Author Topic: Fireworks Safety Movie  (Read 636 times)

Offline Chairboy

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Fireworks Safety Movie
« Reply #15 on: December 26, 2003, 09:24:48 PM »
Do you mean sodium?  Magnesium doesn't mind water.  If it's burning, water won't put it out, but it doesn't do anything wacky.

If you mean sodium, that reacts...  poorly...  to water.
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Offline FUNKED1

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Fireworks Safety Movie
« Reply #16 on: December 27, 2003, 04:09:27 AM »
I meant magnesium.   I'm sure one of our resident firefighters can elaborate.  There is a mechanism in magnesium fires where water can get separated into hydrogen and oxygen, resulting in an explosion.

Offline Scootter

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« Reply #17 on: December 27, 2003, 08:26:16 AM »
Metal fires are very dangerous when hit with water, the molten metal is cooled on the surface and returns to a solid. This surface cooled solid on top of the molten and still burning metal (Magnesium makes its own O2 when burning) traps the presser and allows it to build up, when the crust ruptures the metal sprays with explosive force and goes every where (burning). You don’t want to be there.

In the USAF we used a chemical called metalX to extinguish metal fires. I don't know what they use now that was in the early 80's