Spraying oneself with pepper spray

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I got hit with tear gas in the gas chamber in basic, how does that stand up againt the OC sprays? I know it hurt liek a bitch, choked me up and burned me like a mother. Puts faith in your equipment though.:eek:
 
To me, CS was mild in comparison to OC, especially in the duration of the effects. Once you're out of the CS chamber and in clear air, about 5 to 10 minutes of coughin', hackin' and wipin' snot and you were done. We took multiple doses (march in masked, take off mask, go back in unmasked, don and clear mask, etc.) without much problem. With OC I was completely useless for a good 45 minutes and I wasn't safe to drive a vehicle for another 45 minutes after that.

Another thing that happened was the typical distortion of time perception that occurs when you're under stress. That was the *longest* 45 minutes I've ever spent havin' fun. :uhoh: Seemed more like half a day or so, IIRC.
 
What FoxLabs said

I wrote to FoxLabs (one of the many brands I bought and am thinking of spraying myself with) asking about spraying myself with pepper spray and that I have FoxLabs sudecon decontamination wipes. I thought that their response might be useful information to others. This is what they said:


Thank you for purchasing our products, and for taking the time to make your inquiry. You are wise to consider being exposed to the product, although I will not gloss it over -- it will be a very unpleasant experience. The odds of you wondering what ever possessed you to do this in the first place, and wishing you never did it virtually a sure thing.

That stated, it will serve at least two purposes, and you addressed both of them. Do you have a cone fog or stream pattern unit? Either way you should not get sprayed from any closer than 6 feet away. The person spraying you should do a side-to-side motion to make sure they get you in the face as simply as possible. If they try to spray you directly they may need to take a bit longer to be accurate which could result in you receiving a heavier exposure than necessary. If it is a cone fog unit, you can also just spray it into the air and then walk through the mist. It should still slam your eyes shut, and it will allow you to clean up quicker, because you will not have as much formula on you. It is good to have someone else with you so they can talk to you in case you have a panic attack -- it even happens to veteran police officers after being hit with our product.

If you use the Sudecon wipes you should be able to open you eyes and function in 7 to 15 minutes. If you are lightly exposed (by walking through the mist) it can be even quicker. Trust the product to work. The first few wipes of the face (never rub your eyes or skin after being sprayed) should remove the formula from the surface of the skin. They use a new, clean towelette and squeeze the solution over your "closed" eyes. Trust it to work with nothing added, no additional water or anything. You can sit in front of an air conditioner, or fan to help cool you down during this process, but the
bottom line is that the formula will stop the burning spontaneously -- one moment you will be hurting, and the next you will notice that it has subsided. You will want to wash your hair and shower a while later. If you shower right away the burn will return. Another thing to think about is that
you may want to keep your head tilted forward when washing your hair and face, since the pepper running down your body could contaminate and ignite some other rather sensitive areas below your navel, if you get my drift.

YES, take out your contacts. You will surly ruin them if they are exposed to the formula.

The Sudecon are about 7 by 11 inches in size and are an impregnated paper that is strong enough to not tear easily, while remaining gentle on the skin. Again, do NOT rub, only gently wipe the contaminated areas.

If you decide to take a hit, drop me a line and let me know what you think of the results.
Thank you.
Click to expand...
 
A friend and I bought a can of cheap hardware store pepper spray to goof around with. We ended up testing it on ourselves. It HURT! It was worth doing, however, because it demonstrated that this particular spray couldn't truly incapacitate either of us. Our eyesight was wrecked, but we could still think and act willfully.

I've always wondered how well the high grade Fox Labs spray would work. I've experienced the lower grade stuff and found it to be a worthwhile expereince. It HURT!! But I survived and feel I'm better off for the knowledge I gained. It was one of those experiences that you can't possibly capture in words, and can't really relate to anyone who hasn't experienced the same thing. It was worth doing.

That said, I'm extremely reluctant to test out the good stuff. The cheap stuff HURT, and the good stuff must be even more excrutiating. I can't bring myself to try out the Fox Labs stuff. I carry Fox Labs spray, and I'd love to know (really, truly KNOW) what it can do to do to a person. But having tasted the weak stuff, I just can't pull the trigger on myself with the strong stuff.

If you can bring yourself to try it, I would definitely encourage you to do it. Don't let the naysayers and critics deter you. If you think it would be a valuable learning experience, then you should go through with it. It'll hurt like hell, but it'll ne worth it.
 
Lupinus I know your post was in a joking fashion, but OC sprays contain antifreeze, therefore you wouldn't want to use it like hotsauce.

Given the liability issues, I'm sure it isn't ethylene glycol, which is the most common AF ingredient, but propylene glycol, which is non-toxic. In fact, it's a fairly common ingredient, and is often used as an inert ingredient in medicines
 
Wouldn't use the stuff

I have witnessed two people do this exact er...... exercise, and I personally wouldn't recommend it, unless you are into hurting! Between that and all of the videos of LEO's getting a dose of it also when they spray the bad guy. Inside it just seems to get everyone, and with the wind outside the sprayer often getts a good dose as well. I just have a policy to avoid tools that may just as easily incapicitate me as they do my attacker. :rolleyes: I will stick with my CCW!
 
All cops in AK have to be sprayed with OC before we can be certified to carry it. Some of us more than once.:eek: I'm also a certified OC instructor. What sacp81170a said was right on. We use Dawn dish soap for decontamination rather than baby shampoo at it cuts the OC oil a bit better.

Getting sprayed is a key factor in conditioning your mind to fight through the effects in the event of accidental sprayng or back blast. I've been back blasted several times spraying people. You do learn to function in spite of the pain and burning.

The Fox Labs product is probably the best one that is readily available. Our agency uses the ZARC Vexor V7 which is truely :evil:. ZARC has a version that is now available to non-govt customers.

The cone and fog patterns seem to be most effective over the streams, but the streams are deployable in breezy conditions where the cone and fog patterns have to be deployed upwind of the subject. There is also less collateral contamination when using streams indoors than with cones and fogs.

The vast majority of OC products are made with food grade ingredients.
 
Do a Google search for pepper spray videos.

There's one video where a teenager is sprayed by a stream-type spray, and it just barely misses and hits his hair. No effect.
His friend tries it again and hits him in the face, and this time the teen quickly turns around and reaches for the bottle of water to pour in his eyes. Quite funny.
:neener:

I've not been sprayed directly, but I have experienced both Punch II and Mace (OC) brand sprays. The Punch II was hanging off my keys, and when I grabbed it I accidentally activated the product and got a good dose on my hand (which burned). The fumes also got to my face, which brought about much coughing and blinking.

The Mace was nearing its expiration date so I just sprayed it into the backyard and walked into the mist. I did cough and tear up a lot, but I felt that the Punch II had more of a "burning."

That said, I carry Fox Labs with me everywhere, and there's a 4oz. canister sitting right next to the front door. :D
 
From the subject line I thought this was going in a different direction - when chatting wtih my dad about the bear and mountain lion recently seen around my folks' place in Colorado, and him thinking about suggesting pepper spray to my mom while she's out jogging... my thought was sure, just spray it on yourself and you won't taste as good. Probably just as effective.:D
 
I carry several of those travel sized bottles of Johnson's and Johnson's baby shampoo in my gear bag to decon in the event of exposure to OC. We all got a full facial spray in the academy, and I've been sprayed several times since. It hurts. A lot. In my opinion CS is mildly irritating unless in very high concentrations (inside a enclosed structure for example) and much easier to deal with than OC.

I work in a ghetto with a high concentration of mental patients. I'm assigned to the CIT team that gets calls to handle violent mental patients. I've sprayed more people than the rest of my shift put together probably. It works pretty well, provided you use it properly. Start the spray over their eyes and work down in a zig zag. Try to get both eyes and the nose and mouth. I've seen probably an 80% sucess rate with our current spray (5.5% fortified with CS rated at 1 million SHU). That includes some really irrate drunk mental patients. The ones that it didn't work on were at least slowed down some, and took a heck of a lot of damage to put down (some people just don't respond to pain compliance).

By far the worst pain I have ever experienced was an inadvertant full facial of Fox 5.3. I take regular spray pretty well, getting my eyes open in 5 or 6 minutes without the shampoo, or about as soon as I can wash em out with it. The Fox left me useless for a good 20 minutes. Fox also seems to vaporize and effect the general area, unlike most other OC sprays. It is the only OC that has ever caused me to feel like I was unable to breath. That stuff is awesome.

Second would be getting a taste of the 10% oc foam we get issued for use on CIT patients and inside hospitals. It isn't "hotter" than our regular spray, but it sure burns longer. Once I washed it out of my eyes they were fine, but it burned where it had gotten on my face and lips for an hour. Felt like someone was holding a light bulb to my skin.

You want to experience it, go right ahead. It won't kill you. Do maintain a minimum of 36 inches between the can and your eyes as there is a possibility of damage due to "hydraulic needle effect". Take out contacts as it will ruin soft contacts, and they are a real pain to get out after being sprayed. I'm an expert on that particular subject.
 
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DONT DO IT. ever since i got sprayed i have been saying i'd rather be shot than do it again.

ok maybe its not that awful.. but it really puts you into a stat of feeling like you're going to die and you're completely helpless, and at the same time there is no way to make the pain stop it just keeps going. really scary.

If you must do it do it at home so you dont need to get a ride home and have a friend there. you will also need him to walk you around outside and force you to hold your own eyes open. JUST DO NOT RUB THEM. walk around in the wind holding your eyes open with your hands the best you can. dont rub anything at all. wind really does a good job. also i have heard alot of people vouch for some sort of dawn baby soap or something. check around cause its a specific brand they mentioned. also.. dont be afraid to close your eyes before being shot. i kept mine open and regretted it. also.. keep the dose low.. maybe consider ding the cotton swab to the bottom of your eyelid thing that some academies are doing now.

i'd like to tell you dont do it.. but i remember the feeling of not knowing what it was like. thats why we are men and these are the decisions we make.
 
DO IT!!!

I DID IT! And now I am a big fan of pepper spray. I can't imagine anyone "fighting through" a face-full of that stuff. I had my buddy spray me while my eyes were shut. He sprayed across my face three times. The first "line" went across my lips, the second went across my eyes, and the third went diagonally from the corner of one eye to the opposite corner of my mouth. I stood there for about 10 seconds, feeling nothing. My friend told me to open my eyes.

AS SOON AS I EVEN TRIED TO OPEN MY EYES THEY SHUT AUTOMATICALLY. They shut so hard it hurt. The spray was burning, but my eyes were squinting so hard it felt like my eyeballs were going to pop or that my eyelashes were going to dig into my eyeballs. I could not stop this from happening.

Breathing was difficult. I wasn't sure if it had effected my respiratory system or if I was having a panic attack. I could not breath easily or normally. I could not get myself to take a breath simply by thinking or deciding to breath. In order to inhale, I had to exhale completely, forcing all the air out of my lungs. Only then was I able to get a breath. It was scary. I wanted it to end. It wouldn't end. I had a running hose, a bucket of water, and a bottle of Johnson & Johnson's baby shampoo (I was told that milk might work better). I stood there for about a minute (trying to resist the urge to rinse) before reaching out for the bucket. This was when I became aware of how hot my skin felt (the next morning when I awoke I felt my earlobes burning). Even after rinsing for a while, I could not open my eyes to rinse them out. I tried to pry them open but could not get my body to cooperate with my wishes. I felt nauseated but did not vomit. After about 20 minutes I was able to open my eyes for very brief periods. Ten minutes later I was able to keep my eyes open. Focusing was difficult since my eyes had been so forcefully shut for such a long time. I sat in a LAZY-boy chair while my friends played video games. I felt like I was sick and that I deserved pity, but realized that I was actually only stupid, as I had inflicted this malady on myself.

That was about 3-4 years ago. Lately, I have had the urge(?) to do it again in order to demonstrate to some of my female coworkers and lady-friends just how effective pepper spray can be.
 
yah it really does give you a sense of respect for the stuff. and it made me realize that it shouldnt be used lightly. somebody better really piss me off to get sprayed. until youfeel it you can never really imagine how painful its gonna be

as soon as i felt it i bought some for my girl friend
 
While serving in the Air Force, we had some OC spray that was past it's service life. As we were packing it up for shipment to the destruction facility a mouse ran across our floor and behind a locker. Wellllll, of course we had to try to "gas" the little guy out. So, a couple of hits behind the locker with the spray and the mouse comes crawling out, makes it about two feet and keels over dead. Just about then we realized that it was not a good idea to hang around in the small room. It took around a half hour (and a good butt chewing from our boss) before we were able to get back inside. Not one of my best times in the military but one I surely remember.
 
I will film it for everyone , will be a little bit of movement from the laughter:D
 
I had a small canister of tear gas that was probably 15 years old that I came across in my garage one time. I thought it would might be a good thing to get the racoons out from under my porch so I sprayed it under the porch. I got a bit of a whiff of it - unpleasent but not enough to get much of a feel for what a full dose might do. It did not seem to bother the racoons all that much. Big porch - I think they just moved to the other end.

I only got about a ten second spray out of the small container I had.
 
Getting sprayed with OC/pepper spray really sucks, the first couple of times it happens. After a while though, you sort'a get used to it, however.

I used to work with an officer that apparently thought that if he had to use his spray, everyone, friend or foe, needed to get a dose... (Himself included)

He was tough to work with, but we all managed to survive... :rolleyes:
(In his defense, most of the times OC was used, we were having a bit of a "Chinese Fire Drill"... several people all trying to subdue one individual, and generally just getting in each other's way. The spray probably did quite a bit to sort things out, honestly... )

Oh, and TN is one of those places where police get sprayed in the academy... Freeze +P is what they used 10-12 years ago... Might be different now, since there was a bit of trouble over the fact a Taser can ignite Freeze, here a while back...


J.C.
 
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