Pyrotechnic Rant Du Jour

[Pete Meisinger]

Next time you have a camp fire just throw the old flares into the fire. They burn but do not explode or have any flash. They burn sort of like a rolled up newspaper, but only a little better. Definately not dangerous. My marina does this every year or so.

pete

 

[KnotYet]

That reminds me of back when I worked at West Marine. About once a month somebody would ask if they could fire a real 12ga shell from a flare gun. I'd answer "Sure. Once. Then everybody will start calling you Lefty". Be careful with those things.

It would be an odd 12ga shotshell that would fit in the intentionally short flare gun chamber.

 

[HopCar]

It would be an odd 12ga shotshell that would fit in the intentionally short flare gun chamber.

How long is a 12 ga. flare?
You can buy 12 ga. shorty shotgun shells that are only 1-3/4” long.
Even if they fit, you’d have to be pretty dumb to try shooting them in a plastic flare gun.

 

[jleonard]

Next time you have a camp fire just throw the old flares into the fire. They burn but do not explode or have any flash. They burn sort of like a rolled up newspaper, but only a little better. Definately not dangerous. My marina does this every year or so.

pete

I use them to start a campfire or bonfire. As long as nobody is going to roast marshmallows in there.

 

[Shrew]

I hear it at least once a year over channel 16.

"Coast Guard Long Island Sound (x3) Commencing with flare discharge demonstration off of <yadda yadda> beach. "

This sounds like they already had a discussion. Also, I have never heard of manned fire station turning away old flares.

 

[KnotYet]

How long is a 12 ga. flare?
You can buy 12 ga. shorty shotgun shells that are only 1-3/4” long.
Even if they fit, you’d have to be pretty dumb to try shooting them in a plastic flare gun.

My out-of date flares are a whisker longer than 1-3/4", about 1.8" as is the Olin chamber.
I will take your word for length of the shorty 12ga shells. My shortest ones are about 2-1/4 inch so at least I'm safe from making a critical mistake!

 

[Comodave]

I hear it at least once a year over channel 16.

"Coast Guard Long Island Sound (x3) Commencing with flare discharge demonstration off of <yadda yadda> beach. "

This sounds like they already had a discussion. Also, I have never heard of manned fire station turning away old flares.

We had a fire station in Tucson that would not take flares. But the fire station in our little town, about 800 population, readily takes them. They leave the door unlocked and say just stick them inside. Really great.

 

[rwaldrop13]

While digging into a dark place beneath a lazarette, I discovered an old ditch bag squirrled away by PO, packed with with a dozen or more leaking emergency water packets, a few dozen Dramamine tablets and, YIKES! - at least 2 dozen various, long expired hand flares, 25mm flare shells, parachute shells, smoke signals and parachute flare launchers, some as old as 1998.

As recommended, I contacted the Coast Guard, they said to contact the local fire department or county hazmat disposal site



(The last county-sponsored collection was in Nov 2019 and was mostly a failure. A single location that was about a 30 to 60 minute drive from anywhere in the area and was poorly advertised and the cost ends up being between $7 and $15 per device or more depending on the volume.)

who said to contact the Coast Guard who requires that we carry these things under serious financial penalty for not carrying but have no provision for remediation of the expired pyrotechnics. There are only 3 certified sites in all of the US that can dispose of this stuff. We spend a small fortune replenishing these CG required safety items and there is virtually no provision to safely dispose of them other than, you're on your own, good luck with that but we'll nail you to the wall if you don't do it properly but we won't help you, aand... have a happy day!

OK, time for an adult beverage !

Safe and sane boating to all ~!~

Lee County Florida accepts them from county residents at their drive-up hazmat collection site. The USCG was forced to stop accepting them for disposal because Congress changed the rules. Don't blame the CG. Where are you? I've helped fellow boaters and dropped their pyro items off.

 

[Linda Resner]

The town of Hull Massachusetts has an illumination night every year. They line up the expired flares people turn in along the shore of the Harbor and light them up all at once when night comes.
It’s a whole celebration with a boat parade and everything.

 

[Circumnavigator]

Two thoughts:


First, you need to include a pair of good gloves in your Abandon Ship Bag -- parachute flares are likely to burn you if fired bare handed.


Second, at the CCA's Offshore Safety at Sea Hands On Training Classes for people who are crossing oceans, every student fires a Solas parachute flare. Over the last 18 months that's about 725 flares, all of which had expired, mostly within the last five years, but some much older. We've had three misfires, none of which were dangerous.


Of course the Solas flares are made to a higher standard and have a price to match. We fire one non Solas parachute and an ordinary rocket at each session so the students can see how much more effective the Solas flares are. If you ever need a flare, you will wish you had Solas.


Jim

 

[Eagle Pursuit]

Don’t shoot the 12ga. Flares through a single shot shotgun… the 8th one gets stuck in the barrel due to extreme heat. Requires extraction after cool down.

Your results may vary…

 

[Alaska JD]

Training exercise

I simply boated to a remote and safe location and announced on 16 that we’d be conducting training exercises utilizing emergency flares. Now I have two of the electronic variety so the enjoyable training exercises have come to an end

 

[Sweet marie]

I have fired off old flares into the water a few miles offshore a few times. Honestly, they might be worth keeping as backup as I have never had one misfire.

 

[O C Diver]

Ran charters for 30 years and accumulated expired flares and all kinds of interesting things like dye markers and parachute flares from my Solas life raft

The correct way to do a flare shoot offshore is to contact the USCG and tell them you are conducting crew safety and emergency drills. You will be requiring crew to launch flares, parachute flares, and deploying dye markers. You will announce before hand with a Securite call including location.

Do the Securite call and then have at it.

Announce a Securite call at the end of the exercise.

Never had the USCG tell me I couldn't.

Ted

 

[ABfish]

I set off a couple of expired hand-held flares in my backyard, primarily for practice in the event I ever need the real thing.

Being the cautious type, I had a bucket of water handy. When the first flare was about half done, I tossed it in the bucket.

I discovered that handheld flares burn quite nicely under water.

 

[Hippocampus]

^+1

 

[Hippocampus]

Two thoughts:


First, you need to include a pair of good gloves in your Abandon Ship Bag -- parachute flares are likely to burn you if fired bare handed.


Second, at the CCA's Offshore Safety at Sea Hands On Training Classes for people who are crossing oceans, every student fires a Solas parachute flare. Over the last 18 months that's about 725 flares, all of which had expired, mostly within the last five years, but some much older. We've had three misfires, none of which were dangerous.


Of course the Solas flares are made to a higher standard and have a price to match. We fire one non Solas parachute and an ordinary rocket at each session so the students can see how much more effective the Solas flares are. If you ever need a flare, you will wish you had Solas.


Jim

+1 . Also as far away from you and a canopy of the raft for any type.

 

[jgwinks]

4th of July??? Be careful discharging them without letting the CG know and approve it.

Or don't do it near water. But that's a fire hazard unless you're in the desert or someplace like that.

 

[jgwinks]

How long is a 12 ga. flare?
You can buy 12 ga. shorty shotgun shells that are only 1-3/4” long.
Even if they fit, you’d have to be pretty dumb to try shooting them in a plastic flare gun.

That was the point I was trying to make.
One of the things I found in my boat was a WW2 vintage 25mm Very Pistol. All metal and heavy. They make adapters to fire 12ga flares through a 25mm gun, but I'm still not going to try it.

 

[Capt Dan]

Don't set them off

Besides the hazard of seriously burning yourself, others or property, consider not burning them due to the toxic smoke they put off. Our old earth doesn't need more toxic chemicals in the air.

 

[psneeld]

I am not sure which is worse, burning them, or letting them decompose and get into the soil, or having them ignite in the wrong place and causing death or injury.

So if I shoulxnt set them off in a controlled situation, how do you get rid of them safely and environmentaly freindly?

 

[SteveK]

I am not sure which is worse, burning them, or letting them decompose and get into the soil, or having them ignite in the wrong place and causing death or injury.

So if I shoulxnt set them off in a controlled situation, how do you get rid of them safely and environmentaly freindly?

+1 Waiting for that answer

 

[O C Diver]

I am not sure which is worse, burning them, or letting them decompose and get into the soil, or having them ignite in the wrong place and causing death or injury.

So if I shoulxnt set them off in a controlled situation, how do you get rid of them safely and environmentaly freindly?

Unfortunately it's not practical to do because of the volume of flares, but when the army finds weapons like Mustard gas, they have a special furnace ( at the Aberdeen Proving ground) that can incinerate at a high enough temperature to destroy toxic chemicals to prevent their release into the atmosphere. Don't know if it would work with the components of flares.

Seems to me the government should out law the manufacture of them since there's a suitable approved electronic replacement. From an economic standpoint, you're money ahead with the electronic version after about 6 or 9 years. I saw the economic value when they first came out and switched.

Ted

 

[OldDan1943]

There some types of flair that cant be replaced.