The hazards of a mirror shine

Bic Pentameter · Sep 13, 2009

"Stacy Shire said the fire started in his apartment while he was polishing his boots. He was melting shoe polish with a lighter to make it easier to apply the polish when the polish caught on fire and ignited his bed.

"I tried to blow it out, but it landed on the floor," he said.

Then the 50-year-old tried to smother the fire with some clothes, but the room quickly filled with smoke and he fled."

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...ebfire13m.html

Henry Boogers · Sep 13, 2009

Pics of the shoes?

uzairh · Sep 13, 2009

WOW. Never heard of something like this...

JayJay · Sep 13, 2009

I wonder if he's a forum member. It sounds like a technique an SF member would use.

ohm · Sep 13, 2009

Too bad he lost his shoes in the fire. :\\

DocHolliday · Sep 13, 2009

Originally Posted by JayJay

I wonder if he's a forum member. It sounds like a technique an SF member would use.

No way. He used his clothes to try to extinguish the fire. A forumite would have grabbed the dog or a priceless painting first.

acidboy · Sep 14, 2009

Originally Posted by DocHolliday

No way. He used his clothes to try to extinguish the fire. A forumite would have grabbed the dog or a priceless painting first.

yes. or save his 5 month old unwashed raw denims in the freezer

Journeyman · Sep 14, 2009

Originally Posted by JayJay

I wonder if he's a forum member. It sounds like a technique an SF member would use.

I think that the technique of burning the polish a little with a lighter is quite common in the armed forces. I don't know whether it really works or not, but the theory is that by taking a lighter to the polish before applying it, it burns off some of the ingredients (alcohol, perhaps?) in the polish, and it makes it easier to get a high shine.

Don Carlos · Sep 14, 2009

Originally Posted by Journeyman

I think that the technique of burning the polish a little with a lighter is quite common in the armed forces. I don't know whether it really works or not, but the theory is that by taking a lighter to the polish before applying it, it burns off some of the ingredients (alcohol, perhaps?) in the polish, and it makes it easier to get a high shine.

You're correct in that it's an old military technique (my grandpa used to do it in WWII). But I'm not sure it has anything to do with burning off alcohol or whatnot. Pretty sure it's just supposed to warm up the polish, reducing viscosity, and thus making it easier to work into the leather. Whatever the case, I'm too scared and far too accident-prone to try it myself.

Chips · Sep 14, 2009

I bet they're not as shiny now.

Thurston · Sep 14, 2009

I melt shoe polish by lighting it when I'm at the end of the tin and it has been reduced to broken pieces. However, I do it on the concrete floor of my garage.

dv3 · Sep 14, 2009

Originally Posted by Henry Boogers

Pics of the shoes?

Originally Posted by JayJay

I wonder if he's a forum member. It sounds like a technique an SF member would use.

Originally Posted by ohm

Too bad he lost his shoes in the fire. :\\

Originally Posted by Chips

I bet they're not as shiny now.

duration · Sep 14, 2009

Oh yes, I used to do a bit of that when I was in military service.

Artigas · Sep 14, 2009

Yes, I also wondered if he might be military, especially since he was polishing boots.

AndrewRogers · Sep 14, 2009

Here is the real SF member who was heard to shout, My jacket, my jacket!

The hazards of a mirror shine

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