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walkman timebomb

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Anonymous

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My girlfriend whilst working for london electricity attended a course which brought up the subject of the dangers of mixing together different brands of batteries.The dangers-oh yes limbs ,heads being completely blown off by mixing even walkman batteries-i didn't believe her -but she tells me that every year a small amount of unlucky punters will explode due to this mix and match carry on-DARE YOU NOT BELIEVE....... :eek: :eek:
 
My dad says you should never mix different makes of batteries.
He has never said that whatever they may be in would blow up though. I think it could be more like they aren't all the same, some have small differences in them. I will ask my dad why you shouldn't and will post his reply. As for mixing batteries in stuff then, oh no I am going to lose a limb (being sarcastic) cos I mix them sometimes. Nothing has ever blown up on me (or boringly just stoppd working) from mixing them.


luce
 
I've tried recharging "nonrechargable" batteries a few times cenobite, none have blown up on me yet , but they don't seem to be able to take a full charge, 1.5volt batteries reach about 1.2volts.

There is a commercially available charger for "nonrechargables" but at £30 a pop I don't realy need it that badly:hmph:

By the way if anyone does try to recharge "nonrechargables" they do it at their own risk!!!!:rolleyes:
 
i agree ive re-charged non-rechargeables and they work fine just dont last long when charged

ive also disposed of them in a fire and that didnt do anything either, not like aerosol cans on a bomfire cheep fireworks by my reconing

PUTTING AEROSOL CANS ON ANY FIRE IS DANGEROUS AND SHOULDNT BE ATTEMPTED BY ANYONE ESPECCIALLY SOMEONE AS STOOPID AS ME ok so dont do it OOOOW AND DONT RE-CHARGE NON RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES ok
i feel like a grown up when i say things like that

"get that look off your face- i wont tell you again" i could get used to this..................narrrr its far more fun being young, dumb and full of life lol

cas
 
Oh, Cas, wait till you have kids, you'll find yourself saying all sorts of things you can remember your parents saying to you.

"I won't tell you again!"

"Stop that - it's not clever and it's not funny!"

"I wish I had time to be bored!" (said in a self-rightous tone of voice)

and my personal favourite:

"You'll have someone's eye out with that!"

;)

Carole
 
Thought this rang a bell...

From FT 61...

EXPLODING BATTERY

Sture Cronquist intended to change the battery in his electric torch and put the used battery, a 1.5v tudor, on the kitchen table.

While he went to fetch the new one, he heard a loud bang like a gunshot. The charcoal rod inside the battery had been fired into the wall, ricocheted and landed in a cupboard with saucepans about 16ft away.

Mr Cronquist said he was lucky the battery was pointed at the wall, otherwise the headline might have been "Old Man Shot by Torch Battery".

Experts said there was nothing in a battery that could explode. Mr Cronquist said this particular one was not very old, it didn't leak, and he had not tampered with it in any way.

Sydsvenska Dagbladet 12 + 13 July 1990
Click to expand...

"Expert" opinion says they can't explode! We're safe!
 
The reason they explode is gas building up inside. Batteries are fairly airtight and gases generated by electrolysis can get to quite a high pressure. Ov course ven ze stopf iz hydrogen zen ze warmz can be gut ....
sorry about that normal zerv (slap) service will be resumed as soon as possible
 
ive been warned that waving "it" round like that would have someones eye out

i already tell peeps things would have their eyes out- not when they are doing anything just when they are walking down the street or shopping when they are doing anything really i jump out in front of them shouting "it'll have your eye out"

i think i need a to lay down : )

cas
 
Warnings are also issued about the need to change all batteries
at the same time, when replacing them. Different levels of charge
can potentially cause heating and even explosions.

I tend to follow such advice. Just as I always unplug the telly at
night and during storms. Wild and reckless persons will no doubt
live more intensely and die much younger by being less sensible.
Maybe. :rolleyes:
 
Unplugging stuff during a storm is a good idea if it is close or big. A power surge can wreck electrical items. I tend to unplug them during power cuts to. The last power cut we had didn't get rid of all the power at first and the bathroom light glowed orange and my vcr display kept going on and off. I unplugged everything in fear of a major power surge.


luce
 
When I were but a lad ...

I tried to make batteries explode, never succeeded. Other things did (I still try and forget the aqua regia and the flamethrower) but never batteries
 
It's true about aerosol's! In my last house the lad who lived nextdoor and a few of his mates had a lit candle of a plate (which they put on the wall inbetween our houses). He then started spraying the aerosol at the flame, it produced a flame thrower effect. Luckily no-one was hurt, mainly because my mum took the candle and the can off them.


luce
 
I always used to play aorund with various flammable materials when I was a kid. The best one is to leave a small bottle of propane lying horizontally in a big, far away field, place a candle (or something else - fire/etc.) a few feet away, stand behind a wall and watch the explosion :D

Even the small (5kg?) bottles made one hell of a bang, so I didn't want to venture to anything larger than 25kg bottles.

I also tried experimenting with fertilizer in scaffold pipes but I couldn't make it explode :confused:
 
My old mother-in-law now in her 70's, used to like to light a bonfire with a couple of aerosol cans in it. She liked the explosions.:rolleyes:

Other than that she is (supposedly) normal!!!!
 
James Whitehead said:
...All a bit stream of consciousness this but it does make me wonder how the old folks I knew ever got to be old. ...
Exploding batteries seem like progress of sorts. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Makes you wonder how I got to be so old. there are those of us who remember doing chemistry at school when it was fun .

Thumb size lumps of sodium thrown into buckets of water, "today we're going to make - hydrogen sulphide/Nitrogen tri-iodide/chloroform/nitroglycerin or (on one famous occasion) a mortar powered by petrol".

And not a fume cabinet, mask or pair of safety goggles in sight. Ah, the good old days :D
 
Take a look at one of the old pre 1960's chemistry sets, if you can still find one at a jumble or boot sale. They were risky but fun.

If you look at the modern emasculated version, there is no risk & no fun at all!!!

But changing the subject just a little, does anyone remember making weed killer bombs? I suspect that these days, if we made them, they would probably get us put inside for several years.
 
Back to the original post, surely if it was dangerous to mix makes of batteries, to the degree they could blow a man's head off, then the back of batteries would be adorned with 'DO NOT MIX MAKES OF BATTERIES' warnings?!

Completely OT, anyone ever used the batteries they sell in the poundshops that are a mere one English pound for 16 (yes! sixteen!). Needless to say my walkman ran for approximately twenty minutes before they died.
 
Yup! I agree Evilsprout, it does seem to be a case of "Yer get's what yer pays for".

I've bought many sets of twenty to the pound batteries & it often seems that the price you pay is the duration of use that you get....

But, if you just want to power a walkman so that the next buyer knows that it works & you ain't ripping him off........
 
James Whitehead said:
Incidentally, the breakfast room had a ferocious but useful contraption
called the gas-poker which acted as a massive fire-lighter. I intend to
revive it next time I stage Edward II with gas company sponsorship.
Click to expand...

Good to see you're back, James! We used to have a gas poker at my parents' home - a source of fascination to me, and a very effective fire lighter (or kitchen stove in our case).

Carole
 
intaglio said:
Makes you wonder how I got to be so old. there are those of us who remember doing chemistry at school when it was fun .

Thumb size lumps of sodium thrown into buckets of water, "today we're going to make - hydrogen sulphide/Nitrogen tri-iodide/chloroform/nitroglycerin or (on one famous occasion) a mortar powered by petrol".

And not a fume cabinet, mask or pair of safety goggles in sight. Ah, the good old days :D
Click to expand...

A nice gobule of mercury to bat around with your ruler was a firm favourite in our chemistry lessons. And we used to get an old perfume bottle from home and put a few drops of hydrogen sulphide inside, then invite friends to sniff the gorgeous aroma. Unfortunately, I was too busy messing around in this fashion to learn much chemistry . . .
 
David said:
... But changing the subject just a little, does anyone remember making weed killer bombs? I suspect that these days, if we made them, they would probably get us put inside for several years.
Click to expand...

You'll find it a bit difficult now. They started adding cooling agents to the garden centre stuff back in the 80's
 
I'm afraid so intaglio, I often feel that the world is full of kill joys.

BUT, I know that over the years, a lot of kids got blown up & a few were killed by they or their M8s weed killer bombs! Still we did have some fun!!!
 
My grandson decided it would be interesting to see what would happen if he put one of those plastic things containing coloured oils in the microwave, the resulting explosion blew off the microwave door, needless to say he was grounded for some time.
 
Stuff like that is dangerous. I heard (in true UL stylee) about a woman who put an aromatherapy hand warmer in her microwave. It did say it was safe to do so, but it was in for to long and it expolded. She ended up in hospital because what was left had preduced dangerous fumes. They had to get people in to sort her kitchen out. She was in hospital for about 2 weeks.


luce
 
You aerosol-exploders would love this-
A fireman friend tells me that when working on the seafront putting out fires in burger and other food stands, you have to watch out for propane bottles. The big ones are designed so the base comes off if the bottle overheats in a fire, so producing no dangerous shrapnel, BUT a full one will take off like a rocket into the sky, landing who-knows-where! It's supposed to be an awesome sight.
 
escargot said:
You aerosol-exploders would love this-
A fireman friend tells me that when working on the seafront putting out fires in burger and other food stands, you have to watch out for propane bottles. The big ones are designed so the base comes off if the bottle overheats in a fire, so producing no dangerous shrapnel, BUT a full one will take off like a rocket into the sky, landing who-knows-where! It's supposed to be an awesome sight.
Click to expand...
Actually this was in a news item about two years ago, a paint factory I think it was caught fire, and as you say, the propane bottles could be seen shooting into the sky.:eek!!!!:
 
Have a word sometime with someone who teaches gas welding. You do NOT want to play with acetylene. But one fireman, who gave us the compulsory safety lecture, told us his most loosening experience came then he was chased by an Oxy bottle whose valves had broken off.
 
The fireman who told me about the exploding gas bottles had been there (Rhyl, N. Wales among other venues) and it's a common danger. Not seen it on TV yet!
 
carole said:
"I won't tell you again!"

"Stop that - it's not clever and it's not funny!"

"I wish I had time to be bored!" (said in a self-rightous tone of voice)

and my personal favourite:

"You'll have someone's eye out with that!"

;)

Carole
Click to expand...

You forgot one

"If you don't stop cryin' I'll give you something to cry about!" :D
 
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