In article ,
Nick Wagg wrote:

"martin" wrote in message
.. .
On Wed, 03 Mar 2004 13:39:20 +0000, Victoria Clare
wrote:
(Keith Dancey) wrote in news:c24kno
:

Beware - Sodium Chlorate is a fire hazard.

I have never dared use it.

I have seen it used as a firelighter. It burns quite quickly, but I
wouldn't say it was as scary as all that. It stays put, unlike, say,
petrol, and burns out very quickly.

If you have an old shed that has been creosoted, I'd say that's more of a
fire hazard.

If you add a common household substance you can blow away quite large
buildings.

Nowadays you can only buy sodium chlorate containing a retardant.
Quite safe, even when mixed with C12 H22 O11.

This was not done on safety grounds, but because our Lords and Masters
want a monopoly on the ability to blow people up. Just as most of our
gun laws have little to do with safety or the reduction of crime. It
never was a fire hazard in a domestic context, except when used
completely insanely - unlike hair sprays, petrol and so on, which are
serious hazards but are much less regulated.

If I had not stopped doing chemistry c. 1963 at O-level, I am sure that
I could separate the sodium chlorate from the retardant using only
common household chemicals. The result is that gardeners now have to
pay 4 times as much for a substance that is probably far more harmful
to the environment, and terrorists can continue to buy weapons from
the lowest bidder (is the UK number 2 or number 3 in arms sales?)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

The message . 23
from Victoria Clare contains these words:
(Keith Dancey) wrote in news:c24kno
:

Beware - Sodium Chlorate is a fire hazard.

I have never dared use it.

Nowadays you can only get it with a fire inhibitor added.

I have seen it used as a firelighter. It burns quite quickly, but I
wouldn't say it was as scary as all that. It stays put, unlike, say,
petrol, and burns out very quickly.

It doesn't burn at all. You have to mix it with something flammable, and
it serves as a source of oxygen if its temperature is raised
sufficiently.

Mixed with a flammable powder the pure stuff explodes. Pure sodium
clorate solution when it soaks into foliage is dangerous, because when
dry, the dry leaves will ignite with just a spark. I once saw a field of
weeds go up like that. It sent a fireball several hundred feet into the
air

If you have an old shed that has been creosoted, I'd say that's more of a
fire hazard.

I wouldn't. If we are still talking about the old unadulterated stuff
which I used to buy as a boy, for making bombs, the sun shining through
a piece of glass, a carelessly discarded piece of cigarette ash, a spark
from a steel heel will all set it off.

I used to buy the stuff loose, by the pound, from the local florist. If
he'd known what I was using it for he would have had a fit. As it was,
he used to warn me how dangerous it was, and it was only with very great
difficulty that I held my tongue!

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from martin contains these words:

If you add a common household substance you can blow away quite large
buildings.

What, to NaClO3? Not any more - the spoilsports have cut it with
fire-inhibitor.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from "Franz Heymann" contains these words:

Sodium chlorate is not inflammable by itself. It is a substance which
supplies Oxygen abundantly. When it is spilt onto something which is itself
flammable, like wood, it can start a spontaneous fire.

It still requires heat to release the oxygen. Potassium chlorate is more
dangerous as mixed with something flammable, it will ignite with
friction, or a sharp blow.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from (Nick Maclaren) contains these words:

If I had not stopped doing chemistry c. 1963 at O-level, I am sure that
I could separate the sodium chlorate from the retardant using only
common household chemicals. The result is that gardeners now have to
pay 4 times as much for a substance that is probably far more harmful
to the environment, and terrorists can continue to buy weapons from
the lowest bidder (is the UK number 2 or number 3 in arms sales?)

I used to buy horticultural sodium chlorate (dirty pink, it was) for
1/6d a pound.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message . 23
from Victoria Clare contains these words:
(Keith Dancey) wrote in news:c24kno
:

Beware - Sodium Chlorate is a fire hazard.

I have never dared use it.

Nowadays you can only get it with a fire inhibitor added.

I have seen it used as a firelighter. It burns quite quickly, but I
wouldn't say it was as scary as all that. It stays put, unlike, say,
petrol, and burns out very quickly.

It doesn't burn at all. You have to mix it with something flammable, and
it serves as a source of oxygen if its temperature is raised
sufficiently.

Mixed with a flammable powder the pure stuff explodes. Pure sodium
clorate solution when it soaks into foliage is dangerous, because when
dry, the dry leaves will ignite with just a spark. I once saw a field of
weeds go up like that. It sent a fireball several hundred feet into the
air

If you have an old shed that has been creosoted, I'd say that's more of a
fire hazard.

I wouldn't. If we are still talking about the old unadulterated stuff
which I used to buy as a boy, for making bombs, the sun shining through
a piece of glass, a carelessly discarded piece of cigarette ash, a spark
from a steel heel will all set it off.

I used to buy the stuff loose, by the pound, from the local florist. If
he'd known what I was using it for he would have had a fit. As it was,
he used to warn me how dangerous it was, and it was only with very great
difficulty that I held my tongue!

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from martin contains these words:

If you add a common household substance you can blow away quite large
buildings.

What, to NaClO3? Not any more - the spoilsports have cut it with
fire-inhibitor.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from "Franz Heymann" contains these words:

Sodium chlorate is not inflammable by itself. It is a substance which
supplies Oxygen abundantly. When it is spilt onto something which is itself
flammable, like wood, it can start a spontaneous fire.

It still requires heat to release the oxygen. Potassium chlorate is more
dangerous as mixed with something flammable, it will ignite with
friction, or a sharp blow.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from (Nick Maclaren) contains these words:

If I had not stopped doing chemistry c. 1963 at O-level, I am sure that
I could separate the sodium chlorate from the retardant using only
common household chemicals. The result is that gardeners now have to
pay 4 times as much for a substance that is probably far more harmful
to the environment, and terrorists can continue to buy weapons from
the lowest bidder (is the UK number 2 or number 3 in arms sales?)

I used to buy horticultural sodium chlorate (dirty pink, it was) for
1/6d a pound.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

On Wed, 3 Mar 2004 21:32:59 GMT, Jaques d'Alltrades
wrote:


I used to buy horticultural sodium chlorate (dirty pink, it was) for
1/6d a pound.

I used to buy beer at 1/- a pint.
--

Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit;
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad

The message
from "Franz Heymann" contains these words:

Sodium chlorate is not inflammable by itself. It is a substance which
supplies Oxygen abundantly. When it is spilt onto something which is itself
flammable, like wood, it can start a spontaneous fire.

It still requires heat to release the oxygen. Potassium chlorate is more
dangerous as mixed with something flammable, it will ignite with
friction, or a sharp blow.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message
from (Nick Maclaren) contains these words:

If I had not stopped doing chemistry c. 1963 at O-level, I am sure that
I could separate the sodium chlorate from the retardant using only
common household chemicals. The result is that gardeners now have to
pay 4 times as much for a substance that is probably far more harmful
to the environment, and terrorists can continue to buy weapons from
the lowest bidder (is the UK number 2 or number 3 in arms sales?)

I used to buy horticultural sodium chlorate (dirty pink, it was) for
1/6d a pound.

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

On Wed, 3 Mar 2004 21:32:59 GMT, Jaques d'Alltrades
wrote:


I used to buy horticultural sodium chlorate (dirty pink, it was) for
1/6d a pound.

I used to buy beer at 1/- a pint.
--

Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit;
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad

On Wed, 3 Mar 2004 21:32:59 GMT, Jaques d'Alltrades
wrote:


I used to buy horticultural sodium chlorate (dirty pink, it was) for
1/6d a pound.

I used to buy beer at 1/- a pint.
--

Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit;
Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad

The message
from martin contains these words:
On Wed, 3 Mar 2004 21:32:59 GMT, Jaques d'Alltrades
wrote:


I used to buy horticultural sodium chlorate (dirty pink, it was) for
1/6d a pound.

I used to buy beer at 1/- a pint.

But it didn't kill weeds. (Boom-boom!)

--
Rusty
Open the creaking gate to make a horrid.squeak, then lower the foobar.
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/