Improvised defense sprays

[p35]

Someone mentioned, a while ago, repelling a carjacking attempt with a spray can of brake cleaner. That got me thinking: Wal-Mart is full of aerosol cans of various chemicals, some of which have unpleasant effects if sprayed into attacker's faces. They also have the advantage of not looking aggressive or (in some areas) being illegal to carry, as pepper spray could be. Anyone have ideas on what might be useful to have around as a dual-purpose spray? Anything to avoid?

 

[Betty]

Well, I've always thought oven cleaner would work really well, but I'm rather wary of actually carrying any non-pepper/mace spray sprays on oneself or in the vehicle for the explicit purpose of using it against another person. Pepper sprays are designed to temporarily incapacitate without permanently damaging a person, but these others type sprays would, and that brings all sorts of legal issues into the picture. I'm no expert there, so someone else will have to clarify.

Of course, if you're in the kitchen and the bad guy breaks in, well... you just happened to be cleaning your oven and used a weapon at hand.....

 

[Sisco]

Spray bottle filled with a water/amonia mixture. My mailman says it works well on dogs.

 

[sm]

-I have Brakleen in my truck,
-I have oven cleaner in apt
- Spray De- icer in winter
-Hot coffee when strolling some businesses
-Carry my own heavy ceramic cup-sometimes people out of disposable ones
-Root beer, soda, etc tastes better out of a bottle, and water fountain allows me to stay hydrated
-I don't drink alcohol, of course here we can't CCW where served, funny , always a partial bottle or pitcher left on table in resturants that serve booze.
Carry bug spray in truck in summer
Spray medical stuff in first aid kit, in truck

 

[cpileri]

oven cleaner

legally I can't say, but if you use Easy-Off Oven Cleaner you wont have to say," Look for the pepper smelling guy." You can say,"Look for the permanently BLIND guy."
C-

 

[PATH]

Bug spray!

 

[sm]

ahem...

Explicit - no
Some stuff is just stuff in normal places.

Intent of individual, not item.
Keep matches in truck too--I'm not an arsonist

 

[JShirley]

Lemon juice out of a plastic squeeze "lemon". Used by my grandfather's ex-wife on a would-be rapist "back in the day". Ow.

 

[Neal Bloom]

When I used to bike to college I carried a squirt gun full of household ammonia. Would stop dogs in their tracks when they were chasing me.

 

[Navy joe]

As weapons of opportunity, there is no fair fight. Anything that permanently injured you had better be within your rights as to deadly force.

As premeditated weapons are you nuts? The DA would love somebody that had a little belt holster made for their can of brake-cleen.

As far as a dual purpose tool, think of a dry chemical fire extinguisher. It puts out fires, it is in place in a vehicle or home, it is a handy blunt object. Further, if you hose someone in the face with it they will be out of action for a bit. So much the better if they inhale in suprise. Again though, if you walk around with a fire extinguisher looking to use it on someone who is not on fire you probably won't do so hot legally.

No, unless they have been really bad setting them on fire and then putting them out is not an option.

 

[SteelyDan]

Well, I'm thinking you might just have an unnatural fear of bears, and rather than shoot the critters you carry a can of bear spray. Which, coincidentally, is to "personal defense" sprays as a .30-06 is to a .22. As silly as it sounds, I've read a couple times that you can't take "personal defense" sprays into Canada, but you can bring bear sprays into the country.

 

[VikingBlood]

I forget which site it was, but I remember seeing a concealex or kydex neck sheath for carrying a 1/8 oz bottle of Tabasco sauce for sale. got me thinking...

 

[JoshM]

As far as a dual purpose tool, think of a dry chemical fire extinguisher. It puts out fires, it is in place in a vehicle or home, it is a handy blunt object. Further, if you hose someone in the face with it they will be out of action for a bit

Saw a guy get shot in the face with an electrical fire extinguisher, he went down in a screaming heap.

Had to be rushed to hospital to save his eyesight.

 

[CWL]

Y'all,

A can of spray paint.

Easy, cheap, ubiquitous, non-threatening looking. Some contracting marker paints have nozzles set to spray in a wide strip or stream which may work better than regular sprayer. Who's gonna think anything of a can or two of spraypaint in your car, on your person (unless you are some sort of gangsta planning on 'tagging' the neighborhood).

Paint hurts, paint blinds, paint probably makes it hard to breath when shot into nose/mouth, paint also makes a perp easily identifiable. -"Yes officer, you should be able to find him real easily, he's the one running down the street with the orange head."

 

[Byron Quick]

I was chased into a construction site once. Mortar mix does bad things when it hits the tears coating the human eyeball and the assailant loses all desire to assault.

 

[VaughnT]

Of all the options listed so far, I'll have to second the Dry Chemical Fire Extinguisher. Unlike a lot of other options, this is the only one that has a LEGITIMATE reason for being in every possible location (kitchen, living room, car/truck) and it will do wonders on an attacker.

You also have to consider the negative side of changing the manual of arms when dealing with different aerosols. That oven cleaner uses a broad spray nozzle whereas the wasp killer uses a narrow stream. If you're using a fogger, what about blow-back? What about effective distance?

With the same type of fire extinguisher in you kitchen, living room, vehicle, the manual of arms never changes....and you have the added benefit of a heavy canister to use as an impact device.

Of course, all such extinguishers should be painted black (parkerized, maybe) to decrease glare. You never know when a chance reflection will give away your position.

 

[Navy joe]

That's also something that's on every airplane, in every building you can't carry in etc. I've put out a fair number of fires with dry chemical and am aware of the visibility loss and respiratory troubles the crap gives from incidental exposure, A full face hit ought to stop someone long enough for you to escape, beat them to death with the extinguisher, or disarm them as the situation dictates. I can only imagine that a carbon dioxide extinguisher would be chillingly effective and I figure that if you could get the suprise inhale effect Halon would make a mess too.

 

[Kobun]

A friend was in Lebanon and his unit had a South African Casspir APC.

On one exercise they were 4 guys in the truck, and my friend was pretending to be a casualty. They were racing down some crappy mountain road, and the fire extinguisher falls off the holder, and the nozzle breaks off.
Instant white-out, inside the truck!
The driver stopped as fast as he could, and they just poured out any opening in the APC.
It would be no way to keep going.
They had to air out the APC, before they were able to continue.
Worst clean up job ever!

 

[Navy joe]

Get it all out, it's absolute corrosive hell. Especially on electronics. Vacumn it, blow it out, flush everything with lots of clean water or else soon nothing will work. Smells absolutely awful after a fire too, takes days to get the smell out of your hair. Halon is much better, but apparently it is worse for the ozone than letting the world burn down so new production is banned and existing supplies are pricey.

OT as heck, but if you ever plan on using your fire extinguisher on a fire rather than a socially challenged BG, test it out. You need considerable discipline to use one in a confined space, as the above post's whiteout illustrates. Breath in, short burst to the fire, stop and evaluate. Repeat. Get out if it don't go well quickly. Call insurance agent. Spray and pray will only blind you to your escape route and possibly cause you to frantically gasp in large quanities of powder and smoke, leaving you passed out on the floor next to a fire. For indoors I'd say go with one of those Kidde foam extinguishers, much better on solid material fires, also grease capable. No whiteout risk, no BG deterrent factor either. For electrical secure breaker and then fight as a solid materials fire. The main breaker is my default choice, just to be sure.

Just like guns, if you haven't trained with them you probably shouldn't own them. Five gallons of gas, your favorite fire extinguisher and a road flare for lighting said gas from afar makes for an instructional little session. Just find someplace you can safely light that much gas on the ground. Bring extra extinguishers.

 

[106rr]

Small spray can of WD-40 works very well. Some of the damage will be permanent so be careful near your opponent's eyes. It is also flammable -- do not spray on smokers.

 

[106rr]

Warning- do not use a bic lighter anywhere near your opponent after he has been hosed with WD-40! Run away!

 

[wingnutx]

Of course, all such extinguishers should be painted black

Don't do it, the DA will fry you for using a Tactical Assault Extinguisher.

I always thought an extinguisher filled with tobasco would work well.

If you spray someone with starter fluid (ETHER), you get to see them do their Richard Pryor imitation

 

[hso]

Navy Joe,

I'm sure that you meant to say diesel fuel instead of gasoline since anyone attempting to light gasoline is at extreme risk of serious injury due to the flash. Everyone should learn the proper techniques for fire extinguisher use, but they should contact their local FD for that training and avoid the possible problems of trying to train themselves.

Runt and Navy Joe are correct in that selecting and using something that could result in permanent injury will result in your living a life of poverty as well as possibly spending time with large burly men that insist you call them "Honey". Be very careful, get the MSDS for the product, call the manufacturer and ask what the consequences of getting it in the eyes/lungs are and make sure that it has a broad spray with reach.