Cabo2005 Posted November 6, 2008 Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 SARGENT, Georgia - Would-be cleaners take note: A blowtorch is not a good substitute for a broom. Coweta County authorities say Galen Winchell set fire to his west Georgia home Wednesday as he cleaned cobwebs from exterior eaves with a blowtorch. Winchell noticed the blaze when he saw smoke pouring from the attic. Local fire investigator James Gantt says the fire was confined to one part of the house, but the entire home had smoke and water damage. No one was hurt. Maybe I'll use one to clean my gutters this weekend. Cabo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lichum Posted November 6, 2008 Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 SARGENT, Georgia - Would-be cleaners take note: A blowtorch is not a good substitute for a broom. Coweta County authorities say Galen Winchell set fire to his west Georgia home Wednesday as he cleaned cobwebs from exterior eaves with a blowtorch. Winchell noticed the blaze when he saw smoke pouring from the attic. Local fire investigator James Gantt says the fire was confined to one part of the house, but the entire home had smoke and water damage. No one was hurt. Maybe I'll use one to clean my gutters this weekend. Cabo This anecdote is at LEAST as STOOOPPPPIIIIDDDDD. I saw the barrel of a 12 gauge w/ muzzle splayed out like the legs of a 3 legged stool. Fool put a roman candle or bottle rocket down the barrel, then fired the gun to propel it. The shot collided with the pyrotechnic providing a different sort of "show." Luckily, Fool wasn't hurt! "Who is John Galt?" Who? You? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick9915 Posted November 6, 2008 Report Share Posted November 6, 2008 I heard he had #2 fuel in his attic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ditch Jigger Posted November 7, 2008 Report Share Posted November 7, 2008 fishweewee once posted that he freaked out his neighbor by pouring down some gasoline on his icy driveway and breaking out a book of matches I'm pretty sure he was posting tongue in cheek "…if catching fish is your only objective, you are either new to the game or too narrowly focused on measurable results.” - D. Stuver Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Posted November 7, 2008 Report Share Posted November 7, 2008 My wife stripped the paint off our whole house with a torch fueled with map gas. Cedar shingles and all the trim. 100% of the house. We tried a heat gun and a paint paddle which is nothing more than a heating element behind a tin tray. A neighbor called the FD on her and the Chief stopped by for a visit. She demonstrated the technique and he was so impressed he told her to patent a torch specifically for the job. Trick is to not get too close Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BranfordJeff Posted November 7, 2008 Report Share Posted November 7, 2008 I heard he had #2 fuel in his attic. It's OK, you cannot make a fuel oil burn! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BranfordJeff Posted November 7, 2008 Report Share Posted November 7, 2008 My wife stripped the paint off our whole house with a torch fueled with map gas. Cedar shingles and all the trim. 100% of the house. We tried a heat gun and a paint paddle which is nothing more than a heating element behind a tin tray. A neighbor called the FD on her and the Chief stopped by for a visit. She demonstrated the technique and he was so impressed he told her to patent a torch specifically for the job. Trick is to not get too close That's one wide post! My BIl did pretty much the same thing on his mothers 1849's vermont schoolhouse, but it was lead paint. Chelation thaerapy sucks. Not much better way to get your system to near-toxic levels of lead than cooking it like that. Jay, you and the wife still working on separation? I hope like hell your aren't, she seems like a good tough woman who bore you a couple great kids. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J Posted November 7, 2008 Report Share Posted November 7, 2008 That's one wide post! My BIl did pretty much the same thing on his mothers 1849's vermont schoolhouse, but it was lead paint. Chelation thaerapy sucks. Not much better way to get your system to near-toxic levels of lead than cooking it like that. Jay, you and the wife still working on separation? I hope like hell your aren't, she seems like a good tough woman who bore you a couple great kids. Not at the moment... We've agreed to work out the problems and try to stay together (for now ) No telling where we'll end up but my hopes are high and I am taking an optimistic approach. Our house had some lead paint as well. She only worked on those areas when the wind was strong enough to keep fumes at bay. The torch with the map gas was held far enough off the surface to just wrinkle the paint and she then just wiped it off with a putty knife. It was kind of like spreading peanut butter but in reverse. It really was the easiest and safest way but you have to use your head and approach it with safety in mind and be prepared in case of an emergency. SShe had an extinguisher and hose at the ready at all times when she 1st started. After a few days of work it was apparent that she had the process down and it was no more dangerous than a heat gun. Just hotter, faster, more convenient and she was less likely to get burned. The heat gun and the paddle both were always hot and burns on the hands and arms while scraping were frequent. With the torch, only the tip got hot and it cooled off real fast. She did not get one single burn from the torch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to register here in order to participate.
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now