I will let y'all have a chuckle at my expense. I had machined some copper sheets and I put them on a wood board to clean them before they went into the reflow oven. Right when I was about to solder reflow them, I noticed the acetone I used to clean them must have dissolved some sap or goo on the wooden board and it was stuck to the copper. I noticed right as they were about to go into the oven. So I grab the bottle of acetone and a couple sheets of paper towels, and soak the towel and start rubbing the board, checking it, and putting them in the oven. Yeah I know you can see where its going So the paper towel got hot and it just spontaneously ignited. My instant reaction was to sort of toss it, and it ended up in the oven - no biggie, but it was a big rag and was getting soot all over the inside of my nice clean oven. So, I opened the vent door, took a deep breath and figured I would blow that sucker out. Well, I blew in, and since its a small enclosed area, the air had nowhere to go, so it blew back out too. Only the air coming out was a mixture of acetone vapor and air, and a massive fireball engulfed my head and face. I recoiled and grabbed a nearby screwdriver, fished out the paper towel and put it on the floor and stamped it out. Then I noticed the distinct smell of burning hair. I am scruffy today and I hadnt shaved in 4 days, and I have a goatee normally. Well, I went to the bathroom and it wasnt pretty. Eyebrows - mostly gone Eyelashes - mostly gone Goatee - hair is burnt into little balls and stuck to my face Neck - unshaved hair is mostly gone Lips - stinging like a SOB Cheeks - rosy red like I was out on a crisp winter morning The worst parts is how bad my lips sting and I can tell the outer layer of skin is dead. The other bad thing is my eyelashes are mostly burned and the hairs are shriveled up so every time I blink my upper and lower lashes interlock and stick to one another - like I have eye boogers that wont go away. On the plus side, nobody saw it happen, so my dignity was preserved.
Glad you're OK Mike! Being able to tell the story and laugh about it is one of the better outcomes! I have a friend who had a flare-up happen to him and it flash-burned one of his eye-brows off, so he shaved both eyebrows off as he thought it looked wierd. That looked even wierder, but we got used to it. Though you can imagine the ribbing he got from us . He wore sunglasses for a month or two also until he got some more even growth back.
I think we need pics to better demonstrate the story here.. I've got one of myself doing a ballet pose in the middle of a bar (in my profile) so it can't get much worse!
When I was in college I worked for a company that repaired pressure washers, air compressors and generators. I had just finished putting a new motor on an electric air compressor when I decided I should probably check the motor out to make sure it was operating correctly (the last one I installed had been damaged in shipping and blew up while I left it running and walked off). I decided to leave the engine cover off while testing so I could make sure the cooling fan was spinning. Yeah, anyway... It was too close to the bench for me to bend over and see the fan, and too loud to tell if the fan was spinning. I therefore got the bright idea to put my hand in front of the fan to see if there was any suction at all. Did you know they can basically glue your finger back on these days?
When I was a kid, I was accused of setting a fire I really didn't set... Not one to disappoint, I started a long affair with fire and have burned myself on more than one occasion... I can certainly feel your pain... Maybe consulting a doctor would be the best thing in this case - especially since your eyelashes are gone... I hope you're okay...
I know from experience that some who are around dangerous equipment get used to it and not as careful as we should be which is how accidents can happen. A guy I used that owned a tire change service for many years lost his hand changing a tire on a forklift when a hydraulic jack gave out, he sold the business afterwards.
When I was in the 6th grade, I wanted to see how big of a fireball a bucket with gasoline would make. So I filled it about half way (probably around 20 oz). Well when I went to light it, I was stupid enough to put my head over the bucket, so a fireball shot up, burned off all of my eye lashes and eyebrows. Kids in school were not too sympathetic...
3 days ago I was looking at a beam in a building, that was developing some mold due to a prior roof leak. I mixed bleach and water 50/50 and put it in a fertilizer sprayer and went at it. Then I decided to spray directly overhead. I started to think that it would really burn if this stuff ever got into my eye and>>>>> Yep. Gravity took it straight into my eyeball. If you ever wonder how bleach mixed with fertilizer feels, its not too pleasant...actually, burns more when you go to flush it.... The elctrician was evry sympathetic...and pointed out that he would never do what I "just done." Gee, thanks...
Glad to hear you're OK. I worked with a guy that was building "potato guns" for a while. He was diagnosing a problem with an ignitor, the gun was already charged (but not loaded) and wouldn't fire, so he looked down the barrel and clicked the ignitor. Of course, it worked that time. Lost his eyebrows and most of his hair.
Thanks for the concerns - I dont have any pics and today I look much better. After using a nail brush to clean my eyebrows, they aren't totally gone, just much shorter and thinner than before I rubbed the stuff off my eyelashes and I can blink OK now. Shaving this morning was a "treat". Quite painful but at least i look mostly normal now. I set my beard trimmer on the shortest setting and trimmed my goatee and only parts of it look sizzled. My lips still sting though and I made the mistake of microwaving some ramen noodles around lunchtime - don't try to drink hot liquids when your lips are burned, you'll see why if you ever try it!
Mike...........Sorry to hear about your misfortune.....but at the same time..... Image Unavailable, Please Login
Just be happy you lived to tell the tale, otherwise it may have been... Image Unavailable, Please Login
