Nitrogen. Is it worth it? - Engraving Etc. Forum

<body> <h1>Full Version: <a href="https://www.engravingetc.org:443/archive/index.php?webtag=EE&msg=5674.14">Nitrogen. Is it worth it?</a></h1><a name="a5674_14"></a><p><b>From: Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY)</b> [<a href="lmessages.php?webtag=EE&msg=5674.14">#14</a>]<br /> 9 Jan 2007<br /><b>To: RALLYGUY (RALLYGUY1)</b> [<a href="lmessages.php?webtag=EE&msg=5674.13">#13</a>] 9 Jan 2007</p> Thank you for the link to the MSDS sheet.<br /> <br /> I wonder what genius wrote that one. Skin exposure: Wash with copious water, You are exposed to an 80% mix every second of your life. Same with eyes. And ingestion, a good trick, I guess you might burp.<br /> <br /> One glaring error: Stay out of low spots. It is slightly lighter than air, (O<sub>2</sub> has a molecular weight of 32 per molecule, N<sub>2</sub> of 10 I believe from poor memory, it has a density of .967 from the MSDS sheet.)<br /> <br /> Don't look now, it is all around you but you cannot see it. ;-)<p class="edit_text">EDITED: 9 Jan 2007 by HARVEY-ONLY</p> <hr /><a name="a5674_15"></a><p><b>From: RALLYGUY (RALLYGUY1)</b> [<a href="lmessages.php?webtag=EE&msg=5674.15">#15</a>]<br /> 9 Jan 2007<br /><b>To: Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY)</b> [<a href="lmessages.php?webtag=EE&msg=5674.14">#14</a>] 9 Jan 2007</p> <p>Hahahaha....Yeah no one ever said MSDS sheets were always accurate either.</p> <p>I guess my point was that welding supplies are probably equally or more dangerous than compressed nitrogen gas. </p> <p>Gasses used in the welding process have the same risks for exposure, and the risk of filling an environment with non breatheable material (as in CO2 shield gas). Some have a high flamability rating. (as in acetelene, or straight O2). All of these materials are found in businesses and homes around the country/world.......but the risks are dealt with on a daily basis with the simplest of rules. </p> <p>#1 Chain the tanks up so they can't fall and rupture the tank/valve.<br /> #2 Use in a well ventilated work space.<br /> #3 Turn the tanks off when you are done using them.</p> <p><br /> All of these would apply just the same to compressed nitrogen gas.</p> <hr /><a name="a5674_16"></a><p><b>From: Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY)</b> [<a href="lmessages.php?webtag=EE&msg=5674.16">#16</a>]<br /> 9 Jan 2007<br /><b>To: RALLYGUY (RALLYGUY1)</b> [<a href="lmessages.php?webtag=EE&msg=5674.15">#15</a>] 9 Jan 2007</p> <p>Those three rules are important. </p> <p>I have seen an oxygen tank fall when being brought in and knocked the valve off. Shot 75 feet across the plant and through a cinder-block wall. Initial rocket pressure was over 6000 pounds through the 1" hole. Than can accelerate the tank fast.</p> <p>Acetylene makes me cringe. It is explosive from 3% with air to 97% with air. It is very heavy and forms puddles. It will self detonate if the tank has more than 400PSI and can self detonate if the pressure at the regulator it is set too high. (That is why acetylene regulators have such a low max setting.)</p> <p>Hydrogen, while it packs more power is so light it will escape through cracks in the ceiling quite easily.</p> <p>Nitrogen is probably the safest compressed gas there is. (Maybe helium also.)</p> <hr /><a name="a5674_17"></a><p><b>From: Jer (DIAMOND)</b> [<a href="lmessages.php?webtag=EE&msg=5674.17">#17</a>]<br /> 9 Jan 2007<br /><b>To: Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY)</b> [<a href="lmessages.php?webtag=EE&msg=5674.16">#16</a>] 9 Jan 2007</p> I work with very large amounts of pure nitrogen on a regular basis, when we purge long runs (miles) of pipeline. Our logic says that nitrogen is everywhere, so no problem. Our safety dept. comes out and informs us one breath of pure nitrogen will cause death. They went through a simular physiological explanation that Alex has. I am not sure I understand it but I don't want to test it. As we vent off the nitrogen, I would think one would have to put ones head right in the full stream of nitrogen in order to get 100% nitrogen because the gas expands so quickly into the atmosphere.<hr /><a name="a5674_18"></a><p><b>From: Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY)</b> [<a href="lmessages.php?webtag=EE&msg=5674.18">#18</a>]<br /> 9 Jan 2007<br /><b>To: Jer (DIAMOND)</b> [<a href="lmessages.php?webtag=EE&msg=5674.17">#17</a>] 9 Jan 2007</p> <p>I respect that is what you were told by the safety department.</p> <p>I only wonder where they were trained. From all of my chemical training, a bit extensive with the chemicals we used in manufacturing and I was the safety officer and responsible for keeping the hazard sheets up to date and informing the staff of any changes and hazards, I never heard of that. Also it does not make sense, but that does not necessarily have to be a factor in what it really does.</p> <p>The safety officer at CBS when we got in the heliarc equipment said it was totally harmless, especially if we kept the door open. I thought that a slight contradiction at the time. But it could be true, as long as the door was open it could not build up and exclude oxygen.</p> <hr /><a name="a5674_19"></a><p><b>From: Jer (DIAMOND)</b> [<a href="lmessages.php?webtag=EE&msg=5674.19">#19</a>]<br /> 9 Jan 2007<br /><b>To: Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY)</b> [<a href="lmessages.php?webtag=EE&msg=5674.18">#18</a>] 10 Jan 2007</p> I believe that in a shop, with what I would consider small amounts in cylinders, that is coming out of a 3/8" hose there is no major risk. This would be a similar set up that would be used in a laser engraver. I also believe what our safety dept. says about one breath of 100% nitrogen. My thought is nitrogen expands so quickly into the atmosphere, that a cylinder in a ventilated shop has little risk. I would guess the bigger risk with a cylinder is pressure and all the precautions need to be observed there also.<hr /><a name="a5674_20"></a><p><b>From: Dave Jones (DAVERJ)</b> [<a href="lmessages.php?webtag=EE&msg=5674.20">#20</a>]<br /> 10 Jan 2007<br /><b>To: Jer (DIAMOND)</b> [<a href="lmessages.php?webtag=EE&msg=5674.19">#19</a>] 10 Jan 2007</p> Maybe they give the "one breath..." warning because there might be some yahoo working somewhere that thinks "well, inhaling helium gives funny results, I wonder what will happen if I inhale nitrogen from this hose?" <hr /><a name="a5674_21"></a><p><b>From: Jer (DIAMOND)</b> [<a href="lmessages.php?webtag=EE&msg=5674.21">#21</a>]<br /> 10 Jan 2007<br /><b>To: Dave Jones (DAVERJ)</b> [<a href="lmessages.php?webtag=EE&msg=5674.20">#20</a>] 10 Jan 2007</p> Oh No! Now I obligated to try it. I have to know.<hr /><p align="center">Show messages:  <a href="lmessages.php?webtag=EE&msg=5674.1">1-13</a>  14-21</p> <h4><a href="lthread_list.php?webtag=EE">Back to thread list</a> | <a href="llogout.php?webtag=EE">Login</a></h4> <h6>© 2026 <a href="http://www.beehiveforum.net/" target="_blank">Project Beehive Forum</a></h6> </body>