I don't expect sympathy, just want others to learn from me. I read the list of cannon accidents posted by nessy357 unfortunately I wasn't on the forum that day and didn't read about the accidents that can happen until after. Now my life is changed and while my injury can be hidden, let me tell you it isn't worth it. 
I lost the tip of my left index so it is sort of hard not to see. You wake up in the morning and wonder if that is really your hand.
I had it over the fuse hole on a small caliber cannon, that went off and the tip was vaporised. I was in my cousins backyard, and we had fired this off before several times. I filled it up with potassium Chlorate from safety matches, trying to be safe .
put too much in about 4 times the regular charge. and my cousin thought that is was clogged with something and that was why it was so full. I was pretty sure it wasn't but he was so determined. So he started to hit the ramrod wih a hammer packing it..normally we just pushed it, but he is stubborn. after I saw it going down he took it out...then I said thats not blocked... then of course he has to go and hit it again to make sure and i put my finger back over the hole to keep the powder from coming out. 2 hits and it was some profanity, I remember hugging my father and yelling I am a amputee, then to the hospital. More concerned about my father when it happened than my self having to live with a son that is messed up. I learned my lesson and will not be playing with cannons again. I have talked to my dad and he is very supportive. I just wish I had used a piece of tape or something. Like all the factors combined and I never get it back is messed up. Ironic, at college I was/still am safety obsessed always worried about losing my fingers, thought that I would have all of them. Probably would still have it if this hadn't happened.
Now I know you will say that I didn't follow safety precautions, wasn't using blackpowder, and I had a bad feeling about something not being right. You may be wondering how I saw things weren't right and continued on. Well, I was very foolish, and I didn't think that it would happen. Just remeber that something could go wrong even if you are careful and feel confident. So before you play with or build anything, think about what you could lose and how it will affect the people around you as well as yourself. And read those cannon accidents that messy357 posted, at least one of those people followed precautions and had been firing it for years(I think it was the middle aged guy that blew off his leg) and he still had an accident. I am trying to begin my recovery and it is had tomove on, you wish you had it back. Thinking of what you should have done.
I lost the tip of my left index so it is sort of hard not to see. You wake up in the morning and wonder if that is really your hand.
I had it over the fuse hole on a small caliber cannon, that went off and the tip was vaporised. I was in my cousins backyard, and we had fired this off before several times. I filled it up with potassium Chlorate from safety matches, trying to be safe .
put too much in about 4 times the regular charge. and my cousin thought that is was clogged with something and that was why it was so full. I was pretty sure it wasn't but he was so determined. So he started to hit the ramrod wih a hammer packing it..normally we just pushed it, but he is stubborn. after I saw it going down he took it out...then I said thats not blocked... then of course he has to go and hit it again to make sure and i put my finger back over the hole to keep the powder from coming out. 2 hits and it was some profanity, I remember hugging my father and yelling I am a amputee, then to the hospital. More concerned about my father when it happened than my self having to live with a son that is messed up. I learned my lesson and will not be playing with cannons again. I have talked to my dad and he is very supportive. I just wish I had used a piece of tape or something. Like all the factors combined and I never get it back is messed up. Ironic, at college I was/still am safety obsessed always worried about losing my fingers, thought that I would have all of them. Probably would still have it if this hadn't happened.
Now I know you will say that I didn't follow safety precautions, wasn't using blackpowder, and I had a bad feeling about something not being right. You may be wondering how I saw things weren't right and continued on. Well, I was very foolish, and I didn't think that it would happen. Just remeber that something could go wrong even if you are careful and feel confident. So before you play with or build anything, think about what you could lose and how it will affect the people around you as well as yourself. And read those cannon accidents that messy357 posted, at least one of those people followed precautions and had been firing it for years(I think it was the middle aged guy that blew off his leg) and he still had an accident. I am trying to begin my recovery and it is had tomove on, you wish you had it back. Thinking of what you should have done.
