Yes, that's the point, it's only the vapour that's flammable. Gasoline (petrol) gives off a lot of vapour but paraffin gives off very little vapour unless it has a wick (which is why they can use it in lamps and why a Molotov cocktail doesn't blow up in the hand and the flame doesn't reach the contents of the bottle - courtesy of my school chemistry notes circa 1965 when it was more permissible to discuss things like this). Honest, a splash of it on the floor won't light (petrol/gasoline will) and if you drop a match on it the match will act like a wick and burn but the liquid won't. Just as well, no garden BBQ lights otherwise. Thanks to all for the good advice which I will keep on file should the need arise. I had certainly forgotten the water content of rubbing alcohol etc. Colin Hill ----- Original Message ----- From: "Keith Freeman" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2006 8:30 PM Subject: Re: [HG] Cleaning your wheel
> > Paraffin is the stuff for heaters and lamps (like you see in the westerns) - > > it's also non flammable without a wick (drop a match in a bucket of it and > > it goes out - honest) > I certainly don't intend to try that. As a young teenager I once decided > to refill a small paraffin heating stove while it was still alight and > was lucky only to have my eyebrows burned off by the resulting > explosion. I don't know if the liquid is flammable, but the vapour > certainly is. > > > What a crazy language English is, by the way: inexpert = not expert; > inflammable = flammable... > > -Keith >
