Car modeler burns his house down

[Tom Setzer]

I am right now living in two Motel rooms waiting for the Insurance Co. To settle my claim so we can rebuild our home and our lives. I can tell you right now that with the way that fire happened the Insurance co. will make that guy's life hell before they settle his claim.

[Danno]

So do you mean I shouldn't wash my car parts in gasoline in front of the fireplace in the winter? It's always been so cozy and warm.

. . . ehh . . . maybe not.

Seriously, guys, don't get hung up about the 'mixing paint for model cars' part of the story. That in and of itself is not likely the real problem here. It's the 'cleaning it up when it exploded' part that tells the real story.

The model paints aren't volatile enough to vaporize sufficiently to ignite off a water heater or furnace ... even the amount of thinner involved would not be significant.

[Assuming he was mixing quantities to paint a model or two.]

[Assuming he was not mixing large quantities to bottle and retail to the rest of us.]

What the story says that is pertinent to causation is that he was cleaning it up when ignition occurred.

What solvent was he using and in what quantity? Those are the relevant issues and they really don't have anything to do with model cars.

He was probably using a much larger quantity of a much more volatile solvent ~ or gasoline ~ to wipe up the spill and remove the stain. It was most likely the cleanup solvent that was actually the ignitable liquid, in sufficient quantities to vaporize and bring the room with the pilot light to the threshhold of explosive range. Spill several ounces of paint on floor. Get half a gallon of gasoline to wipe it up and remove the discoloration. A little wipey, wipey. Viola! Ergo *BOOM*.

Probably not an indictment of modeling as much as yet another example of 'Stupid is as Stupid Does.'

Edited July 8, 2012 by Danno

[crazyjim]

Our local news (paper and TV) reports motorcycle accidents. They always HAVE to mention that the injured rider was not wearing a helmet. You don't need to legally wear a helmet in Florida. So what's the point of mentioning it? Same deal with this house fire reporting.

By the way, I do wear a helmet when I ride.

[Bad Brad #2]

The model paints aren't volatile enough to vaporize sufficiently to ignite off a water heater or furnace ... even the amount of thinner involved would not be significant.

[Assuming he was mixing quantities to paint a model or two.]

[Assuming he was not mixing large quantities to bottle and retail to the rest of us.]

Exactly why I thought the story seemed a little strange.............Its unlikely we'll find out the rest of the story, but I wouldn't be surprised if a meth lab was somehow involved.

[Danno]

Our local news (paper and TV) reports motorcycle accidents. They always HAVE to mention that the injured rider was not wearing a helmet. You don't need to legally wear a helmet in Florida. So what's the point of mentioning it? Same deal with this house fire reporting.

By the way, I do wear a helmet when I ride.

But do you wear a helmet when you mix model paints?

(That's humor, ... )

[diymirage]

He was probably using a much larger quantity of a much more volatile solvent ~ or gasoline ~ to wipe up the spill and remove the stain. It was most likely the cleanup solvent that was actually the ignitable liquid, in sufficient quantities to vaporize and bring the room with the pilot light to the threshhold of explosive range. Spill several ounces of paint on floor. Get half a gallon of gasoline to wipe it up and remove the discoloration. A little wipey, wipey. Viola! Ergo *BOOM*.

so what your saying is this would NEVER have happened if he had left the cleaning to his wife ?

Our local news (paper and TV) reports motorcycle accidents. They always HAVE to mention that the injured rider was not wearing a helmet. You don't need to legally wear a helmet in Florida. So what's the point of mentioning it? Same deal with this house fire reporting.

By the way, I do wear a helmet when I ride.

they just changed the laws here im Michigan that you dont need to have a helmet on anymore either but if the wifey caught me riding without one i bet she'd make me wish i was wearing one

[crazyjim]

I don't wear a helmet when I mix paint, but I have been using a mask (other than the one for Halloween).

[Guest Johnny]

Exactly why I thought the story seemed a little strange.............Its unlikely we'll find out the rest of the story, but I wouldn't be surprised if a meth lab was somehow involved.

Or maybe looking at forclosure if he was the home owner.

That would not be a first either.

But the "gasoline" as a cleaner is really plausable.