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Saw my doc today
August 20, 2010
11:37 am
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Gene C
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Visited the clinic today, in short, the doc asked if I had swelling in my hands or difficulty taking rings off. Told him no, I quit wearing a wedding ring 40 plus years ago, I was working in a submarine sail, slipped and caught my ring on a bolt or something and only by standing by my tippy toes, I didn't pull the finger off. He got green around the gills and didn't want to hear any more, guess he had some severed fingers in his practice in the past.

I notice in blacksmith workshops, conferences, many folks wearing rings, just a matter of time in iron work.

Proably a safety repeat, in one machine shop/industrial facility where I worked, no long sleeve shirts, no gloves, no coveralls, hard hats, safety glasses, hearing protection and safety shoes.

August 20, 2010
2:12 pm
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Lewis
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Always worth a repeat, Gene.

My shop help got her loose shirt caught in the angle grinder yesterday. Wearing an unbottoned work shirt over a t-shirt. (It was 90 degrees.) I kept wanting to say "button up and tuck in" but I couldn't remember why.

Heard a shout and looked over to see her shirt wound around the grinder and remembered pretty darn quick. Only thing harmed was my old work shirt, so it was a relatively cheap and effective lesson.

I wear long sleeves all year long because I'm mostly doing smithing and fabricating stuff in which I appreciate the protection. I do worry about the sleeves when I'm around the lathe and my old drill press with exposed spinny bits. Rolled up sleeves seem worse than buttoned cuffs since they present more edges to catch.

August 20, 2010
2:30 pm
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Larry L
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I think the lesson here is we all should be working in out birthday suit with a leather apron:devil:

But seriously it is a serious matter... I dont wear a ring either... My wife for the first 5 years or so we where married insisted that I have a wedding ring so I would take it off on the way to the shop and put it on on the way home... One day I lost it someplace in between and that was the end of that..

One of the most gruesome sights I have ever seen was a fellow who got his shirt caught on a lathe chuck and it pulled him (or the soft bits of him anyway) between the chuck and the bed.... pretty much spit all his skin and guts in the coolant tray on the back side and left his bones in a pile on the front...

Whatever you are, be a good one.
Abraham Lincoln

August 20, 2010
5:30 pm
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Lewis
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Larry L;2078 wrote: I think the lesson here is we all should be working in out birthday suit with a leather apron:devil:.

I've offered to do that for bachelorette parties a couple of times, but no takers.

August 20, 2010
11:21 pm
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Paul Estes
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I have thought about wearing a Kilt and working nit any different then shorts really

August 20, 2010
11:42 pm
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david hyde
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One thing I've got watch for with my new induction heater toy is wearing a ring when holding the hand held "magic wand" coil. If its near the coil that ring would get pretty damned hot pretty damned quick.

August 20, 2010
11:46 pm
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david hyde
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Lewis;2077 wrote: Always worth a repeat, Gene.

My shop help got her loose shirt caught in the angle grinder yesterday. Wearing an unbottoned work shirt over a t-shirt. (It was 90 degrees.) I kept wanting to say "button up and tuck in" but I couldn't remember why.

Seen that happen when I lent a (non metalworking) friend a 4 1/2" grinder. It wrapped around his sweat shirt, he panicked and didn't think to switch it off. He just watched as it started smoking and burnt the motor out.

One more reason I feel naked without my leather apron

August 20, 2010
11:50 pm
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Larry L
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Ask Grant how hot a beltbucklel can get if it's too close to the coil 😉

Whatever you are, be a good one.
Abraham Lincoln

August 20, 2010
11:51 pm
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david hyde
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Lewis;2077 wrote: Always worth a repeat, Gene.

I wear long sleeves all year long because I'm mostly doing smithing and fabricating stuff in which I appreciate the protection. I do worry about the sleeves when I'm around the lathe and my old drill press with exposed spinny bits. Rolled up sleeves seem worse than buttoned cuffs since they present more edges to catch.

Gloves are a real killer near drills and other rotating machinery, especially with big motors that ain't gonna stop for anyone or anything. I had a nasty warning lesson when a loose dangly cuff on a pairs of riggers caught up around a drill bit. I got one hell of friction burn before I could hit the stop.

August 20, 2010
11:53 pm
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david hyde
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Larry L;2085 wrote: Ask Grant how hot a beltbucklel can get if it's too close to the coil 😉

what the **** was he doing putting it the coil down "there" next to his beltbuckle :smoke:

August 21, 2010
1:13 am
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Gene C
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Belly button branding:bounce::bounce:

August 21, 2010
1:33 am
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Lewis
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david hyde;2084 wrote: Seen that happen when I lent a (non metalworking) friend a 4 1/2" grinder. It wrapped around his sweat shirt, he panicked and didn't think to switch it off. He just watched as it started smoking and burnt the motor out.

One more reason I feel naked without my leather apron

If the grinder has a big old paddle switch, then turning it off feels an awful lot like letting it go and that's the last thing they want to do. Must have held on to it for an awfully long time though.

I like my apron, but it's been really hot here.

Another safety tip: Unplug tools before working on them.

I had a nasty surprise Tuesday morning. Came into the shop to clean up the woodworking mess from the day before and started by going to put away the router. I was messing with the spindle lock when apparently hit the switch instead. It did surprisingly little damage to the two fingers that were on the spindle. Three band-aids worth. Very lucky.

In retrospect, this has not been a good week for safety. I may need to make some posters.

August 21, 2010
9:39 am
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david hyde
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Lewis;2092 wrote: If the grinder has a big old paddle switch, then turning it off feels an awful lot like letting it go and that's the last thing they want to do. Must have held on to it for an awfully long time though.

The small ones over here have switches that latch and because the guy using it panicked, he never figured to pull it out of the plug. This is entinerly consistant with Ben, space cadet doesn't even begin to describe him:smoke:

August 21, 2010
2:40 pm
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Lewis
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I just bought a new grinder that has a trigger lock button right under my thumb. I keep hitting it accidentally. Probably gonna crack the case and disable it. I've never needed the trigger lock on an angle grinder.

BTW, not a safety issue, but the $40 Porter Cable grinder at the big box stores is worth just about what you pay for it. I had suspicions when I saw the price, but Porter Cable used to be a very reliable nameplate. I guess I should be glad they weren't charging for the name.

August 21, 2010
2:41 pm
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JNewman
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I get to hear about all sorts of neat accidents from a friend of mine who has been a paramedic/ paramedic supervisor for about 25 years. The ring peelling off the finger is called a "degloving" injury, just the name sends chills. Many accidents involve alcohol the best one he told us about was the 2 guys that lost 16 fingers betwoon the two of them . They decided that a lawn mover would make an excellent hedge trimmer, Wrong.

August 21, 2010
5:17 pm
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david hyde
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JNewman;2103 wrote: I get to hear about all sorts of neat accidents from a friend of mine who has been a paramedic/ paramedic supervisor for about 25 years. The ring peelling off the finger is called a "degloving" injury, just the name sends chills. Many accidents involve alcohol the best one he told us about was the 2 guys that lost 16 fingers betwoon the two of them . They decided that a lawn mover would make an excellent hedge trimmer, Wrong.

I'm sat here wincing read that.

I do like hearing about accidents. Not in any sick way, but because the longer I go without one, the more complacent I get. It's always good to get a jolt of reality to make you CONTINUALLY evaluate your working methods

August 21, 2010
5:20 pm
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david hyde
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Lewis;2102 wrote: I just bought a new grinder that has a trigger lock button right under my thumb. I keep hitting it accidentally. Probably gonna crack the case and disable it. I've never needed the trigger lock on an angle grinder.

Given the amount of health and safety issues ther are with "stuff" these days (quite rightly for a fair bit of it) I just can't believe you can sell angle grinders of any size with a trigger lock. I love the ultra thin (1.6mm) thin cutting discs and use them a LOT, but boy do they look like finger removing devices.

August 21, 2010
6:07 pm
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Ries
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You actually have to pay attention when using power tools.
And a lot of people dont.

I have been running small angle grinders with trigger locks for 30 years now- I have 6 or 8 of em out in the shop now.
Never once had a problem with em.

On the other hand, the only times I have hurt myself with an angle grinder is when they dont have the guard on- the guys who work for me tend to remove em. And I go around putting em back on.

If you dont do stupid stuff, you dont get bit.

For instance, I have never once seen a machine reach out and grab you just because you are wearing gloves.
Nope- you have to put your hand where it doesnt belong.

Which often gets left out of the story, with all the blame going to a poor inanimate object that cant talk and defend itself.

The glove itself wasnt doing nothing- it was YOUR HAND that was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

But nobody wants to admit that....

Me, I take my ring off in the shop. But much more important- I dont stick my hands where they shouldnt oughta go.

August 21, 2010
8:19 pm
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Ries;2113 wrote:
The glove itself wasnt doing nothing- it was YOUR HAND that was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

But nobody wants to admit that....

Me, I take my ring off in the shop. But much more important- I dont stick my hands where they shouldnt oughta go.

Good advice. Like Grant says safety is an attitude not so much a device.

August 22, 2010
9:24 pm
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John N
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If you ever need a reminder do a google image search on degloving.

Its usually familiarity that breeds contempt, although I saw a funny one at a forge in where someome plugged in a 4 1/2 grinder that was on the floor on a long extension lead, someone had left it switched on, lots of people moved fast when it was chasing them 🙂

I removed a chunk down the middle of my thumb with a small angle grinder someone had taken the guard off, with a flap disk in it. Just kinda flicked away all the flesh, so there was nothing to heal. took months to sort itself. Those guards are real usefull!

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