wrote in message
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In article ,
beccabunga wrote:
geordief;867856 Wrote:
Can anyone tell me if when wood will spark and when it won't?
I mean I (think I ) know that burning resiny wood causes sparks.
And I also know that damp wood will cause sparks.
But what about bone-dry resiny wood(ie pine etc).Could that be safe?
My first impression is that sparking is greatly reduced but I am still
wary.
Any one have first hand experience here?
thanks

Any wood from pines or firs will/can spark, whether wet or dry. The
other one to watch for is willow, which is particularly explosive,
especially when burnt wet.

And poplar.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.


Also be very careful that you don't burn laurel (the prunus type) indoors.
It gives off cyanide fumes, as it will in the garden so always stand upwind
from it.

Spider

In article ,
Spider wrote:

Also be very careful that you don't burn laurel (the prunus type) indoors.
It gives off cyanide fumes, as it will in the garden so always stand upwind
from it.

Really? That sounds most implausible. Hydrogen cyanide is extremely
flammable, with a flash point of -17.78 degrees Celsius and an
autoignition temperature of only 538 degrees Celsius.

http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguide...cognition.html

Obviously, don't burn it under circumstances where you might be at
risk from carbon monoxide, because hydrogen cyanide is even more
toxic, but LOTS of the Rosaceae contain quite a lot of cyanides
and Prunus laurocerasus isn't as extreme as people think. Every
time I shred my Cotoneaster franchetti, there is a strong smell
of bitter almonds, for example :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

wrote in message
...
In article ,
Spider wrote:

Also be very careful that you don't burn laurel (the prunus type) indoors.
It gives off cyanide fumes, as it will in the garden so always stand
upwind
from it.

Really? That sounds most implausible. Hydrogen cyanide is extremely
flammable, with a flash point of -17.78 degrees Celsius and an
autoignition temperature of only 538 degrees Celsius.


It is, as you know, a well-documented fact that laurel (prunus laurocerasus)
contains hydrogen cyanide. When put on a domestic fire - indoors or
outdoors - it will usually smoulder for some time before catching fire.
Certainly, when the cyanide gas catches fire, it will be burnt off, but
until then it will rise in the warm air and disperse. Outdoors, one can
stand upwind and hope to avoid it but, I for one would not want to risk
breathing that contaminated air indoors in a confined space. Unfortunately,
my ex-fireman father is not available for a couple of days, but I will
discuss this with him when next we speak.
It is just possible that being brought up as the daughter of a fireman, I am
a little paranoid :~), but I would rather be paranoid than dead.


http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/healthguide...cognition.html

Obviously, don't burn it under circumstances where you might be at
risk from carbon monoxide, because hydrogen cyanide is even more
toxic, but LOTS of the Rosaceae contain quite a lot of cyanides
and Prunus laurocerasus isn't as extreme as people think. Every
time I shred my Cotoneaster franchetti, there is a strong smell
of bitter almonds, for example :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.


Thanks for the link, btw, most interesting.

Spider

In article ,
Spider wrote:

It is, as you know, a well-documented fact that laurel (prunus laurocerasus)
contains hydrogen cyanide. When put on a domestic fire - indoors or
outdoors - it will usually smoulder for some time before catching fire.
Certainly, when the cyanide gas catches fire, it will be burnt off, but
until then it will rise in the warm air and disperse. Outdoors, one can
stand upwind and hope to avoid it but, I for one would not want to risk
breathing that contaminated air indoors in a confined space. Unfortunately,
my ex-fireman father is not available for a couple of days, but I will
discuss this with him when next we speak.

As I said, that holds for most of the Rosaceae, and in particular
most of the Prunus genus.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.