Michael Flatley duo. A lesson was most certainly learned and the consequences could of been very, very disastrous!! The adrenaline was pumping and the occasion was pretty frightening. Never-the-less, we luckily gained the control we secretly prayed for. It wasn't clever and it was a very regrettable moment. Tthis was almost 12 months back now and it was a wake up call that was very much needed.
I hope people view this article as their 'wake up call' when spinning, and do not have to wait to be presented with a uncontrollable and highly dangerous situation that could lead to injury, damage and, as extreme as it sounds yet frighteningly true, death!
I'm not going to present a DO and a DON'T section as ithis comes across as patronising, and you are all clever enough to establish the rights and the wrongs. However, I'm going to highlight important factors that people should remember the next time they do go out melting metal.
- Always remember what you are dealing with
- Take consideration of others around you
- Plan and think about the location, radius and the ember trail
- Don't spin near flammables
- Expect the weather to alter everything
- Take a fire extinguisher and a fire blanket
- Wear fire-resisting clothing
- Cover your hair... or have no hair.
- Protect your eyes
- Safety in numbers
- Maturity is key - it's not a game!
- Stay clear of private land
- BE SAFE!!
- IMPORTANT -
Once a wool spin is finished, inspect the area/ember trail for any sign of smoke, this could result in a fire once the location has been vacated. If smoke is detected, don't ignore it, and extinguish it immediately.
IF IN DOUBT....... DON'T SPIN OUT!!!!!!!!
I hope this is a helpful guide, but remember, it is ONLY a guide to help others to be more aware of the dangers.
Thank you for taking the time to read this
As many will agree, RPF has come a long way now, even more since I joined in august 2010. The posts are increasing ever more and the company on here is fantastic. What an excellent community we have here guys I'm sure all will agree. This forum has improved me as a photographer especially by expanding the types of photography.
You all should know by now that I am pretty much into my wire wool spinning, and I hope this has been a great encouragement to others to perform it themselves. I'm not saying that it's a new thing because it's by no means not. However, to RPF it is an increasingly popular subject. I enjoy the the fact that people are getting more involved by performing wire wool spins and there have been some fantastic efforts and results. I am very pleased. However, I am fairly certain that many people do not completely understand the dangers of spinning steel wool.
Now, I don't want to come across as a patronising individual and tell you that 'spinners' don't know what they're doing because that is simply not the case. The entire purpose of this thread is to make people aware of the hazards and to provide a basic safety guide to people who may, or may not, already know. Also to note that RPF holds a great reputation as being, from what I can evaluate, the best photography forum on the internet and I know we would not like that reputation to come under scrutiny by any type of organisation due to potential damage or injury that can be avoided through a simple guide that follows a basic instinct in the name of 'common sense'. I cannot stop anyone from performing these spins nor can anyone else; if you're going to do it, you're going to do it, but it is also important to understand that RPF has no responsibility for the actions or results of any individual who decides to carry out a wire wool spin. You are responsible for your own actions
Clothing
Full clothing cover is extraordinarily essential. For obvious reasons you're not going to do a spin naked despite how lovely the summer's night is. Full clothing using, preferably natural fibres is better than most materials out there.
Now, If you're very serious about safety there is always the option of purchasing expensive, fire-resisting clothing. Fire-resisting overalls are, as a rule, the best you're going to get your hands on. The Fire Service and other specific occupations use special flame-resistant clothing. The clothing is made from materials such as glass, Armid (Kevlar), Novoloid, Suran and sulphur. The combination is specially woven to deflect heat and becomes very flame resistant. These specific items of clothing would be difficult and expensive to get hold of, but could be worth it. I'm sure KK would agree. If these items of protection are not what one chooses, then wear tight clothing that makes the embers from the spin less likely to catch and burn.
Tightly woven clothing, such as denim, will burn slower as there is less oxygen amongst the fibres and significantly reduces the burning process. Nylon and acrylic fibres are not recommended as when they burn they melt producing a burning, dripping hot residue that will adhere to the skin and the injuries can be horrific. Fluffy hats and clothing, as well as loosely woven clothing, is most certainly not a good idea. The head must be covered: a cotton scarf with pre-wetted hair will offer more protection than nothing at all. This is MOLTEN STEEL guys! It will burn at around about 1500ºC. You do NOT want any contact with it on your skin.... so keep sensibly covered! Unless labelled as fire resistant, then it should be treated as highly flammable. Safety glasses would be a great suggestion too as a small fragment of molten steel in they eye could easily blind you!
Location
Okay, it would be silly for me to state the most obvious fact and say..... DO NOT DO A SPIN INSIDE!! lol
Location is of a great importance to this. YOU could be protected but is anyone else protected? Personaly, I would give a guideline of a 50 metre radius clearance of people and flammable materials such as leaves, trees, dry grass, petrol cans (Ha), but use your own discretion and judgment to assess every location. Remember, IF IN DOUBT.... DO NOT SPIN OUT!!!
The weather can contribute unexpected circumstances to your spin, especially the wind. Please take into account when spinning that the ember trail should be 'planned' and nothing should stand in it's way. However, the wind can alter this and should be taken into consideration at all times! A beach with massive clearance is probably the best location you can perform a spin to prevent causing a fire to anyone's property. If you're not as fortunate as Brodie, with a lovely beach (Ha), then a wasteland would be more appropriate. Another aspect to bear in mind is, who the owner of the property/land is. Please respect the fact that not many people would be pleased to find that there is a firework display going on in their back yard.
Company
NEVER do a spin unaccompanied! Safety in numbers is KEY!! The company should also have a sensible and mature mind throughout the performance. Remember, this is FIRE!!! If you're on your own, who's going to pat that fire out on your back?!
If this does unfortunately happen and you notice then I'm sure everyone has heard of the 'drop and roll' technique before? if not, please look it up.... It may just save severe burns! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stop,_drop_and_roll)
Everyone was taught a simple lesson when they were younger; do not play with fire. And I know it presents a contradictory comment in this case, however, if you're going to play with fire, be safe! PRECAUTIONS AND SAFETY ARE PARAMOUNT!! I cannot stress this enough!
Safety Equipment
Although every safety aspect is taken into consideration, it would not do any harm to take a fire extinguisher and fire blanket with you. This is good practice.
I have witnessed an occasion where an extinguisher was needed. However unfortunately one wasn't present. Therefore a lot of kicking was performed and we could hev been mistaken as a Michael Flatley duo. A lesson was most certainly learned and the consequences could of been very, very disastrous!! The adrenaline was pumping and the occasion was pretty frightening. Never-the-less, we luckily gained the control we secretly prayed for. It wasn't clever and it was a very regrettable moment. Tthis was almost 12 months back now and it was a wake up call that was very much needed.
I hope people view this article as their 'wake up call' when spinning, and do not have to wait to be presented with a uncontrollable and highly dangerous situation that could lead to injury, damage and, as extreme as it sounds yet frighteningly true, death!
I'm not going to present a DO and a DON'T section as ithis comes across as patronising, and you are all clever enough to establish the rights and the wrongs. However, I'm going to highlight important factors that people should remember the next time they do go out melting metal.
- Always remember what you are dealing with
- Take consideration of others around you
- Plan and think about the location, radius and the ember trail
- Don't spin near flammables
- Expect the weather to alter everything
- Take a fire extinguisher and a fire blanket
- Wear fire-resisting clothing
- Cover your hair... or have no hair.
- Protect your eyes
- Safety in numbers
- Maturity is key - it's not a game!
- Stay clear of private land
- BE SAFE!!
- IMPORTANT -
Once a wool spin is finished, inspect the area/ember trail for any sign of smoke, this could result in a fire once the location has been vacated. If smoke is detected, don't ignore it, and extinguish it immediately.
IF IN DOUBT....... DON'T SPIN OUT!!!!!!!!
I hope this is a helpful guide, but remember, it is ONLY a guide to help others to be more aware of the dangers.
Thank you for taking the time to read this
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