Demolishing a pallet to recover the hardwood 4x4s, I get a few boards off with the hammer. Then I hold the pallet upright with my left hand while hammering with the right hand.
The thing is, I was reaching through a previously made gap between the planks and was hammering towards my face to loosen the board on my side. I missed once, and whacked my cheek with the face of the hammer.
*tweety birds and stars*
stupid shop tricks
So there I was, first jewelry class at a community college. By sheer chance I didn't get the instructor who is one of the top 100 jewelers in the country, I got someone else. Who told me it was okay to polish a coil of wire on the buffer as long as I was careful.
So I have this 4" diameter coil of 21g sterling, that has about five or six turns of wire in it, and the pickle just won't clean it, so I take it to the buffer. Things are going fine until one turn of the coil gets pulled around by the wheel around and now it's floating on the spindle, the rest of the coil in my hands. I carefully remove one hand from the coil and reach over to the switch, and turn it off right about the time the one turn of wire snags and rips the whole thing out of my other hand.
Some portion of it smacks my fingers and the buffer makes a tortured sound as it winds down, the coil of wire now tangled about it. Two of my fingers are bloody - I go to the sink and discover it's just a couple of cuts on my index and middle fingers. No nerve damage or anything.
I was insanely lucky - nothing like surviving an encounter with a high-powered weedwacker equipped with metal instead of twine - another instructor said later that people lose whole fingers to accidents like that.
The instructor apologized - I sat there with bandaged fingers, watching my vision go black around the edges and listening to the noise of the room get farther and farther away (hand wounds do that to me), and pondered how much farther up my respect for buffers had just gone.
So I have this 4" diameter coil of 21g sterling, that has about five or six turns of wire in it, and the pickle just won't clean it, so I take it to the buffer. Things are going fine until one turn of the coil gets pulled around by the wheel around and now it's floating on the spindle, the rest of the coil in my hands. I carefully remove one hand from the coil and reach over to the switch, and turn it off right about the time the one turn of wire snags and rips the whole thing out of my other hand.
Some portion of it smacks my fingers and the buffer makes a tortured sound as it winds down, the coil of wire now tangled about it. Two of my fingers are bloody - I go to the sink and discover it's just a couple of cuts on my index and middle fingers. No nerve damage or anything.
I was insanely lucky - nothing like surviving an encounter with a high-powered weedwacker equipped with metal instead of twine - another instructor said later that people lose whole fingers to accidents like that.
The instructor apologized - I sat there with bandaged fingers, watching my vision go black around the edges and listening to the noise of the room get farther and farther away (hand wounds do that to me), and pondered how much farther up my respect for buffers had just gone.
I feel incredibly lucky that I have had mo major (in comparrison) injuries....
I though that having a tense coil of wire spinning back on me and slicing open my chin, also roughing out a point for a scribe on the anvil, getting distracted by stupid step-father at the door and hitting my finger so hard that the skin on the side of my finger split >.<.......
this one is only partly tool related.. though it is almost a vendeta againts my right middle finger.....
When I first started making maille at the age of 12.. it was pretty well trial and error..... using aviation snips to cut the coils, the snips jammed (as I can use both left and right for most things -is using a left handed mouse-) I wigled the snips a bit and used my right hand to navigate the coil, to cause less jamms.... SNIP!!! there goes the tip of my right middle finger... open nerves are not fun....
about 6 months after that healed, I was helping my mother in the kitchen, and we all know how sharp the blades on those miracle slicers are dont we.... I found out as I was cleaning it, I got a nice deep cut lengthways down the tip of my finger. And for some reason the tip of the finger had remained supper sensative......
at the year 9 camp, the following year.... we were out on some crap night-time bushwalk.. I fell behind a bit (as apathy tends to do to people) and i started to run to catch up... I ran up onto a sort of ledge on the path and started to lose my balance and grabbed at anything... I grabbed at that razor grass/ cut grass/ whatever it is.... and the only finger that was sliced open was the right, middle finger..... the next day we had archery..... first shot, bandaids flew off... second shot... blood splattered the back of the bow
each time something happens to this finger, it gets bound up my my mother with almost a splint down the whole finger.... so yea.. I kept getting accusd of flipping people off
Eh... Im Irish.. pain must love me
I though that having a tense coil of wire spinning back on me and slicing open my chin, also roughing out a point for a scribe on the anvil, getting distracted by stupid step-father at the door and hitting my finger so hard that the skin on the side of my finger split >.<.......
this one is only partly tool related.. though it is almost a vendeta againts my right middle finger.....
When I first started making maille at the age of 12.. it was pretty well trial and error..... using aviation snips to cut the coils, the snips jammed (as I can use both left and right for most things -is using a left handed mouse-) I wigled the snips a bit and used my right hand to navigate the coil, to cause less jamms.... SNIP!!! there goes the tip of my right middle finger... open nerves are not fun....
about 6 months after that healed, I was helping my mother in the kitchen, and we all know how sharp the blades on those miracle slicers are dont we.... I found out as I was cleaning it, I got a nice deep cut lengthways down the tip of my finger. And for some reason the tip of the finger had remained supper sensative......
at the year 9 camp, the following year.... we were out on some crap night-time bushwalk.. I fell behind a bit (as apathy tends to do to people) and i started to run to catch up... I ran up onto a sort of ledge on the path and started to lose my balance and grabbed at anything... I grabbed at that razor grass/ cut grass/ whatever it is.... and the only finger that was sliced open was the right, middle finger..... the next day we had archery..... first shot, bandaids flew off... second shot... blood splattered the back of the bow
each time something happens to this finger, it gets bound up my my mother with almost a splint down the whole finger.... so yea.. I kept getting accusd of flipping people off
Eh... Im Irish.. pain must love me
'Why does the master of such large buildings, want my poor cottage?' Caradoc, son of Cunobelin
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The Lost Celt
- Archive Member
- Posts: 647
- Joined: Thu Apr 29, 2004 7:55 pm
hmm, the wire coil reminds me...
I used a power drill to wind coils for some 14g maille, had an old steel one mounted in a vise, now I was smart enough to keep my hands well clear so it wouldn't get trapped, but the little wire at the end would whap me in the hands every once in a while. No probs, I double gloved and kept enough distance to where I really couldn't feel it, (after the first time it whacked my cuticle) and had grown accustomed to that little *thwap*
I kept a light tension and let the wire guide itself uncoiled, so I wasn't worried about getting my hand sucked in (had at least thought that far)
What I hadn't accounted on was after finishing the hauberk I went back trying to get a different color for edging, we had some brazing rods that were considerably thicker than the 14g wire, I drilled a bigger hole, wound it as usual, let it slide and instead of a *thwap* I expected I get *SMACK*
I nearly broke my finger, couldn't really move it for three days...
I used a power drill to wind coils for some 14g maille, had an old steel one mounted in a vise, now I was smart enough to keep my hands well clear so it wouldn't get trapped, but the little wire at the end would whap me in the hands every once in a while. No probs, I double gloved and kept enough distance to where I really couldn't feel it, (after the first time it whacked my cuticle) and had grown accustomed to that little *thwap*
I kept a light tension and let the wire guide itself uncoiled, so I wasn't worried about getting my hand sucked in (had at least thought that far)
What I hadn't accounted on was after finishing the hauberk I went back trying to get a different color for edging, we had some brazing rods that were considerably thicker than the 14g wire, I drilled a bigger hole, wound it as usual, let it slide and instead of a *thwap* I expected I get *SMACK*
I nearly broke my finger, couldn't really move it for three days...
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Andrew Young
- Archive Member
- Posts: 3350
- Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2005 9:08 pm
- Location: Maryland
- Contact:
I have two for you guys:
While welding aluminum....on a still cold frame.....a 1 inch BLOB of molten metal rolled off and fell on my feet.
Melted right through the shoe.
I still a stigmata sized scar. That I probably screamed the Lords name a few dozen times seems to be fitting in this case.
_________
Not exactly a shop trick but worth mentioning.
Im wearing a pigfact bascinet.
One hand is holding a polearm which is also holding up the visor.
Someone calls my name.
I turn...and in slow motion....
The visor is loosed and the 14 guage metal comes slamming down, not on, but rather IN BETWEEN
MY FINGER AND MY FINGER NAIL. Thumb I believe.
Instantly slices down and rips out the nail a good half inch.
Okay....so the pain has not hit me yet and I am in mild shock
First thing I scream is "SOMEONE GO GET ME AN IBUPROFEN BOTTLE.
While welding aluminum....on a still cold frame.....a 1 inch BLOB of molten metal rolled off and fell on my feet.
Melted right through the shoe.
I still a stigmata sized scar. That I probably screamed the Lords name a few dozen times seems to be fitting in this case.
_________
Not exactly a shop trick but worth mentioning.
Im wearing a pigfact bascinet.
One hand is holding a polearm which is also holding up the visor.
Someone calls my name.
I turn...and in slow motion....
The visor is loosed and the 14 guage metal comes slamming down, not on, but rather IN BETWEEN
MY FINGER AND MY FINGER NAIL. Thumb I believe.
Instantly slices down and rips out the nail a good half inch.
Okay....so the pain has not hit me yet and I am in mild shock
First thing I scream is "SOMEONE GO GET ME AN IBUPROFEN BOTTLE.
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Andrew Young
- Archive Member
- Posts: 3350
- Joined: Thu Feb 17, 2005 9:08 pm
- Location: Maryland
- Contact:
and I will always remember...
in 8th grade....a girl had a hammer in her hand. She was upset at something.
She turned, threw up her hands with incredible speed and nailed some poor SOB right between the eyes....
He dropped.
When they revived him he had a lump on his forehead at least an inch high.
____________________
And for you chain mail guys...
I knew a guy who was working on a motorcycle.
The chain was stuck on something.
(Can you guys what happened next>)
So he puts his hands into the bikes wheel....and it suddenly turns on...
Chopps off his pinky fingers.
Worst part....he comes into class the next day....never went to the doctor. ...
that guy probabaly got more girl-attention from sheer stupidity than anyone else I could think of.
in 8th grade....a girl had a hammer in her hand. She was upset at something.
She turned, threw up her hands with incredible speed and nailed some poor SOB right between the eyes....
He dropped.
When they revived him he had a lump on his forehead at least an inch high.
____________________
And for you chain mail guys...
I knew a guy who was working on a motorcycle.
The chain was stuck on something.
(Can you guys what happened next>)
So he puts his hands into the bikes wheel....and it suddenly turns on...
Chopps off his pinky fingers.
Worst part....he comes into class the next day....never went to the doctor. ...
that guy probabaly got more girl-attention from sheer stupidity than anyone else I could think of.
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Konstantin the Red
- Archive Member
- Posts: 26713
- Joined: Sun Oct 21, 2001 1:01 am
- Location: Port Hueneme CA USA
MANY years ago I was working on welding yhe halves together for my helm.. its a rare thing to actually make armor for yourself so I was overtly excited..
Id welded the seam for the halves together dipped the helm in my bucket of water and ground the weld down on the outside with my trusty flap sander..
all at once with no break..
marveling at the shape and well pleased with the angle I toss the helm right on the head..
not thinking about how hot that grinding made that seam..
took about 3 months for all evidence of the burnt hair to go away..
Id welded the seam for the halves together dipped the helm in my bucket of water and ground the weld down on the outside with my trusty flap sander..
all at once with no break..
marveling at the shape and well pleased with the angle I toss the helm right on the head..
not thinking about how hot that grinding made that seam..
took about 3 months for all evidence of the burnt hair to go away..
Making a sword from an old iron stake. Had to put an edge on it. Had to polish the edge. Had to touch the edge to see if I had smoothed it out enough. Touching of the edge followed two seconds after polishing of the edge. Fingerprints do grow back.
Glenn
Glenn
The great difficulty of arguing with logic against an illogical proposition is that the illogical proposition does not need to make sense.
Just for fun.
First for the guy who wrapped boiled leather on himself. Not only have I done the same, but I still do it..
but with a towel wrapped around the limb in question now.
With a dremel, and a cutting wheel I'm trying to see better due to a poor angle, and I keep edging over the spot I am cutting, the wheel snaps and bits go flying everywhere, and I realize my face was directly over the thing. Next I realize I had the safety glasses on top of my head, then I noticed a slight stinging next to my left eye. A piece had skimmed my temple. Now a friend who works with me on demented projects laughs everytime I take put power tools of any kind, I'll start.. then stop .. put everything down, touch the glasses to make sure they are there and then go back to it. he apparently never gets tired of finding this funny.
Another fun one, which wasn't a shop trick, but I just can't resist. Long ago I was a shrimper. We had a captain blye kind of boss. So after we get off work this guy insists we go re-build his pier. (I didn't know at the time the guy was a speed freak and that's why he had all this energy at the end of the day.) My only excuse was that I was 17-18 or so... So it's just the boss and myself. A little background on the tools involved, well we can skip all but the stupid bit. He had bought a brand new blade for his saw.. but didn't bother to replace the frayed electrical cord... yeah I see you know where this is going.. *rofl* So he's cutting a board right at the edge of the ocean.
He steps back to take a look at the cut. Bazap! Now because of the speed that it happened, what I saw looked like he had hit a knot and the saw bounced into his chest. His arm when the juice hit him curled up. So I think he's been cut, and go over to help. At the last moment my 'useless version of spidey sense' goes off and asks.. hey why are you reaching for the saw? Bazap again!. I screamed, fell over, My body at least gulped air and shut my mouth as I hit the water. So I'm under water, hand outstretched still holding the saw. because of the way the muscles are locked I can't let go, sit up, turn, etc.. I could move one leg, and that's about it. I couldn't roll or anything, so everything gets real slow. I'm watching the waves come by, they are coming down to about an inch above my face. and this is what I thought to myself. "Shocked AGAIN!?! Crap...Man that sky is beautiful. It's a kick ass day I should have been at the beach with my girl.. why am I here. Dammit I'm gonna die here. That guy (I always had trouble with names, I am pretty sure it was Ed.) is probably fried over there, They are gonna fine me lying here with this damn saw in my hand. How embarassing. Come on wave.... damn. Oh.. Salt water.. Why didn't you just wrap yourself in copper.." After that I just basically decided there was nothing I could do so I watched the clouds and decided to drink in every sensation i could. The boss managed to get himself up and somewhere on his way back to the house tripped over the cord... asshole. He went to the hospital and left me there. I'm one of those people electricity reaaaally likes. I get shocked off of things that are no longer plugged in etc.. So having been blasted by electricity a number of times in the past at least I'm familiar with what to do. So he goes and pays 700+ and ends up with the nasty tasting electrolyte stuff. I called my girl went to a store and got the (at the time) "new" flavored pedialyte for kids. heh. I figured the eeg wasn't going to be worth the cost, I was either working fine or not. cherry pedialyte ain't half bad by the way. I never even collected my last paycheck.
Lessons learned.
Electricity and water mix well.. far too well..
Salt water conducts electricity better than anything I've ever seen.
If a guy you are watching appears to have cut himself with a saw unplug it before lending a hand.
If you have been working your ass off since 4 a.m. and it's getting on to dark-thirty, your brain is not tracking right, do not listen to it. Just go to bed.
If your boss who over works you and under pays you anyway comes up with more work to do,AFTER you are off, quit if you have to but don't do it!
Question asked every so often by me since then:
Why the hell didn't the fuse go?!?! ...cheap bastard probably had a penny behind it (it was the old screw in kind.)
Heheh in my head it's much more clear. I can even see the sky when I think about it. It's a very clear day in my memory. I really should know better too. If my hands are wet from the sink, in over half the places i have lived, flicking the lightswitch off will throw a spark out at me. I'm just one of those people. Yes it does mean I use power tools as little as possible. Even if it takes me 10X longer to do something by hand.
(when it takes 100x longer I give in and use the powertools)
Next time on adventures of the completely stupid we'll talk about when James got melted sulphur poured all over him and his friend "helped" put him out. I'll never be able to grow a full beard.. heh.
but with a towel wrapped around the limb in question now.
With a dremel, and a cutting wheel I'm trying to see better due to a poor angle, and I keep edging over the spot I am cutting, the wheel snaps and bits go flying everywhere, and I realize my face was directly over the thing. Next I realize I had the safety glasses on top of my head, then I noticed a slight stinging next to my left eye. A piece had skimmed my temple. Now a friend who works with me on demented projects laughs everytime I take put power tools of any kind, I'll start.. then stop .. put everything down, touch the glasses to make sure they are there and then go back to it. he apparently never gets tired of finding this funny.
Another fun one, which wasn't a shop trick, but I just can't resist. Long ago I was a shrimper. We had a captain blye kind of boss. So after we get off work this guy insists we go re-build his pier. (I didn't know at the time the guy was a speed freak and that's why he had all this energy at the end of the day.) My only excuse was that I was 17-18 or so... So it's just the boss and myself. A little background on the tools involved, well we can skip all but the stupid bit. He had bought a brand new blade for his saw.. but didn't bother to replace the frayed electrical cord... yeah I see you know where this is going.. *rofl* So he's cutting a board right at the edge of the ocean.
He steps back to take a look at the cut. Bazap! Now because of the speed that it happened, what I saw looked like he had hit a knot and the saw bounced into his chest. His arm when the juice hit him curled up. So I think he's been cut, and go over to help. At the last moment my 'useless version of spidey sense' goes off and asks.. hey why are you reaching for the saw? Bazap again!. I screamed, fell over, My body at least gulped air and shut my mouth as I hit the water. So I'm under water, hand outstretched still holding the saw. because of the way the muscles are locked I can't let go, sit up, turn, etc.. I could move one leg, and that's about it. I couldn't roll or anything, so everything gets real slow. I'm watching the waves come by, they are coming down to about an inch above my face. and this is what I thought to myself. "Shocked AGAIN!?! Crap...Man that sky is beautiful. It's a kick ass day I should have been at the beach with my girl.. why am I here. Dammit I'm gonna die here. That guy (I always had trouble with names, I am pretty sure it was Ed.) is probably fried over there, They are gonna fine me lying here with this damn saw in my hand. How embarassing. Come on wave.... damn. Oh.. Salt water.. Why didn't you just wrap yourself in copper.." After that I just basically decided there was nothing I could do so I watched the clouds and decided to drink in every sensation i could. The boss managed to get himself up and somewhere on his way back to the house tripped over the cord... asshole. He went to the hospital and left me there. I'm one of those people electricity reaaaally likes. I get shocked off of things that are no longer plugged in etc.. So having been blasted by electricity a number of times in the past at least I'm familiar with what to do. So he goes and pays 700+ and ends up with the nasty tasting electrolyte stuff. I called my girl went to a store and got the (at the time) "new" flavored pedialyte for kids. heh. I figured the eeg wasn't going to be worth the cost, I was either working fine or not. cherry pedialyte ain't half bad by the way. I never even collected my last paycheck.
Lessons learned.
Electricity and water mix well.. far too well..
Salt water conducts electricity better than anything I've ever seen.
If a guy you are watching appears to have cut himself with a saw unplug it before lending a hand.
If you have been working your ass off since 4 a.m. and it's getting on to dark-thirty, your brain is not tracking right, do not listen to it. Just go to bed.
If your boss who over works you and under pays you anyway comes up with more work to do,AFTER you are off, quit if you have to but don't do it!
Question asked every so often by me since then:
Why the hell didn't the fuse go?!?! ...cheap bastard probably had a penny behind it (it was the old screw in kind.)
Heheh in my head it's much more clear. I can even see the sky when I think about it. It's a very clear day in my memory. I really should know better too. If my hands are wet from the sink, in over half the places i have lived, flicking the lightswitch off will throw a spark out at me. I'm just one of those people. Yes it does mean I use power tools as little as possible. Even if it takes me 10X longer to do something by hand.
(when it takes 100x longer I give in and use the powertools)
Next time on adventures of the completely stupid we'll talk about when James got melted sulphur poured all over him and his friend "helped" put him out. I'll never be able to grow a full beard.. heh.
Wow, sounds like you really lucked out.
Stupidest thing I've done with electricity has got to be the time my dad asked me to go out and fix a sliced up extension cord to the bugzapper. So I went and tried to do it without unplugging it... I had a twitch for a few hours afterwards, but nothing too bad. Dad thought it was hilarious.
Stupidest thing I've done with electricity has got to be the time my dad asked me to go out and fix a sliced up extension cord to the bugzapper. So I went and tried to do it without unplugging it... I had a twitch for a few hours afterwards, but nothing too bad. Dad thought it was hilarious.
This happened a couple weeks ago but I didn't post it.
I was sanding a lame on a backed belt sander. Now, the lame is rather C-shaped. The belt ripped it out of my hands, and, due to the shape, instead of sucking it into the housing it slid under the table and shot me in the crotch. Luckily, by Divine intervention for sure, it missed certain important things, but it was close, and it hurt!
I was sanding a lame on a backed belt sander. Now, the lame is rather C-shaped. The belt ripped it out of my hands, and, due to the shape, instead of sucking it into the housing it slid under the table and shot me in the crotch. Luckily, by Divine intervention for sure, it missed certain important things, but it was close, and it hurt!
"An uair a théid an gobhainn air bhathal 'se is feà rr a bhi réidh ris."
(When the smith gets wildly excited, 'tis best to agree with him.)
Gaelic Proverb
My DA page: http://hawkthrower.deviantart.com/
(When the smith gets wildly excited, 'tis best to agree with him.)
Gaelic Proverb
My DA page: http://hawkthrower.deviantart.com/