I went to the quarry to get some chips to fill in the potholes in the drive this morning.

I arrived and the weigh bridge guy said I’d have to wait until the blasting was finished. Would I mind waiting?

HELL NO.

He directed me to a safe viewing point from where I watched the explosion cleave away the side of the quarry wall about 50m long.

If I come back in the afterlife, I want to work with explosives.

I’m waiting to get out to some of the really big holes in the ground out in Oz to see it on the big scale 🙂

I spent 6 years blowing things up, planes trains and automobiles – and a whole load of other stuff. Even a frigate once. It was the sort of job where you can’t really believe people are paying you to do it.

If I come back in the afterlife, I want to work with explosives.

I suspect that if you become a keen amateur at this sort of thing you might be finding out about the ‘afterlife’ rather sooner than you think.

I still love the programme on telly with the annoying presenter-boffin type from Bang Goes The Theory. He takes it from burning bamboo to make the compartments inside go ‘pop’ to nuclear explosions. He’s a bit annoying, but watching him and a series of experts basically blow things to smithereens is strangely compulsive. My fave is the guy who has patented and developed screw-together shaped charges – a real old eccentric.

I suspect that if you become a keen amateur at this sort of thing you might be finding out about the ‘afterlife’ rather sooner than you think.

Indeed, I don’t think explosives as a hobby is really to be encouraged.
Still most of the stuff you do with chainsaws could probably be accomplished with shaped charges McMoonter. I’m sure it’d be slower and more wasteful but there’s a certain appeal…

http://www.agsolutionsllc.com/farming-with-dynamite.html

I spent 6 years blowing things up, planes trains and automobiles – and a whole load of other stuff.

Then you changed religion?

I helped out my father in law at weekend at the chalk and flint quarry he runs in Norfolk, i thought i was doing well having driven round the quarry in a 28 ton loader and parked exactly wanted, jumped down with a smile on my face, only for him to say “you have put the handbrake on haven’t you”? Couldn’t even see it had one!

Used to work in a quarry near Grassington many moons ago
running the rotary crusher and gotmto play with small lumps of plastic explosive and dets when we got a big boulder in the crusher it was pretty cool at the time and very slack security
mostly on the face we used a slurry of fertiliser and diesel for the blasting Ahh happy times blowing up rocks 😀

Then you changed religion?

Yeh the quakers were a bit heavy for me.

My fave is the guy who has patented and developed screw-together shaped charges – a real old eccentric.

How do you not get arrested at the bangy end of a boom stick, for building shaped charges in your shed?

This is guy that sells “screw together” shaped charges.

Sidney Alford

What he actually sells is is the plastic cases and copper inserts, all totally inert. You then pack it with your plastic explosive of your choice.

Det cord wrapped around telegraph poles was always my favorite.

Dr Alford’s business is on the industrial estate where I work. I love his email address: info@explosives.net
Pretty much does what it says on the tin!

I spent 6 years blowing things up

Me too but now I’m married 😉

I don’t know if this link’ll work but this is what my brother does for a living

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10202007937350857

I don’t think he could knock down a quarry wall but he could probably get a commission in al queda.

I have worked as a quarry shotfirer and explosives supervisor until fairly recently. The blast itself is fun, however charging holes is repetitive drudgery, especially if wet. Most time spent dragging a heavy hose around, or stemming holes by shovelling stone chips into them. You use the shovel more than anything else. (Non ferrous shovel).

There are so many jobs my careers teacher omitted to tell me about. 👿

I’ve always wondered if Careers Teachers wanted / were advised to be Careers Teachers or if they are just a big bunch of hypocrites ?

Likely.
I think it is against my human rights as a child that I was not told you can be a designer for lego, drive one of those gert big forestry forwarders or blow things up for a living.

Thought you were some Outdoors leader up in Scotland..

If so, I think you can get shuved with you whining 😉

Want my IT job in London?

Thought you were some Outdoors leader up in Scotland..

Indeed. On a 1/5th of your salary…
But Lego designer and blowing up things? HELLO!

First job after college was geologising on mines in South Africa. First underground blast I experienced was thrilling and frightening in equal measure. I got more frightened the longer I worked there and the more I got to understand what was happening!

Get yourselves caving. A number of people I used to know used plastic explosive to help with accessing new passageway.

Matt, I had an extended shot on the forwarder simulator at world forestry centre in Oregon unaware of the growing queue of dads and kids behind me. 👿

Simulator? Where, I want a go…