Author Topic: Anyone ever seen a sodium filled valve catch on fire?  (Read 3833 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

blykins

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4801
    • View Profile
    • Lykins Motorsports
Anyone ever seen a sodium filled valve catch on fire?
« on: October 09, 2020, 04:26:11 PM »
I was disassembling some old TP heads today.  Had the heads laying deck surface down on the floor and since they haven't been ran in a long time, I took a dead blow and smacked the valve tips before disassembly.  I hit one and when the valve opened, I think it hit the floor and broke.  It made a cracking sound and then flames and sizzling sounds came out of the port.  I had a shop towel in my hand and when I picked up the valve fragment the shop towel got hot. 

Took me a second to realize what happened and then I remembered that sodium reacts with air and water.   

Brent Lykins
Lykins Motorsports
Custom FE Street, Drag Race, Road Race, and Pulling Truck Engines
Custom Roller & Flat Tappet Camshafts
www.lykinsmotorsports.com
brent@lykinsmotorsports.com
www.customfordcams.com
502-759-1431
Instagram:  brentlykinsmotorsports
YouTube:  Lykins Motorsports

jayb

  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 7400
    • View Profile
    • FE Power
Re: Anyone ever seen a sodium filled valve catch on fire?
« Reply #1 on: October 09, 2020, 05:56:39 PM »
Sure.  Almost as much fun as watching a magnesium wheel burn  :o
Jay Brown
- 1969 Mach 1, Drag Week 2005 Winner NA/BB, 511" FE (10.60s @ 129); Drag Week 2007 Runner-Up PA/BB, 490" Supercharged FE (9.35 @ 151)
- 1964 Ford Galaxie, Drag Week 2009 Winner Modified NA (9.50s @ 143), 585" SOHC
- 1969 Shelby Clone, Drag Week 2015 Winner Modified NA (Average 8.98 @ 149), 585" SOHC

   

CaptCobrajet

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 678
    • View Profile
Re: Anyone ever seen a sodium filled valve catch on fire?
« Reply #2 on: October 09, 2020, 06:49:50 PM »
Don't hit the sodium valves.  They can fly across the room with a little ball of flame.  There used to be directions in the Ford box on how to dispose of old sodium valves........in the form of burying them in the ground!  Obviously way before the EPA got serious.  I have some of that literature somewhere that we kept for entertainment.

A punch bumped around the retainer lightly will usually peck the locks loose.  There used to be a hole in a block wall at a head shop in Chattanooga from a Ford sodium valve being whacked on the stem.
Blair Patrick

blykins

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4801
    • View Profile
    • Lykins Motorsports
Re: Anyone ever seen a sodium filled valve catch on fire?
« Reply #3 on: October 09, 2020, 07:19:56 PM »
Well, to my credit, I didn't know they were sodium filled.  Just a random pair of assembled TP heads with titanium retainers, etc.  Just didn't think about them being sodium filled. 

Brent Lykins
Lykins Motorsports
Custom FE Street, Drag Race, Road Race, and Pulling Truck Engines
Custom Roller & Flat Tappet Camshafts
www.lykinsmotorsports.com
brent@lykinsmotorsports.com
www.customfordcams.com
502-759-1431
Instagram:  brentlykinsmotorsports
YouTube:  Lykins Motorsports

MeanGene

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 447
    • View Profile
Re: Anyone ever seen a sodium filled valve catch on fire?
« Reply #4 on: October 09, 2020, 08:17:22 PM »
Learned about sodium in 11th grade Chemistry class. There was a big chunk of sodium in a jar of oil in the Lab store room, and the teacher loved to show it off. This was one of those carbon-copy back East schools, all brick, big arched entryway, 11ft ceilings etc. The had put a single story addition on the back side for a cafeteria, and the Lab windows opened onto the flat roof of the cafeteria. Prof cuts off a pretty good chunk of the sodium, and it had rained the day before and there was a big puddle on the roof below. He tossed the sodium in the puddle (11AM) and KABOOM!!! Vaporized the puddle, rattled all the windows, and all the matronly cafeteria ladies in white ran screaming out the back door. Teacher had to go to the Principal's Office! My gramps was Prez of the School Board, and got ass-chewing calls that night from ALL the ladies- small town, and he knew all their farmer hubbies. He tried really, really hard to not laugh when I told him what happened...

Heo

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 3281
    • View Profile
Re: Anyone ever seen a sodium filled valve catch on fire?
« Reply #5 on: October 10, 2020, 04:31:40 AM »
When  i was in 8th-9th grade we stole  a jar with two small lumps of sodium at school
We went down to the river and filled a coffee can with water  from the river, dumped one
lump in  the coffe can and nothing....one guy said maybe its to cold water.  Another guy
got the splendid idea to piss  in the coffe can  to heat  things up. KABOOOM it went  of
and that guy running around screaming  i got piss in my mouth, i got piss in my mouth
While the rest of almost died laughing ;D ;D ;D



The defenition of a Gentleman, is a man that can play the accordion.But dont do it

70tp

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 100
    • View Profile
Re: Anyone ever seen a sodium filled valve catch on fire?
« Reply #6 on: October 10, 2020, 06:48:30 AM »
Many years ago we broke open a sodium valve and dug a small piece out and dropped it in some water.   All it did was fizz and run around on top of the water till it was gone.

shady

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1001
    • View Profile
Re: Anyone ever seen a sodium filled valve catch on fire?
« Reply #7 on: October 10, 2020, 07:26:29 AM »
As a wee lad, I always read Popular Science and Popular Mechanics cover to cover. They had a page on tips and tricks where they used a valve to sink nails that were hard to reach. I remembered the old man had a valve from his Mack laying on his work bench so I had to try this out. He saw me hitting the valve head with a hammer and freaked out. Said it was a sodium valve and they explode. With the crap I was always dicking with, I don't know how I survived my youth.
What goes fast doesn't go fast long'
What goes fast takes your money with it.
So I'm slow & broke, what went wrong?
2021 FERR cool FE Winner
2022 FERR cool FE Winner
2023 FERR cool FE Winner

1966lanetp

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 43
    • View Profile
Re: Anyone ever seen a sodium filled valve catch on fire?
« Reply #8 on: October 10, 2020, 09:14:49 AM »
Glad you weren’t hurt! It might’ve delayed the build! I’m happy I left that part of the disassembly to you, my luck it would have shot across the shop and through the side of a car!

GerryP

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 561
    • View Profile
Re: Anyone ever seen a sodium filled valve catch on fire?
« Reply #9 on: October 10, 2020, 09:22:03 AM »
And sodium-filled valves aren't just old tech.  They're still being used in modern tech.  I have a car that uses sodium-filled valves.

Chrisss31

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 143
    • View Profile
Re: Anyone ever seen a sodium filled valve catch on fire?
« Reply #10 on: October 10, 2020, 10:55:48 AM »
My chemistry teacher showed us calcium carbide instead of sodium.  He spent a week shooting rubber stoppers through the drop ceiling tiles.

blykins

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 4801
    • View Profile
    • Lykins Motorsports
Re: Anyone ever seen a sodium filled valve catch on fire?
« Reply #11 on: October 10, 2020, 11:09:22 AM »
I was a Chem E major until I figured out that I was too stupid to be a Chem E major, so I switched to an engineering field where I could *see* stuff. 

I still remember my periodic tables and how the left side is pretty volatile stuff.....Sodium, Potassium, etc. 

That was the last thought in my mind as I smacked the retainer on that valve yesterday LOL
Brent Lykins
Lykins Motorsports
Custom FE Street, Drag Race, Road Race, and Pulling Truck Engines
Custom Roller & Flat Tappet Camshafts
www.lykinsmotorsports.com
brent@lykinsmotorsports.com
www.customfordcams.com
502-759-1431
Instagram:  brentlykinsmotorsports
YouTube:  Lykins Motorsports

TomP

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 864
    • View Profile
Re: Anyone ever seen a sodium filled valve catch on fire?
« Reply #12 on: October 10, 2020, 12:10:42 PM »
I had a 427  Medium Riser sodium exhaust valve roll off the swap meet table and break, the yellow sodium came oozing out for hours looking like that expanding spray foam.

I use a 9/16" socket to loosen keepers.

4twennyAint

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 89
    • View Profile
Re: Anyone ever seen a sodium filled valve catch on fire?
« Reply #13 on: October 15, 2020, 11:21:27 PM »
This string of posts had me laugh so hard I cried!!!!!!!!!
1969 Torino Cobra, SCJ 4.30, 4spd under restoration
1964 Fairlane, 428, 4spd, 4.10, 11.63@119 race trim
1966 Fairlane GTA, 482, C6, 3.50, 11.66@117 street trim

CV355

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 373
    • View Profile
Re: Anyone ever seen a sodium filled valve catch on fire?
« Reply #14 on: October 21, 2020, 09:07:20 AM »
I've never seen that happen, but I have seen a machinist start a massive fire while working on titanium.  I looked over, saw a pinwheel of bright sparks, and within seconds the entire work area was engulfed in flames.  I was told it was due to improper cutting speed, and the fact that there was a pile of steel swarf next to the mill.  Poof. 

It also scares me that many auto manufacturers are using so much magnesium these days.  I get it, it takes a lot of heat to ignite magnesium.  Gas won't do it, but electricity can.