Protective "Blast Cage"?

[Healthservices]

David I'm sorry to hear that you were so badly hurt. Do you think the small end or the filter end hit you? With so much damage it is hard to see what gave away first. Looking at the hose assembly it looks as if the filter broke off and took off like a rocket. When it reached the end of travel it pulled and stretched the hose until it broke the hose off, I assume that's why the spring looks stretched.

Again sorry for your misfortune. I want to make a tether at both ends of my hose so if something like this were to happen to me, hopefully no one will get hurt. One end of the tether would attach to the bottle the other to the attached end of the hose. On the other end where the AG is to be filled maybe attach to a sand bag or the AG itself.

I have not thought it through yet but at least each end would not fly freely to hit someone.

Allen

 

[Healthservices]

Actually I keep wondering how there are so many break points. There should be only one. I can't see something like this breaking at a single point like the foster fitting then breaking again at the filter, then again at the other end of the hose and having the male fitting bent as well. The only way I see something like that happening is if the air gun or air hose is pulled away. Or if someone tripped over the air line which in turned pulled the filter sideways bending the male fitting while simultaneously pulling the hose on the other end and stretching the spring, at this time the filter and foster breaks sending the filter flying or was it the other end that breaks loose and whipped out?







Sorry but I can't stop thinking about this. It just seems so weird that there can be so many items break as a result of a foster breaking.

 

[TDK]

Sadly the common theme in these reports is inexpensive no-name or knock-off equipment sourced from Chinese sellers such as Alibaba or E-Bay. Your story is another great example of a skewed risk rating between expensive trusted name equipment and inexpensive no-name equipment.

I hope your story and shared images serve as a warning to others who may lose life or limb in saving money on quality safe equipment. These pressures are not a joke.

Okay. Healthy dose of concern here, BUT in today's global economy, just cuz someone in the US "contracted" to have an Asian company manufacture something and then subsequently slapped their (the US company's) name on it, does not a safe product make. Yeah, products sold by a US retailer cost more, but that doesn't necessarily make them higher quality, ESPECIALLY if they're coming from the same plant as the cheap stuff. SCBA tanks for example.....

The problem in this particular example and many others (SCOPES are my biggest pet peeve) is that there are intentional layers of concealment regarding the true source/manufacturer of lots of the products in the airgun industry. 

Frustrating. 

Back to the original topic though.....yes, a blast cage/containment system would be great, but much easier said than done realistically. Would you put the tank/fill station into the blast cage every time you fill the gun? cuz you're pressurizing that whole system every time you top off the gun. What if you're out hunting? Gotta run back home to stick everything in the blast cage for a fill from the tank to the gun? And how bout guns? Where do you think that Avenger was manufactured, and it's literally going to be inches from your face, and under constant pressure.

@dholder Sorry about your accident! Hope you heal fast. Thank you for sharing your story in the hopes that we can all be safer as a result.

Using the highest quality HPA hardware you can get your hands on seems like the biggest safety enhancement anyone can make. It's added safety all the time. At the bare minimum, USA stainless fittings and hoses are relatively cheap and are one of the most likely failure points. 

Yes, you have to look out for rebadged product like called out above. There may be a point where your only option is something that is made in china, but the quality is all over the map and you really have to pay attention. I would try to stack the odds in my favor by buying from a reputable HPA business for the hope that they were watching the quality even a little. Here is a great example showing the 'flexible' view on design/safety factors: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUywUv_UEG0

 

[Guest]

Maybe I need this.

 

[Healthservices]

Maybe I need this.

Boy you would be totally soaked in sweat just after the 3rd pump using a hand pump!

 

[Bigragu]

How about we share some constructive feedback ideas on how to tether our fill hoses safely on this thread? Kudos to Gerry for bringing this subject up, and it’s unfortunate the timing with the accident happened shortly after he posted this topic, but it’s made everyone aware.
This topic really should be a permanent sticky. I made mention awhile back that this forum should dedicate an area solely to safety practices for Airgun use, wether it’s with high pressure air from a pcp to accidentally pulling the trigger while loading a pellet in a break barrel.

 

[Healthservices]

Well I got home late and ready to pass out but I rigged up a tether for the bottle side. Not sure if it is better to tether the end with the foster to the airgun, to something heavy like a shot filled bag or to a screw very close to the foster fitting so if the fitting were to fail the hose would hopefully not build enough energy to whip and damage anything.

 

[Healthservices]

It's just a wire cable that I put a loop on. If the fitting were to break the loop would just tighten up around what it is attached to. 

I think a hight strength fishing line like a braided Kevlar maybe better as it would not have anything that would be abrasive to what it is touching while in use.



Allen

 

[kendive]

David I'm sorry to hear that you were so badly hurt. Do you think the small end or the filter end hit you? With so much damage it is hard to see what gave away first. Looking at the hose assembly it looks as if the filter broke off and took off like a rocket. When it reached the end of travel it pulled and stretched the hose until it broke the hose off, I assume that's why the spring looks stretched.

Again sorry for your misfortune. I want to make a tether at both ends of my hose so if something like this were to happen to me, hopefully no one will get hurt. One end of the tether would attach to the bottle the other to the attached end of the hose. On the other end where the AG is to be filled maybe attach to a sand bag or the AG itself.

I have not thought it through yet but at least each end would not fly freely to hit someone.

Allen

We called that a whip check offshore. I worked on drill ship for 14 years as a Chief Electronic Tech and anytime you had any air hose hooked up you had to have one of these in place.

 

[steve-l]

Even though the odds of catastrophic failure are extremely low, the odds are not zero. I have had several component failures like whips, connectors and valves all of which are exciting. I have a Bauer compressor and several bottles and I keep all of them in a 10' x 10' steel container. All my filling occurs there. A certain measure of safety is much less expensive than personal injury and property damage, not to mention the accompanying law suits!