Son of a.... gun! Burned myself! [Archive]

ghh3rd

01-24-2009, 09:26 PM

Sort of hard to type right now... putting ice pack on and off my hand in orfer to type, and took some Oxycodone .

I decided that this evening was the time to try my first bullet casting. I pumped up my coleman backpack stove which puts lots of BTUs out and should do the job. I haven't used it in a couple of years. After it was going for a couple of minutes, I loosened the pump to pump it a few more times and gas spewed onto my hand and arm and I was a torch! After waving it around a couple of times I realized that wouldn't put it out and sandwitched it between my body and arm and coat.

Looks like three fingers above the fingernail will be blistering, as they are all wrinkly, as well as the web of my hand between index finger and thumb.

Lessons learned: check out my equipment that's been sitting for a couple of years, and wear gloves right from the beginning of the lead melting process.

It will be even more painful than I anticipated shooting my new S&W 642 for the first time tomorrow :-(

Randy

Heavy lead

01-24-2009, 09:40 PM

Dude, you might want to be getting to the docs, for sure take care of it, burns can mean instant infection. Hope you heal well.

KY_Camper

01-24-2009, 09:50 PM

Heavy lead is right. Burns can be very serious and yours sounds like a bad one.

The Dove

01-24-2009, 10:03 PM

You know what to do amigo!

The Dove

tenexx

01-24-2009, 10:06 PM

monadnock#5

01-24-2009, 10:10 PM

Bobby Burns said it, "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry". I'll "assume" that you've already seen the doc or you wouldn't be on the pain meds. You don't need me to tell you what the doc would say about shooting the 642. It's time to relax and take it easy.

acemedic13

01-24-2009, 10:13 PM

Worked a long time in a burn unit. I would reccommend that you dont self treat a burn. Silvadene is great...after debredeing. Fluid loss/shifts, nerve damage, minor infection turns to celluitis, better get it squared away. Joel

briang

01-24-2009, 11:04 PM

Reminds me of the time the race car backfired while I was working on the carb. 2nd degree burns all over my forearms and the tip of my nose, how the rest of my face didn't get burned I don't know. Its been about a year and I still have scars and bald spots.. As the others have said, get your self to the doctors if you haven't already.

MT Gianni

01-24-2009, 11:10 PM

Ouch, Hope that you heal fast. My single burner coleman is very sensitive to filling correctly. There are issues when filling over 2/3 full but not to that extent. Gianni

jdgabbard

01-24-2009, 11:26 PM

I don't know if you can buy Silver Sulfazide cream (trade name Flamazine) across the counter in Pharmacy's in FL but is will be useful to help healing.

As has been stated before, get all lead burns treated.

Like Acemedic said. Silvadene would be better, Silver Sulfadiazine, and it helps out mucho.

I got drunk while floating down the river a couple of years back.... Lets just say the sun did a job on me that looked like someone took a cutting torch to my shoulders. Blisters 8x6x1.5 in size.... Doc prescribed me 1600gm of the stuff. (To my knowledge it DOES take a prescription. At least in Oklahoma.) Blisters went away after about a week and a half. I would go to the doctor.

PS: Acemedic, been a while since I had it done to me. What is that stuff the military treats blisters with? You know, where the drain the fluid out and put in that black tar like stuff that burns like the pits of hades.

lunicy

01-25-2009, 12:04 AM

ouch. I always end up getting a blister when casting. I always grab or rub something I'm not supposed to.
(nothing serious luckily)

I always said that's gods way of making me pay for ammo. :-D

monadnock#5

01-25-2009, 12:13 AM

ouch. I always end up getting a blister when casting. I always grab or rub something I'm not supposed to.
(nothing serious luckily)

I always said that's gods way of making me pay for ammo. :-D

Another good reason to water quench. The bucket of water I have at my side has been turned into a first aid tool on more than one occasion.

jdgabbard

01-25-2009, 12:15 AM

Another good reason to water quench. The bucket of water I have at my side has been turned into a first aid tool on more than one occasion.

Yeah but fear of lead mountain erupting has kept me from it.

dk17hmr

01-25-2009, 12:20 AM

monadnock#5

01-25-2009, 12:57 AM

Yeah but fear of lead mountain erupting has kept me from it.

My pot is about 5' off the ground. Quench bucket sits on a milk crate 2' high and 2-1/2' away from the bench. I'm not too good at figuring angle, azimuth, trajectory and kinetic energy potential. As long as I have my ball cap and safety glasses on though, I'll stick with the quench/first aid bucket. I do have to put a slit square of cloth over the bucket, secured with a bungee cord. I don't think I need it, but my thought processes don't fire in sequence occasionally. Good coverage, cheap insurance.

ghh3rd

01-25-2009, 01:05 AM

I decided to press on, and repaired the stove although my hand hurt like a #@$#!!! Fortunately the blisters are all on the top of my fingers and webs, so I may still be able to shoot tomorrow :-) . I just posted a picture of my first ever bullets:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=44327

Randy

HeavyMetal

01-25-2009, 01:22 AM

ghh3rd:
I have used propane to heat my alloy when I was making small runs of a special boolit. I mostly use an electric pot for casting the big runs and a propane plumbers furnace for smelting.

Gasoline and "white" gas just scare the snot out of me. I believe you've just experienced why!

I hope you got to a med center and got this burn looked at I won't repeat how ugly a fuel burn can get. Consider yourself blessed you got the gas "smothered" as quick as you did!

The Coleman camp stove's are used by a lot of casters but I'm thinking a lot of guys, including yourself, are rethinking that camp stove thing right about now!

Being careful is the one thing I must keep reminding myself about. I've been loading, casting and shooting for the better part of 40 plus years and I'm as guilty of taking safety for granted as the next guy!

Then a reminder comes along that our hobby, mundane and safely done most of the time, can become dangerous and deadly in less than a nanosecond!

Plan ahead, be careful and heal quickly! I'm also looking forward to pic's of your first cast boolits.

Joe Bob

01-25-2009, 01:24 AM

Like Acemedic said. Silvadene would be better, Silver Sulfadiazine, and it helps out mucho.

I got drunk while floating down the river a couple of years back.... Lets just say the sun did a job on me that looked like someone took a cutting torch to my shoulders. Blisters 8x6x1.5 in size.... Doc prescribed me 1600gm of the stuff. (To my knowledge it DOES take a prescription. At least in Oklahoma.) Blisters went away after about a week and a half. I would go to the doctor.

PS: Acemedic, been a while since I had it done to me. What is that stuff the military treats blisters with? You know, where the drain the fluid out and put in that black tar like stuff that burns like the pits of hades.

jd...What you're talking about is "Tincture of Benzoine". Some liked to call it "Tuff Skin". I don't know who came up with the idea to put it on drained blisters, but he/she was a real *******. It didn't do anything to help treat the blister, it only caused extreme pain to the soldier. Open air is better than most anything I ever found to help heal bad blistering. Not talking about 3rd degree burns. Just talking blisters. Ever hear of the Niemegan March? I speak from 24 years as both an Airborne Infantryman and also a Medic in the Airborne Infantry. JB

ghh3rd

01-25-2009, 01:37 AM

Heavy Metal - an electric bottom pour melting pot is on my wish list, and has now become a priority. My eleven year old son wants to pour some now, but I think he'll have to wait until I get a safer setup.

Now if only I don't blow myself up using my currently unpacked loading press and accessories. Perhaps I'll be able to find out tomorrow -- stay tuned...

By the way, if I can get the loader set up soon tomorrow, I'd like to make the first rounds fired through the new S&W 642 .38 snub that I picked up this afternoon the bullets that I cast tonight.

Randy

Bret4207

01-25-2009, 10:06 AM

I would be interested in hearing what caused the fuel to jet out the pump There's supposed to be a valve that prevents that. I have to assume it's faulty in your stove. You might considier getting a replacement pump assy.

I've used Coleman gasoline appliances for decades without incident, knock wood. Hope you heal up fast.

LiquidLead

01-26-2009, 05:17 AM

Another good reason to water quench. The bucket of water I have at my side has been turned into a first aid tool on more than one occasion.

Agreed about the water bucket. Even if I don't quench, I keep cold water on hand for burns. If you can get it in the water fast enough, it can lessen the burn. Plus ice water is pretty good at knocking down the pain from a burn.

Bret4207

01-26-2009, 08:05 AM

I have a 3lb can of "Udder Butter" we used of the cows. Good stuff on burns, cuts, etc. Honey is also good on a burn after it cools.

supv26

01-26-2009, 09:29 AM

Like everyone else said best get it checked out. Burns arent any fun if they get infected.

I burned myself pretty bad a few years ago, from the tip of my middle finger to half way up my bicep on my left arm. My right bicep, throat, eyebrows, eye lashes, and my beard, luckly I had a beard I think it would have been much worse if I didnt. A wood stove flashed on me, I had 1st, 2nd, and some small 3rd degree burns....I dont even have any real scars....this happend a week or so before my 21st b-day so the picture on my drivers license is a good reminder

They gave me something at the hosptial that made me higher than a kite. This was taken right after I got home and the drugs kicked in.:-D
http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f208/dk17hmr/Image002-1.jpg

Hey dude!!! I like that license plate collection! I am working on a collection right now.

Oh, and I had back surgery a few years ago and they sent me home from the hospital with some good stuff!!! Hydro something-or-other as I can't recall the name but it sure was some "groovey stuff man"!!!!! Nothing like takin' a little trip and not even leavin' the farm!!!!

bbs70

01-26-2009, 09:53 AM

The hydro you mentioned would probably be hydrocodone a generic name for vicadin.
Good stuff for pain.
The doc gave me some for a shoulder injury I have, works pretty good.
Don't take anymore than I have too, too afraid I might like it too much.:-D

dk17hmr

01-26-2009, 11:22 AM

I got a bottle of vicadin also, never opened it. Than again I dont take asprin or anything else for that mater.
I dont remember what it was that they gave me at the hospital but it was a shot in the butt. The doctor said I needed it because it will help for the pain, I didnt think I did beacsue I wasnt in any pain. After they gave me the shot he said it will be about 10 minutes for it to kick in, after 10 minutes he comes back and asked how the pain level was, "its the same ZERO as it was before the shot" he said well will give it another 10 minutes. Whatever they gave me took about 45 minutes to kick in and it wasnt until I was on the way home when it started kickin. I wasnt ever in any real pain just uncomfortable when I was sleeping...the worse part for me was the nurse said I couldnt work or go outside for a few days, because of infection.

bobk

01-26-2009, 02:55 PM

briang,
Those chokeless setups get nasty when you whack them when they're cold. I used to carry an old towel behind the seat when I went downtown. Got tired of singeing my t-shirts.:-D

Bob K

cohutt

01-27-2009, 08:23 PM

Let your guard down for a second and you pay. I have some silver sufadiazine left over from my lapse last fall.

Lead in the shoe, shame on you!

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/cohutt/footburnhistory1copy.gif

cohutt

01-27-2009, 08:26 PM

The pic above has been shrunken by the forum formatting so here is a more up close and personal one to burn into you brains so you don't burn it into your foot like i did.

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/cohutt/burns/footburn921b.jpg

ghh3rd

01-29-2009, 07:16 PM

Cohutt - were you barefooted when that happened?!

cohutt

01-29-2009, 09:48 PM

Regular shoes, Merrels.

Explosion threw a dolop under the tongues against the top of my ankle and one in the instep of the shoe, right behind the lace eyelet.

The damage comes when it is held against your skin, even through a sock.

top burn and shoe :

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/cohutt/burns/footburn921d.jpg

http://i107.photobucket.com/albums/m284/cohutt/burns/footburn004.jpg

I'd smelted almost 2 tons without incident then let my guard down after i'd finished a small one in september.

docone31

01-29-2009, 09:53 PM

Wowser,
Lead is like steam to an extent. Steam condensate can really dig in. Lead sticks.
It can really hurt.
Good reminder to excercise caution.

The Dove

01-29-2009, 09:53 PM

Dadgumit! These pics of burns should let all of us know ***reek we're in for when we mess with the hot stuff.... Take note folks, young and old!!!

The Dove

trooperdan

01-30-2009, 12:39 AM

j Ever hear of the Niemegan March? I speak from 24 years as both an Airborne Infantryman and also a Medic in the Airborne Infantry. JB

Job Bob, I did the 100 miles in 4 days at Niimegan in 1976! I did 15-25 miles a day 5 days a wekk for three months getting ready for it... I was in considerably better "shape" back then! :)

A cannot imagine putting Tuff Skin on a blister!

pps

01-30-2009, 12:51 AM

Cohut, I got a burn like that on my left foot that went through my tennis shoes on my 3rd casting session. It matches the burn on my left hand from having some of the metal slide down my welding glove while arc welding when I was in high school. Burns really SUCK.