Steel Wool Photography

**steve1840** · 2011-11-30, 12:01 PM

Where were those new shots done? I definitely like the lighting in the first one.

**Derf** · 2011-12-01, 01:40 AM

FAIL

Everything in my entire life is in freefall and the crash is not going to be pretty! But tonight I figured I would escape just for a few hours and do something that would take my mind off of the turmoil I am in. I set out after work to do some steel wool shots in an abandoned VOR in Ridge and figured that for just a small moment in time I can do something different with it blowing up in my face..... BOY WAS I WRONG!

6:30 Leave work for Ridge, just a short 5 min ride from my new hole in the ground, I set off and need to pick up 3 D batteries for my Maglight. I have always had a passion for Maglights ever since I downed a half bottle of vodka while sitting in a lawn chair in a stream with my Mag light submerged in about 3 feet of water making the river glow from underneath. My maglight always had a charge and never was dead....before having children. Now I can not keep the batteries working for more than about 5 hours as my two little men always leave it on. One of the joys of parenting that I do not mind but sounds like a pain. Anyway, This silver polished mag light I found when my friend and I flew to fishers island and we were walking around an old WWII gun installation when It caught my eye! I had my last mag light stolen and got one for my birthday the day before but it was black. I gave that to an evil witch and kept the silver one for myself!

So I am going to take this picture tonight and I get out at the gas station and go to by the D cell batteries but quickly realize that I can not open the silver 3 D-cell mag-light. We put it in a vice at the gas station and still could not open it!!! I have this little cheezy flashlight that looks like it will last about 5 minutes and holds a temp charge from the sun (solar charging) and has 2 small non rechargeable batteries for emergency....Realizing that it being in the trunk for months has completely drained the rechargeable part of the flash light, this is what I am left with to go frolicking thru the woods on a 20 minute hike to find the VOR station that I visited 4 YEARS AGO!!!

So I park the car and I am off thru the forest, the brush had grown much more over the years and I had issues seeing with this tiny little toy light, checking GPS was USLESS as it kept jumping around and could not get a good fix. I walked for about 15 minutes and got into some really deep brush and was having a really hard time getting where I needed to go. I kept thinking that I was going to run into some homeless person that liked my 7D with all my lens' but I continued. It was not one of those nice little walks thru the forest as it was cool, Dark as the moon was almost non existent and was just praying that someone would jump out and pop a few caps into my ass! I followed the trail but as you would guess my light did not hold out and I was stuck in complete darkness. To make things worse I turned on my iPhone to get a fix on where I was and what I needed to do. I had to sit down with my eyes shut for about 2 minutes just waiting for my eyes to adjust to the now no light situation after looking at my iPhone. So now I am following a new trail for about another 5-8 minutes and that too goes into heavy brush and canopy coverings of about 10 feet, just enough to scare the bajesus out of you and then I see the road. Yes, I wound back exactly where I started!!! I NEVER GET LOST, I have an excellent sense of direction and I am the best person to go on a trek with! With all the issues with the light, I totally screwed myself.

I QUIT! I go home and I now start pulling apart the mag light. It takes 2 pipe wrenches and slamming it into concrete with more than the weight of my 200LBS fat ass to get the battery cover off and it is nothing but corrosion! I cut open a can of coke and set the flashlight bottom in it to let the coke eat the acid away and it works but those batteries are still welded into the maglight... It sits for hours and still I can not get it off! I take off the top and play around for 20 minutes removing the spring clip so I can remove the switch and light assembly.. slowly start to turn it side to side and BOOM!!!! The Fin thing goes off IN MY FACE and sounded like a 38!!!! My ears rang just the same as if I fired a 38 and I can not believe that the police were not called. I put up a fan to get the acid smoke out the door so I would not be breathing it in all night and now realize that when the battery blew up, it destroyed the switch and light assembly and now the light is totally screwed!

The worst part is that this was not my worst day this week by far....actually, this was my best day all week

Here is an old pictures I took of the old VOR station

**NIKV69** · 2011-12-01, 02:37 AM

Fred I am more happy you weren't injured by the battery acid. My Maglite kit. One that takes 3Ds and the small one on my belt that takes 2AA are also great tools I use. Sorry to hear it's gone! Hang in there bro!

**steve1840** · 2011-12-01, 08:28 AM

Speaking from personal experience Fred, I can only say things will get better. Keep your head up buddy!

I got my Mag lite in the truck, I'll be down Saturday all day. What say we go find that VOR station Sat night?

**threeholerglory** · 2011-12-01, 06:33 PM

on the bright side, even on his worst days, Fred still manages to blow something up. Glad you're alright man! If I were in that position I'm not sure which would look worse...my face or my pants.

**Derf** · 2011-12-01, 08:46 PM

The top battery blew up and the middle one had the center nipple blown into the battery an 1/8 inch...The battery is hard to see in this shot but the top is concave inward towards the center!

**Derf** · 2011-12-04, 01:16 PM

Steve dragged me back last night to get some VOR shots and we killed the batteries in his mag light! Here are some of my results

**gonzalu** · 2011-12-04, 01:18 PM

Awesome!!!

**emshighway** · 2011-12-04, 03:49 PM

I have used MagLights since they came out and with EMS in the South Bronx they were necessary for several reasons.. Besides lighting the way, they were an all purpose tool for hammering, door stop car window opener, dog and people deterrent. I have found the great destroyer of a MagLight is the battery corrosion. But that hasn't been the end of the MagLight. I use to carry a 4 cell model and when the internals were damaged by corrosion we would just fill it with concrete and leave it behind the car seat just in case. Talk about a great people deterrent.

**Roush6NY** · 2011-12-04, 04:59 PM

You guys KILLED IT ............ Those are amazing Fred !

**moose135** · 2011-12-04, 06:45 PM

Very cool, Fred, very cool!

**gonzalu** · 2011-12-04, 06:59 PM

I have been very happy with the Costco Special TechLite Lumen Master 150 ($20 bucks for a pack of three) Not bad construction, and the XR-E LED is not bad... you want XP-C if you can find it and the cheapo plastic lens is poor as well as the AAA holder inside (ugh). Also not a real TACTICAL switch, instead a three position thingy that is kinda sucky. But for the price, oh man, these suckers are terrific!! SUPER bright and nice anodized construction and well polished reflector... too bad about the plastic lens otherwise the O rings to a fine job keeping moisture out!

http://www.amazon.com/TechLite-Maste.../dp/B003VCL4XQ

**steve1840** · 2011-12-04, 11:43 PM

Fred, I had a blast doing those shots and thanks again for letting me drag you out there last night. Then again, it didn't seem at all like I had to twist your arm all that much.

I'm glad that we didn't get lost in the woods, I didn't fall through the roof of the station, and that my mag light actually had enough juice left to get us back out to the road.

Here's my versions of a few of the shots the shots....