51 replies to this topic

[YT2095]

quite true

http://www.yorkshire...ticleid=3022752
http://www.spenborou...ticleid=3026334

note the "unbiased" headline

this if one of the guys I do Rocket cars with, and he had most of his chems and glassware from me also, he does NOT make "b**bs" in fact his chem knowledge is limited and I (with others) help him over the net with formula.
he`s just like anyone of you, with the misfortune of Do-Gooders poking their noses in and making 2+2 = 10

be under NO Illusion, the persuit of this hobby or Any chem hobby is at your own risk!

Edited by YT2095, 22 July 2007 - 06:32 PM.

[RangerOfFire]

To borrow a line from V for Vendetta... "There is something terribly wrong with this country".

The fact that the average idiot can't tell the difference between a firework tube and a b**b is in itself a worrying fact. This also rasies another point: If you don't have any legal documents for this hobby, hide your stuff better!

[Asteroid]

What annoys me is, he's not even "the average idiot".

His experience in the Forces aroused his suspicions and he alerted the police.

I can understand that it may have looked like a b**b, but I think it's been driven a little more at each stage. Gas man could have spoken to him first, the police needn't have performed a controlled explosion, certainly in view of the neighbours. The controlled explosion could have been done a little more subtly, so as not to cause "a big bang"

[YT2095]

the problem is, is that all his chems he`s had from me, including the green visco (I gave him a metre of it).
now if you got all those chems he`s had from me, and deliberately TRIED to make the most energetic device you could with them all, it still wouldn`t mount to much, he`s had a couple of grams of all sorts, and nothing you could even make a genuine explosive with.

if he made 2 good fireworks with all that, then he`s out of material!

and as for the 100g BP rule, he`de be pushing it if he could have done that even!

it sickens me, it really does

[MMMMMM Pyro]

I wholly apologise for the following rant:

This country is beginning to really piss me off, what on Gods green Earth is wrong with Amature Pyrotechnics being practiced safely? We dont hurt anyone or harm anything {Deliberately} all it is damned do gooder prats that think that anything that sounds chemically should be banned! A really decent example of this is:

I am really beginning to lose faith in this country and it is a real shame because things will only go downhill from here! A friend and I made a rocket that CATO'd in my garden, loudly admitedly and my neigbour threatened us with the police if 'Anything like that happens again'

Again, apologies for the rant.

Regards,

Mike

Edited by MMMMMM Pyro, 22 July 2007 - 08:28 PM.

[YT2095]

update: I just got off the phone with my mate Richard (the guy busted) and it was ONE firework (not 2 like his sister said) and it was roman candle type, and not even colored as under X-Ray it just showed the fuse in the tube, it didn`t even have a choke!

the second "device" was a charcoal filter from a cooker hood that was a bit torn and looked like BP!

his name won`t be cleared until November.

they`ve taken his computer and all mobiles as well as one phone base unit to get all the numbers off even the X-box.
AND they`ve been asking about ME!

[MMMMMM Pyro]

Can't we do something about this? I mean, this is... shocking and utterly appauling... Is there anything that the UKPS can do about anything like this happening?

Regards,

Mike

[Frozentech]

update: I just got off the phone with my mate Richard (the guy busted) and it was ONE firework (not 2 like his sister said) and it was roman candle type, and not even colored as under X-Ray it just showed the fuse in the tube, it didn`t even have a choke!

the second "device" was a charcoal filter from a cooker hood that was a bit torn and looked like BP!

his name won`t be cleared until November.

they`ve taken his computer and all mobiles as well as one phone base unit to get all the numbers off even the X-box.
AND they`ve been asking about ME!

Ridiculous. It's like that in the US also, but it depends a lot on the local jurisdiction. I was going to post earlier this morning, and ask about his computer, etc , since you mentioned "giving him help on the net", etc. Keep us all posted, if they start to track down leads from info on his computer, etc. I hope they don't , they seem to have already blown it so far out of proportion already. I wonder what the total cost to the public in taxes will be, from start to finish on the "case of the roman candle" ?

[marble]

wow talk about a over reaction, surely someone would be smart enough to either ask the owner what it was or to see it was a roman candle. If you have anything exotic or a main ingredient in making explosives (AN, HNO3, H202 ect) it may be wise to give it to a friend for a while. After seeing what they did to this poor guy imagine what conclusions they could reach if they searched your home (but i think they get people who have half a brain so it should be clear that your not up to no good)

Its a shame that our once great society is now scared of its own shadow.

Edited by marble, 23 July 2007 - 06:25 AM.

[BigG]

Can't we do something about this? I mean, this is... shocking and utterly appauling... Is there anything that the UKPS can do about anything like this happening?

Regards,

Mike

The bottom line - not really, not right now.

Our aim is to find discuss with the HSE a legal frame of home experiment (which will allow working above the 100g rule), and maybe even find a location for hobbyist community to work at. For this we need money and influence. This can only be achieved if forum members become PAYING members of the society (and at 20£ a year, that’s a good deal), and participate at our events (which might sound strange, but the way we become more known to the general public and the pyrotechnic supporting organizations is by showing up)

Note that we really do not advocate home expeditions (and we simply do not support them outside the 100g rule), because for the time being they are illegal. And we warned over and over again that people who do this do so at there own risk. Massing up chemicals, working with flash, and indeed, declaring that your work is done at home (rather then just declaring your work), just help promoting an anti-pyro movement.

I hope that with enough support, we can entertain the idea similar to the one in the USA, where they hold a fund to specifically defend unfair prosecution, but it’s not going to happen if members do not subscribe to the society and contribute to it.

As for this specific case, the bottom line is that if it’s fewer than 100g, then he got a good defence line. In any case, I would expect finished items to be stored away properly and out of the way. Particularly if you have kids at home (just like you would with fireworks you buy at the shop). I just wonder if he wins and get his name cleared, will those fabulous papers publish an apology for making his life hell. Fat chance.

[fishy1]

He did drilling most days, he must be guilty.

[Creepin_pyro]

Sounds like the gas man is bored, missing his military days, and got a little over-zealous with the whole public vigilance thing...

"Forensic checks are now being carried out on the device to see how explosive it was"

Are they referring to the leftovers from the 'controlled explosion' or are they actually going to conduct forensic tests on a charcoal filter

[RangerOfFire]

They'd probably have used up more explosive in their "controlled explosion". And if its an open tube it's hardly a b**b... these people...

MMM Pyro: I'd imagine you could do a similar thing with sodium chloride and ethanoic acid... and probably most of the plastics!

Anyone know anything about libel law and the news articles, especially the yorkshire post's nice headline...

[dr thrust]

hi ,scary!! i guess its best to stick with the 100g rule, and dont have "finished" items around the house just make and fire the same day/night then there is no "device" as such its gone up in smoke. as for testing rockets i drive out to test so i dont annoy the neighbours, but i dont like sneaking around in the dark up country lanes i suppose you can have a" firework party" barbeque, birthday party with commercial fireworks and throw in a few of your own who would know?, and best not tell anybody "i make fireworks", but i guess the best idea will be a club with possibly a marshaled "fireing range" like the PGI ?

[YT2095]

actually my neighbors either side of me wouldn`t be too bothered, in fact last Nov 5`th we pooled our firework timing together and enjoyed a few drinks after too.
I have a place where I can test mine and it`s away from anybody also, even the worst cato couldn`t harm a soul or property.
I`m fairly sure my mate is equally cautious esp living next door to that Mary!
she`s always spying on him and has reported him to the Social several times for no good reason (she needs to get a life!).
the guy is currently unemployed due to a severe back injury, he used to work repairing and servicing hospital X-Ray machines all around the country, he`s no Idiot and like myself also a family man.

yeah he loves making things, in fact we were going to join up and enter the Scrapheap challenge Roadshow together, so yeah, he might do some drilling and hammering during the day, also the one thing the press DID get right *shocker* was the amount of time he`de lived there, and I KNOW he`s doing up the house.

I must admit this type of thing makes me Sick!

the terrorist have already Won! we`re afraid of own shadows now