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soaking in water works too

Re: soaking in water works too

William Duffield

I was using Satellite City Super Solvent, which according to their SDS is 100% nitromethane, CH₃NO₂.

https://www.woodcraft.com/products/satellite-city-super-solvent-2-oz

I have two 2 oz. bottles of it that I keep in the shop refrig. Neither bottle appears to work at all, at least not unless I wanted to be spoon fed my dinner last night. Since it has none in its formulation, and I didn't have a jug of it at hand, I can't report on the efficacy of H₂O .

I also do not understand the reason for the Super Solvent's "advantage" printed on its label that it contains no acetone, (CH₃)₂CO.

Re: soaking in water works too

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

Your body produces acetone. Other than flammability I regard it as harmless. Nitromethane on the other hand..... I would not expose my skin to it. It is the sort of molecule that likely passes the skin barrier readily and will be absorbed. I have not bothered to look up tox. on it but it looks like something I would choose to avoid.

Looked it up in my tox book. Like most nitro compounds it is to be avoided. It isn't cyanide, but its not mother's milk either. "severe toxic effects in man at 800 parts per million"

Pour it into the fuel tank of your dragster

Talk to your wife....

Tim Greif - West of Chicago

She probably has some nail polish remover. Same as acetone, unsticks CA glue just as easily.

Re: Talk to your wife....

William Duffield

I have plenty of acetone in the shop, but I don't have a bay dedicated to building a top fuel dragster, or even RC airplanes. I keep it around mostly for cleaning up after epoxy work on small wooden boats.

My wife, on the other hand, doesn't use nail polish. She is a safety professional and industrial hygienist, and advocates against my keeping toxic flammable liquids in my shop.

These must be trying times...

Jim Matthews

"My wife, on the other hand, doesn't use nail polish. She is a safety professional and industrial hygienist, and advocates against my keeping toxic flammable liquids in my shop."

She must be anxious about doorknobs, faucets and elevators during the pandemic.

Re: These must be trying times...

William Duffield

She just carries a spray bottle of alcohol in her pocket book. And if she runs out of hygiene supplies, I have a stock of pre-Covid Behcol, Everclear and N95 masks in the shop. But, yes, the pandemic is certainly anxiety generating, especially considering our ages and "preexisting medical conditions." At least, her agency has a very high proportion of highly educated employees, so she mostly has to deal with retraining people who are set in their ways, but not so much into irrational conspiracy theories, fake hoaxes, snake oil, etc.

How about a top fuel Harley?

AZ in Colorado Springs

... much shorter wheelbase

Re: How about a top fuel Harley?

William Duffield

Nope. She won't let me ride motorcycles, either.

Nitro explosion *LINK*

Dick Coers

I’ve read the story where Don Garlits said this explosion set the idea of using an industrial solvent as dragster fuel. My Uncle lived in Mt. Pulaski and had home damage. My cousin was 6 years old and outside watching my Uncle work on his car. The shock wave actually blew her out of the open front doors of the car.


http://www.blet602.org/Historic_accidents/Mt.%20Pulaski_6.1.1958.pdf

Re: Nitro explosion

William Duffield

I'm disappointed! No YouTube video of the conflagration? Even in the black and white image (no grey scale) the size of the blast crater is discernible. I wonder if I could put that stuff in my chain saw?

Why nitro stuff blows

Bill Tindall, E.Tn.

Nitro compounds are inherently unstable. The reason is that the molecule contains both fuel(methane) and a source of oxygen(nitro) and they are cozy together in the same molecule. But they can appear stable until something gives them a boost to react. If it is RDX or TNT the boost can come from a shock wave (detonator). If it is ammonium nitrate (Beirut, Lebanon) or in this case nitromethane getting it hot will detonate it. (in the case of ammonium nitrate the "fuel" is ammonia)

RDX is one of the highest yielding explosives known. Its impressive shock wave was able to destroy Germany's most sturdy subs. The plant down the road from me was made in record time and ended the sub threat in WW11. It remains the free world's source of RDX (C4 in its formulated form). If a small amount is lit with a match it will burn harmlessly. Last year a fire in a storage building heated many hundred pounds of the stuff. When the large mass got hot enough it got the boost it needed. The shock wave from the detonation was felt tens of miles away.

Re: Why nitro stuff blows

TomD

Fascinating, as usual. I hope the plant is well down the road...