Your Fireworks Mishaps & Mayhem

[FATCAT]

Staying on the 4th of July theme, I remember the time when I was a kid and took a trip from NJ to Florida. When passing through "South of the Boarder" I purchased over $100 of fireworks, and in 1978 that was a lot of stuff!!

This led to a very exciting summer for my friends and me blowing up everything we could get our hands on ... army men, G. I. Joe on his final mission, frogs, etc..... M80's were especially fun when puting one under a bucket and then standing on top of the bucket.

Oh yeah, there were a few fingers burnt by a few firecrackers, but that was about it. When you think about it, man we were lucky to survive half the stuff we did as kids.



So ... what stories do you guys have??????

 

[The patriot]

I miss the M-80's too...

Cant get them anymore, can ya? I'd love to get some.

I know a place that sells "the equivelent of 1/8 stick of TNT" but I'm not in a very rural neighborhood anymore (last year it's been booming with construction) and it's probibally not legal here anyway.



Eric

 

[Champane Flight]

Out house.

When I was just a pup my father worked at a coal mine. Well my fathers boss had four sticks of TNT that were getting a little old and had to be disposed of. What better way than a fourth of july fireworks show!His boss lived out in the boonies and had just built his new home,the old home had no toilet and an old out house sufficed for years. It was about an 1/8 of a mile away from his new backyard and an eyesore(as good as excuse as any).



Well the night of the fourth my dad,his boss,and the blaster from the mine headed out to setup the big fireworks show. They had been nipping on the old bottle most of the afternoon. My dad later told me the dynamite man was a little more drunk than the rest. He set the fuses and told my dad and there boss it was a 10 minute delay. They lit the fuses and closed the outhouse door,walked away toward the house. They had only got about halfway when BOOM! The guys had some serious splinters in their backsides,not to mention not being the most fragrant!They did'nt figure that it would empty the honey hole also!Needless to say the bosses wife was just a little ticked at him... ... ..... The cleanup could have been a superfund site... ... .

 

[WOWZY]

Back in the 70's me and my cousin found an old box of M-80's hidden in our Grandfathers country store. We took them back on the farm and blew up anything that we could. Even killed some fish in one of our ponds.



A few months later we found an old case of Red smoke bombs. We talked about how it was unfortunate that they didn't have all the different color smoke bombs way back then like we have today. We took them back behind the house to light 'em up and thought since they were only smoke bombs and only one color, we'd try to make the best of it having fun with them.



We were behind the house and I grabbed one and told my cousin that they were bigger than the regular smoke bombs of today and that they should put out alot of smoke. I held it in my hand and my cousin lit the fuse. The fuse was the waterproof type like the M-80's, but only longer. I stood there holding it watching the fuse burn down and then thought that since it was big that it might get too hot and burn my hand. I then pitched it over toward a stump. Then there was this Earth shattering KABOOOOM!!



Ladies and Gentlemen, that was the closest that i have been to losing an arm and the first time that I was informerly introduced to the well known Cherry Bomb!

 

[JR2]

Well boys if you know a commerical fisherman in Alaska and he is in a giving mood he will give you a case of what we call "seal bombs". They are 1/4 stick of tnt with waterproof fuses and they are loud. I mean lound like thunder. They blow the hell out of everything. Lots of fun.....



The fishermen use them to keep/scare seals away from their salmon nets.....

 

[Skydiver]

Most bang for the buck

Disclaimer:If ya blow ya-self up I ain't RESPONSIBLE.

Save your plastic bottles with screw on lids. Drill a 1/8 inch hole in the center of the lid. Then glue 2 inches of green DYNO fuse in the hole. I use hot glue gun. With the top being ready, take your oxygen&accetyline( NO FIRE ) just set the oxygen and gas then squirt about 3 to 5 seconds into the plastic jugs and quickly screw the tops on.

Do not do this if you have people living within 100 yards of you.

When you lite it give your self about 25 yards safety zone. Be careful.

MODERATIRS delete this topic if you fill the need.

 

[WOWZY]

WaterWorks:



No fire involved



Fill a 20 oz. Pepsi or like plastic bottle half full of water. Put in a thumb size piece of dry-ice, put the cap on quickly and by all means throw it like it like it was a lit stick of dynamite.



Have fun

 

[SlyBones]

The biggest I saw up at the 'Native American' reservation was something the guy said was about 3/4 stick on tnt. It was about a foot long and 3-4 inches around. Fuse coming out the center. Looked like an M-80 only a bizillion times larger. Didnt buy it, too much money.



Our favorites were arial bombs. They are like round m-80 about the size of a tennis ball, get shot up in the air like a mortar and then explode. Any you think they are loud on the ground, get them about 100 feet up in the air.



One time I think we woke up the entire town of Cle Elum lighting one of those off the top of the coal piles.

 

[Champane Flight]

Oh yea!

Diver,That is fun. Had a buddy who did this. His shop teacher taught him how,with a small amount like a sandwich bag. He was showing us with a BREADSACK! Put a cigarette on the end of a broomstick to lite it. He looked like a cartoon caracter afterwards and coundn,t hear for 24 hours after. So if you try this use small bottles!

 

[Doc Tinker]

You guys are funny



I have a variation to Skydiver's bottle bomb. We used to do this to unsuspecting co-workers and even the boss once.



Using an antifreeze jug, drill hole in cap to fit a spark plug's threads. Screw the sparkplug, with a ground wire inserted, into the hole. Fill jug with oxy/accetalyne and quickly screw on the cap/plug gizmo. Now pop a plug wire on your buddies car and plug in the jug. Remember to ground the ground wire real good. When he starts the car, It'll go BOOM!



Unless you can make a good air tight fit on the spark plug, you need to set up the jug shortly before your buddy uses the car.



Don't do this to someone who carries a gun, or one who's got a weak heart.



Doc

 

[Doc Tinker]

When I was sixteen, I managed to con my dad into letting me take the car to go out with my buddies. One of my pals had just returned from a family trip to Kentucky and had brought back a big bag of ladyfingers, M-80s and cherrybombs.



We went out chucking firecrackers all over town and after scaring old ladies for an hour, we decided to move to the next town and see what fun we could scare up there. On the way to the neighboring town I stopped at an intersection and burned rubber pulling away from the corner. It's kind of hard to do that with a slant-6 Dart but loose gravel on the road made it possible.



Immediatly the blue lights were flashing. Yeah, there was a county deputy right behind me, when I stopped at that intersection. Dumb me didn't even notice! Anyway. . I managed to throw gravel all over the cruiser and the officer was pissed off plenty. While he was getting out of the cruiser, my buddy was busting a--, cramming those firecrackers into the glove box. Firecrackers were illegal in Michigan and we didn't want to add those to our legal woes.



The deputy came up to my door and told me to get out and sit in his car. A little while later he came and got in with me and proceeded to ream me out. He told me he was goona take me to jail, rip my head off, use me for target practice and a few other choice activities that were intended to scare the crap out of me. And I was quaking! After about fifteen minutes of hollering, he told me to get out and hope that I never see him again, 'cause if I did he'd be taking me to jail.



I got out, ran back to my car, jumped in and left out of there, nice and easy. Hoping not to tick him off any more.



After we got out of there, my buddy said the cop shined his flashlight all over the car. He beamed the light on the glovebox door and there were firecracker fuses hanging out all around it. My buddy said it was all he could do, not to jump out of the car and run off into the woods.



For some reason that officer decided not to bust us that night. Maybe he remembered having a similar experience and decided we were just boys, enjoying a nice summer night.



Doc

 

[SlyBones]

Another one is calcuim-carbide (?) and water. Makes accetyline gas. Its what the miners used in miners lamps. You can find it at the hardware stores.



We used to have a cannon. Made from PVC pipe. Started out 3-4 inches at the bottom and reduced in size as it went up. The top was the same size as a pringels can. the very bottom has a 90 elbo with a cap. and a frame. About 5 feet long.



Insert pringels can at top. Open cap, insert water, insert crystals, close cap, wait 10-15 seconds and light with a long stick and the killer ear protection placed firmly on head.



Watch er fly. Watch every light in every house for blocks come on.

 

[QRTRHRS]

Guy died the other day when what ever he was lighting blew up. Must a had a half stick? Don't try that at home.

 

[JSchooley]

I grew up in S. Calif. only fireworks were from TiaJuana and not too good. We did the carbide thing on tin cans and split a few of them right down the seams.



One summer I visited S. Dak. My cousin and I were amazed at all the fireworks. We had never dreamed of setting of a whole pack of crackers at one time. We gathered all the duds we could find and collected the powder in a used fountain case which we nested with another a little larger. When we got about 1 1/2 inches of powder it was time to leave and we set it off (we planned on filling it to the top).



I am suprised we didn't break some windows. It buried the wood base flush with the pavement. I think my ears are still ringing today.