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posted by cmn32480 on Friday November 11 2016, @02:23AM   Printer-friendly
from the following-bad-advice dept.

3Ders.org reports

[On December 21, 2015,] a British 17-year-old named Tom Taylor was killed in an explosion after using hairspray to make objects stick to the bed of his 3D printer. An inquest found that the hairspray had left a cloud of propane in the air, which was then ignited by a spark from either the 3D printer or a power outlet.

In an effort to help makers maximize the potential of their low-end 3D printers, various websites and online communities have recommended ways to make [PolyLactic Acid AKA "Poly" AKA] PLA objects stick to the bed of [a fused deposition modeling (FDM)] 3D printer more effectively. These DIY methods have included use of tape, kapton, and hairspray--with the latter explained in articles like this 2013 Hackaday contribution. The tragic death of British teen Tom Taylor has just given makers everywhere cause to abandon this technique, after an inquest heard that flammable gases from the hairspray exploded after being ignited by an electric spark.

On the afternoon of his death, 17-year-old Taylor was using his 3D printer to make a school art project at his family home--a converted retail building in Lincoln, UK, which also served as the family's independent magic shop. The teen was using the hairspray technique to provide extra adhesion to the 3D printer's build plate, allegedly in accordance with an article he had found online. However, after gases from the hairspray had built up over several hours, a spark--which may have come from the 3D printer itself or a nearby socket--caused the cloud of gas to ignite, causing a large explosion.

The fire from the explosion was worsened by large quantities of flammable flash papers stored underneath the desk at which Taylor was working--these flash papers, commonly used by magicians, were to be sold at the magic shop, but are usually stored in sealed containers and destroyed after two years. When the explosion occurred, Taylor attempted to escape from the back office, but inhaled fumes and died from smoke inhalation.

[...] Companies like FLEKS3D and LokBuild have proposed safer solutions for warp-free FDM 3D printing, and the popularity of their products may rise in the wake of this incident.

Some topics I am seeing: propane; workspace ventilation; unsafe storage methods; hoarding expired goods.


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  • (Score: 2, Insightful) by Ethanol-fueled on Friday November 11 2016, @03:20AM

    by Ethanol-fueled (2792) on Friday November 11 2016, @03:20AM (#425550) Homepage

    It seems to be one of those things that kids figure out on their own, or learn from one of their peers, like ancient lore that is known throughout the village and passed down through the generations but nobody knows where the idea really came from.

    As an aside note, there are two video games I know of that use the hairspray/lighter torch combo in the final boss battle: Metal Gear 2 (Released only for the MSX, not to be confused with the non-canon NES Snake's Revenge) and Sierra's Police Quest 4 for the PC.

    A funny thing about the latter is that you find the lighter in the mouth of a hacked-off head in the guy's refrigerator, and since the killer is also a transvestite (obviously influenced by Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs) he has a can of hairspray in the medicine cabinet. Igniting his wig wins you the game.

    Too lazy to link the Youtube vids but they are easily found.

    One final note: I preferred mousse rather than hairspray for hairstyling and torching needs -- it made a longer and thinner flame.

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  • (Score: 2) by Unixnut on Friday November 11 2016, @11:26AM

    by Unixnut (5779) on Friday November 11 2016, @11:26AM (#425638)

    I discovered the "hairspray flamethrower" idea from a movie, the "Blues brothers". I had to find a can of hairspray immediately to try it out, so off to my moms cabinet I went. Tried it once, then it dawned on me that if the flame went into the can it could explode in fiery metal shards, and cause me much damage.

    That was the last time I did it, I guess I am fundamentally a risk averse individual, but it does seem to be something long ingrained in our culture.

    Someone probably discovered it shortly after hair spray cans were invented. I mean, it popped into someones head to see what happens when they light their own farts, I figure someone would try to light hair spray and see what happens.

    • (Score: 2) by VLM on Friday November 11 2016, @12:56PM

      by VLM (445) Subscriber Badge on Friday November 11 2016, @12:56PM (#425652)

      if the flame went into the can it could explode in fiery metal shards

      If the can were full of oxygen and propane, yeah, you'd make a poor imitation of a Space-X booster after an accident. They're not.

      There are a couple failure modes

      1) In the old days we used WD-40 to kill spiders and wasps and grease is left behind on the floor and you slip and fall, or you set something on fire and either don't notice until its too late or panic. Wasps are particularly weak against petroleum damage even if you don't set them on fire, something about their metabolism.

      2) In the old days we had paper labels on cans (like 80s) Yes they can be set on fire and the result is never good.

      3) Enough heat will melt/destroy the nozzle possibly making an out of control fire so if it catches fire you need a hand grenade pit like area for it to burn out / blow up relatively safely. Outdoors next to the fire pit, OK, in the workshop next to the old woodburning stove, OK, but it could be a bit of an issue elsewhere.

      4) Enough heat into the can (perhaps by setting the can on fire) will pop and explode the can quite effectively.

      5) Stuff like WD40 is a liquid and dribbles a little and you can quite easily set the can or your hand on fire. At least propane is a gas.

      • (Score: 3, Funny) by WillR on Friday November 11 2016, @03:23PM

        by WillR (2012) on Friday November 11 2016, @03:23PM (#425688)

        "Wasps are particularly weak against petroleum damage..."

        And now I have this image in my head of a DnD character sheet for that wasp with "Save vs Hydrocarbons: +0" on it.

      • (Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 11 2016, @06:48PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 11 2016, @06:48PM (#425764)

        What was cool about WD-40 is the little red straw they give you to put in the spray nozzle to direct a stream. When you are using it as a flame thrower, that little bit of dribble on the end of the straw would stay lit between sprays so you only had to light it once. It was just like those old newsreels from the Pacific during WWII where you see the flame thrower guy and between blasts, his flame thrower would keep burning on the end.