Saftey Issues Tools, Tips and Techniques Discuss Saftey Issues in the Pizza Oven Design and Installation forums; I like to remove most of the coals from my oven before cooking to give me more room. I quickly ...

[david s]

I like to remove most of the coals from my oven before cooking to give me more room. I quickly found out that the hot coals stuff up a nice new galv. bucket, so I usually half fill it with water first. A few weeks ago I only 1/4 filled it and got a nasty steam burn on my thumb. Fire is a great teacher !

[dmun]

If your bucket has a tight fitting non combustible lid, you can smother the fire, and have a mess of charcoal to start your next fire, or to use in your barbeque.

[david s]

Thanks,
I might try that. I usually throw it into the compost and it eventually finds its way into the garden. The alkalinity of the ash helps balance the acidity of decomposing leaves and charcoal opens the soil and helps retain moisture. Waste not.

[SpringJim]

After cutting a couple of bricks, I'm going to wear earplugs....they're cheap enough!

[SpringJim]

Liz I just bought my wife a 5 pack of work gloves at Sam's club for about $11. She has very small hands and they look like a nice variety.....

Originally Posted by egalecki

Yeah, but do they come in any size other than humongous? I have a terrible time finding tools and equipment sized for a female- I'm not even that small, but a lot of tools and even safety equipment just don't fit me well, and an improperly sized tool can cause all kinds of musculoskeletal trouble. Do not ask how I know this...

The only place so far to have gloves which are small enough, protective enough (although for construction, not masonry), and articulated enough (hard to hold a hammer with fingers that won't bend) is the Duluth Trading Company. Until I found them, I had to use gardening gloves, which just aren't made for anything else. I will try to find the blue gloves and see if they fit well enough to use- nothing is more irritating than gloves with fingertips which are baggy and longer than your finger.

When I do tile work, I use a couple of pairs of rubber gloves over top of each other, and the sweat is awful indeed- so if these work for me I'll be a happy camper.

[egalecki]

Originally Posted by SpringJim

Liz I just bought my wife a 5 pack of work gloves at Sam's club for about $11. She has very small hands and they look like a nice variety.....

I actually found a new type of gardening glove at Walmart last week. They are a lot like the blue ones Dmun had- rubber coated on the palm and fingers, and knit on the back. They also come in pretty colors with designs on the back! I got two pairs so I could switch to a dry one when they get soggy. They fit pretty well, although if your wife has smaller hands than about a 6 1/2 or a 7, they might be too big.

They work well to pick up the bricks without slipping or wearing off your fingertips.

[asudavew]

Originally Posted by egalecki

I actually found a new type of gardening glove at Walmart last week. They are a lot like the blue ones Dmun had- rubber coated on the palm and fingers, and knit on the back. They also come in pretty colors with designs on the back! I got two pairs so I could switch to a dry one when they get soggy. They fit pretty well, although if your wife has smaller hands than about a 6 1/2 or a 7, they might be too big.

They work well to pick up the bricks without slipping or wearing off your fingertips.

I love gloves now....

[badzy]

ELctricity precautions:
-Wear shoes or slippers when plugging or using an electrical gadget/machine
-Have your power/electric supply be checked by electrician for at least once a year

[cynon767]

I had a question about firebrick safety... I have heard that firebricks are made with asbestos. Is this still so? If so, wouldn't the dust from cutting be highly dangerous?

[dmun]

I have heard that firebricks are made with asbestos

Not true. Firebricks are mostly silica and alumina. You don't want to breathe the stuff on a regular basis, but it's not nearly as toxic as asbestos. You are unlikely to be able to buy anything new that contains even trace amounts of asbestos.

Still, you don't want to breathe the dust. When you're cutting, particularly cutting dry with an angle grinder or such, wear a proper respirator, not one of those paper dust masks.