OT....Blasting caps

1950whiteC · Feb 26, 2011

I have discovered some very old Dynamite blasting caps in a tool chest. These are brass or copper, about 2" long and about 1/4" in dia. They came in a small tin boxwith all the warnings and lables of what is inside. They look like a burning fuse type and I don't think my grandfather ever used electric detonators to touch off Dynamite.

My question is are these dangerous? I believe they are from around 1920-1930. How should I dispose of these? How should they be handled?

old popper · Feb 26, 2011

If it were me I would call EOD. Unless you have fingers/hands or arms you are willing to part with, do not repeat DO NOT touch those caps. One mans opinion.

Anonymous-0 · Feb 26, 2011

Dude,

I stood behind that guy that day one went off in his hand.

He was really messed up. Instant hamburger!! a real gusher too.

730 virgil · Feb 26, 2011

call local law enforcement office sounds like you need the bomb squad

Anonymous-0 · Feb 26, 2011

I agree with Old Popper. I was a certified blaster at work, we did a recertification every two years. Part of that was watching a video series of demos when a blasting cap goes off in a "dummies" hand. It isn't pretty.

RayP(MI) · Feb 26, 2011

Look like .22 rimfire cartridges without the bullets? Probably are caps. Used a lot of 'em in the '50s when we were blasting rocks and stumps on the farm. If they're that old, they may be rather risky. Call your local law enforcement. Have them dispose of them for you. 'Course they'll go into panic mode, so be prepared.

Anonymous-0 · Feb 26, 2011

Dude!

Anonymous-0 · Feb 26, 2011

Iff'n you're scared, take a pair of fireplace log tongs, and pick up the box, set it on a fence post outta the way, and call the police. If you ain't scared, Take 'em out of the box, separately, and dispose of by either calling the police, or dropping into a closed, burning wood stove, one at a time. There is no reason to be scared, UNLESS IT LOOKS LIKE THE BOX HAS BEEN WET!

ohiojim · Feb 26, 2011

drop in a wood burner ?????? are you daft ???

toadady · Feb 26, 2011

so just dropping them into a bucket of water won't render them useless?

David G · Feb 26, 2011

My dad had a box in his estate. The county engineer took care of them without lights and sirens.

Anonymous-0 · Feb 26, 2011

I was with a Seabee outfit on Calicoan Island in the Phillipines in 1945 and I found some elec blasting caps. The Filipinos used these to fish with. There was a guy that wanted some of them but he wanted a demo. I placed the cap under a large rock and unrolled the two wires and got behind a tree. I touched the two wires to a flashlight battery one to the pos. and one to neg. After waiting a while the guy kept getting closer and closer to the rock. The cap exploded just as he got to it. He yelled, you killed me Joe. I never saw this guy again and I don't know how badly he was hurt. Beware of these caps!

JMS/.MN · Feb 26, 2011

You could ask my one-handed neighbor about mishandling CAPS. Regarding the wet box- that applies to dynamite- caps are different- not as touchy, but still dangerous. A cap has enough power to send a helmet 25 feet into the air. One of the good teaching moments in the Army demolitions course.

Jon Hagen · Feb 26, 2011

Ah yes, old blasting caps. At a young age (8 maybe ?) I found this little wood cabinet in a corner of our old garage. Inside was a box of old blasting caps and a tin can of black powder.

One day I got the bright idea to try exploding one of those old caps by laying it on the shop anvil and hit it with a two pound hammer.
Worked good, the cap exploded with a bang, my face stung. Probibly very luck I wore glasses from a young age, as I have been blind in one eye since 5 years old.
Bits of that metal cap worked their way to the surface of my face like acne for the next 10 years.

DeltaRed · Feb 26, 2011

A local kid(17 yrs)was fishing with dynamite...lost his right arm to the elbow.This man just turned 70.the best onearmed welder you ever saw!BE CAREFUL!

MPK · Feb 26, 2011

Take them to someone that uses them or a place to dispose of them. I had some and was ready to take them to a contractor but thought I would save some time, so instead I put them in a fire in a big wood stove that was made out of an old pressure tank, a few at a time. Some went off late, as I was putting more in and I lost three fingers instantly.

WA-Hal · Feb 27, 2011

I did the same darn thing with a .22 shell when I was about 7. The little pieces of brass shrapnel hit me in the belly, and I had slivers work to the surface for a long time. It didn't really hurt that bad, but was very loud.

The neighbor came running over and I got into a lot of trouble over it. I didn't bleed much, and my parents didn't ever get me checked out by a doctor. We were really poor at that time.

I hadn't thought of that for years! Kids do dumb stuff...

Anonymous-0 · Feb 27, 2011

You don't wanna be "THAT GUY"........

Call someone and have them picked up.

Dave

MarkB_MI · Feb 27, 2011

I seem to recall that the fuse type blasting caps aren't as dangerous as the electric ones, but eighty year-old blasting caps can't be very safe under any conditions. Your local fire department should be able to dispose of them.

Dieselrider · Feb 27, 2011

I would have loved to have several of those when I was digging out bunches of stumps from some pasture here. Sigh

Billy NY · Feb 27, 2011

The tin is probably a collectors item to keep, but certainly take no chances and safely dispose of what is inside, meaning get someone who is qualified to handle them and has protective gear etc. local police, fire dept. or whomever handles old ordnance, explosives etc.

samnel l bontregger · Feb 27, 2011

go fishing
or use to start essex tri directional

Mel in SW Iowa · Feb 27, 2011

I just checked with a good friend of mine who served in Army EOD. According to him, it is now a federal offense to be in possession of explosives, so when they are discovered, the discovery should be reported to local law or risk prosecution if someone else reports it or stumbles on them. He told me that even with his experience, he would inform local law and ask them to dispose of them. Both electric and non-electric caps were available in several strengths, the military caps were #6 caps the strongest. No caps or explosives that old are
in any way predictable. They might be unstable enough to explode next time you slam the door on your shop. Old unstable explosives have killed or maimed many trained people.

OT....Blasting caps

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