OVERALL LENGTH

MAX. BODY DIAMETER

DISTANCE ACROSS TAIL FINS

TOTAL WEIGHT

FILLER

EFFECTIVE ILLUMINATION

COLOR

DESCRIPTION:

Cylindrical tinplate body, the tail end of which has four tail fins, covered by a tail cover having a central hole. Neck is closed by a thin rupture disk to which is secured a small pillar having a ring passing through it. Forward end of body is closed by a cast iron nose having a central water inlet hole. Nose is contained in a tinplate cover having a central hole covered by a tear-off seal to which is secured either a ring or an eyelet. Inside the body is a perforated zinc central tube surrounded by a swansdown bag con-taining calcium magnesium phosphide. Some cotton wool is packed around the tail end of the bag, and a layer of glass wool, is located between the bag and the iron wire gauze. The charcoal is provided to absorb any slight traces of gas which may be given off while the flame float is in store. The tail end of the body comprises the buoyancy chamber of the flame float.

FUNCTIONING:

After dropped into water the float, which has had its rupture disc broken and its tear-off seal removed, rises to the surface and floats, and water enters through the water inlet hole in the nose. The water passes through the perforated zinc tube and soaks through the flannel finger into the swansdown bag, where it reacts with the cal-cium magnesium phoshide to give off spontaneously inflammable phosphine. The phos-phine, so generated, escape through the broken rupture disc and, on contact with air, takes fire.

REMARKS:

(1) Should either of the seals be broken while in store, the damaged flame float must, pending disposal, be removed to a dry place where the possibility of its catching afire is an acceptable risk.

(2) Mk. II: differs from the Mk. I in that a rear seal and tear-off cord are substitu-ted for the tail rupture assembly of the Mk, I. The long perforated tube of the Mk. I is considerably shrotened in the Mk. I.