[Jewelry making - Article 00299] - Re: [Orchid] Magic Flame

[David L. Huffman]

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>         okay for mixing it with alcohol. I have it in a one-pint
>     tupperware like paint can from lowes. Is that not safe? 

Hi Shawn;

    Definitely NOT safe. Here's what can happen. 

    The container is open and accidentally gets set on fire. The plastic
    container's topmost edge begins to melt and itself begins to burn. 

    Now you've got something much more difficult to extinguish. As soon
    as the container begins to sag from the heat, the alcohol is now free
    to pour out over whatever surface it's on and set fire to anything
    it can. 

    Now if you'd had a small glass container, you could have even
    smothered the fire by putting your bare hand firmly over the top of
    the jar, or even your steel bench block if the lid isn't handy. But
    if you do that to a burning plastic container, you're at least going
    to get a painful burn and you might just end up setting your whole
    arm on fire. Another problem. Suppose you work like I do,
    occasionally getting carried away and waving the torch around a bit
    :-)  Hit that plastic container with really hot torch and you might
    have some serious excitement. Now, where did I put mount fire
    extinguisher again? 

    A few jewelry suppliers make a nice little wide mouth jar with a
    glass lid, designed specifically for boric/alcohol mixture. They are
    dirt cheap, and if that's not cheap enough for you, get ahold of a
    baby food jar. Frankly, unless you're working on large articles all
    the time, it's best to keep only a small container of flammable
    liquid on your bench... less fuel means smaller accidental fires. 

David L. Huffman

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