Starlite rediscovered?!

The Rocketry Forum

Help Support The Rocketry Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

snrkl

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 11, 2017
Messages
1,368
Reaction score
210
https://hackaday.com/2018/12/30/starlite-super-material-that-protects-hands-from-pesky-blowtorches/

STARLITE: SUPER MATERIAL THAT PROTECTS HANDS FROM PESKY BLOWTORCHES

IMG_1447.jpg
A super-material that’s non-toxic, highly flame resistant, and a good enough insulator, you can literally hold fire in your hand? Our interest was definitely caught by [NightHawkInLight] and his recent video about Starlite, embedded below the break.

Starlite was the brainchild of English hairdresser, [Maurice Ward]. The famous demo was an egg, coated in Starlite, and blasted with a blowtorch for a full 5 minutes. After heating, he cracked the egg to show it still raw. The inventor died in 2011, and apparently the recipe for Starlite died with him.

[NightHawkInLight] realized he had already made something very similar, the Pharoah’s Serpent demonstration, also known as a black snake. In both examples, a carbon foam is produced, providing flame resistance and insulation. A bit of trial and error later, and he’s out doing the original Starlight demo, pointing the blow torch at his hand instead of an egg.

 
Perlite and vermiculite are amazing insulators as well. Nontoxic? Not as much...
 
It can stop any fire and control the heat also. It can stop Building fires, Vehicle fires and also Jungle fires . It can stop fire in Australia and Fire in California .
 
Perlite and vermiculite are amazing insulators as well. Nontoxic? Not as much...
Vermiculite is widely used as packaging material and to start seeds. The stuff made since at least the 1990s -- if not earlier -- contains no detectable asbestos.
Perlite is likewise used in gardening, often as a moisture bank. Essentially it's volcanic glass with air bubbles in it. Fine stuff should not be inhaled, but if wetted the point is moot.

Best -- Terry
 
Vermiculite is widely used as packaging material and to start seeds. The stuff made since at least the 1990s -- if not earlier -- contains no detectable asbestos.
Perlite is likewise used in gardening, often as a moisture bank. Essentially it's volcanic glass with air bubbles in it. Fine stuff should not be inhaled, but if wetted the point is moot.

Best -- Terry
iirc it was only vermiculite coming from Libby, Montana area that had detectable and hazardous levels of asbestos. It came out of my Asbestos Worker IV class.
 
Back
Top