Advertisement
I have a pair of moonblaze wicks that were left out in the rain...they've since dried out, but whenever I light them up, they burn VERY hot, and the flames are huge.
Has anyone ever experienced this?
Has anyone ever experienced this?
posted by:
|
Philadelphia
|
Advertisement
Advertisement
-
Re: Are my wicks ruined?
Sat, May 2, 2009 - 6:08 AMHow often had you burned them previously?
My moonblazes burned the biggest the first time I burned them, and then smaller the next few times, and have leveled out now. But it's still a BIG fire compared to anything but deathstars.
It could be that washing them have "reset" them to their original burn quality; this could be a good thing to know and a method of removing impurities.
If this falls down the list, wait a couple days and then bump it. Many of the "heavy-hitters" and manufacturers are at Fire Drums right now and they'll be stumbling home spun-drunk in the next couple of days. Tedward has probably tested this exact situation (although possibly with solaris instead of moonblaze, but still similar in design). -
-
Re: Are my wicks ruined?
Sat, May 2, 2009 - 12:28 PMIt's my opinion that as petrol fuels burn they leave carbon deposits on the with which help reduce the amount of fuel that gets expressed through surface wicking action. Now, some fuel gets vaporized from the interior as well, which explains the reduction effect:
On first burn, every surface of the wick if free to express vapors and does so. This massive burst of vapors gives that big, first time burn. Then, as the surface clogs with char and starts to glaze a bit, much of the surface expression gets reduced, and the bulk of the burn comes from interior expression.
So, yes, brushing the surface with stiff brushes, or in this case, "washing" them will clear some of that surface char. This could make them almost as vigorous as that first burn. However, it should be noted that the char deposits are part of the natural burn process that help protect the materials inside from the flame.
You'll notice wood blackens during burning to separate the source fire (red coals) from the more destructive flames. That black char is an insulator and can maintain the red coals for days or weeks in the right conditions. -
-
Re: Are my wicks ruined?
Sun, May 3, 2009 - 11:32 AMit isn't so much the size of the flame that is bugging me out, it's the heat. I LOVE my moon blazes because the flames are so big, but they are burning so hot that they are uncomfortable, scarey even to spin with. I keep my chains rather short and working with inside planes has just been impossible.
Been using these wicks since january and the fire is much bigger and DEFINITLY much hotter than when i got them. The only thing i can think of is that mold started growing on the insides or something but I've done several test burns since they were left in the rain and the situation hasn't improved at all. -
-
Re: Are my wicks ruined?
Mon, May 4, 2009 - 1:02 PMYou may want to use a mixture of white gas and lamp oil, it may help reduce the heat? -
-
Re: Are my wicks ruined?
Mon, May 4, 2009 - 1:53 PMNegative, they both burn at the same temperature. Though that will help them carbon up a lot quicker...
-
-
Unsu...
Re: Are my wicks ruined?
Mon, May 4, 2009 - 3:59 PMSpin faster! or wear more protective clothing. Fire is hot. -
-
Re: Are my wicks ruined?
Tue, May 5, 2009 - 3:08 PMReally they burn at the same temparature, when I burn lamp it feels a lot cooler to me. -
-
Re: Are my wicks ruined?
Tue, May 5, 2009 - 3:57 PMYeah, they reach the max heat at different times, but they get there:
images.tribe.net/tribe/upl...897001c09b
Flame heat trials we did some time back. I should probably move them over to the NAFAA site...
Any way, the data is here:
www.nafaa.org/trials.html
-
Unsu...
Re: Are my wicks ruined?
Tue, May 5, 2009 - 8:45 PM<<<< Really they burn at the same temparature, when I burn lamp it feels a lot cooler to me>>>>>
That can be deceiving
Keep in mind a couple of things:
When you get burned by a 1000 degree piece of steel it feels about the same as when you get burned by a 1800 degree piece of steel, which feels about the same as being burned by a 500 degree oven rack in you kitchen,same of heat. which coincidentally feels the same as when you decorate your arm with a soldering iron.
All hydrocarbons burning diffusively in air reach about the same maximum temperature. In air there is one part oxygen to four parts nitrogen. That means that for each carbon chain you break and combine with an oxygen molecule, the heat released is spread over four nitrogen molecules. The ratio stands no matter where you are on the planet.
Also, no matter where you go on the planet, the energy released from splitting a carbon-carbon bond or a hydrogen-carbon-bond is respective, the ratios there stand as well.
In open air its all about the same. the temperature maxes out because of the available nitrogen to act as a heat sink.
That because we live ina roughly 19.5% oxygen, 80% nitrogen environment.
Things like an oxy-acetyline torch change that. They create a small environment at teh tip of and inside the torch where a much higher percentage of fuel and oxygen can exist.....effectively creating a higher temperature because there are no inert nitrogen molecules to suck away the heat.
The world would be very different place with a different atmosphere.
at 21% oxygen, green plants burn readily. ( guess why there's no smoking at hospitals? its not because of the nuisance smoke!)
at 25% oxygen green plants practically go POOF! ( a ratio of one oxygen molecule to three nitrogens) thing burn much hotter here!
The opposite is also true, If the atmosphere were 16.5% oxygen and 85%nitrogen, then the plants would be hard to light, would only burn a little if dry and would reach a lower temperature when burning in open air. This a a ratio of about 1 oxygen to 5 nitrogens.
So, based solely on temperature, they all bur about the same.
Heat on the other hand is different, the caloric value of the fuel determines how much heat they make. Heavier fuels will create more heat than lighter fuels. ( lamp oil versus white gas or DIesel vs. Gasoline)
Sorry, I just realized I'm rambling. -
-
Re: Are my wicks ruined?
Tue, May 5, 2009 - 10:33 PM"Heat on the other hand is different, the caloric value of the fuel determines how much heat they make. Heavier fuels will create more heat than lighter fuels. ( lamp oil versus white gas or DIesel vs. Gasoline)"
Yes, but, as the rest of the ramble points out, the actual carbon reduction is the same temperature. In an open flame, we're not talking about the caloric value of N number of atoms, but the free association of the vaporized molecules, air and other vaporized matter (soot, nitrogen, etc). Granted a C16 lamp oil molecule will put out more heat PER molecule, 2 or 3 white gas molecules could be reacting with the same influx of oxygen. Thus, generally, the limiting factor is the available oxygen, not the form of the petrol chemical. That's why all fuels burn better ate 3500 feet than at sea level. -
-
Unsu...
Re: Are my wicks ruined?
Wed, May 6, 2009 - 5:23 PMI wouldn't say they burn any better or worse, unless you consider a twelve minute burn better. Being used to spinning at sea level, playa burns kick my ass....I hang my head in shame as the thought of actually purposefully extinguishing the wicks enters my mind.
At 3500 feet, your burn will definitely last much longer than at sea level given the same amount of fuel. The density of the atmosphere is much lower at altitude. You still have the same ratio of oxygen and nitrogen, there's just less of it and yes the carbon reduction is the same temperature.
-
-
This is the maximum depth. Additional responses will not be threaded.
Re: Are my wicks ruined?
Thu, May 7, 2009 - 7:33 PMOh,
I have seen her problem too... I have noticed several of my tools burning waaaay hotter and bigger as well, here and there. I had never thought about the wetness factor, this is new info and could definitely be the culprit. I can't say if they got wet before the change, but there's certainly something to be said about wick coming into contact with something that goes a little crazy when re-lit.
I thought it was a matter of dirty fuel or something, but now I'm really curious. Perhaps wicking slightly damp on the inside would expel steam? Would that explain the difference? I'm gonna wet some wicks and see... -
-
Unsu...
Re: Are my wicks ruined?
Thu, May 7, 2009 - 9:32 PMI believe the wicks were dried out first.....
You do get a degradation of flame over time. The more you spin the more carbon, suit and crap build up on the kevlar. Along with a certain amount of heavier hydrocarbon residue. Washing the heads can make the fibers of the wick material more 'fluffy,' if you will. the fluffier the wick material, the more conducive it is to vaporizing fuel.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
