• Scam Alert. Members are reminded to NOT send money to buy anything. Don't buy things remote and have it shipped - go get it yourself, pay in person, and take your equipment with you. Scammers have burned people on this forum. Urgency, secrecy, excuses, selling for friend, newish members, FUD, are RED FLAGS. A video conference call is not adequate assurance. Face to face interactions are required. Please report suspicions to the forum admins. Stay Safe - anyone can get scammed.

Stupid things I have done

DPittman

DPittman

Ultra Member
Maybe there might be the odd person that might avoid the same mistake by reading about my stupid moment.

For many, many years I would warm up a paint spray can by placing it in between the louvers of my overhead furnace. I had done this many times. My garage is kept just above freezing at all times unless I'm working in it and consequently the paint starts off each morning quite cool. When spray paint is cool it does not spray nearly as nice as when it is at least room temperature (or even a bit more:eek:). So on a regular basis I would warm a spray can up just a bit before spraying, despite knowing that overheating a spray bomb would well, result in a bomb.
The LAST time I did this, I was not so lucky as previous times. I knew I was getting a bit distracted while I was heating the spray can but it was just a few minutes. I never timed the event I just sort of gauged it by how warm the can felt. This last time I grabbed the can down from the furnace and it felt hot. I got the can to my thigh area in my hand and proceeded to give it a shake. I had maybe made one full shake motion when suddenly there was such an enormous blast of sound and pressure and black mist around me followed by the spray can and pieces ricocheting around my shop. The blast was like a shotgun blast and I felt the can whiz by my face. I was shaking and could hardly believe what just had happened. I looked at my hand and it was covered in black spray paint along with everything in the area also. When I gathered up the pieces I could see that the bottom of the can blew out while I was holding it causing the can to be a rocket projectile that zoomed past my head and it smashed into the drywall ceiling and bounced off a few other things before coming to a rest. I wasn't sure what damage was done yet, I felt myself and examined myself as I figured I should be bleeding somewhere. Nope I seemed intact amazingly enough. Still shaking like a leaf I went into the house to clean up the paint on my hand and then I noticed the cuff of my shop coat was ripped open just from the blast of the can while I held it in my hand.

I have the exploded can hanging in my shop as reminder. I often tell my 12 year old son not to just think about what is LIKELY to happen, but rather what COULD happen and if he is OK with the possibilities. I hope he's smarter than his old man.
20220215_085819.jpg20220215_092409.jpg20220215_091337.jpg
 
Last edited:
Not gonna lie, I've done my share of stupid too but I've chosen to warm up my spray cans at the bottom of a bucket of hot tap water. I figure at least the water will absorb a lot of the blast if things go south.
Glad you're ok but you should probably change your shorts, too.
 
Glad nothing serious happened besides a bruised ego.

Thank you for sharing as is a strong reminder of shop safety and the foolish mistakes we all make and should knowingly avoid.

Cheers,
 
Need to add spray paint cans to horse shoes and grenades. Dam, maybe want to get lotto ticket too.
Lucky, lucky.
Sometimes good planning does not explaine why I am still here!
 
Last edited:
Doggggboy said:
Not gonna lie, I've done my share of stupid too but I've chosen to warm up my spray cans at the bottom of a bucket of hot tap water. I figure at least the water will absorb a lot of the blast if things go south.
Glad you're ok but you should probably change your shorts, too.
Click to expand...
Ya that's a much better plan. Yes my shorts just about had the seams blown out of them too as bad as the coat cuff.
 
It's part of the male genetic makeup to push the envelope and I think anyone who hasn't done something dumb is lying.

Glad to see you made it thru intact.
 
Yikes. Looks like you escaped relatively unscathed. Except for a shirt and some undies.

Yes we've all done dumb stuff. I have a long list, and no I'm not typing them out. :D
 
On a side note, I've learned something today by my post. My camera flips the image when I take a selfish apparently. The picture of the blown apart cuff appears as it is on my right hand. It was not my right hand as you can see my ring on my left hand in the other picture. Who knew? I certainly did not.

It took me awhile to figure this out. I've never claimed to be a fast learner but I do eventually learn.
 
140mower said:
.......ummmm, in this day and age I don't think a "Black face" costume is particularly politically correct even in the Halloween season :rolleyes: Fortunately, we are politics free around here.:p
Glad you are okay, that could have gone far worse....
Click to expand...
It sure is tempting, and would be right in line with other things:D
 
Great post Don. I suppose the heat pushed up the pressure to close to the breaking point and then shaking knocked the bottom off. Then it was a rocket! Thanks for sharing that.

I also like how you called a selfie a selfish which I think is pretty good typo!
 
Janger said:
Great post Don. I suppose the heat pushed up the pressure to close to the breaking point and then shaking knocked the bottom off. Then it was a rocket! Thanks for sharing that.

I also like how you called a selfie a selfish which I think is pretty good typo!
Click to expand...
Oh man my auto correct on my phone seldom works the way I want it to.
 
Tincup said:
Never had a disaster on this, but how many of us would use the tiger torch to warm the propane bottle when the flame would slow due to to LPG being too cold to produce gas?
Click to expand...
Only those of us who grew up with Dads who lit straw bales on fire under the propane tank in the winter to keep the furnace going because the Wheat Board cheque was late.
 
I didnt do this but a similar stupidity story just the same.
Four of us running cat's in the winter time on a dam site ( we were clearing the bush off to clear the site). Hot lunches in the winter time are easy for a catskinner, just crack a can of soup or beans and place it on the engine manifold/turbo for a minute then open the rest of the way and enjoy.
There was one very green operator in our crew and he had watched us do our lunches up this way for a couple days so he decided to do it himself....but he neglected to open the can a smidge for a pressure relief vent...that can went off like a cannon under that hood , spreading beans onto every nook & cranny of that cat. You could smell burnt beans for weeks whenever that machine was working close to you.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top