Andrew Rothman
Member
I had a 4-oz can of pepper spray, in a Rip-Off belt pouch, in a lidded compartment in the center console of my car, along with a lot of other "stuff" -- napkins, plastic cel phone belt clip, box of Cor-Bon ammo, etc.
I was putting something else in and kind of shoved everything to the back.
When I stopped the car 15 minutes later, I smelled a solvent smell (smelled like Freon, as a matter of fact). I thought my air conditioner was dying.
I came back to the car later that day, and smelled the solvent smell even stronger.
Well, I eventually looked in the compartment, and found...
Strangely, what I didn't experience was a strong pepper smell. Once I figured what happened, I licked my finger and tasted the inside wall. There was an itty bitty taste of spicy, but not much.
I suspect that the can was inverted, so that the "straw" was sucking from the bottom of the can, while all of the pepper had settled to the top.
The strange thing is that the can of pepper spray has a recessed button. Something must have stuck in it just right.
Anyhow, that compartment has a foam bottom.
Howinheck do I get that clean? Or do I have to rip it out and start over?
(It's a 2000 Mercury Sable, so if anyone knows how they go together, I'd love to hear.)
Lessons:
I was putting something else in and kind of shoved everything to the back.
When I stopped the car 15 minutes later, I smelled a solvent smell (smelled like Freon, as a matter of fact). I thought my air conditioner was dying.
I came back to the car later that day, and smelled the solvent smell even stronger.
Well, I eventually looked in the compartment, and found...
- napkins and stuff stuck to the plastic
- the cel phone clip, half melted away (!)
- The Cor-Bons, which had been nested in a styrofoam block, now in a big solid glob with sticky white goo holding them together
- a burst (used) lithium 123 battery (from my SureFire)
Strangely, what I didn't experience was a strong pepper smell. Once I figured what happened, I licked my finger and tasted the inside wall. There was an itty bitty taste of spicy, but not much.
I suspect that the can was inverted, so that the "straw" was sucking from the bottom of the can, while all of the pepper had settled to the top.
The strange thing is that the can of pepper spray has a recessed button. Something must have stuck in it just right.
Anyhow, that compartment has a foam bottom.
Howinheck do I get that clean? Or do I have to rip it out and start over?
(It's a 2000 Mercury Sable, so if anyone knows how they go together, I'd love to hear.)
Lessons:
- Keep that pepper spray in a hard case, or by itelf!
- Shake well before using!