An Important message about a steamer that blew up like a terrorist
bomb.
…
A jeweler asked me to send this toy my list to apprise jewelers of a
potential problem with a steamer:
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We had an explosion in our shop with a steam cleaner. The steam
cleaner was not being used at the time. None of the safety devices
worked. I was in the room at a computer and one of our staff was also
in the room on her way out of the room when the blast happened.
We were both lucky that neither of us were killed or badly injured.
The damage caused was unbelievable, this was a bomb. The entire
building moved, the glass in the window blew out on to the street 3
floors below. The entire polishing room was destroyed along with
adjoining rooms having substantial damage.
The piece of equipment that I am referring to is called a
Steamstress. We have contacted as many people as we know to advise
them if they have this machine they need to get rid of it. When my
husband called to order a new steam machine and told them what
happened to us he was told that we were the 3rd explosion in Canada
with that same machine. There was one in Montreal and one in Toronto.
I have attached photos of the room where we were in, and a photo of
our spare steamer that was the same model as the one that exploded
along side of the remains of the exploded steamer.
I want the word to get out there so this does not happen to anyone
else.
http://www.ganoksin.com/ftp/Steamer_opt.gif
http://www.ganoksin.com/ftp/RoomOPT_opt.jpg
http://www.ganoksin.com/ftp/Polishing%20Room_opt.gif
Holy cow!!! That is so scary. Hanuman I hope you will post this on
FB as well.
Thanks will never buy one of them…
Appreciate the heads up, David, as I am just about to buy a
steamer…
Lisa Van Herik
wovenwirestudio.com
A follow up message about a steamer that blew up like a terrorist
bomb.
I sent this out yesterday about a steamer that blew up. I had a few
people email me who are smarter than me in this area and I asked the
jeweler Peggy for more detail.
My friend Bob Lynn in California copied me on an email sent to his
employees. Bob is an accomplished machinist:
The following is another reason why I have been very particular
about getting a steamer in stainless & why I have checked the
over pressure valve on a regular basis, even though it's less
than 3 years old.
The machine they had appears to an aluminum casting. Aluminum,
when cast, is normally much weaker than steel & subject to
serious corrosion problems that often weaken the casting. Also
notice the condition of the "spare". The machines appear to have
been around a number of years.
If you examine the photos there is what appears to be visible
corrosion on the valves. I give an exceptionally high likelihood
that they hadn't tested the over pressure valve recently - or the
explosion probably wouldn't have happened.
Worse yet, I've seen shops where the safety valve leaked & so
somebody "fixed" it by screwing it shut instead of replacing it.
That particular fix can turn the boiler into a bomb. A
replacement valve is a $20 plumbing part, common where plumbing
is sold so there is no excuse for not replacing it if it leaks.
Safety has to stay a top priority & it's everybody's job to
point out unsafe things or procedures.
So I wrote the jeweler and asked her about the steamer and what
procedures they used and WHO MADE THIS STEAMER.
This was the answer I just received:
It was called Steamstress Royal. The manufacturer of the steamer
was Electro Steam (1978) Ltd out of Montreal Canada.
The steamer was checked weekly on the valve. The rubber gaskets
did not blow. It was running under normal operating pressure.
So I wanted to follow up and let you know the scoop. When I had my
store for 25 years we had a Steammaster and I had to replace a valve
one and every year the rubber gaskets. Worked like a charm.
Here are the same pictures from the past post
Sincerely
David Geller
JewelerProfit.com
Glad no one was hurt, but sorry about the total destruction of your
studio. Really fightening event. The steamer seems to be some sort
of pressure cooker. I for one will not have one in my studio.
Thanks will never buy one of them...
Just buy a good quality one and maintain it.
Regards Charles A.
Sorry this happened and glad everyone is Ok. Notice the Durston mill
looks unimpressed by a bomb. I think I’ll build my hurricane room
out of Durstons.
Rick Powell
Glad no one was hurt, but sorry about the total destruction of
your studio. Really fightening event. The steamer seems to be some
sort of pressure cooker. I for one will not have one in my studio.
We haven’t had major problems like that with the models we sell.
They are a handy tool, and good for scaring the crap out of patrons
at trade shows 
I caught one of the sales men tromping the foot pedal and singing
“Choo choo” 
Regards Charles A.