Mostly liar I suspect, but it is true that a smoldering cigarette won't ignite petrol.
You can stub a cigarette our in a dish of petrol without igniting it. All those scenes in films with petrol being ignored are faked.
Tim
Feck. ?...petrol being ignited...?
Tim
The contract is a closely guarded secret.
And where is our ex Sheffield councillor that used to post here when you want him?
Are you sure? This post suggests the temp of cigarette is easily sufficient to trigger autoignition in petrol....
Good link, thanks. Now lets see the iggy-twerp explain that one away.
Some of us have actually done it, pamela.
As trhe article says, if there is a lot of vapour, you wont even get to throw the cigarette away.
If there isn't, you can toss it into a dish of cold petrol and it will go out
Simon Mason will soon be along to beat that.
replying to Tim Streater, Iggy wrote: Explain what? That "magically" physics, math, astronomy and engineering by computer are wrong? LAUGHABLE! ALL OF THOSE have been beaten to a pulp by reality (including mine) for thousands of years! I'll trump stupid physics (the only kind there is) with 1 final PROOF, then you all can go sit on your thumbs again.
...the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms research laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland...In more than 2,000 attempts the petrol did not ignite. See - Petrol lit with a cigarette? Only in the movies
This is quite amusing:
A lot of name calling and rattles out of prams on some parts of this discussion.
One thing nobody has so far mentioned; external temperature.
I imagine that the results of combustion experiments could be vastly different in mid-summer and mid-winter.
A lot might also depend on the strength of any breeze/wind and the direction.
A qualifier of "upwind on a cold day with a medium breeze" could radically change the chance of an adverse result.
Of course a real DIY solution would be to create an igniter from a spark gap and about 20 foot of cable with a 12V car battery.
Or a spark gap and a 240V extension lead if you are feeling more adventurous. :-)
Cheers
Dave R
We used a spare magneto from Dads Fordson tractor , very effective. The spark gap was a spare C5 spark plug intended for the same tractor.
After the test firings of a drop of petrol worked successfully we drilled a hole near the bottom of an old milk churn and found a nut in one of Dads tins that fitted the spark plug and with a washer or two fixed it place. A happy afternoon ensued playing flying saucers by putting a spoonful of petrol or two in the churn whacking down the lid rolling the churn around and then from behind the 6" block wall of an unfinished cow shed giving the magneto a crank. The lid flew a fair distance accompanied by a satisfying whumpphh sound and a fireball from the churn itself that did nothing to endear ourselves to the postman when we fired it from the other side of a hedge where he parked up.
Dad was furious but only because we used a lot petrol from his can intended for the Mower and Chainsaw.
G.Harman
and what happened the man with brillo pad hair ?
Reminds me of this episode from ?The secret lives of machines? by Tim Hunkin.
Tim
Interesting , about 20 years later than us looking up the production date of that series. We did build a mortar or two out various bits of drain pipe but the propellant we used was hair spray, had to steal stuff from both parents to avoid favouritism.
G.Harman
Your dad used hair spray? Probably quite unusual 20 year?s ago. ;-)
Tim
Like it, great fun. I doubt many kids get up to that sort of thing these days. Mentoes and diet coke is as far as the lad and I have got.
Sensible chap your Dad.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.