***Ball Mill Explosion!***

[dagabu]

YES I DO! It's one of those things that sounds like voodoo but Scar Tissue Release Therapy - Massage which is not painful, is not about pressure at all, it is about the shear force that breaks the little tendrils of scar tissue away from the other tissues. I have had extensive STR and have about 90% of my range of motion, not bad for a guy that was 100% burnt with full thickness 3rd degree burns requiring 100% full thickness skin grafts?!

 

Heat and radial massage work wonders, I have a Professional wax bath I would be very happy to send to you with the wax to work with while you recuperate. just pick up the shipping and send it back when you are done with it. It can stay on 24/7, leave it in the bathroom along with the bags I will send as well and dip your hand 5-10 times in the wax, put a bag over your hand (keeps the wax from sticking to towels etc) and wrap up with a thick towel, let it sit for 5 minutes and then reach under the towel and right through the bag and wax, massage the scar areas, not hard, circular motion to move the skin, bend the fingers and thumbs, hold the position as long as you can bear it and do this until the wax is cool.

 

You may want to repeat this several times a day, just for comfort if it starts to hurt. Kids can help massage, even if for a few seconds, let anyone that is willing to help with your therapy. The healing is for you all, not just you.

 

let me know.

[BurritoBandito]

Dagabu, I greatly appreciate your offer, but could not possibly accept. I have access to a wax bath during therapy, and at home I have hot water, and heating pads. I'm glad to know that I'm on the right track with my current heat/massage approach, and to know that you'd be willing to trust your wax bath to me. Thank you.

[Oinikis]

Looks good! I hope you will regain the full potential of your fingers. I think you should build an artificial finger one day. Good luck!

[BurritoBandito]

I would never buy a prosthetic finger for strictly aesthetic purposes, but if I could make my own semi-functional bionic from readily available pieces, I'd be all over it. So far designs I've considered have been arduino controlled servo motor units, which would accept input from either a flex sensor or possibly a myoelectric sensor, if required.

 

Though I think the concept of having an obviously homemade bionic pinky would be cool, it would be unlikely to have any practical uses. Anything that I could make would have latency issues, be weak and lack articulation compared to a real finger, and be cumbersome to wear.

 

To be honest the lack of a pinky doesn't prevent you from doing much. Many things must be done differently, like typing for example. For me, getting my other fingers back to working condition is more important. Perhaps one day, after therapy has shown it's benefits, I'll build a bionic finger for novelty purpose, but that project will have to sit on the back burner for a while.

[Oinikis]

Well, even if you make a bionic pinky with servos and stuff, where would you attach input to control it's joints? I think it be cool to have mulifunctional pinky, with like motorized screwdrivers, lasers, razor blades, dart gun, flashlight, star gun and stuff.

Edited September 13, 2014 by Oinikis

[dagabu]

Well, even if you make a bionic pinky with servos and stuff, where would you attach input to control it's joints? I think it be cool to have mulifunctional pinky, with like motorized screwdrivers, lasers, star guns and stuff.

 

Nowadays, they use a glove with the missing didgets included in the glove part.

[PyrotechnicEngineering]

Haven't spoken to BB on here specifically being a new member but I want to still wish you a speedy recovery and hope all heals well.

 

It's unfortunate moments like this that really bring home the reality for the rest of us who practice this hobby. As you say it can be easy to become complacent when something feels like second nature.

 

I wish you all the best in your recovery

Edited September 13, 2014 by PyrotechnicEngineering

[BurritoBandito]

Thank you, and welcome to APC!

[MrB]

It's unfortunate moments like this that really bring home the reality for the rest of us who practice this hobby. As you say it can be easy to become complacent when something feels like second nature.

I know people who just goes "wont happen to me" and refuses to accept input from other sources. Hell even as i type this the thought crosses my own mind. I KNOW it can happen. Just that it's not likely to happen to me. Lightning wont hit twice and so on.

Reality shows us certain spots are virtual lightning strike magnets, so thats a stupid saying anyway. But just like lightning can strike the same spot over and over, some things we do make us more or less likely candidates for an accident. I think i work safely, but am i really the right person to judge that? Knowing what i know about others, who foolhardy refuse to take input on unsafe methods, is there something that i do that others think is unsafe? (and they are right...)

This is pretty much where my reasoning ends. I don't know the answer.

 

Anyway... BB, glad to hear your making progress. When it comes to artificial limbs, flex sensors that controls the motion would be the way to go, but generally you do that sort of thing for stuff that needs critical grip-strength, and not just to make things look more visually pleasing. Your hand looks fine. (Not to mention that these pictures are the first i can actually stand to look at.)

What does the doc say about the remaining pinky, is it supposed to start behaving at some point, or do they think it's a lost cause?

Needless to say, your spirits are so high it seams, but...

Keep on fighting.

B!

[ddewees]

I grew up with a kid who put his hand in a deli meat slicer when he was three years old. His dad owned a pizza shop (believe it or not, his last name was Pizzarelli), and the kid was up on the counter. His mother tried to pull his hand free, but couldn't. She eventually turned off the machine. Rumor has it, they only sold roast beef sandwiches for the remainder of the day. (Kidding)

 

Anyways, he was left with a thumb... and the meaty part of his hand. He was actually proud of the number of stitches he got... several hundred from what I remember. That kid could do just about everything any other kid could do... much better too. Played baseball even... would catch the ball then remove the glove with his bad arm, then throw... all within seconds. It was quite amazing actually.

 

He eventually went on to play soccer in Europe for some reason... He was exceptional at it.

 

Now I don't even know why I started this reply... strange.

 

Well, it must be that with enough work and effort, people can overcome just about any obstacle. Hell, think of that girl who feeds herself with her feet because she didn't have any arms.

[BurritoBandito]

...What does the doc say about the remaining pinky, is it supposed to start behaving at some point, or do they think it's a lost cause?...

He was very careful not to give opinions on expected mobility for any specific area. He would just give vague generalities like "just keep streching them, and they'll slowly get better". My physical therapist said, conservatively, she would expect the chances of me regaining full mobility to the remaining fingers to be around 50/50, which I believe to be a fancy way of saying "I don't know". I'm sure they don't want to make assumptions, and it's going to really be dependent on how hard I work at rehabilitating it.

[MrB]

Sounds less then encouraging i guess. On the other hand people get told "you'll never walk again" all the time, and end up running in the Olympics. I'm rooting for you.

B!

[dagabu]

He was very careful not to give opinions on expected mobility for any specific area. He would just give vague generalities like "just keep streching them, and they'll slowly get better". My physical therapist said, conservatively, she would expect the chances of me regaining full mobility to the remaining fingers to be around 50/50, which I believe to be a fancy way of saying "I don't know". I'm sure they don't want to make assumptions, and it's going to really be dependent on how hard I work at rehabilitating it.

 

"Liability" reasons are why they are so skeptical on recovery and the point that so many people do NOT do their OT. It's painful, it hurts, why would I make myself hurt? I will guarantee you that you will get at minimum of 90% of your range of motion if you stick with it... but it will hurt like heeeel!

[rogeryermaw]

i feel for those who have tread through this hell...dag...mumbles...bb...untold others...i'm saddened by the pain you have had to endure. but, like the guy on the side of the road swarmed with cops, i thank you for taking the hit so i don't have to. i'd never wish it on you but it happened and i will vow to learn all i can from these incidents. the pain you have all felt is awful and unfortunate but i will improve my use of safety gear and safe procedures thanks to all of you. thank you.

[dagabu]

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_aFUgHABZUG4/RzIBTow8vJI/AAAAAAAABhk/BIMADLN2MEs/s400/Keystone+cops+pile.jpg

[BurritoBandito]

I'll not pretend to have done any good for our hobby. Incidents like mine attract attention to the dangers involved, with both good and bad effects. Sure, there is the possibility for someone to hear about our accidents, and decide to go out and buy some PPE, but there are also plenty of people who will use them as an argument against pyrotechnics... especially of the amateur variety. I apologize to the community, for any detriment to the hobby, arising from the collective mistakes of those of us who have fallen prey to our own lack of caution.

[dagabu]

+1

[rogeryermaw]

parachutes can fail to open. guns can misfire or be misused. electrical projects can fry you. idiot rednecks set their homes on fire frying turkeys. cars kill daily. but they aren't going away. media attention aside, how many people have rethought the use of glass media because of what has been seen here? you can count me because i had seriously considered it. the community notwithstanding, i think you have saved lives. i'm counting mine among them.

[Draco_Americanus]

I am glad to hear that bb is ok after what had happened,

i had left this hobby for a while but after an axident on my quad and fractured my neck. i came to the conclusion that nothing is safe, running from a stray rocket or driving into a ravine ...

a friend of mine allways makes fun of me for using kevlar body armor for some aspects of this hobby. I have only had a little time to skim and forgive me if i missed anything but i have allways slightly dampened the BP with water, does any one else do this?

I dont remeber if i picked that up from here or another web page.

what had caused my pause in this hobby was a house fire (not my fault) but the firemen where very upset when my BP rig exploded as the result of that.

as for what i use as media i think what i use is up for debate but i have been out of the loop but since 2008 i have allways used 440C stainless .50 inch ball bearings mabe by Thomson and have slightly dampened the mix for BP, i have done every thing but fire them from a cannon to see if they spark, BB's accident now has me questioning my priactices?

Please forgive my spelling, i cant find the spell check?

 

[BurritoBandito]

Draco, I've heard of others using the damp mill method, and I'm obviously not the leading authority on ball milling, but I have read that slightly dampened BP is actually more sensitive. The amount of water you add is going to be crucial. Perhaps there is a certain window where there is enough water to prevent the BP from easily igniting, while not being enough to allow it to clump or have KNO3 recrystalization issues. I don't know.

 

As for the SS media, I personally wouldn't use it for anything other than individual chemicals. I can only assume you have a non sparking grade, but the hardness of SS is what would concern me. Granted, I was shaking the jar when it exploded, it just seems like an unnecessary risk. There's no definitive answer for the source of ignition in my accident, but I think most people (myself included) believe it was due to impact. I will only be using lead from here on out.

[MrB]

As far as i know, milling "damp" isn't going to work that well for us. Wet milling should work, but that allows recrystallization. Something a very brief re-milling should take care off, but then were back to dry milling again. Same thing with drying it "in motion".

I guess the "safest" way is to mill half the KNO3 with the charcoal, and half with the sulfur, and then screen it together. It should produce "ok" BP, but not quite as fast if you mill the lot together.

B!

[skid68]

Good to see you are doing well BB. Seeing the way you and Dave carry yourselves after such a horrible accident shows you can overcome anything. Keep up the positive attitude.

 

I grew up with this guy and his brother. His brother was also a lineman who lost his arm and a coworker in an accident. They both have the best attitude towards life after their accidents. You guys all amaze me.

[BurritoBandito]

Life is so short. We've gotta make the best of our time here. Like the No Handed Bandit implied sometimes it takes a little creativity to achieve certain tasks, but not having a pinky doesn't prevent me from doing much. I'm still capable of typing or playing keyboard for example. It's sloppy, but as time progresses I'll adapt more and find new ways of doing things.

 

Edited September 28, 2014 by BurritoBandito

[daniell124]

HI guys im new in this forum and i need to know something i want to make BP and i dont have ball mill so i put all ingredients inside the container and mix it by hand and using steel balls is it safe or not and if not what can replace the steel balls?

[dagabu]

HI guys im new in this forum and i need to know something i want to make BP and i dont have ball mill so i put all ingredients inside the container and mix it by hand and using steel balls is it safe or not and if not what can replace the steel balls?

 

Except for the type of media, that is EXACTLY what BB did and he lost his pinky. So, the answer is a resounding NO!

 

It does not matter what media it is, NEVER shake the container, you need to be away from the mill, it is not a matter of "IF" it will explode/burn/burst/start on fire but a matter of when.