The first time I set myself on fire

[KenP51]

In the thread "A real shop safty hazard!!!" I alluded to catching myself on fire. So after debating and attempting to keep it as clean as possible here's the story of the first time.

Back in the day in my mid teens, Some buddies (so called at the time) and I were trying to start a worn out 35 in my front yard. It was winter and cold. I was using a 1.5v dry cell (they were never fresh). To fuel and prime I am sure the old timers here will remember those old rubber squeeze bulbs. You'd squeeze 'em flat then let them suck fuel up from the fuel can as they re-expanded, and then squeeze the full bulb into the fuel tank. And then you would finger flip start the engine. I am sure you remember all of this, but just setting up the story.

Well much fussing and nothing but a few pops from the engine.

So I decided to prime the engine again. The full bulb was likely half full. I primed the venturi and still no start. So I stuck the fuel bulb tube in the engines exhaust port. Yep the battery was still connected to the engine. I squeezed the bulb followed by a dull POP, my hand went sort of numb. Then it started getting hot. The fuel bulb had exploded, not real loud or real violent, although I later found pieces of it 10 - 20 feet away.

Well as soon as I felt my hand getting hot I waved it. Slick move Sherlock. All the fuel in the bulb was now on my hand and on fire. Oh @#$%; wave hand some more. NOT WORKING, in fact even more fire, and hand is getting hotter and hotter.

Well since waving of the flaming hand is only making things worse I put my hand between my legs, put did not leave it there. Pulled it out and yep waved it again.

About then I noticed my crotch was hot. Yep now I was doubly on fire. So I started slapping at the fire down below. Slap, wave slap, wave. This was serious. and by now it hurt like hell.

So I slap the fire down below even harder. Stupid painful as hell thing to do, but it sort of worked out for me as I ended up slapping so hard I put myself on the ground holding my parts, laying on on my hand and crotch.

The fires were snuffed out.

My buddies (X) were rolling around on the ground laughing. There was a water hose connected up in the front yard, but a course my now X buddies did not use it to put me out. I was so P.O.d I starting kicking and swing at them. They left in hysterical laughter.

And that is the story of the first time I set myself on fire. Yeah about 20 years later I set myself on fire again, my head this time but that is another story.

Just thought you might get a hoot out of it.

Ken

[Larry Fernandez]

what I would give, to see a video clip of that.

Larry, Buttafucco Stunt Team

[Richard Koehler]

Fantastic story, I thought everything had happened to me, but I guess not!

[KenP51]

Yeah video would be real cool and funny. But mid 60s. Doesn't it always seem that way Richard.

But one thing I have never ever even once done since, is leave the battery connected to the plug.

Ken

[john e. holliday]

I am trying to type this with the vision of you on fire.   I am still laughing.   I guess I was lucky in that I had been taught about fire.  During racing and combat, I have had fires flare up.  Even the hair singed off my hands.  Water is the worst thing to use.   A rag or clothing is used to smother the flames.   Just an after thought maybe you could try that again with the wife video taping it.   

[David Hoover]

Ken, what about the second time?

[KenP51]

I am trying to type this with the vision of you on fire.   I am still laughing.   I guess I was lucky in that I had been taught about fire.  During racing and combat, I have had fires flare up.  Even the hair singed off my hands.  Water is the worst thing to use.   A rag or clothing is used to smother the flames.

A cover of some kind is what I always use now.

The last unintentional fire I had was a cooking fire.   My wife was still in rehab from her stroke and both her daughters and my oldest son were staying with me. For super I cooked up two packages of hamburger helper and 2 lbs of hamburger tossed in. I was using a 10" iron skillet. Lets just say it was really full. Naturally the grease over ran and hit the heating element. POOF, and the the skillet was on fire, big column of fire. The first thing I did was say very loudly OH SH_T! That brought the first daughter in. Another OH SH_T!, then the second daughter, OH SH_T!, and then my son, OH SH_T! IT WAS A BLOODY CHORUS OF "OH SHITS"! By then I had put a plate over it and then found a lid, turned the burner off and then a wet towel had had the flames completely out.

I AM NOT VERY FOND OF HAMBURGER HELPER FLAMBE!  

Just an after thought maybe you could try that again with the wife video taping it.    

I read that to her John. She said NO, she could not hold the camera up, she'd be laughing to hard.

Ken

[KenP51]

Ken, what about the second time?

OK David here it is. This time it was in the early 90s in my driveway.

It was the hottest, most humid time I can remember while I lived in the San Diego area, inland about 20 miles, so the ocean never moderated the weather where I lived.

I was working on several projects at the same time. I needed to cut on a steel frame in the drive way. I had to cut some of it down to size . Most of the cuts had to be made kneeling almost under the frame and made in a vertical up direction. I was using an abrasive blade in my circular saw.

I had not yet started cutting just getting set up for it. It was really hot and humid, just nasty. Especially in the sun. So I went into the garage to work on some stuff in there out of the sun. I was cleaning some parts with fuel and kerosene. Then oiling them up real good.  I had ran my hand through my hair a few times. I had obviously left a fair amount of fuel and kerosene in my hair plus oil. I did not care. I was going to get my jobs done and go take a nice cool shower.

I then went out to the driveway were I was already set up to cut. I did wear ear protection and eye protection, but no cap. Just shorts and a light T shirt. You know the shower of hot sparks a circular saw abrasive blade will make going through steel. All those spark showers were going straight up and then coming down on me. My arms were sting like hell. My exposed back of the neck was stinging. Those spark showers are bloody HOT.

Well my head got hot also and was sting from the shower of sparks. Now I am a very stubborn and determined man. Not given to stopping or quitting. So I did not stop or pause. I kept the saw in motion. The faster I could get done the sooner I could go cool off.

Well my head was really getting hot now. Most of the spark shower was coming down on my head.  And then it was like OH HOLLY SH_T! HEAD HOT! DAMN YOUCH!! So now I am using my left hand to try and pat my head. But my head feels like it is burning. Hurting like hell! It was a really old saw that I was using, no blade brake. Took for ever to stop spinning. And because the cuts were so awkward I had wired the blade guard open, so it was not like I could just sit the saw down. I had to hold that thing, not twist the blade because it would shatter and pieces would go ever which way. So I am trying to control and hold this blasted stinking saw while it slows down and pat my head at the same time with my left hand.

It was around that time that the realization sunk into my head that my hair was on fire. I laid the saw down upside down and took off running for the dogs drinking dish. I dumped it over my head and then turned the hose on and and soaked my self.

It was after that that I heard my neighbor across the street laughing hysterically. Yeah he was on the ground rolling around laughing out of control.

So I picked up a rock out of the drive way and threw it across the street at him. And then another. A few of those and he retreated to his own garage. But I could still hear him laughing hysterically in there.

For my troubles I had a bald spot with a heck of a sunburn on it.

Did I ever mention that I HATE FIRE!

Ken

[Kozmo77]

Normally, on a thread like this, I just sit and laugh till the novelty wears off. But I had several thoughts. 1) I would not pit crew for you(as desperately as much as I want to fly again) 2) you are a dangerous man (at least when combustibles are close by). Have you ever burned down a house? BTW just when did you discover that alcohol burns with no visible flame? I did when my buddy's plane started to dissolve in my hands as we were doing a start up.   

[RknRusty]

When I was a kid, my Dad must've thought it would be a great source of pride or something to let me fill his Zippo with Ronsonol. Something every boy should learn to do on the way to becoming a man... without supervision. He apparently told me to do it in the bathroom because that's where the whole thing went down. I was soaking the wick over the sink and some obviously ran down my arm to my elbow. When I deemed it totally saturated and slid it back into the shell, the next step of course was to test it. One flick of the flint and my whole right arm was a beautiful blue halo, and I was hollering and yes, waving and flailing it so hard I could hear the flames roaring. Mom and Dad both came running from different directions and yanked a towel off the rack and smothered my arm. My thin youthful hair was all singed off, but amazingly my arm didn't even sting. I got out of that pretty lucky. I'm not so sure Dad was quite as lucky as I was.
Rusty

[KenP51]

But I had several thoughts. 1) I would not pit crew for you(as desperately as much as I want to fly again) 2) you are a dangerous man (at least when combustibles are close by).

Well I did learn something. I have never made those mistakes again.

Have you ever burned down a house? BTW just when did you discover that alcohol burns with no visible flame? 

Nope never burned down a structure. Never even sit a little bitty fire to one.
I discovered that alcohol burns with no visible flame when I set my hand and crotch on fire. But the oil in fuel does give off a visible smoke although I was way to busy to notice at the time.

Ken

[KenP51]

Rusty I bet your Dad had to sleep on the couch or floor.
Scary stuff
Ken

[Eric Viglione]

Saw this thread title and thought it must be about blue blazers...close but no cigar. 

[john e. holliday]

Ken, I am glad you are still with us tho. 

[Jim Kraft]

I use to have a Yates Dragon with a Madewell 49 on spark. Just about every third time I started it it would make this big BLOOP! sound and the paint would start krinkling up on the side of the fuse. I was using alky fuel. I never saw the flame in the bright sun light.

[john e. holliday]

Now you know why Indy cars hose the cars down after a pit stop.   Many a driver and crew man burn with alcohol flames.