Mine, nitrated organic compounds will act on fingers that are too close...

It all started, as a teenager, with my mates and I making black powder pipe bombs to let off on the back of a farm. With time these increased in size, and then the chemistry also stepped - to the point that we unplanted a sizable pine tree. This resulted in the local constabulary paying us a visit (for the first time). Thankfully it was a quite visit, no lights, no parents involved, just a stern watch out you could really heart yourselves. As we move on in our endeavors escalated we learnt a few things.

Timing is everything, get the timing wrong and you may need stitches at best. I think one of my mates was very lucky that day and only split the skin of a finger, it could have gone much worse.

Of cause that didn't stop us - and that lead to the cops and AOS being called on another occasion - when the AOS is involved it tends to make the local papers, and parents somehow become involved as well.

All good life lessons.