I couldn't believe this when I read it...

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/04/04/paperweight.explosion.ap/index.html

I couldn't believe this when I read it...

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/04/04/paperweight.explosion.ap/index.html
We use to get these little drops of glass from one science supply company. Stuff had a long "tail" on teh drop and evednetly was very rapidly cooled. One
"snip" on the tail and the whole thing whent to fragments.

So on a guess, that paper weight was "hardened" but never "tempered" (haven't a clue what glass blower terms they use).

Gee, it's a good thing that grenade was found by a responsible adult and not some kid who would get hurt ...

Gee, it's a good thing that grenade was found by a responsible adult and not some kid who would get hurt ...


Now you have me wondering if you could induce that kind of internal stress after the object is made.

So on a guess, that paper weight was "hardened" but never "tempered" (haven't a clue what glass blower terms they use).


I'm confused, aren't they talking about a 40 mm shell, as in military ordnance? When I first read the article, I was laughing that someone would honestly think to themselves "hmmm, let me use this high explosive round, which I haven't verified whether or not it's live, to smash this cockroach" Now I'm confused and seeing an image of a 40mm M203 round that's been sculpted out of glass......

Ken

sounds like someone found a poor use for a 40mm grenade round. AZ223, sad thing is I believe it.

First responder should have said, "There ya go, not thinkin' again"...

UnCruel, sometimes we protect those stupid kids so much they survive to grow up to be stupid adults. I say let Darwinian selection do it's job. Stop protecting the weak and let them out of the gene pool when they want out.

If that was a 40mm grenade wouldn't it have killed him at that range unless it was only the detanator?

If that was a 40mm grenade wouldn't it have killed him at that range unless it was only the detanator?

You never know, especially with something that old what its gonna do, so many variables, there was obviously something wrong with it if it didn't go off when it was first fired and landed where he found it (which I'm assuming what happened) In the forest above Laramie here, it used to be a military proving ground, and I've found parts of shells, and there are big signs warning about unexploded ordanance lying in forest.

Its just sad to see some people who are just so terminally stupid that they can't figure out that something like an unexploded round is still very dangerous, maybe even more than a non "dud" round, because you don't know how its ever going to act.

The round was most likely a 40mm cannon round that he found, a grenade, if exploded fully would kill him and would seriously injure anyone else in the area (as well, if he found it while hunting, 40mm grenade launchers don't have that great of a range so he would have to have been hunting on a base, which is illegal) in many training environments you find all sorts of unexploded stuff, everything from grenades to 155mm shells, best to let EOD take care of it, certainly wouldn't use it for a paper weight.

We would occasionally have these things show up at the PD I retired from. If it's what I think it is. He set off the primer and the propulsion charge. The grenade is armed after it leaves the gun (has to spin rapidly). Old ones are dangerous because the arming mechanism rusts out and then a bump can set them off. Apparently this one had an arming mechanism in good shape so it stayed safe. If the grenade had gone off it could have killed everyone in the room. I hope the fire dept. knew what to do with the unexploded grenade! Wonder where it went?

I hope the fire dept. knew what to do with the unexploded grenade! Wonder where it went?

Probably sitting on a CNN reporter's desk ...

Gee, it's a good thing that grenade was found by a responsible adult and not some kid who would get hurt ...

And this bright dude was even smart enough to be teaching an adult education class:confused:

To be a teacher you need to be educated.
but educated and intelligent are not one and the same.

Then again, as we're unsure of what type of ordnance it was maybe he needs the benefit of a doubt, perhaps it "looked" completely harmless, like the old cast cannon balls do.

Bob

To be a teacher you need to be educated.
but educated and intelligent are not one and the same.

Then again, as we're unsure of what type of ordnance it was maybe he needs the benefit of a doubt, perhaps it "looked" completely harmless, like the old cast cannon balls do.

Bob


I found a 20mm round on the Kofa game preserve a long time ago in AZ it was a practice round and was never armed. I was told that by the EOD people whom I took it to as they gave it back to me to use as a paperwieght. :rolleyes: