Hi all - just stumbled upon this most excellent forum while researching a ELAZ 25b fuse I've just bought. I'm completely new to collecting ordnance and have a question to ask if you can help me please. Basically I run school history workshops for primary children so need to know for certain that fuses I buy as 'inert' are completely safe to handle for the kids. That said, is there any danger from these fuses or am I worrying about nothing? Sorry if this sounds a dumb question but like I say I am a complete newcomer so all help gratefully appreciated.
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newbie question on fuse safety
- Thread starter dasser
- Start date
It is actually a very good question, or at least responsible. The most realistic answer is that kids should not handle the fuzes. A display certainly, but behind glass or plastic, away from hands.
Fuzes are among the most complicated ordnance items and typically contain many more energetic components than most people realize. It is unfortunately very common for fuzes and other items that people believe to be inert to still harbor hazardous materials. in 2012 I identified over 30 items which were either live or contained live components in private collections, three pieces in police bomb squad collections and one piece in a military EOD collection. In each case the persons involved had either been assured that the item was safe, been told that it had been checked out years earlier or had looked in documents to try and understand the functioning for themselves (not fully trained) and made identification mistakes. My own collection has been checked, re-checked and will be checked again (and again). I have no doubts that hazards remain that have not been identified.
As collectors and/or history buffs most of us are adults, and we are able to assume the typically low level of risk our hobby presents. It is a different thing to pass that risk - at any level, on to children. I have visitors to my collection nearly every week and for the non-professionals I have a strict no-touch policy. For the kids at the end of the visit I do keep a collection of sacrifice items that have never contained anything energetic or hazardous - flechettes, lazy dogs, etc which they are then welcome to handle or drag home as souvenirs - with their parents consent.
Fuzes are among the most complicated ordnance items and typically contain many more energetic components than most people realize. It is unfortunately very common for fuzes and other items that people believe to be inert to still harbor hazardous materials. in 2012 I identified over 30 items which were either live or contained live components in private collections, three pieces in police bomb squad collections and one piece in a military EOD collection. In each case the persons involved had either been assured that the item was safe, been told that it had been checked out years earlier or had looked in documents to try and understand the functioning for themselves (not fully trained) and made identification mistakes. My own collection has been checked, re-checked and will be checked again (and again). I have no doubts that hazards remain that have not been identified.
As collectors and/or history buffs most of us are adults, and we are able to assume the typically low level of risk our hobby presents. It is a different thing to pass that risk - at any level, on to children. I have visitors to my collection nearly every week and for the non-professionals I have a strict no-touch policy. For the kids at the end of the visit I do keep a collection of sacrifice items that have never contained anything energetic or hazardous - flechettes, lazy dogs, etc which they are then welcome to handle or drag home as souvenirs - with their parents consent.
I completely agree with US-Subs, fuzes contains sometimes a great number of little active parts like detonators, powder trains, primers,...
In a great number of cases that we have encountered, the owner had just unscrew the booster cup of the fuze, thinking it was the only live part of it.
very often, the fuzes contains primers or detonators. We speak of a very small quantity of explosives, sometimes less as 1 g.
If this 1 g explode near you, you shall probably not have a bloody injury, but your ears will suffer a whistle which may be permanent. In some cases it can be interesting (what did you say, darling ?) but in the long run, it is VERY disabling (I know what I'm talking about !).
Take care with those little ordnance parts, they are also dangerous as big parts, not as spectacular, but crippling.
Let control your fuzes by specialist. I don't know the procedure in your country, but it must be possible.
Yoda
In a great number of cases that we have encountered, the owner had just unscrew the booster cup of the fuze, thinking it was the only live part of it.
very often, the fuzes contains primers or detonators. We speak of a very small quantity of explosives, sometimes less as 1 g.
If this 1 g explode near you, you shall probably not have a bloody injury, but your ears will suffer a whistle which may be permanent. In some cases it can be interesting (what did you say, darling ?) but in the long run, it is VERY disabling (I know what I'm talking about !).
Take care with those little ordnance parts, they are also dangerous as big parts, not as spectacular, but crippling.
Let control your fuzes by specialist. I don't know the procedure in your country, but it must be possible.
Yoda
butterfly
HONOURED MEMBER RIP
This certainly is not a dumb question and one you certainly should not be apologising for asking. You have done the right thing by airing your concerns and for that I applaud you.
US-Subs has pretty much said everything.
Be safe rather than sorry.
Today there are many replicas that can be bought which have never had any explosive items in them. They look in many cases as good as the real thing but are 100% safe. Maybe this is something you could consider with children in mind. I know its not the real thing, but you would be safe in the knowledge that nothing will go bang!!
kind regards Kev
Thanks guys this is great advice and some that I wish I had taken before just paying out a small packet for this fuse which I assumed would be completely inert as described in the listing.
The use I had planned was really to just show the kids the fuse in a uxb task where I talk about the ww2 role of the royal engineers in dealing with uxbs so, going back on my original statement, they wouldn't even need to touch it, just look it.
This said, do you think it would be worth my while to try to take it apart and (very carefully) gut it so that it is empty of all dangerous contents? Or do you think this would be too dangerous even for me to attempt?
The use I had planned was really to just show the kids the fuse in a uxb task where I talk about the ww2 role of the royal engineers in dealing with uxbs so, going back on my original statement, they wouldn't even need to touch it, just look it.
This said, do you think it would be worth my while to try to take it apart and (very carefully) gut it so that it is empty of all dangerous contents? Or do you think this would be too dangerous even for me to attempt?
glevum
Well-Known Member
Dasser,
Have you read:
http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/threads/34459-Please-read-before-posting-on-bocn-forums
in particular
Discussion in detail of EOD procedures, or other inerting techniques is not permitted on site even by members who are "ordnance approved"
Have you read:
http://www.bocn.co.uk/vbforum/threads/34459-Please-read-before-posting-on-bocn-forums
in particular
Discussion in detail of EOD procedures, or other inerting techniques is not permitted on site even by members who are "ordnance approved"