Mmm.. mine was when I sprayed contact cleaner inside a customers recently restored EM game. I put the playfield down and started her up.
As soon as the first spark came, the fumes from the cleaner ignited and I had on my hands a timber bomb.
Luckily ( or not so luckily) I had left the door unlocked and instead of the explosion blowing the PF out.. it blew the door open with a gust of firey dragons breath. The door hit me square in the nuts and my groin was momentarily covered in a gaseous fire. The impact knocked me square to the floor.
My wife came rushing in wondering what the bang was thinking id killed myself on the 240V to find me rolling on the floor holding some my hot and bruised groin.
Now if you think that that isn't stupid enough.. I have to admit that ive done this twice!
Couple of years later, I was working on my 59 WMS Rocket.. had the PF up and went for the contact spray. This time I did give it some time to air out.. but it wasn't enough. First spark and I saw this ball of fire come rising out of the machine up to the ceiling where it fanned out. I was under the house at the time with the front entry door open and my wife drove her car in at that very instant.. all she saw was a big ball of fire and then me jumping up and down on the schematics that were in the machine trying to put them out.
She pissed herself laughing as I stamped out the schematics. I then spent the next hour taping them back together to find the part I needed on them was now nothing but ash. Had to delay the fix up a couple of weeks while I waited for a repro set to come through..
Don't use contact cleaner folks... tis dangerous stuff indeed!
