fire warning

[brickyParticipant @bricky]

Today whilst woeking on the mill I glanced towards my bench and could see a small column of smoke rising off it.I was bemused by this as I hadn't been on the bench today.I rushed over and a biro was nearly in half and was melting into the tray it is kept in.I then spotted the cause ,a couple of bench standing magnifiers which for years have stood there in front of the window,and with the sun at the right height to clear the fence half over my window there could have been a fire.If there had been paper in the tray there would have been.I was so lucky to be in the workshop to spot it, the consequences could have been disasterous as my wifes studio is a mansard roof above the workshop.How it hasn't happened when I haven't been in there I will never know.Just a cautionary warning.

[brickyParticipant @bricky]

[Jon LawesParticipant @jonlawes51698]

A lucky escape!

[Brian Sweeting 2Participant @briansweeting2]

Lucky escape indeed.

Other fire creators can be magnifying mirrors and bullseye glass windows.

[Dave HalfordParticipant @davehalford22513]

and glass bottles

[Rik ShawParticipant @rikshaw]

"Other fire creators can be magnifying mirrors and bullseye glass windows."

Not forgetting crystal balls.

Some years ago I called into a hippy type shop in Bedford High Street for our joss (hides the curry smells right?). I told the proprietor that I had smelt smoke as I came in the door and it was definitely NOT joss.

On investigating we found that a 3” diameter crystal ball in the window display was focusing the sun’s rays and doing its best to ignite the ethnic drapes.

She was quite pleased that I had stopped her shop from burning down but looked at me a bit darkly when I told her that if the thing had been working fit for purpose she would have had prior warning.

Rik

PS. Her shop is still there and she will verify the above.

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

I had been using a womans concave magnifying mirror in the garden to get something out of my eye and put it down afterwards

The boss came out with a cup of tea and we sat there chatting

My leg suddenly felt burning hot but I ignored it because nothing logical could do that, it must be a nerve thing

Eventually I was in *##*ing agony and had to jump away yelping

Yes it was that mirror, trying to laser beam a hole in my leg

[Sam StonesParticipant @samstones42903]

Although there was no risk of fire, this reminds me of a school excursion to a horticultural property in Hutton (Lancs).

We were encouraged to climb to the top of the ten-foot ladder of a steel structure to examine one of these.

**LINK**

That was in the late 40’s, and even now would be quite a novelty, recording Lancashire sunshine.

Sam

Edited By Sam Stones on 09/07/2018 01:53:42

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Sam Stones on 09/07/2018 01:53:12:

Although there was no risk of fire, this reminds me of a school excursion to a horticultural property in Hutton (Lancs).

We were encouraged to climb to the top of the ten-foot ladder of a steel structure to examine one of these.

**LINK**

That was in the late 40’s, and even now would be quite a novelty, recording Lancashire sunshine.

Sam

Edited By Sam Stones on 09/07/2018 01:53:42

I photographed the one at CHatsworth earlier in the year, with the vague idea of making one, wish I had now!

[WindyParticipant @windy30762]

Another common fire risk are disposable lighters while at Kingsbury water park with the hydro on a hot day the following happened.

A disposable lighter which I use a lot for firing the burners exploded on the bench and was like a rocket so keep them out of direct sunlight.

[davebParticipant @daveb17630]

Posted by Windy on 09/07/2018 09:51:29:

Another common fire risk are disposable lighters while at Kingsbury water park with the hydro on a hot day the following happened.

A disposable lighter which I use a lot for firing the burners exploded on the bench and was like a rocket so keep them out of direct sunlight.

I read an artical some years ago, a footballer was fatally injured when a lighter exploded in his breast pocket.

[Another JohnSParticipant @anotherjohns]

As a kid, a friend's father was building change rooms at their outdoor pool. Roof not on yet, so he had clear plastic sheet over the rafters to keep the rain out, and off of the carpet below.

Of course, after a rainy day, the plastic sheeting filled with water, the following sunny day allowed pin-point tracking of the sun as a thin black (charred) line was found on the carpet that evening.

The roof was finished forthwith, but the char-lined carpet was left as a reminder.

(of course, first line of questioning was "what the h**l did you kids do THIS TIME??? for once, we were actually innocent!)

[Perko7Participant @perko7]

I had a bus seat almost catch fire from sunlight through a plastic bottle of water left on the seat of bus parked in the sun. Saw the vinyl seat smoking before realising what was causing it.

[larry phelan 1Participant @larryphelan1]

Fire service gave out warnings about this danger two weeks ago,even about mirrors left on window sills.

[pa4c pa4cParticipant @pa4cpa4c85075]

Well, my contribution.

A good friend was awoken at four am a couple of months back (freezing cold, dark nights). His wife thought she could hear fireworks.

Fromm the CCTV footage from the in Garage feed it became obvious as to the cause. A Solar Powered "Battery Conditioner" had blown one of it's diodes and fed the current back to the (plastic) solar panel. The Vintage Bike it was connected to, the one next to it, the Lathe, 60 years of tools and tooling and the car were a total loss. Garage needed demolishing too. Thankfully it was a stand alone building.

I no longer leave any battery chargers connected overnight.

[V8EngParticipant @v8eng]

Be careful where you keep or put aerosol cans as well.

Edited By V8Eng on 09/07/2018 21:35:30

[SamsarandaParticipant @samsaranda]

Aerosol cans can be very dangerous if subjected to heat in an incerator or bonfire, they go off like hand grenades, don’t ask how I know.

Dave W

[HOWARDTParticipant @howardt]

Back in the 50s my father used to shave in the kitchen in the morning and his shaving cream was in a tube which resided on the window cill. The window panes were all heavy bobbled glass as it looked onto the neighbours kitchen. One day the shaving cream tube caught fire from the sun just at the right angle to the glass. Don't know what the tubes were made of in those days but it was melted by the fire of the external label finish. That black burnt mark stayed there for years after.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Blimey, that English sun must be something vicious. I'm glad we don't have anything like it over here in Australia. Never heard of any of these types of incidents happening here. Good thing too, or there would be fires and burnt carpets and exploding shaving cream tubes everywhere. I guess you guys will all be happy to see the rain return and you can all stand down from fire watch.

[pgk pgkParticipant @pgkpgk17461]

Posted by Hopper on 10/07/2018 09:15:47:

Blimey, that English sun must be something vicious. I'm glad we don't have anything like it over here in Australia. Never heard of any of these types of incidents happening here. Good thing too, or there would be fires and burnt carpets and exploding shaving cream tubes everywhere. I guess you guys will all be happy to see the rain return and you can all stand down from fire watch.

There's a big difference .. you only get the sun at night.

pgk

[Nick Clarke 3Participant @nickclarke3]

I have read in an old ME (can't remember which – will have to hunt) a warning about a welder who had a gas lighter in his pocket that was set off by a spark, exploded and killed him.

This caused some discussion in the letters pages until the editor was forced to write a retraction as the whole thing was a hoax and had never happened!

[David Standing 1Participant @davidstanding1]

Posted by Rik Shaw on 08/07/2018 18:32:44:

She was quite pleased that I had stopped her shop from burning down but looked at me a bit darkly when I told her that if the thing had been working fit for purpose she would have had prior warning.

Rik

<giggle>

[David George 1Participant @davidgeorge1]

When I was the service manager and safety officer for In Investment Engineering we used to use a cleaning aerosol which wasn't flamable and would spray it on to live contacts etc but when it was replaced by a new safer "flamable" product we had a few flare flash incidents before the penny dropped. Also when empty cans were dropped in the waste bin the cleaner who operated the incinerator lost some of his hair, eyelashes etc when some exploded as he topped it up one day soon after the product changed.

David

[not done it yetParticipant @notdoneityet]

Posted by Nick Clarke 3 on 10/07/2018 09:41:24:

I have read in an old ME (can't remember which – will have to hunt) a warning about a welder who had a gas lighter in his pocket that was set off by a spark, exploded and killed him.

This caused some discussion in the letters pages until the editor was forced to write a retraction as the whole thing was a hoax and had never happened!

Not engineering, but I knew someone who went in to bat with a box of Swan Vestas in his pocket. Retired hurt (temporarily, I think), after about three balls, with a singed thigh and burned whites, after the match box was crushed and set him on fire.

[HopperParticipant @hopper]

Posted by pgk pgk on 10/07/2018 09:39:31:

Posted by Hopper on 10/07/2018 09:15:47:

Blimey, that English sun must be something vicious. I'm glad we don't have anything like it over here in Australia. Never heard of any of these types of incidents happening here. Good thing too, or there would be fires and burnt carpets and exploding shaving cream tubes everywhere. I guess you guys will all be happy to see the rain return and you can all stand down from fire watch.

There's a big difference .. you only get the sun at night.

Ahh, of course. And it's upside-down too, putting the cool side of the sun towards us, as heat rises toward you guys' side.

Edited By Hopper on 10/07/2018 11:44:22

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