14 replies to this topic

[Pablo]

Front wheel requirements in the GTP class were lifted for 2016 at The Dungeon

 

 

So I had a private patio party - just me, a BIC lighter, and an old threaded axle

Don't try this at home, kids, I'm a volunteer fireman and had a bucket of water on standby

 

 

[MarkH]

This made me laugh.

The local club likes to run them because it makes the car "Look" better. However, with our monthly Saturday Flexi Enduro Challenge series the focus is on good handling cars promoting tighter racing and better competition. Front wheels and interiors are not required. No complaints from the drivers. 

[Pablo]

  Thanks Mark.

To me, a slot car is an entity in and of itself, not a miniature car. But that's just me

I mean no disrespect for those who get enjoyment from have their slot cars look "real".

But putting fronts on a flexi makes about as much sense as hanging a pair of dice on the rear view mirror of a Ferrari.

[Bill from NH]

You probably could have gotten $5 for those front wheels on eBay.

 

The Northwest's PNW AMCA group (Lee Gilbert) was the first scale group to eliminate convential fronts & first use wing car fronts attached to the bodies, then go to sticker fronts. Only their JRL class retained fronts as we know them.

[Danny Zona]

  Thanks Mark.
To me, a slot car is an entity in and of itself, not a miniature car. But that's just me
I mean no disrespect for those who get enjoyment from have their slot cars look "real".
But putting fronts on a flexi makes about as much sense as hanging a pair of dice on the rear view mirror of a Ferrari.

We have to run front wheels in a series (nascar) because with out them they don't look like a car. Even though they don't function or really look like a wheel. IMO, the sticker wheels look better than the thingy front wheels.

Everybody has their preference, though.

[Pablo]

I don't know what material those rims were (Magnesium?) but it kinda looked like a Class Delta fire to me -

they continued to glow long after I removed the flame   Here is what a large Class D (not to mention A,B,&C) fire looks like:

 

 

Only one way to deal with a "D" fire - jettison it overboard. Once metal starts burning, it won't stop

[Don Weaver]

Magnesium burns and IIRC can self ignite when in contact with water.

 

Don

[bluecars]

That's it! I'm calling the fire dept. before it spreads into AL. LOL!!!

[Phil Hackett]

Magnesium burns and IIRC can self ignite when in contact with water.

 

Don

 

Almost…. Magnesium isn't some kind of instant fire starter. It needs to reach melting point (about 1200° F) before it can "flam". BUT once it's burning throwing water or even using a CO2 extinguisher on it is BAD…. Very BAD….

 

If Magnesium were to self-ignite with water there'd be very few of the original VW engines still around...

[Don Weaver]

I stand corrected.  I thought I remembered something about machining magnesium and needing to get the chips out of the building at the end of the day as a fire prevention measure.   It seems the older I get the better I am at remembering things that didn't happen and not remembering things that did.    Oh well.....

 

Don

[Zippity]

The Northwest's PNW AMCA group (Lee Gilbert) was the first scale group to eliminate convential fronts & first use wing car fronts attached to the bodies, then go to sticker fronts. Only their JRL class retained fronts as we know them.

 

One of the best decisions ever made for slot car racing

[Jay Guard]

There are actually quite a few metals that will burn, magnesium, titanium, aluminum, uranium, potassium, calcium, sodium, and lithium are some of the more common ones.  The best way to put out a metal fire is to use a Class D (Dry Powder) extinguisher which deprives the fire of oxygen.  Don't confuse a Class D extinguisher with the very common Dry Chemical A-B-C extinguisher, using one of those will, as previously mentioned, just make the fire worse.  Another way is to cover the fire with sand, and in fact you will often see a bucket of sand at machine shop positions that machine those types of metals.

[Don Weaver]

So I got the machine shop part right!  Hot damn, all's not lost (yet) !

 

Don

[Phil Hackett]

I stand corrected.  I thought I remembered something about machining magnesium and needing to get the chips out of the building at the end of the day as a fire prevention measure.   It seems the older I get the better I am at remembering things that didn't happen and not remembering things that did.    Oh well.....

 

Don

 

Yes…. Deprive the fire of fuel and it won't happen…. about 4 years ago there was a shop in east Los Angeles that burnt down because he had a bunch of Titanium chips scattered around in the shop. I guess an electrical fire lit off the Titanium and the result was 4 walls standing without anything between them.

 

There have been a couple of recycling yards in LA that have had Titanium fires. There's a really *good* YouTube video of a scrapyard Titanium fire where the firemen (LAFD) hose it down…. turn down the speakers if you can't handle rough language as one of the fire commanders has a few choice words after being blasted with burning Titanium….

[Pablo]

I don't blame him, Phil

Dust and lint buildup inside air ducts is flammable also.

A friend had his house burn down due to an unattended dryer with excess lint buildup. Just cleaning the lint trap isn't enough.