Wedge fights back - always wear protection!!!
Discussion
They say that DIY is the reason for more visits to accident and emergency than any other, and the wedge has just proved it.
Saturday decided to remove the sill covers to find out if the new acquisition is a rot-box. Pleased to discover that, with very mild surface rusting, the chassis is in better nick than my Cerbs. Decide to clean it off properly using an angle grinder. Lying on the floor, angle grinder blade grabs in the gap between rail and side plate, shatters the blade, throws it out of my hand and charges across my bare leg, leaving a 3 inch gash down to muscle level the width of a blade and burns all around the edges. 4 stitches later from my local doctor, think all is OK, so go back and carry on under car. Wake up next morning to find I have a piece of metal embedded in my right eye! Off to A&E.
Lessons
1) apparently I was lucky to be cut on bear legs, as otherwise the cloth would have had to be scrubbed out of the wound, SO either wear nothing for this type of DIY or chain mail/armour
2) Eyes need goggles. I will read my own post later so this is a message to myself - BUY THE B100DY GOGLES!!!!
Anyone else been maimed in any form by their beloved machine or whilst working on it?
Saturday decided to remove the sill covers to find out if the new acquisition is a rot-box. Pleased to discover that, with very mild surface rusting, the chassis is in better nick than my Cerbs. Decide to clean it off properly using an angle grinder. Lying on the floor, angle grinder blade grabs in the gap between rail and side plate, shatters the blade, throws it out of my hand and charges across my bare leg, leaving a 3 inch gash down to muscle level the width of a blade and burns all around the edges. 4 stitches later from my local doctor, think all is OK, so go back and carry on under car. Wake up next morning to find I have a piece of metal embedded in my right eye! Off to A&E.
Lessons
1) apparently I was lucky to be cut on bear legs, as otherwise the cloth would have had to be scrubbed out of the wound, SO either wear nothing for this type of DIY or chain mail/armour
2) Eyes need goggles. I will read my own post later so this is a message to myself - BUY THE B100DY GOGLES!!!!
Anyone else been maimed in any form by their beloved machine or whilst working on it?
I'm cringing as I read this .. hope you are OK and will be more careful next time ..
I even got hold of some safety glasses - as they steam up less that full googles and you can just wear then to stop old rubbish blowing in your eyes.
I'd also like to not recommend 'arc eye' .. from welding .. not pleasant either !
I even got hold of some safety glasses - as they steam up less that full googles and you can just wear then to stop old rubbish blowing in your eyes.
I'd also like to not recommend 'arc eye' .. from welding .. not pleasant either !
I tend to find myself welding without all the clobber that the pros wear. Oh, I've got some of it, but I draw the line at the silly hats 
So last week I was welding something at face height when there was a sudden spray of weld splatter. One bit went in my ear, one bit down my shirt (this is red-hot blobs of steel, by the way) and the rest onto my scalp. Of course it burnt through my hair on the way down, so I was pulling clumps out for the rest of the day...
I regularly set fire to my overalls with the spark shower from the angle grinder....
Ah well, saves the laundry bills...
My other 'standard' workshop injury tends to tbe the one where I catch my hands on sharp cutting tools in the lathe or mill, and then drip blood all over the drawings... so at least I can claim 'blood and sweat' to the boss!
Ian
So last week I was welding something at face height when there was a sudden spray of weld splatter. One bit went in my ear, one bit down my shirt (this is red-hot blobs of steel, by the way) and the rest onto my scalp. Of course it burnt through my hair on the way down, so I was pulling clumps out for the rest of the day...
I regularly set fire to my overalls with the spark shower from the angle grinder....
Ah well, saves the laundry bills...
My other 'standard' workshop injury tends to tbe the one where I catch my hands on sharp cutting tools in the lathe or mill, and then drip blood all over the drawings... so at least I can claim 'blood and sweat' to the boss!
Ian
I got a pair of prescription safety glasses as part of my "2-4-1" deal from 5p3c554v3r5 with my new reading glasses ... but for jobs that might involve flying metal or sparks I ALWAYS wear goggles.
If you have broadband, download and run these two videos for illustrations of what power(ful) tools can do:
Table saw (2.75M)
Nail gun (M)
Streaky
Oops! Wrong directory in URL - S
>> Edited by streaky on Tuesday 13th July 18:34
If you have broadband, download and run these two videos for illustrations of what power(ful) tools can do:
Table saw (2.75M)
Nail gun (M)
Streaky
Oops! Wrong directory in URL - S
>> Edited by streaky on Tuesday 13th July 18:34
streaky said:
I got a pair of prescription safety glasses as part of my "2-4-1" deal from 5p3c554v3r5 with my new reading glasses ... but for jobs that might involve flying metal or sparks I ALWAYS wear goggles.
If you have broadband, download and run these two videos for illustrations of what power(ful) tools can do:
Table saw (2.75M)
Nail gun (M)
Streaky
Streaky - the links don't work..
Glad to hear that you didn't hurt yourself too badly Jerry (ie you didn't chop your leg off). Hope that your leg and your eyes recover soon. But
for not wearing eye protection in the first place! By the way - I received my manual back in the post this morning. Glad that I could be of service to you and Teresa and thanks for covering the front of it for me.
Mark
rev-erend said:Korekted! (wrong directory in URL) - S
I got a pair of prescription safety glasses as part of my "2-4-1" deal from 5p3c554v3r5 with my new reading glasses ... but for jobs that might involve flying metal or sparks I ALWAYS wear goggles.
If you have broadband, download and run these two videos for illustrations of what power(ful) tools can do:
Table saw (2.75M)
Nail gun (M)
Streaky
Streaky - the links don't work..
Worst A&E experience I had was getting showered with boiling water after my header tank exploded in my face after 2 days of Wedge ownership. The car was a S1 350.
Don't aske me how, but I managed to move my face away from the blast, my forearm got the brunt of it. I was so shaken after the event I tried to PX the Wedge for a 1300 Escort at Curry Motors.
Had my arm bandaged for weeks with blisters growing outside the gaps.....not very nice.
Don't aske me how, but I managed to move my face away from the blast, my forearm got the brunt of it. I was so shaken after the event I tried to PX the Wedge for a 1300 Escort at Curry Motors.
Had my arm bandaged for weeks with blisters growing outside the gaps.....not very nice.
When replacing the swirl pot I thought I had drained what was left in the tanks, only to get napalmed when i took the pipe off the side of the swirl pot. I reckon about a gallon decended on to my face and into my eyes. I wear soft contact lens so I thought they might have melted in my eyes! I could barely see abd it took about 5 mins for my sight to return properly.
I think it was worse because of the additive that I had been using in the fuel.
J
I think it was worse because of the additive that I had been using in the fuel.
J
bluewedge350 said:
When replacing the swirl pot I thought I had drained what was left in the tanks, only to get napalmed when i took the pipe off the side of the swirl pot. I reckon about a gallon decended on to my face and into my eyes. I wear soft contact lens so I thought they might have melted in my eyes! I could barely see abd it took about 5 mins for my sight to return properly.
I think it was worse because of the additive that I had been using in the fuel.
J
The same thing happened to me doing the same job! I climbed out the inspection pit and legged it for fear of me igniting with the heat from the inspection lamp
Optimax stings!!! turns out i had about 10 litres left in the tank (managed to get a hose in the jerry can before afore mentioned legging it) and the needle was right at the end of the gauge! 
- Streakysuffolkfox said:
They say that DIY is the reason for more visits to accident and emergency than any other, and the wedge has just proved it.
Saturday decided to remove the sill covers to find out if the new acquisition is a rot-box. Pleased to discover that, with very mild surface rusting, the chassis is in better nick than my Cerbs. Decide to clean it off properly using an angle grinder. Lying on the floor, angle grinder blade grabs in the gap between rail and side plate, shatters the blade, throws it out of my hand and charges across my bare leg, leaving a 3 inch gash down to muscle level the width of a blade and burns all around the edges. 4 stitches later from my local doctor, think all is OK, so go back and carry on under car. Wake up next morning to find I have a piece of metal embedded in my right eye! Off to A&E.
Lessons
1) apparently I was lucky to be cut on bear legs, as otherwise the cloth would have had to be scrubbed out of the wound, SO either wear nothing for this type of DIY or chain mail/armour
2) Eyes need goggles. I will read my own post later so this is a message to myself - BUY THE B100DY GOGLES!!!!
Anyone else been maimed in any form by their beloved machine or whilst working on it?
I work in a factory (manufacturing engineer) and am constantly reminding people about PPE.
When grinding I recommend ! Leather Gloves
Goggles, Steel Toe Caps, cotton clothing (nylon can set on fire with sparks), and a hat. Cover all skin.
The only accident I ever had was standing up too quickly and being maimed in the back by the angle iron that was part of the garage door lift mechanism. It gouged 2 off 3 inch long 1 inch deep holes. and blood was pouring. Luckily my mate arrived at the same time in his dads car (the reason I stood up) and his dad had a full red cross style workshop in his boot. One serious wounds bandage later I am on the way to hospital for 4 stitches.
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