OOAK Table Tennis Forum

Schildkrot 1 star, I think...



Iskandar

I found this post when I was looking for info on celluloid balls online and here is my story and the question:

I've been passively collecting table tennis balls for some time and managed to gather around 75 balls. Only 9 of them are plastic, all other are celluloid, 16 of them are old school 38 mm balls. I keep them in two 3 liter jars.

So recently I had a comment that it could be dangerous as celluloid can be easily ignited and it burns viciously (as seen in the video ). So it kind of freaked me out. I like my apartment and don't want it to get burned So maybe somebody has some knowledge on this "dangerous celluloid" matter? Didn't find any good info online. Could it self-ignite or something?

They do burn like crazy but will Not self ignite.

Exactly... which is exactly the same for many other common household goods... so no need to worry IMO.

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Celluloid does deteriorate over time and some of it does self-ignite (in particular, old movie film stock was known for doing this, though in most cases when it caught fire it was being projected - there have also been cases where old naval ammunition propellant has caught fire spontaneously). Never heard of table tennis balls self-igniting, though, other than that story about the shipping container in Hong Kong which might have been apocryphal.. I don't think you need to worry about it. If you're really worried, make sure the jars are glass (not plastic), and make sure they're far away from drapes, books or such. Put a loose cover - maybe a porcelain flower pot base - over the mouth. Ideally one with holes in it.

Iskandar

Thank you for your answer. It did remind me of Nuovo Cinema Paradis -a must-see movie (did anyone see it ? ). I also googled and read that celluloid could self-ignite, at least in theory. Yes, the jars a glass, but I wonder why are they better than plastic ones? And how a loose cover can help?

If the jar is glass it won't also burn. If it doesn't burn it will serve to contain the flames, as would a loose cover. The holes would limit the flames that make it past, but would also help prevent the cover from being blown off. You obviously don't want a tight fitting cover.

Iskandar

Hm, maybe. Another line of thought could be, that if I screwed the air tight cover, there wouldn't be enough oxygen to burn...

The reason celluloid (i.e. cellulose nitrate) burns so quickly and so energetically is that it provides its own oxygen. Another use for it is smokeless powder (what they put in ammunition for firearms, as well as for artillery and it's also used as solid fuel for rockets). No outside oxygen available there! Mind you, a tightly sealed lid (plus, perhaps, flushing the container of air by use of nitrogen or carbon dioxide) might slow down the process of self-deterioration.

Iskandar

imagine if they caught figure during a rally...

That's one way to enforce expedite...

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Chasse Patate

Just had a thought. It would have been VERY entertaining if he'd tried this with an older golf ball, one with a wound core. Might've actually been dangerous, if the rubber caught fire...

Iskandar