Accidents that you should not have survived

[Ubehage]

I think it could be fun to share the stories some of us have about mishaps or accidents that we really should not have gotten away with.

The times where luck and "What The Fuck" is the only thing that saved us.

 

I go first:

As a young and stupid man, I was playing with powerful firecrackers.

One time, a firecracker exploded in my hand. I had a ringing tone in my ears for almost a month, and my hand hurt like HELL for 3-4 days.

Other than that, nothing really happened. I had a few burnt areas on my hand, but no deeper damage.

 

And about a year ago, I had 2 pounds of BP ignite right up in my face.

In this event, I was saved by the BP being fairly wet. It burned slowly enough for me to react.

I got away with messed up hair and a burning sensation in the face.

[zan89]

How did it ignite?

[Ubehage]

How did it ignite?

It was heated by an electric heating-pan. I was trying to dry it faster...

[memo]

christ man , what were you thinking ?

 

memo

[Ubehage]

christ man , what were you thinking ?

 

memo

Hard to say.. I wasn't thinking enough. But it drove me to find out the exact ignition-temperature of BP, so something good came out of it

[memo]

do you have a dry box yet ? sounds like you should be building one if you dont.

 

memo

[zan89]

Huh, dont know to laugh or what

[Ubehage]

do you have a dry box yet ? sounds like you should be building one if you dont.

 

memo

Sort of. I got a shitty one, made of cardboard boxes. Just something that "works right now"..

I need it to get me through new years, and then I will think about a more permanent solution when spring comes.

[memo]

plywood is your friend, i built mine out of 3/4 inch and it can hold 7 screens that are 60 x 90 cm. and a nice ceramic heater dries stuff BDQ. i have never filled it up yet

[OldMarine]

plywood is your friend, i built mine out of 3/4 inch and it can hold 7 screens that are 60 x 90 cm. and a nice ceramic heater dries stuff BDQ. i have never filled it up yet

One of those little fan forced heaters? I imagine if the heater is outside blowing in the risk is miniscule. I need to look into this.

Thanks for handing me another project!

[Ubehage]

One of those little fan forced heaters? I imagine if the heater is outside blowing in the risk is miniscule. I need to look into this.

Thanks for handing me another project!

Get a ceramic heating fan. I got mine, recommended by Ned Gorski.

It doesn't spark when it turns on and off.

[nater]

I was skiing at a little hill in the Midwest. Since it is so flat, the only real challenges are GS racing and the terrain parks.

 

I hit a 12' tabletop jump too hard and overshot the gap for the landing. While in the air, I had enough hang time to realize it was really going to hurt when I landed.

 

I hit flat groud on my feet, the snow is packed almost as hard as ice. The tails of my skis cracked and I bounced and fell backwards. I hit the back of my head pretty hard on the ice as I came to a stop. A ski patoller said I was out for a few moments.

 

At the time, I had just finished Basic EMT training, but had not received my license yet. I was working as a bartender and had to write down people's orders because I couldn't remember what beer to pour by the time I got a frosted mug out. When all was said and done, I lucked out with a good concussion. I have had minor issues with my hands trembling and occasional nystagmus since. I also have a small knot on the back of my head that never went away.

 

This wasn't my first concussion, and I have not had one since. I wear a helmet now whenever I do something with the risk of a head injury. I don't want to end up at a vent farm eating through a tube.

[OblivionFall]

I think it could be fun to share the stories some of us have about mishaps or accidents that we really should not have gotten away with.

The times where luck and "What The Fuck" is the only thing that saved us.

 

I go first:

As a young and stupid man, I was playing with powerful firecrackers.

One time, a firecracker exploded in my hand. I had a ringing tone in my ears for almost a month, and my hand hurt like HELL for 3-4 days.

Other than that, nothing really happened. I had a few burnt areas on my hand, but no deeper damage.

 

And about a year ago, I had 2 pounds of BP ignite right up in my face.

In this event, I was saved by the BP being fairly wet. It burned slowly enough for me to react.

I got away with messed up hair and a burning sensation in the face.

It's funny how that will work. Sometimes firecrackers blow your hand clean off and sometimes they make your hands numb.

 

Do you ever hear a high pitched ring sound when it's really quiet at night?

[Ubehage]

It's funny how that will work. Sometimes firecrackers blow your hand clean off and sometimes they make your hands numb.

 

Do you ever hear a high pitched ring sound when it's really quiet at night?

No. Fortune was with me that day

[nater]

I have had some hearing loss. Between too many loud concerts, working around roller coaster trains, in a factory, sirens, helicopters, fireworks and a couple close calls salutes, my ears have taken a beating. I get a hearing test as part of my annual physical to monitor my loss. My ears do ring quite a bit, I have difficulty focusing on sounds like people talking in loud or crowded rooms and I cannot hear high pitched noises very well. Again, it is lifestyle choices more so than just pyro, but still hearing loss.

[calebkessinger]

My ears ring ALL the time. Sounds like the cicadas' are calling all day every day. Too many guns.. cannons, and FIREWORKS!

[OblivionFall]

No. Fortune was with me that day

You're very lucky dude. Back when I made the worst decision of my life (get ready to read something that will make your head hurt):

 

When I was 13 I bought 3 estes model rocket engines from the store. Shitty engines $3 each. I had two inches of fuse that I had left over from a bottle rocket.

I thought it would be cool to light the fuse and throw the rocket into the air and have it fly all over the place. I wondered "just fuse alone won't ignite the rocket, I need some powder that will ensure that it ignites!"

 

I could have used BP from one of the rockets but no, I took cap gun ammo (the red rings) and started removing the armstrong's mixture from that. I filled the little nozzle of the rocket with the armstrong's mix. I cut out an end disc the right diameter and used wood glue to put it on.

 

But wait! There is no hole for the fuse! (This is where it gets retarded) So I figured ok, I'll just poke a hole in the disc for a hole! I took a pair of scissors, and, twisting and pressing I started to make a little hole in the disc.

 

All of the sudden BANG the armstrong's mix ignited. There was a great puff of smoke, I was disorientated and my hands were numb. My dad came rushing out to see what had happened.

 

My ears rang for about three days, I got a big blood blister on my left hand which was actually about an inch away from the end of the rocket and facing away from it. Funny how that works. Imagine how much worse it would have been if the rocket had ignited from the armstrong's mix.

 

 

So that's how I got tinnitus. It will never go away, but it's ok cause it's not that bad and I can live with it. That's why I wear ear plugs to concerts and especially when doing pyro. Care for your ears or never hear the most relaxing sound in the world ever again - silence.

[stix]

I've got a couple of good (or bad) stories. Which one would you like to hear about?

 

Perhaps the thread could have been named "Confessions of the amateur pyrotechnist". Fortunately no-one was ever hurt in one of my bedtime stories, but that was more by pure luck, than design.

 

These days we have this forum and other resources, so there is no excuse for failure or outright stupidity - isn't he?

Edited November 15, 2015 by stix

[ddewees]

I had a pile of what I thought was star bits, but in reality, it was 90 percent just chunks of prime. At the time, I was using a piece of EMT pipe (metal electrical tubing) as a star gun, so I decided to dump all the "star bits" into the tube and make a nice mine.

 

It didn't turn out like I had expected...

 

One problem was I had way more "star bits" than I thought I had, so the tube was almost entirely filled.

 

 

So... I walked 5 feet to the end of my driveway (at the time, I lived in a very densely populated subdivision) and lit it... turned around, and slowly walked back to the garage. About 5 seconds later, I couldn't hear anything, and my back felt all wet. My wife came running out of the shower... and I was somewhat confused.

 

 

Turns out, prime inside a metal tube makes a nice pipe bomb. I had secured the metal tube to a 2x4, and fortunately, the only thing that hit me in the back was a chunk of wood. It still drew a lot of blood out of my back, but nothing too serious. The next day, I found the tube, and one piece was basically the entire tube opened up flat... but I also found another piece in my neighbors driveway (about 45 feet away) that looked like a knife blade. It was sharp to a point on both ends, about the full length of the pipe, and wider in the center. I think it was about 12 inches long... so it would have made quite an impression embedded into my torso.

 

 

So... don't do that.

 

Edit:

 

Hey! I found a picture of the aftermath...

 

Before:

 

http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o588/SaltLakeAreaPyros/bad1_zps9vgfuzg6.png

 

After:

 

http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o588/SaltLakeAreaPyros/bad2_zpsry6bcvlz.png

Edited November 15, 2015 by ddewees

[OldMarine]

I had a pile of what I thought was star bits, but in reality, it was 90 percent just chunks of prime. At the time, I was using a piece of EMT pipe (metal electrical tubing) as a star gun, so I decided to dump all the "star bits" into the tube and make a nice mine.

 

It didn't turn out like I had expected...

 

One problem was I had way more "star bits" than I thought I had, so the tube was almost entirely filled.

 

 

So... I walked 5 feet to the end of my driveway (at the time, I lived in a very densely populated subdivision) and lit it... turned around, and slowly walked back to the garage. About 5 seconds later, I couldn't hear anything, and my back felt all wet. My wife came running out of the shower... and I was somewhat confused.

 

 

Turns out, prime inside a metal tube makes a nice pipe bomb. I had secured the metal tube to a 2x4, and fortunately, the only thing that hit me in the back was a chunk of wood. It still drew a lot of blood out of my back, but nothing too serious. The next day, I found the tube, and one piece was basically the entire tube opened up flat... but I also found another piece in my neighbors driveway (about 45 feet away) that looked like a knife blade. It was sharp to a point on both ends, about the full length of the pipe, and wider in the center. I think it was about 12 inches long... so it would have made quite an impression embedded into my torso.

 

 

So... don't do that.

 

Edit:

 

Hey! I found a picture of the aftermath...

 

Before:

 

http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o588/SaltLakeAreaPyros/bad1_zps9vgfuzg6.png

 

After:

 

http://i1149.photobucket.com/albums/o588/SaltLakeAreaPyros/bad2_zpsry6bcvlz.png

 

What is the proper way to dispose of unidentified compositions? I don't have room to dig a grenade disposal pit!

My safety notebook is the filling fast.

[dynomike1]

My ears ring ALL the time. Sounds like the cicadas' are calling all day every day. Too many guns.. cannons, and FIREWORKS!

Meee tooo

[Nessalco]

I've had a number of near misses over the years. Probably the closest I've ever come to real damage was on a caving trip, when a friend and I were touring an ER doctor through a cave to give him an idea of the conditions, so we might be able to call on him in a future emergency. We were in a wet, muddy cave with some vertical exposure, and some breakdown (loose rock in piles). Everything went smoothly until we were getting ready to exit the cave.

 

The exit was a tight squeeze at the top of a 20' climb in a debris-filled crevice. It was important that the doc went out the right hole, which was not obvious - so I climbed up behind him and made sure he got going the right way, and managed to get out safely. I was standing on a shelf of rock, which suddenly broke free as I turned to climb back down to retrieve gear. That boulder, which probably weighed half a ton, plus a lot of smaller stuff, slammed down that crevice to the floor of the cave - with me riding the top like a surfer. I took a bit of a tumble but nothing worse than a few bruises - I was wearing a helmet and other safety gear.

 

Had that boulder broken loose when the doctor stood on it (with me below) I would have been flattened.

 

The other close calls all relate to felling trees with a chainsaw. I've only been hit once, but I've come wayyyy too close way too many times.

 

Kevin

[nater]

What is the proper way to dispose of unidentified compositions? I don't have room to dig a grenade disposal pit!

My safety notebook is the filling fast.

1. You shouldn't have unidentified comps. Label everything you make so you don't forget what it is.

 

2. If I need to dispose of a comp, I usually put it in a loose pile on a piece of paper and ignite it from a safe distance with an e-match. Obviously make sure you do this in a safe place without high risk for field fires.

[gregh]

Back in high school, a bunch of us were helping one of our friends family clear some foliage from the back of their property. It was an extremely hot day with no breeze at all. We had made a huge pile down in a gully and then decided we wanted to burn it. Well with it being freshly cut and still green, it was not going to burn. Having at least a little collective common sense, we decided that gasoline was too dangerous because of it's low flash point and grabbed the 2 gallon can of kerosene. Similar to charcoal lighter, it has a high flash point and is relatively hard to light, we figured we were in good shape. The pile was doused with the entire can. One guy had a lighter and set to trying to light it up. Well, his lighter wouldn't work. We then went to our cars and searched for one with no luck. So we all went in his house to find some form of fire. His mom gave us a grill lighter, but insisted we drink some lemonade or tea before we went back out since it was so hot. We finally make it back to the burn pile about 25 minutes after soaking it with the kerosene. We then had the royal rumble death match to determine who would get to light it, because everyone wanted to and there was only 1 lighter. Yours truly was lucky enough to be the last man standing. Here's where the story gets good!

A little more info first... Yes, kerosene has a higher flash point than gasoline, but it also has more energy per unit of mass than gasoline. (why its used as jet fuel) We took all the "safeness" away by letting it sit out in the sun for 30 minutes. It all evaporated and the heavy gas all stayed down in the low area because there was no breeze.

I remember leaning in and hearing the click of the lighter and then, what seemed like slow motion, a rolling ball of fire spreading from the tip of the lighter.

I opened my eyes to see everybody standing over me. In a panic and in shock, I jumped up and ran to their pool. Much like Ricky Bobby, I thought I was on fire. The chlorinated pool water wasn't much fun either. The blast, which was heard about a mile away, blew me back about 30 feet. Luckily for me, I had a ball cap and glasses on, which saved my eyes. I had a concussion and 2nd degree burns on my arms and face. (still can't grow beard in some spots) With that being said, I think I got very lucky, it could have been much worse. Everyone else escaped with just singed hair and an awesome story about their idiot friend Greg...

[OblivionFall]

Back in high school, a bunch of us were helping one of our friends family clear some foliage from the back of their property. It was an extremely hot day with no breeze at all. We had made a huge pile down in a gully and then decided we wanted to burn it. Well with it being freshly cut and still green, it was not going to burn. Having at least a little collective common sense, we decided that gasoline was too dangerous because of it's low flash point and grabbed the 2 gallon can of kerosene. Similar to charcoal lighter, it has a high flash point and is relatively hard to light, we figured we were in good shape. The pile was doused with the entire can. One guy had a lighter and set to trying to light it up. Well, his lighter wouldn't work. We then went to our cars and searched for one with no luck. So we all went in his house to find some form of fire. His mom gave us a grill lighter, but insisted we drink some lemonade or tea before we went back out since it was so hot. We finally make it back to the burn pile about 25 minutes after soaking it with the kerosene. We then had the royal rumble death match to determine who would get to light it, because everyone wanted to and there was only 1 lighter. Yours truly was lucky enough to be the last man standing. Here's where the story gets good!

A little more info first... Yes, kerosene has a higher flash point than gasoline, but it also has more energy per unit of mass than gasoline. (why its used as jet fuel) We took all the "safeness" away by letting it sit out in the sun for 30 minutes. It all evaporated and the heavy gas all stayed down in the low area because there was no breeze.

I remember leaning in and hearing the click of the lighter and then, what seemed like slow motion, a rolling ball of fire spreading from the tip of the lighter.

I opened my eyes to see everybody standing over me. In a panic and in shock, I jumped up and ran to their pool. Much like Ricky Bobby, I thought I was on fire. The chlorinated pool water wasn't much fun either. The blast, which was heard about a mile away, blew me back about 30 feet. Luckily for me, I had a ball cap and glasses on, which saved my eyes. I had a concussion and 2nd degree burns on my arms and face. (still can't grow beard in some spots) With that being said, I think I got very lucky, it could have been much worse. Everyone else escaped with just singed hair and an awesome story about their idiot friend Greg...

Wait how does that work? You get thrown 30 feet away from an explosion and survived???