Doug,
If indeed you have that much soot coming from your heater, it may need
service or repair or new/good fuel. I've had mine for 15+ years, and it
makes no soot. I adjust the flame to just keep the mesh glowing red: no dark
spots and especially no visible flame above the mesh. Are you sure the
"pencils" are from the heater and not from the car or your garage floor.
Even an MG will occasionally get soiled, but I would expect to see a large
yellow flame in order for the heater to make soot.
I used to manufacture pencils when I was younger and even more stupid than
today. Be cautious of any spray painting without at least a dust mask, and
watch out for brake dust: it is very fine, in fact too fine for most dust
masks to stop. Additionally, it will likely contain asbestos from days of
yore. Rumor has it that your lungs may become unhappy breathing that crap.
If you vacuum brake dust, vent your shop vac to the outside of your garage,
as even the vacuum's filter won't stop it all. Another dust culprit is rust
removal using a wire wheel on a bench grinder or worse, on a die grinder.
The rust goes away from the part being cleaned, but it ends up airborne.
Jim
Doug McLaren wrote:
> I know you've about done this discussion but thought I'd add a bit.
> I have a "Kero-Sun" kerosene heater that I use in my garage. I'm up
> here in Canada Eh! If I work in my garage for a couple of hours with the
> heater on I can sneeze pencils. I don't have the flame smoking but I get
> a lot of carbon in my nose. I tells me that it is a very dirty flame.
>
> Doug McLaren
> 78 MGB
|