Dont get complacent

[austar]

Well I have been messing around with pyro for yrs, but I have been out of it for some time. Only recantly getting back in into it. With a perfect safety record so, but I got complacent. I was drying some black powder outside, I went out to test it for dryness. It seemed ok so I got a few frains to do a burn test, I moved some distance away and lit it (this was by far the hottest fastest powder i have ever made) after testing I moved back to my drying rack, not realizing that my little gas jet lighter hadnt extinguished properly, I bent down to pick up my rack with the lighter in my hand, when all of a sudden whoosh, I was in a burning hell, jumping bavk in shock and incredible pain I rushed inside and into the shower. I ended up in hospital for the night on large doses of morphine with burns on my left leg from ankle to groin left hand is one huge blister, right arm from wrist to arm pit red and blistered, left side of my face has patches of raw flesh, blistered with no eye brows or eye lashes,my left eye has some minor damage as well butbi should recover full sight, much of my hair burnt as well.

Moral of the story is to never get complacent no matter what.

Edited October 30, 2016 by austar

[pyrokid]

Sorry to hear of the accident! Get well!

[austar]

Thanks mate, it will take many weeks to heal at least i think, but i learnt a hard lesson but learnt it well.

But i can tell you this, that was damn fast hot blackpowder, my best yet by far. Now i am going to have to do it all over again, but with more caution this time lol

[NeighborJ]

Ouch, I'm feeling your pain. I've also had a mishap, but not pyro related and spent 3 weeks in the burn unit.

I'm surprised you are already thinking of your next test, I was traumatized and couldn't bear to even lite a torch for months. Not an ideal situation for a pipefitter/welder.

I'm sure you will heal up nicely any come out of it with a new found respect for fire.

[dagabu]

austar, I completely understand your pain and recovery. The good news is that 2nd degree burns often leave little if any scaring if treated properly. Do exactly what they tell you to do and watch out fro infection! Even a small sign and you should get assistance.

 

Hang in there buddy, you will be OK.

[MadMat]

Sorry to hear about your accident. I know all too well how much burns like that can hurt. Take care of yourself and heal up!

[Richtee]

Not to bust yer balls or anything, and wish for a fast recovery...but your powder test video also showed a lapse of safety... with the different samples of powder so close and no divider between them. Hence the third sample ignited whit #2's ignition.

 

Just an observation...

 

Heal up fast. I have had powder burns. Yeah they sting like Hell.

[mikeee]

Austar,

 

Take care, and watch your healing process closely, infection is your biggest risk right now.

Keep everything clean and sterile to the best of your ability.

A little prevention over the next few weeks will save you in the long run.

If you see any swelling or redness after you start to heal have it looked at quickly.

Stock up on antibiotics and put them to use if any signs of infection show up during your recovery.

[a_bab]

Ouch that must hurt ! Have a speedy recovery.

What was the amount that went off in your face?

[austar]

It was under a 100grams luckly, i only do 150g test batches, i always put some meal aside and do meal burn tests. Edited October 31, 2016 by austar

[Sparx88]

Damn man that's harsh. Knock on wood. Hey, glad to hear your not scared off by this. Already talking about a re-do while laying down burnt is quite inspirational! No disrespect intended.

[greenlight]

Ouch, sorry to hear, burns are the worst.

One way to think of it would be at least you didn't lose fingers or other body parts like some accidents were you don't ever heal.

At least it hasn't deterred you 😎

[austar]

Thanks guys, i have already made up a fresh batch of meal, I may attempt to rice it in the next couple of days , if my hands allow me, thats a big if tho.

I am determined to get at least a few shots off at new years......

[alwayslearning]

Glad to hear you are healing well and that you still have the spark. If you don't mind me asking, what is that hot damn powder?

[austar]

My powder was nothing unusual, just a standard bp mix 75/15/10 but that mix was useing very cheap pine pallets for the charcoal. I am now experimenting with pawlina but am unsure what makes the faster bp for me at this time.

[alwayslearning]

Not into trying diff charcoals yet. Was curious about milling and such. They say ball milled bp is stronger due to better mixing. If so, would a few extra screenings serve about the same purpose? The mix I'm using is fine but less bp for lift and mcrh means more shells in the air. I'm using a skylighter bp kit so not real sure about the charcoal. May have to look into that.

[austar]

Willow, pawlina and vine seem to be yhe most popular. In australia buying yhe charcoal can be an expensive exercise. But its an easy exercise to make your own.

I tried screening and useing red gum when i first got back into it not long ago. But quickly came to the conclusion that ball milling was the only way to go. I still dont have a proper ball mill or media. For media i am useing stainless steel nuts, but my mill does turn at approximately 90rpm. It has made a world of difference.

[NeighborJ]

It is entirely possible to make serviceable BP without a ball mill, but it will usually require pressing and corning. That said, the screen mixed powder will never be able to come close to the 3 component milling process used to make truly hot BP with a few exceptions. The ball mill is a pyros friend and without one, it will severely limit what you are able to accomplish.

[alwayslearning]

I read something the other day about pressing and corning. If I can find it again, I saved it somewhere. Was trying not to buy a ball mill yet. Like I said, the bp I use now is ok for the small shells I'm playing with right now but I guess I'll be buying one soon.

[austar]

Really fadt powder isn't always ideal for larger shells either. My experience is faster powder is better for smaller shells. But in saying that, there are many here with a great deal more experience than me.

[Mumbles]

In my opinion you can not make good, hot BP with out a ball mill. You don't necessarily need to mill all 3 components together, but you still need a means of grinding everything to an impalpable powder. It is possible to make hot BP by screening, but you first need to finely powder everything. A ball mill is not the only way to do this, but it is by far the cheapest. Coffee grinders, blenders, mortars and pestles, etc. just don't cut it. You'd need something like a hammer mill to achieve the same level of pulverizing.

[August]

Type of charcoal is next variable. ERC or paulownia for fast and powerful, pine is good for producing sparks, commercial hardwood charcoal like skylighter has is good for primes and slow burning powder.

[austar]

But here is another varible, different pines

Eg. A resinous fragrant building pine to the pine used in really cheap pallets