[HAM] gasoline

[OF]

At 11:37 AM 4/21/2007, you wrote:

>Gasoline has a number of cool properties that, to my way of thinking, make
>it an awkward risk/reward choice for parts cleaning.  Its got an extremely
>low flashpoint of about -40 degrees F, which means that at typical outdoor
>temperatures it sheds vapor too rapidly.  Second, it is overly dense as a
>vapor, meaning it will float on the ground (so you can't run away from it)
>and is ignitable at 15 or more feet away from a spilled pool of liquid.
>That vapor density also packs extreme explosive energy.  A gallon of gas is
>equivilant to 15 sticks of dynamite and can reach 15,000 degrees F.  Third,
>as a result of the first two points, gas mixes with atmospheric oxygen to
>foster ignition from a very weak initiator, such as static electricity,
>thats hard to eliminate from a work area.  Fourth, since it isn't sold as an
>aerosol, parts (and the hands holding them) often get dunked, meaning the
>injuries from a gas explosion are almost always crippling, even if they
>happen infrequently.
>
>Obviously, gasoline can be handled safely.  Most of the comments on this
>thread involve one technique or another to keep the vapor concentration too
>low for ignition.  On a list like this with an archive available to anyone,
>I get nervous about proposals to clean with gasoline, though Steve's methods
>obviously work when he does it.  Kerosene has identical cleaning properties,
>but its much less flamable, as are some other solvents.  So to my mind, even
>though its possible to clean a TWG with gasoline without maiming oneself,
>its a sucker bet for most of us when there are other, safer alternatives.
>
>Thats not to suggest that I haven't used gas to clean parts (I'm an
>aknowledged hypocrite), but in the back of my mind I've thought that if I or
>somebody else ever got hurt, I'd never be able to live with it.
>
>This is an incendiary topic, so please don't flame me about it :>)

I thought your post was a total gas!