I was an electrician at General Motors in Pontiac Michigan. Years ago I was working on a big construction job in the body shop. It was being converted from running Vans to the S Truck. They had us working 7 days a week and 12 hours a day. This went on for the whole summer and into the fall. We could not take a day off either or we would be pentelized.
After a while it got to be quite a drag. It was very hot and I was working the afternoon shift. That was from about 3 pm to 11:30. There was very little home time, heck we would be exhausted by the time we got home and I would still try to get in my diving etc. Hard on the family.
We were always pulling things on each other. Any thing to break the monotony of the daily grind.
I worked with a Millwright that was dumber than a stump. He had gotten into the trade through the trainee program, not an apprentice program like we had to go through. Some of those guys were pretty sharp but the cracks were wide and some real gems got into the program. Robbie was one.
I got a great idea. At least I thought it was. I got a Ziploc sandwich bag, a fifty ft length of lamp Cord, a bit of Brillo pad, a 9 volt battery and a doorbell button. I was gonna scare the crap out of someone but I was not sure who.
We had a bunch of temporary cribs set up around the plant for us to store material and work out of. They had plywood walls and no roofs. Didn't really need a roof as they were inside the building. Did not really have doors either.
One day, it was a Sunday and nobody was around at the time. I had to wait until the time was right so nobody saw me. I took a drill and made a hole in the wooden wall just the size for the doorbell. I didn't put it in yet as I didn't want to give away my plans. Next at another opportune time I ran the wire up into the steel above the crib. It was about 30 ft above the crib that I intended to put my bomb.
I forgot to tell you, I was gonna make a small bomb to scare the crap out of an idiot. I was not sure what idiot I was gonna get but we had no shortage of them.
My plan was to fill the bag with acydeline gas from the torches. The torches the millwrights us us one tank of Oxygen and another of Acydeline. If you have a little bag of it and touch it off in the right way you get a hell of a bang.
I sorta left things just like that for a day or so and waited my chance to finish setting it up.
Finally my chance came. I think I came in early, if I remember right, to get the thing set up. Nobody was in the area and I got to work.
I took about a foot of the wire and after stripping the two wires I took a piece of steel wool, a little piece, and twisted it to the two wires, It was gonna be my filament, like a light bulb. I had already stripped the wires on the end up in the steel. I then hooked up the little battery to the wires for power and mounted the doorbell. I then connected the wires to it. Now for the touchy part.
I took the bag, a roll of electrical tape and the short wire and headed for the welding shop. It was time to fill the bag. I put the wire with the Brillo between the leads in the bag. I ripped off six inches of tape and had it ready. I then went over to the tanks and turned off the oxygen. I didn't want any of that. I went to the torch and stuck the tip in the bag. I filled it up as full as I could and then sealed it with the electrical tape. Now I had to be careful.
Off my dumb old arse, well I was a dumb young arse back then, went. Up the steel I climbed and setting like a dang bird on the cord of the steel I made the connections. It was at least 30 ft above the button. Maybe a little less. I can not remember for sure but it was far enough not to kill anyone I was a hoping.
I climbed down and since I was not ready to have it go off yet I went to the button and just taped a piece of cardboard over it. Maybe a 2ft by 2ft piece. I didn't figure anyone would notice and they didn't.
The next day I came in early again. It was time. (To be continued)
After a while it got to be quite a drag. It was very hot and I was working the afternoon shift. That was from about 3 pm to 11:30. There was very little home time, heck we would be exhausted by the time we got home and I would still try to get in my diving etc. Hard on the family.
We were always pulling things on each other. Any thing to break the monotony of the daily grind.
I worked with a Millwright that was dumber than a stump. He had gotten into the trade through the trainee program, not an apprentice program like we had to go through. Some of those guys were pretty sharp but the cracks were wide and some real gems got into the program. Robbie was one.
I got a great idea. At least I thought it was. I got a Ziploc sandwich bag, a fifty ft length of lamp Cord, a bit of Brillo pad, a 9 volt battery and a doorbell button. I was gonna scare the crap out of someone but I was not sure who.
We had a bunch of temporary cribs set up around the plant for us to store material and work out of. They had plywood walls and no roofs. Didn't really need a roof as they were inside the building. Did not really have doors either.
One day, it was a Sunday and nobody was around at the time. I had to wait until the time was right so nobody saw me. I took a drill and made a hole in the wooden wall just the size for the doorbell. I didn't put it in yet as I didn't want to give away my plans. Next at another opportune time I ran the wire up into the steel above the crib. It was about 30 ft above the crib that I intended to put my bomb.
I forgot to tell you, I was gonna make a small bomb to scare the crap out of an idiot. I was not sure what idiot I was gonna get but we had no shortage of them.
My plan was to fill the bag with acydeline gas from the torches. The torches the millwrights us us one tank of Oxygen and another of Acydeline. If you have a little bag of it and touch it off in the right way you get a hell of a bang.
I sorta left things just like that for a day or so and waited my chance to finish setting it up.
Finally my chance came. I think I came in early, if I remember right, to get the thing set up. Nobody was in the area and I got to work.
I took about a foot of the wire and after stripping the two wires I took a piece of steel wool, a little piece, and twisted it to the two wires, It was gonna be my filament, like a light bulb. I had already stripped the wires on the end up in the steel. I then hooked up the little battery to the wires for power and mounted the doorbell. I then connected the wires to it. Now for the touchy part.
I took the bag, a roll of electrical tape and the short wire and headed for the welding shop. It was time to fill the bag. I put the wire with the Brillo between the leads in the bag. I ripped off six inches of tape and had it ready. I then went over to the tanks and turned off the oxygen. I didn't want any of that. I went to the torch and stuck the tip in the bag. I filled it up as full as I could and then sealed it with the electrical tape. Now I had to be careful.
Off my dumb old arse, well I was a dumb young arse back then, went. Up the steel I climbed and setting like a dang bird on the cord of the steel I made the connections. It was at least 30 ft above the button. Maybe a little less. I can not remember for sure but it was far enough not to kill anyone I was a hoping.
I climbed down and since I was not ready to have it go off yet I went to the button and just taped a piece of cardboard over it. Maybe a 2ft by 2ft piece. I didn't figure anyone would notice and they didn't.
The next day I came in early again. It was time. (To be continued)
