bricky | 08/07/2018 17:13:45 |
627 forum posts 72 photos | 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. |
Jon Lawes | 08/07/2018 17:17:01 |
![]() 1078 forum posts | A lucky escape! |
Brian Sweeting | 08/07/2018 17:45:39 |
453 forum posts 1 photos | Lucky escape indeed. Other fire creators can be magnifying mirrors and bullseye glass windows. |
Dave Halford | 08/07/2018 18:04:57 |
2536 forum posts 24 photos | and glass bottles |
Rik Shaw | 08/07/2018 18:32:44 |
![]() 1494 forum posts 403 photos | "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. |
Ady1 | 09/07/2018 00:02:12 |
![]() 6137 forum posts 893 photos | 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 Stones | 09/07/2018 01:53:12 |
![]() 922 forum posts 332 photos | 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. 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 Wyatt | 09/07/2018 09:36:18 |
![]() 19226 forum posts 749 photos 86 articles | 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. 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! |
Windy | 09/07/2018 09:51:29 |
![]() 910 forum posts 197 photos | 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. |
daveb | 09/07/2018 11:24:23 |
631 forum posts 14 photos | 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.
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Another JohnS | 09/07/2018 12:40:19 |
842 forum posts 56 photos | 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!) |
Perko7 | 09/07/2018 13:30:13 |
452 forum posts 35 photos | 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 1 | 09/07/2018 18:25:42 |
1346 forum posts 15 photos | Fire service gave out warnings about this danger two weeks ago,even about mirrors left on window sills. |
pa4c pa4c | 09/07/2018 18:49:51 |
16 forum posts | 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. |
V8Eng | 09/07/2018 21:34:36 |
1826 forum posts 1 photos | Be careful where you keep or put aerosol cans as well. Edited By V8Eng on 09/07/2018 21:35:30 |
Samsaranda | 10/07/2018 08:17:33 |
![]() 1688 forum posts 16 photos | 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
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HOWARDT | 10/07/2018 09:06:11 |
1081 forum posts 39 photos | 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. |
Hopper | 10/07/2018 09:15:47 |
![]() 7881 forum posts 397 photos | 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 pgk | 10/07/2018 09:39:31 |
2661 forum posts 294 photos | 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 3 | 10/07/2018 09:41:24 |
![]() 1607 forum posts 69 photos | 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!
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