Rocket Man

[Protowrxs 111]

Just an interesting little story...

 

Tonight I was welding up holes in the engine bay and modifying the ill fitting EFI export brace. As usual I always double check things around the area to make sure I haven't left a plastic gas can or other combustionable around where I'm welding. Learned the hard way after setting a bag of recycle plastic afire across the garage once.

 

Anyhow, welded up the brace on one side and was grinding down the weld when I heard a pop and a woosh. WTF? Looked over and I see this flame spraying at from the shelf above my work bench about five or six feet away.

 

Took a second or two but I realized what it was and moved back out of the way just about the time it popped again this time shooting towards me.

 

Seems I had left an Estes rocket laying on the shelf with an engine in it facing towards the car. We were going to launch it but it's been way too windy around here. Apparently a spark from the grinder managed to make it's way into the tiny hole in the motor and ignited it letting it run it's course shooting the engine out when the final report fired.

 

Just call me Rocket Man I guess... lol

 

Seems you never can be safe enough I guess.

 

-Stephen

[muhtalicbloo 10]

holy crap...you got lucky that thing didn't do any damage....i bet it scared ya when it happened and you laughed about it afterwards...crap like that always happens to me

[bnickel 10,004]

Just an interesting little story...

 

Tonight I was welding up holes in the engine bay and modifying the ill fitting EFI export brace. As usual I always double check things around the area to make sure I haven't left a plastic gas can or other combustionable around where I'm welding. Learned the hard way after setting a bag of recycle plastic afire across the garage once.

 

Anyhow, welded up the brace on one side and was grinding down the weld when I heard a pop and a woosh. WTF? Looked over and I see this flame spraying at from the shelf above my work bench about five or six feet away.

 

Took a second or two but I realized what it was and moved back out of the way just about the time it popped again this time shooting towards me.

 

Seems I had left an Estes rocket laying on the shelf with an engine in it facing towards the car. We were going to launch it but it's been way too windy around here. Apparently a spark from the grinder managed to make it's way into the tiny hole in the motor and ignited it letting it run it's course shooting the engine out when the final report fired.

 

Just call me Rocket Man I guess... lol

 

Seems you never can be safe enough I guess.

 

-Stephen

 

damn, did ya have to change your shorts? i sure would have had to

[Protowrxs 111]

damn, did ya have to change your shorts? i sure would have had to

Heh... pretty much. At first I had no idea what was going on and then I realized what it was and remembered how it ends with a pop. At least it didn't take off around the garage which I guess would have been worse. It just got stuck on the shelve and spit fire at me.

 

BTW - I cleaned up the shelf to make sure there isn't a repeat.. lol

 

-Stephen