Mortar explodes as Pretoria scrapyard workers cut it up

Someone once made a clerical error and sent a load of decommissioned Air Force ordinance to Cape Gate Smelter in Vanderbijlpark. Instead of to the disposal site that removes the solid fuel and explosives. :wtf: (I think it was '95 - I was moonlighting as a non-destructive technician for my uncle's company there. Students do strange things for beer money.)

Luckily someone noticed the mistake before they dropped them into the plasma furnace.
One engineer calculated that the blast would have flattened everything for about 500 m.

They once received a load of old oxy-acetylene tanks that had not been punctured. The blast when they dropped them into the plasma furnace was loud enough to be heard in Vereeniging.
 
So...you see an explosive and your first response is to grab your hacksaw and try to cut into it?!?
 
Pitbull said:
99% of these people have never seen a mortar so have no idea what it is. The people who sold them should face "dealing in arms" charges tbh
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Greylor said:
So...you see an explosive and your first response is to grab your hacksaw and try to cut into it?!?
Click to expand...

Darwin for sure, but these guys probably don't even have matric, so Pitbull's comment stands.
 
XennoX said:
Darwin for sure, but these guys probably don't even have matric, so Pitbull's comment stands.
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They evidently knew that there was copper inside, so they must be somewhat familiar with them.
 
daveza said:
How much copper and brass in the compression cap and what would it be worth ?
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I think the weight of the Mortar fools them into thinking it's a lot which it isn't. I'm not bomb expert but the payload of a bomb would be made up of mostly explosive substance I assume.
 
Pitbull said:
Yea, Back in the 80's we had these bomb charts in all our classes. Was 3d type od plastic charts showing different bombs and how to identify them. Weird time back then :D
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Oh yes, that's right. It was when the cANCer started to target civilians.
 
Kosmik said:
Hah, I remember it had a red background and the giant Limpet on the one side.
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I actually know a retired school teacher in Vandberbijlpark who still has one of those charts.
Heh - I also remember my parents drilling it into me that you should not drive over anything lying in the road, in case it was a boobytrap.

Drove some Americans to a mine once and just outside Bela-Bela noticed a shopping bag lying in the road, and swerved out to miss it.
'Why'd you do that, its a just some trash' The one asked.
'Old habit. It could be a landmine.'
The car got very quiet and then I realized what I'd just said. And then had to explain living in South Africa in the 80's to them.

EDIT - stupid autocorrect.
 
ONE KILLED IN PTA WEST BLAST

A person was killed and another injured in an explosion at a scrap metal yard in Pretoria West on Monday morning, Gauteng police said.

"One person was killed instantly and another person was seriously injured," Sergeant Ann Poortman said.

According to preliminary investigations, military ordnance -- believed to be a cannon -- exploded at the site in Rebecca Street, Pretoria West between 8am and 9am.

"There are at least three more [of the devices] on the scene."

It was unclear whether the people who were killed and injured were employees of the scrapyard.

Earlier, Captain Tsekiso Mofokeng said the explosion appeared to be an accident.


Source : Sapa /mjs/ks/th/ar
Date : 20 Oct 2014 12:09
 
Compton_effect said:
I actually know a retired school teacher in Vandberbijlpark who still has one of those charts.
Heh - I also remember my parents drilling it into me that you should not drive over anything lying in the road, in case it was a boobytrap.

Drove some Americans to a mine once and just outside Bela-Bela noticed a shopping bag lying in the road, and swerved out to miss it.
'Why'd you do that, its a just some trash' The one asked.
'Old habit. It could be a landmine.'
The car got very quiet and then I realized what I'd just said. And then had to explain living in South Africa in the 80's to them.

EDIT - stupid autocorrect.
Click to expand...

Its a good habit though... you never know whats in the bag.

I remember as a kid asking my mom why she always drove around cardboard boxes/bags etc and she said it was because there might be kittens inside.
To this day I fear that every time I see a box on the road.
 
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