Egads!!! The Volatile World Of NITRO!!!

[@NeonThoughtBox]

"Mother of toilet seat" is the best pick finish. XD

[@davewilliams9712]

I think you've just coined a viral phrase 😂😂🤤🤣🤣

[@UncleKennysPlace]

@@davewilliams9712 Nope, it's an old phrase, and I checked that box when I had one of my banjos made. It has a MOTS fretboard!

[@rickc2102]

Fran: "Your pick's not gonna explode in a shredding solo." The Internet: "Damn."

[@suzakule]

unless you are a member of Spinal Tapp!

[@AlanCanon2222]

@@suzakule Or you're Fran: I bet she has a guitar solo in mind that would take a nitrocellulose pick to the very point of ignition temperature. She's the best in so many fields.

[@rb032682]

@@AlanCanon2222 - lol

[@suzakule]

I was making a reference to the movie " this is Spinal Tapp" in which the drummer of the band was always cursed to die on stage, usually exploding in a drum solo from spontaneous combustion!

[@therugburnz]

I loved putting nitro picks in ashtrays at clubs that decided not to pay. Just put a cigarette on top of the picks on the way out the door with your 'no' money. It doesn't give off a flowery order at all; it is more like tear gas. That was forty years ago.

[@jeffreyoldham55]

That Gretsch is absolutely drop dead *gorgeous*

[@mikeg4972]

The nitrocellulose used for coatings, etc. is cellulose Tetranitate, less flammable. For use in explosives, cellulose Hexanitrate is used.

[@chromatogiraffery3104]

I imagine putting nitrocellulose film in front of a multi-kW carbon arc projector lamp would also be a good way of setting it off. I wonder if the tin (zinc) cans of old film canisters could form metal nitrates that would react catalytically with the film. That may explain why film reels are/were particularly succeptible to decay.

[@mikeg4972]

16:09 The material used is not polyurethane, but material called Cellulose Acetate Butyrate. Cellulose based materials often break down over the years and give off a smell such as vinegar.

[@johnjohn-ed9qt]

To quote my Ochem-1 prof: "Butyl: A nasty sounding name for a nasty smelling alkyl. Think Butyric acid. The smell of vomit. When it breaks down, you get, among other products, the vomit smell (butyric acid) and the vinegar smell (acetic acid), as well as the crusty residue. This is accelerated by UV light (

[@mikeg4972]

@@johnjohn-ed9qt Well said!

[@AlanCanon2222]

A few days after watching this, my thumb pick went missing. I have a new bunny rabbits who eats everything she can get in her mouth, and I was irrationally hoping she didn't eat it, and if she did eat it, hoping she wouldn't explode. I did find the pick, ultimately. Thanks, Fran!

[@pirobot668beta]

We found some old billiard balls in a tin can, the can was labeled "explosives" Clever lads we, we ignored a warning and ignited one such ball in the cliched sand-lot. The thing burned so fiercely that it propelled itself! Roaring, whooshing noises...we ran! All over in a few seconds. I'd hate to see what they would have done burned together with any kind of containment!

[@derkeksinator17]

I wanted to melt a hole into a ping pong ball when I was younger, oh boy was I surprised when it literally took off.

[@juststeve5542]

/me looks at my 38 year old guitar suspiciously... That Gretsch is a beauty Fran.

[@AlanCanon2222]

Hell I am also an aging guitar player.... if we all go out because our old guitars explode, I mean, I would be sad, but what a rock and roll death!!! Much better than internal combustion deaths from drumming for Spinal Tap!!!! :)

[@chrisreich40]

ALL Gretsch guitars are beauties.

[@WooShell]

I'm so glad we've got rid of nitrocellulose in billard balls.. having them explode on the table was quite an annoyance.

[@expfcwintergreenv2.02]

Rather

[@rickc2102]

Back to ivory then, gentlemen!

[@andhewonders]

I was a hot player, but not that hot.

[@Cheepchipsable]

How so? When it looks like you are losing, just give the ball an extra hard whack and unfortunately, the game is over and your comeback can't be completed.

[@Chainsaw-ASMR]

Fascinating. I just went down the internet of exploding billiard balls. Thanks!

[@ericdelmar2618]

Great topic for me and maybe a PSA for viewers: I inherited the family's old cellulose nitrate negatives and movie reels. I vaguely knew the dangers of non-"safety film" but a bit of research made clear that I had to get all that history out of the house. One thing that makes pre-1950 film especially dangerous is its surface area: Consider the area a several hundred feet of movie film, or a stack of old 2 1/4" square camera negatives. Hell, I took a postage stamp-sized piece of old film and lit it, and that tiny scrap immediately became a hot and intense, toxic flame. Yes, the smoke is contains very bad nitrogen dioxide fumes. So, after getting educated, I scanned what I could and passed it on to the county's hazardous waste disposal. Here's the PSA part. Do you have the family's film legacy in your attic or basement? Deal with it. You'll sleep better. Thanks, Fran. You're one of KZbin's treasures.

[@TucsonAnalogWorkshop]

There's no need to freak out if you have old negatives! I think your collection must be a special case, or more likely, you got your info wrong. Unless your family were repurposing 35mm motion picture film from Hollywood, all your negatives *should* have been cellulose acetate, and not flammable. At least as I understand it, Kodak was aware of the flammability issue from the beginning, and did not sell nitrate film anywhere it would have made into a photographer's home. Amateur formats, such as 8mm and 16mm, were *never* manufactured with nitrate and I'd be surprised if any but the very earliest roll film formats (pre-1900) were either. 1950 is just the date of the switch to safety film in professional 35mm motion picture film only. I can only vouch for the major film manufacturers of the 20th century (Kodak, Agfa, Ansco, Dupont, Ilford, etc) using safety film. It's possible there were less scrupulous manufacturers who did use nitrate, but I've never heard of it in 30 years in the industry.

[@ericdelmar2618]

@@TucsonAnalogWorkshop Thanks for your comment. Yes, it may be that I conflated cinema stock with still photo stock, but I had a bunch of films dating back to 1900 or so, and those picked up a flame like nothing I've ever seen before. No matter, the fear of flame got me to do about 2000 scans, digitizing the family archive, which no one else in the family was ever likely to take on that task. Thanks again.

[@larsulrich2761]

During the turn of the century, nitro cellulose was used to make artificial silk / chiffon in women's dresses as well as collars for men's shirts. There are horror stories back then of women at parties or out about town who's dresses burst into flames.

[@InssiAjaton]

Well, nitro and nitro! Nitroglycerine was the explosive used for breaking stones and is still the active component in Dynamite. My father's last words were "I think I need to take a Nitro". That has been a treatment for heart ailment (blocked arteries). And of course, the smokeless powder -- nitrocellulose. In general, just about all modern explosives are various nitrogen compounds, like tri-nitro-toluene.

[@jondhuse1549]

This was kinda like a PSA - thanks Fran! And thanks for the special treat of a short performance on the Gretsch!

[@odindimartino597]

I repaired a Polish radio from the 70's and the diffusion film behind the dial was made from nitrocellulose. I didn't knew that and I used my oven that I just turned off to have a low temperature to make it flat again because I was thinking it was PVC. The plate burned in my hand so I threw it in the air and it burned completely before touching the floor.

[@rb032682]

I used to love to burn my old nitro tortoise Fender picks after they cracked. Very thorough combustion. In the early 1970s, I played on some demos, 2-inch, 16-track, Ampex machine. I got to watch a copy of the demos get cut into a 12-inch acetate blank on a Scully lathe. Fascinating stuff.

[@colinwatt9387]

"Mother of toilet seat" that elicited a genuine LOL.

[@chaos.corner]

First time I've heard the term. My day has been made.

[@alistairmackintosh9412]

So when you say "This guitar is da bomb!" It has more than one meaning?

[@brently1973]

Before safety film...being a projectionist was a very dangerous occupation. With carbon arc fumes from lamphouses and acetate film. It would somtimes jam in the projector and catch fire in front of aperture plate (the beam of light would set the film on fire). Many cinemas burned down this way before the advent of safety film. With safety film it just just melts. Its polyester and all motion picture film goes through the projector upside down as the lens flps the image. Intersting to note even today with digital projectors in a modern cinemas use Xennon electric arc bulbs in lamphouses that depending on the throw and size of the screen could be 2kW to 8kW and could easily light a cigarette held in the beam of light leaving the lamphouse.

[@janovlk]

My father was born in 1926. He experienced burning projection booth at least two times. He and his friends asked projectionists for pieces of film and made rockets from it. Once my grandfather gave me an undeveloped reel of 35mm film. I checked a piece of it. It was unimpressive when it was burning in a small part of the film. But when it came to a larger roll it burned quickly with a tall flame. Iwas so delighted. I made a cocoon from the film and this way I could make some 6 meter tall flame.

[@trevorhaddox6884]

Is this why antique shops smell like grandmas wearing cheap perfume?

[@peterjf7723]

Probably true, I had never thought about that before.

[@jetjazz05]

In my experience that was actually just old grandmas wearing cheap perfume. ...or sometimes expired Chanel No 5 from the 70s.

[@therugburnz]

Smells better than that seventies plastic screwdriver handle when it breaks down. Those smell like vomit or parmesan cheese for robots.

[@drasco61084]

Yup... Smell of decomposing stuff and decades of dust, also aged body odor chemicals and product residues. Dust contains a wild amount of different stuff not just dirt.

[@zombie-process7025]

@@therugburnz Oof! Yah, I've got one that smells like someone stored it in their large intestine for the last 10 years.

[@dranthonyv5475]

Fran, thank you for another excellent video. Note for DYIers: nitrocellulose will seriously damage electronics, especially if applied directly to components or circuit boards to moisture proof or water proof them. I’ve seen dramatic KZbin videos where clear-nail polished circuits worked after being soaked in a fish tank. However, over time, the nail polish chemically degenerates, causing corrosion within components, boards, and connections. Proper conformal coating for hobby electronics is not expensive. A small bottle goes a long way and reputable sources provide safety and technical data. Back in the 50s, I took apart my mom’s kitchen 5-tube radio - it had some wax dipped components and Vaseline on connections. Maybe you can do a show on - “the evolution of electrical coatings”. It could be important as we get EVs. Moist air and water are good for humans but poison to our electronics.

[@samjones1954]

FYI. As a projectionist of 30 years I can assure you that the theatre did not line the wall with asbestos. However fire was taken very seriously. All projectors kept the film real in what was known as a fire proof housing. Both at the top of the projector and the bottom for take-up. Also there where safety shutters on all windows. These where steel sliders that slid down over the window. They where kept up by rope. if the rope burnt, the windows sealed. All doors where metal and walls where cinder block. Today. all of that is gone. New theatres have large pain glass windows and no shutters. Fire is not a problem with safety film. To finish this story. I found a can of nitro film and when I opened it, I saw what I would describe as gelatin. I called the fire department, we took it to the bomb range and they shot the can and it left a 3 foot crater.

[@valjean246019430]

I have no musical talents, but I can appreciate the art on an instrument. With that said - That is the most beautiful guitar I have ever seen!!!

[@GadgetUK164]

Very interesting! I first became aware of nitro watching Cinema Paridiso (a good film worth a watch).

[@RichardRitenour0522]

Sweet sweet knowledge, appreciate the input to the general public on this little known data Fran! Keep rockin' the lab!

[@colinbrigham8253]

Thanks Fran ,for sharing your knowledge 🤗

[@woodenpuppet7568]

Fran, you are great. This was gooooood.

[@nadieselgirl]

Ok, I finally have an excuse to keep my guitar out. I had no idea! Thank you so much!

[@LightSoySauce]

That Gretsch is beautiful

[@goodun2974]

"There was only one instrument of progress the people of Bokono were interested in ---- the electric guitar". From "Cats Cradle" by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.....but "Kilgore Trout" here already knew this. (I quoted the book from memory, and so I hope I didn't get it too far wrong).

[@bills48321]

Good tip about storing guitars out of the cases.

[@BlackWolf42-]

As nitrocellulose ages it tends to release nitric acid or various oxides of nitrogen unless it's stabilized with something like urea or similar.

[@tmitz73]

Awesome Episode Fran!!! Stay Groovy!

[@tomdoyle3727]

Very informative info , I worked with nitro finishes during my career as a builder and restorer of guitars. Les Paul was my mentor!

[@jimmooter]

I had no idea that records were made of that. I learn something new every time I watch you.

[@flamencoprof]

05:36 Just wanted to highlight the exhibition of an old skill: - How to handle and return a record to its sleeve and cover. Done pretty much as I would do it, so it MUST be correct:-)

[@garygoldstein327]

I wish to thank everyone on patrion for making Fran's Fran Lab possible. This episode of Franlab is very fascinating. I never knew how old things were made and learning about the dangers of Nitro *Cellulose finishes and how to store things treated with this finish. Holy Mother of toilet seat and lady of bles---'sed acceleraration!

[@theannoyedmrfloyd3998]

Cellulose

[@garygoldstein327]

@@theannoyedmrfloyd3998 Dear "The Annoyed Mr. Floyed," while printing out my comment I actually was struggling to remember how to spell that word *Cell-u-l-o-s-e. correctly.... I really appreciate you for being my spell checker. Will *re-edit. ( Thank you.)

[@trashyraccoon2615]

I just wanna know what egads are. She never tells you.

[@michael_mouse]

... I've always wondered what the strange hard plastic material was with the intriguing modern looking pattern on vintage pen knives scales was!.. thanks for a most interesting and excellent video Fran!

[@paulmears5330]

This is some very educational and useful info. Than you, Fran!

[@nilo70]

Thanks Fran !

[@capolaya]

Very interesting and fascinating storytelling!

[@milobasque5373]

Nice video. Thanks Fran!

[@larrypriest5789]

IEEE and now a renowned chemist ~ keep up the great work!! Always look forward to the casts!!

[@pameladeering2450]

Fran, you are a national treasure.

[@nat7278]

Things I didn’t know, I didn’t know! Fantastic. What a great broad tour down nitro history. The only thing I feel missing is seeing the cards set ablaze. Pardon me while I go find some playing cards :-) great video Fran

[@RememberingMaryEvely]

I love these sort of random insights into technology. I've seen that bloom on Xcelite tool handles and wondered what it was. PS, I also loved that gadget in the background displaying "FRANLAB".

[@jennyd255]

Having worked in a film and TV archive I was very aware of the almost paranoid levels of fire safety that we had to use when handling or storing Nitro film, so you can imagine how surprised I was to hear about all these other places where it is also used. Thank you for a really interesting and informative video.

[@GlennSteffy]

My friend, you are a precious gem!! Thank-you!!

[@jeffflowers5489]

You just made me remember that I have a (sealed) plastic container full of old 78's :-O I better do something about that. Thanks Fran!

[@jaydeebishop2345]

totally discovering this particular topic. Very important info

[@CarlosCardoso2amissao]

"This guitar is made of Nitro" and she laughs like a supervillain.

[@AquesousSolution]

What an absolutely neat subject well researched. James Burke touched on the exploding billiard balls and dice on his tracing of the history of chemical products developments in his "Connections" series from the late 70's on PBS.

[@Sebastian_Athea]

I could watch Fran playing guitar all day :)

[@3v068]

From a scientist friend of mine. Cool place, away from ANY HEAT or electricity, and keep it relatively away from important items. And yes, ventilation is a must.

[@PplsChampion]

15 people are mad that CompoundW wart remover also contains nitrocellulose as an inactive ingredient

[@lukebowers536]

Knife & fork/cutlery handles used to be made of this in the UK, i still have loads of it in my kitchen

[@eddieeriksson5830]

Did not know this! Thank you !

[@garliclovers1416]

Great video. Thanks.

[@Wenlocktvdx]

Great info Fran, and the Gretsch is a treasure!

[@stephencornell6972]

Love your "Nitro Intro", tricky with those words!

[@goldenboy5500]

Varnish is the most common finish type used for playing cards. This liquid gloss finish is applied by the offset printing press to seal in and protect the ink. Lamination is the most protective finish and makes your cards water resistant. Lamination is a thin polypropylene film that is applied after the printing process is complete. Lamination is available in gloss and as an anti-scratch matte lamination

[@jerryg50]

Your videos are very interesting and very informative.

[@longfordflyer3672]

Excellent

[@davidarthur852]

Loved the video and the Lego set in the background. Hugs from the UK.

[@carldurrell9943]

Great video, I have some old Records Collection and table tennis 🏓 Balls and old playing cards sealed in plastic boxes which have been in there for a long time, so I think 🤔 I will have to think of storing them another way, also some old tools like screwdrivers that I inherited, so thank you, as without seeing this video I would not have known, also my Dad keeps record collection including lot of old 78s so I probably should tell him, especially as we all keep them in the house 🏡

[@77shoemanable]

Great episode !!! Thanks

[@mdouglaswray]

Great video! I remember nitrocellulose film! Did NOT know about the guitar finishes!

[@roberthorwat6747]

Straight away when you said guitars my first thought was the cover of Sunburst Finish by Be-Bop Deluxe. Wonder if the photographer was surprised how combustible that guitar was!

[@JohnAllen-st1ll]

I learned something today... :) Nice... Thanks Fran...

[@SudaNIm103]

I'm not a musician and I couldn't careless about guitars but DAMN that one is beautiful!

[@davewilliams9712]

So is the lady playing it..we love you Fran...don't stop Rockin!!!

[@SudaNIm103]

@@davewilliams9712 Beautiful and Brilliant

[@dj1NM3]

I remember an British TV show which had "the history of plastics" episode and about the most memorable thing about it was "exploding billiard balls" made of nitrocellulose, from when (mid-19th century) it was the new "supermaterial" which could imitate ivory.

[@gatekeeper65]

Great info, thanks.

[@jimlagraff4989]

The nitro guitar pick helped me get more than one campfire going. When your limited to a few matches and the tinder is not ideal, throw a couple picks in the mix to honor Jimi Hendrix.

[@Jivolt]

That is my dream guitar! But one of my favorite Gretsch guitarrs is the Electromatic semi-hollow body electric guitar. Built out of what looks like particle board but sounds unbelievable when ran straight through my Vox Pathfinder 15R.

[@senior_ranger]

Thanks!!

[@JettBlast]

You can play a mean Ax Fran...very cool! I really like that you share this information about retro tech and teaching me cool stuff that is very interesting...

[@josescarel]

Cool!!

[@kkzooi]

i love the nitro on my Gibsons. they smell so nice. also in my experience the solvents in nitro cellulose lacquer do not evaprate fast. i refinished one of my guitars it took well over 3 weeks for it to cure to a point where i couldnt press my fingernail into it leaving a dent.

[@aletoledo1]

love this type of deep dive into a topic.

[@zy8719]

I really like the style of the shirt you have in this video. Very retro looking.

[@Angelina-xj5zd]

Nitro and acetone makes good fuse waterproofing.

[@UFObuilder]

Really excellent

[@jetjazz05]

Craftsman screwdrivers... the clear handled ones, octagonal in shape, oh man. The plastic started out smelling sweet, but as they age they smell like dirty feet. It's pretty crazy, I don't recall the specific name of the plastic but it's available online. Anyways I love the smell of old furniture as well, just the smell of aged things is wonderful. I even grew up in a house built in the 1860s and the smell from the lumber is... magic.

[@sn3dg3r]

Frighteningly fascinating. Can remember being told in woodworking courses years ago that finishing rags could spontaneously combust - reason was never explained, so I never took it seriously - lucky I was crap at woodwork and practice did not make me any better, so never got a chance to carelessly dispose of a rag bomb.

[@FranLab]

That fire hazard is due to the exothermic reaction of curing linseed oil.

[@sn3dg3r]

@@FranLab What? No one told me that preparing a cricket bat was dangerous. Thanks for correcting my misunderstanding. I no longer regret not having a shed, aka the ker-boom room

[@russellzauner]

"This guitar is made of nitro" *shows Gretsch White Falcon* My Brain: WHAT IS GOING ON RN

[@1683clifton]

Prepper tip. Nitro guitar picks are excellent fire starters.

[@jetjazz05]

Nitro lacquered sounds like a terrific band name

[@josefkrakel9136]

So Jimi's lighter fluid routine was a little more hazardous then he thought

[@OrganNLou]

GREAT VIDEO, FRAN!!!

[@melody3741]

I love “mother of toilet seat” lol

[@eagleeyeviewimages]

awesome fran ty

[@mikedonnellan4937]

oh my what a gorgeous Gretsch.

[@rb032682]

That old Gretsch sounded great when you played it. Very nostalgic tone, and good playing, too.

[@richfiles]

Yet another reminder to backup your media... Nothing is forever. What we fail to preserve, is destined to be lost and forgotten.

[@stevensteptoe682]

Hi Fran, In the 70's here in the UK, six men "The Birmingham Six" were falsely charged, and imprisoned, with being an IRA gang who planted a bomb in a pub and killed a number of people. Part of the prosecution evidence against them was traces of explosives that had been on hand swabs taken when they were arrested - they hadn't been anywhere near explosives, but had instead been playing cards on a train journey to Liverpool just before they were arrested.

[@rpbajb]

We manufactured nitrocellulose lacquers at the paint company where I worked. They call nitrocellulose 'guncotton' because that's what it looks like in its pure state: white fluffy lint. It's safe to store in sealed drums if kept moist with isopropanol.

[@DylansPen]

We just had a decent sized earthquake in California. I know there is an ongoing attempt to save many older films and put them on digital for the reason you mention Fran. One can imagine how much historical film was lost since it's inception. For the smell of older screwdriver plastic handles that is butyric acid that smells like vomit. The reason, it is the same exact chemical found in vomit that gives it the smell. They add it to plastic handles to make them feel 'softer' when you're holding it. And it won't go away it is through and through the plastic. I put one of the smelly screwdrivers in a bottle of water with a lot of baking soda in it and let it sit for a day. The smell was entirely gone for about a day but came back entirely after a couple days.

[@JessHull]

yeah I felt it pretty good and I was pretty far from the epicenter....

[@DylansPen]

@@JessHull Yes hear in CA we're used to Earthquakes, but when one hits that is more powerful than normal we take notice yes. That one wasn't an 'average' shake.

[@UncleKennysPlace]

I had a rare film, nitrocellulose, of course (shocking when the film can is opened), of the Rookwood Pottery Works. I donated it to the Cincinnati Art Museum, they had it digitized, and the film itself is now in a special vault at WPAFB, I'm told. I don't know how long it may last, or even the point, but there are apparently tens of thousands of reels.

[@pilgrimm23]

Thanks Fran. I have a Guild, a Martin and a Fender. ALL are now out of their cases. the Guild is a circa 1972 vintage 12

[@wimwiddershins]

I'd be worried about the lathe swarf from record cutting...

[@FranLab]

It is 'gun cotton' stuff and highly flammable.