m1tanker78
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Sneeze-->Bang!
Yesterday I conducted some experiments with molten salts. The salts I use don't normally cause the molten sodium to spontaneously explode or pop the
way it tends to do with NaOH. I still double up on the protective gear just in case. I like to wear eye protection as well as a face shield when doing
these things.
Everything was going smooth as can be when all of a sudden, I got the sudden urge to sneeze. It was one of those that comes on so suddenly you barely
have time to cover your mouth or turn your head. I managed to lift the face shield just enough to where I wouldn't sputter the inside and then .....
ACHOO-BANG! It sounded like a small firecracker went off in my garage. I was stunned by the report so it took me a couple of seconds to realize that I
had been spattered by [mostly] molten salt. Aside from my apron and a little on my neck, the right side of my face and my upper right arm got a decent
peppering. I've done a lot of welding and cutting on metal throughout the years so I'm used to the sensation of molten metal bits on my skin (although
I never could get used to it on the back of my neck). Today, I only have a few reddish spots - mostly on my arm.
Luckily, no real harm was done and I was wearing my goggles under the face shield. I think from now on, I'm going to go back to wearing a blue
particle mask over my nose and mouth like I did before. Instead of keeping particles out, it will serve to keep water droplets in. The reason I
stopped wearing it was because it caused my goggles and face shield to fog up.
So to sum it up, yesterday was a classic "thank goodness I was wearing my goggles" kind of day. I admit that sometimes I take risks with burning my
fingers, hands, arms, etc. but I never gamble with my eyesight!
I thought I'd share this experience so that hopefully other amateurs (especially inexperienced) will heed the warnings that are 'redundantly' posted
by other members of this forum. There's always some degree of danger when doing experiments. For example, I didn't plan on sneezing during this one.
Tom
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woelen
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Good to warn about this.
But also keep in mind that the nature of the experiments you do is of a high risk profile. Working with molten salts is inherently risky.
Many people over here perform experiments with cold aqueous solutions, such as precipitating MnO2 from manganese-containing liquids. That kind of
experiments is much less dangerous. Even with that kind of experiments, wearing goggles is a good thing, but I myself always take into account the
risk profile. With simple aqueous solution experiments I do not wear goggles, but with experiments, involving fire and with experiments involving
violent exothermic reactions I do.
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watson.fawkes
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Quote: Originally posted by m1tanker78  | | Everything was going smooth as can be when all of a sudden, I got the sudden urge to sneeze. It was one of those that comes on so suddenly you barely
have time to cover your mouth or turn your head. I managed to lift the face shield just enough to where I wouldn't sputter the inside [...]
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My take-away from this story is not the one you emphasize: "In case of sneeze, do not lift face shield."
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m1tanker78
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| Quote: Originally posted by watson.fawkes | | Quote: Originally posted by m1tanker78 | | Everything was going smooth as can be when all of a sudden, I got the sudden urge to sneeze. It was one of those that comes on so suddenly you barely
have time to cover your mouth or turn your head. I managed to lift the face shield just enough to where I wouldn't sputter the inside [...]
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My take-away from this story is not the one you emphasize: "In case of sneeze, do not lift face shield."
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Very true! In retrospect, I would have preferred cleaning the inside of my face shield over a sodium explosion. It was a knee-jerk reaction that
taught me a little lesson.
Tom
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