Stories.........Let's get it started.

[triggerman]

A few years ago I had to repair a 2" copper line on a building air conditioning system. We found the leak in a chase between the third and fourth floors. In order to make the repair, I was standing on the top of the third floor wall with my left foot, the right was just hanging out in the air of the chase. I had my left arm wrapped around the support for the pipe and held a mirror in my left hand to see the hole that had been rubbed in the copper. I had my turbotorch handle in my right hand pointed kinda back toward my face while my partner held the tank off the floor so the hose would reach where I was working. And (the best part) I had to hold the stick of SilPhos in my teeth.

Not something I care to repeat.

How bout your story?

Trig

[wb5jhy]

Please say you at least had a safety harness on! I don't think anyone here can top that one. That's why no other posts.

[2112]

Well, once, in metals class at school. We were making shafts for c clamps, and this deranged guy we all call bouboule came up to me with his shaft, still scorching hot from the lathe and sticked it on my arm. Now I have a 2" x 1/2" scar on my arm that won't go away. Believe me! I'v had my revenge!

[HMW]

I was grinding a slot wider in a tractor steering arm that was still attached to the tractor on one end. I was holding the other. My gloves were on the bench not on my hands and I now have 10 stitches to show for it. The grinder caught and went up my thumb. I'm 42 years old and have been welding since I was 12 in my fathers shop. Still do dumb things though. Believe this. I didn't want to get my gloves dirty. The part I was working on was really greasey. Next time I'll ruin the gloves first. Feels better paying for new gloves than the stitches do

[aametalmaster]

Dumb # 1. Here's a funny one but don't tell anyone. I have a 3 story house that had a dumb waiter between all the floors. It had been removed but the shaft (hole) was still there. My upstairs bathtub drain sprung a leak so i climbed up the shaft standing on some cleats that were nailed to the wall and with an 18" Rigid pipe wrench i proceded to work on the line. YUP cleats came loose and guess what, i went about 30 mph all the way to the celler, pipe wrench right behind me. My wife about wet her pants when she saw me go by the open door. WOW what a ride i don't care to repeat...Bob
Dumb #2. The blizzard of 1977. My buddy buried his 1949 English Ford in the street, no problem i will get out and push. I got behind the car and proceded to push him free, the car caught some traction and up the hill WE went. He stopped at the next Stop sign and i was standing there, knowing that i can't run that fast he asked how i got there. My coat got hooked on his rear bumper guard and away we went. Those were the days. Can't tell #3 ...Bob

[Lu47Dan]

That was some winter !!!!! Dan

[Bert]

2112
I want to hear your revenge story!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Blackbird455]

Dumb things, oh yeah,

Once I tried to make a solid rocket propellant. I think I was about 18 or so.
I had a few different grades of pistol and rifle powder laying around, so I mixed them and refined them with a mortar and pestile. I needed something to bind it together so that I could pour it into a form, and I found something great, Testors model cement. I knew the stuff was flammable and flexible so it was perfect. I mixed and mixed and mixed until I had a consistent gray color throughout. I poured it into a 6" x 1" piece of metal condiut and inserted a .25" rod to make a burn hole. I gave it a day to set up. I'll get to the good part, I lit the fuse and got behind a steel door.......good thing I did.....the 3/8 X 24" x 8' plate of steel that was holding it to the concrete got bowed and thrown 10 feet. The concrete slab was cracked and missing some of itself.

I'm not much of a chemist, but there I was mixing three or four different nitro-celluloses (the IMR and Hercules powders) with a tolulene based glue.

Trinitrotoluene is more commonly known as TNT, don't know how close I got, IF I even got close to making it, but the power of that blast knocked me stupid through that door. I'll never do that again. I'm going to rely on ESTES to make all of my rocket motors from now on.

[bullet280]

Dumb - Drank 3-4 week old coffee with mold, cig butts, and shop dust for $40 bucks (6 months on the job, 19 yrs old). Caused a series of about 5-6 guys watching to puke. The first guy ralphed, then 2nd and so on. It didn't phase me. But it was pretty stupid!

Dumber - Out in the feild and ran out of acetylene for my torch. Out of frustration I grabbed some 7018 rods cranked the heat up on the machine and made my cut. Then realized I used all my rods so I couldn't weld had to go back to town anyway.

Dumbest - I have a scar on my belly and pecker because on my 3rd day at the welding shop I stood at the end of a pipe and cut it with a torch. You guessed it. Fire ran down the pipe and down my pants. (about 20 years ago)

[bvweld]

Dumb things, oh yeah,

Once I tried to make a solid rocket propellant. I think I was about 18 or so.
I had a few different grades of pistol and rifle powder laying around, so I mixed them and refined them with a mortar and pestile. I needed something to bind it together so that I could pour it into a form, and I found something great, Testors model cement. I knew the stuff was flammable and flexible so it was perfect. I mixed and mixed and mixed until I had a consistent gray color throughout. I poured it into a 6" x 1" piece of metal condiut and inserted a .25" rod to make a burn hole. I gave it a day to set up. I'll get to the good part, I lit the fuse and got behind a steel door.......good thing I did.....the 3/8 X 24" x 8' plate of steel that was holding it to the concrete got bowed and thrown 10 feet. The concrete slab was cracked and missing some of itself.

I'm not much of a chemist, but there I was mixing three or four different nitro-celluloses (the IMR and Hercules powders) with a tolulene based glue.

Trinitrotoluene is more commonly known as TNT, don't know how close I got, IF I even got close to making it, but the power of that blast knocked me stupid through that door. I'll never do that again. I'm going to rely on ESTES to make all of my rocket motors from now on.

That story reminds me of my younger brother 20+ years ago when he and his buddy decided to take a solid propellant model engine apart and light it. One held the can and the other lit it. When the smoke cleared it singed their eyelashes and eyebrows and some of their hair off. All the day before senior pictures in High School. The look on the faces when they got on the bus was priceless His nickname was ET......... For about a month