I Took One to the Head Today

[SDellinger]

I had a QD fitting explode when filling my Marauder. I have no idea where the little ball bearings or the fitting went. I was outside. My ears are still ringing. They have been ringing for 40 years. Interesting how nonchalant we get with potentially deadly things we deal with daily. Be careful out there. Scott

 

[Blejda]

I am glad you are ok. We should wear motorcycle helmets and underneath safety glasses.It sure is dangerous working with high presure air. 

 

[Vetmx]

I always wondered about something like this happening while filling a gun. Glad you weren’t too proud to post a pic. We all need a reminder of the dangers associated with compressed air. We all get complacent until we get hurt.

 

[Ranchibi]

So glad you were wearing protective eyewear! Those fill whips can be very dangerous if not locked in! Good lesson for us all. DonnyFL makes an extended foster fit like yours that I use and it has a very positive click when attached properly....25 bucks.

 

[fe7565]

Thanks for posting! Glad you are ok. Very smart for wearing eye protection!!!

Not applicable to this incident, but no-one should skip on quality equipment. It takes only one time for it to fail. Early on I bought on Ebay a filling hose for my manual pump. At around 1200psi it blew with a hell of a bang. Scared the poop out of me. Never again am I going to take a chance to save $20. 

 

[tommyb]

Hey Tom

Glad you are ok. As long as we are revealing confessions, I’ll share mine.

At the range and filling my Safari and a guy is talking to me. When I’m by myself, I’m always careful to ‘remember’ to bleed the valve before removing. I’m in the middle of talking and I “forget” to bleed the valve and start removing and BAM. I get smacked in the face with my foster fitting extender blasting off my gun. Ouch! I was lucky as my glasses were on the table and if this hit me in the eye.....

You are very right. The foster connects are tricky and I always have to double and triple check and make certain that I hear that audible “click” so I know it is solidly fastened to the fill probe. 

Lesson learned for me. Now, I slow way down when filling.

Rule #1 - I make it a point to NEVER talk to anyone while I am filling anymore. 

Rule #2 - Move my face and body out of the flight path while filling gun, and I don’t leave those glasses on the table. 

Rule #3 - Almost forgot this one. ALWAYS make 100% certain that I hear that audible “click,” and gently tug to make sure the connection is securely fastened to the fill probe on the gun.

Tom - your post was a good reminder for all of us. 

Tom 

 

[GBGUNNER]

I'm very grateful you were not seriously injured or even ... Thanks for the warning to seriously check my connections.I have done my best to express the danger of high pressure air. My father demonstrated it to me with a straw broom. He swung it through a pin hole air stream of air, only 300 psi. Quickest hair cut I ever saw. But he neglected to explain about "flying objects". I was present when a landing gear Schrader valve lost its threads in the landing gear strut and went flying with enough force to take all the high pressure hose with it, didn't twist or turn with the hose just ripped it off the compressor and kept going. Left us dumb founded, flat footed, and stupefied. I now have 10x the respect and fear of high pressure air. I still lay a piece of 3/4" plywood on blocks over my refill connection on my pcp's. I new an engineer who's motto was " engineer safety in and danger out. That's why the plywood. The Schrader valve was on a KC 135 Air Force tanker full loaded with jet fuel to refuel B 52's, I don't know the pressure as we were to measure and equalize the distance the strut was extended with the other landing gear strut. That plane looked odd with one strut at 8" and the other flat at 0" extended.

 

[Odoyle]

SINCE OFF TOPICS IS CLOSED...

Wasn't it from head butting Picard?







https://youtu.be/fmIaHAtabSU





https://fsharetv.co/movie/star-trek-generations-episode-1-tt0111280

Full movie

Be very careful what you wish for.

Star Trek (2009)

https://fsharetv.co/movie/star-trek-episode-1-tt0796366

Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)

https://fsharetv.co/movie/star-trek-into-darkness-episode-1-tt1408101

Star Trek Beyond (2016)

https://fsharetv.co/movie/star-trek-beyond-episode-1-tt2660888

 

[Hynzie]

I'm glad you are going to be ok.!and thank you for sharing. Take care ...HYNZIE 4s

 

[JW652]

HPA is no joke - even at 200 BAR. Have been "whipped" several times back in DM life. Personally, I think that working pressures of 4000psi (or even more) in airguns with no DOT testing requirements are scary. Also, folks who use tanks after their expiration or hydro date are risking lives.

Thanks for the reminder.

 

[L.Leon]

Glad you're OK, other than the new scar. Thanks for the heads up and having the courage to post your accident. The little bearing inside the female connector can also be lost or missing. They help keep the locking connector in place. I had the female foster connector on my blowing off the fill valve. Luckily I was pumping by hand.t

 

[jking]

Again, thanks for sharing this sobering reminder. I'll embarrassingly admit I seldom wear my safety glasses even though they are only a few feet away, stupid me I know so that's going to be a great New Years resolution for sure. I had the one blow off too but fortunately not in my directions. I always keep the female QC pointed away from my body but you never know what's going to turn loose. Could be the QC, a hose, or a water filter like the one that just came apart on a fellow member. I'm going to make a dedicated effort to improve my safety and procedures and I hope everyone else will do the same for a safe and healthy New Year. 

Jking

 

[cootertwo]

Yes, you were very lucky, and thanks for the safety reminder. I must add, There are so many types/sizes/shapes of "foster" fittings out there. Some connect together snugly, some loosely, some not at all. It is very frustrating. I have several new foster female fittings, that will not accept some of the male foster fittings I have. Some do fit, some seem too loose, some will not even go into the hole. I, and I'll bet many others have a bag full of fittings, and a half dozen or so, whips. Too many different threads for my poor old feeble mind. I like the idea of covering with a towel, or something similar. At least it would slow things down, if something did let loose. Like a bad road intersection, it will take many accidents, before the red light gets installed. Maybe, one day, these high pressure fittings will be tested,and standardized. Of course it would end the cheap egay items, like some of the moisture traps that have exploded recently. On and on......

 

[JFS737]

Scary those QD fittings. Glad you're OK. Does this not make a case for the much hated proprietary fill probes used by many manufacturers? Safety should not be placed second over convenience, yet most PCP shooters prefer the QD. I would think the probes are safer? I know there's the anxiety of losing them, or having to replace O-rings... but I've not had much trouble with mine over the years and filling sure is less stressful. I like 'em (wish each gun came with 2 though).



Hasta,

John

 

[cootertwo]

I agree, the fill probes are sorta fool proof. But once again, there are so many different styles/shapes/sizes. Hatsan probe will work on some other makes, Huben has it's own proprietary probe, and there are many others.

 

[ctshooter]

Dude - hope your okay. That looks like a vicious whack. Easily could've taken out an eye. 

I for sure am going to take this as a warning to be more careful and diligent in my fill process. I never thought to wear goggles before when filling, but this is a wake-up.

 

[TMH]

...Does this not make a case for the much hated proprietary fill probes used by many manufacturers? Safety should not be placed second over convenience, yet most PCP shooters prefer the QD.... 
Hasta,

John

Maybe the only thing I didn't love about my Air Arms S510 was the 'T-Mount' fill adapter. 

But it definitely would have prevented this occurrence. Both based on the security of its design and the fact that you got a good visual on the whole fill area.

More standard fill probes are likely just a bit safer than Foster QD's as well, but having to have a whole bunch of different ones...

I still prefer the Foster QD, and I believe that it is adequately safe. It is a no-brainer on guns like my Dreamline bottle guns, where the male Foster is so easily accessible and easy to see. I'm just going to up my personal game when connecting to a male Foster which is buried down in a stock. Lots of good ideas have been brought up like wrapping a towel around it, tethering the fill whip, making sure it is pointed away from your face even if that is where the gun's manometer is, etc.

Thanks to all who have shared their safety techniques with other AGN users. This was definitely a wake-up and safety lesson for me, and hopefully others will stay safer based on my sub-optimal technique and (thankfully) pretty minor mishap.

 

[willy]

Man" when I frist saw the pic.i thought ya just had a bad nite and was trying to remember what happened?

 

[davidsng]

Glad you look to be okay. I had that happen to me once and I never let it happen again. Imaging if that hit you in the eye and you were not wearing eye protection. Horrible thought. Thanks for sharing the misshap.

 

[Crosfire]

Glad you are okay. I had my "Come to Jesus" moment. While tethered, shooting a Disco, and I heard a huge "BANG"! Ears ringing, I looked around as I knew my finger was not on the trigger. Found it!

Only tether with high end micro-hoses. Holding high pressure for long periods of time are best left to cylinders.