Grinding volcanic ash into the paint & glass

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Tue 27 Apr 2010 16:28
Grinding volcanic ash into the paint & glass - oilrag

I noticed a car covered in it last week. The rear wiper had been deployed and there was a clear arc you could see through.

There was little on our cars just South of Leeds - although I kept them rinsed off with a hose - in particular the glass areas.

How much `fallout` did you see in your area?

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Tue 27 Apr 2010 20:08
Grinding volcanic ash into the paint & glass - johnny

Not too bad in Southampton, I've seen it worse from the southerly air masses which brings Sahara dust with themt. Nice downpour Sunday morning cleared the majority though.

Is it fine enough to act as a cutting agent :-)

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Tue 27 Apr 2010 23:33
Grinding volcanic ash into the paint & glass - Avant

Not much here in Berks. either, and it's hard to distinguish it from the normal pollen, dust etc, which afflicts the Skoda (left out overnight) and not the others that are in the garage.

But - to avoid risk, use plenty of water when cleaning the car as I'm told that the ash is indeed fine enough to do permanent damage by being rubbed in if done by just dusting.

Edited by Avant on 27/04/2010 at 23:33

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Wed 28 Apr 2010 08:22
Grinding volcanic ash into the paint & glass - oilrag

I was in Amsterdam in 1980 and met an American who had with him a sample of the volcanic ash from the then recent Mt St Helens eruption.

He showed me it in a glass jar - funny I thought to carry that over to Europe - and even stranger that he wanted me to rub it between my fingers.

It was a revelation doing so - and he gave a broad grin at my reaction.

It was as fine as talc - but the most abrasive substance I have ever encountered and I could feel it abrading my skin.

The impression I had at the time was that it would go straight through a cars air filter before finally blocking it and would ruin any car driven through it.

In the immediate vicinity of an eruption, where it is inches deep on the ground, that is.

That said, It would be interesting to have a microscopic study of oil and oil filters - plus the oil - of a car that put a high mileage in during the recent eruption.

Edited by oilrag on 28/04/2010 at 08:33

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Wed 28 Apr 2010 09:49
Grinding volcanic ash into the paint & glass - veryoldbear

Nothing out of the ordinary here in Oxfordshire. I chucked a few buckets of water over the car at the weekend just to remove such little dust as there was (real or imagined)

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Wed 28 Apr 2010 10:33
Grinding volcanic ash into the paint & glass - mike hannon
Definitely had something down here (SW France) last week that wasn't pollen. It was only for a couple of days but it was a fine white powder that I've never seen before.
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Wed 28 Apr 2010 13:38
Grinding volcanic ash into the paint & glass - Glaikit Wee Scunner {P}

Been a couple of minor falls in NE Derbyshire and I've sluiced them away before using the wipers. Not noticeable on the paint though.

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