Time for a plastic model again?

[Kevin WS]

Did not start. My wife was cleaning the carpet in the spare room which we have just renovated when it caught alight, along with her. I put it out with the first extinguisher I could grab - no time to choose - and it happened to be a powder job. I then had to get her out of the room and inhaled too much of the stuff.

Stuck her in a bath and her burns are okay. Not serious. Carpet is burned in a couple places. Need to buy a rug for the time being.

Annoying as hell. Sometimes you can never win. Spent the afternoon cleaning up.

Lucky we did not have a real disaster.

Linda was using a carpet cleaner and the mixture contained benzine. It must have been triggered electrically when the machine started - there were three isolated fires on the carpet and her leg was on fire. Does not make sense though as the benzine should not have separated.

I have seen cleaning benzine - is this different to ordinary benzine? Could the mixture have contained the latter? Anyone know?

[Zakopious]

Check the cleaner brand name and go to their website.

They should have a MSDS sheet for the cleaner.

Download the MSDS sheet and see if there are any warnings or other information about flammability.

[Kevin WS]

That would work if I was in a First World country. Unfortunately this is a third world one, and in this case the details are just benzine for part of the contents! No MSDS. The brand of benzine is mentioned - no joy there either with an MSDS for the benzine itself.

MSDS are required theoretically but the problem is no one enforces anything. They cannot even control normal crime (our power lines have been stolen 4 times this year in our suburb already) let alone comprehend or worry about any format of legislation.

It still does not make much sense given the ingredients are benzine, ammonia, vinegar, detergent, h2o. My assumption is the benzine seperated.

When the machine started, the liquid sprayed and ignited. No issue with the cleaning machine. All OK there. Puzzling. We chucked the rest - pity. I now want to test it!

[Zakopious]

Petroleum ether, also known as benzine, is not soluble in water.

Thus, it should have been present as an emulsion and there should have been some emulsifying agent, such as the detergent to hold it in suspension (if this is even possible).

Good luck with your quest for information.

[Kevin WS]

Actually now you have pointed it out that is quite logical!

Thank you.

Not questing further. It was a useful lesson - and proved/demonstrated how to deal with an emergency. What I had in place worked so that was good.

Linda is also impressed - a good learning curve.

[Kevin WS]

Is Cleaning Benzine a different thing?

[Zakopious]

Originally Posted by Kevin WS

Is Cleaning Benzine a different thing?

I do not think that they are different.

Benzene is different than Benzine.

[Paper Kosmonaut]

I have a small dozen of plastic kits waiting on the shelves in my hobby room. They are there gathering dust ever since I discovered paper models. Amongst the kits are a Monogram 1/72 shuttle stack, Revell's 1/24 Gemini, the Atomic 1/12 Mercury, Airfix' rather miserable 1/48 TSR2 and Special Hobby's 1/32 X-15 with all its pretty resin and photo etch doodads. There's just one that still calls for me. That's Trumpeter's 1/48 Wyvern. But I am afraid that one also will keep on getting dustier and dustier.

[umtutsut]

Originally Posted by Paper Kosmonaut

Amongst the kits are a Monogram 1/72 shuttle stack, Revell's 1/24 Gemini, the Atomic 1/12 Mercury....

C'mon, PK. You're never gonna build that Mercury. You can't downsize it to 1/400. Just go ahead and send it to me....

Les (The Voice of Authority)

[Kevin WS]

Ah - the Wyvern. What a lovely plane, and model to make!