Some lessons need to be learned the hard way...

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I'm young and dumb, I'll admit it. I just want to point out that safety should always be first! Don't ever think you're above standard safety precautions. They're not just something OSHA can use to make money off your shop. Needed a 3" round x 1/2" thick aluminum cut-out for a rush job, and had a piece of 12" x 12" x 1/2" plate. Too big to fit in the vice on my mill, and not enough room on the mill table to properly clamp it down. So what do I do? Use a large pair of vice grips to clamp the piece to my vice and made sure to hold the piece with my left hand for added support! Workpiece got ripped out of the clamp, spun around and jammed my finger into the second vice on my mill table. Jammed the machine and stalled the 2hp motor. Needless to say, I'm very lucky. could have, and SHOULD have been much worse. Shattered the tip of the bone, ripped off my nail, destroyed the "nail bed", and severed the nerve endings. I have no feeling towards the end of my left index finger, and my nail will "probably never grow back". My wife is a nurse in the local ER here so she got me in a stitched up in about an hour total. I have a fake nail sowed to my finger right now that's been actively bleeding for the last 3 days. My "rush job" still isn't done, and now the rest of my work needs to be rushed! But not to the point where common sense safety gets overlooked. I shouldn't say it, but I was wearing some thick leather gloves when this happened (you're not supposed to wear gloves while operating mills, drills, lathes, etc), but it actually helped me in this instance. Hopefully you'll all think twice next time you try to rush a job and skip the essential, preliminary safety steps!John 3:16(2) Miller Pheonix 456(2) Millermertic 252Dynasty 210DXHobart 210MVPDoringer D350 SA Cold SawScotchman 350LT Cold SawWebb 10x50 MillWebb 15x40 LatheGeka Bendicrop Ironworker
Reply:Ouch!  Definately a "could've been much worse" lesson!   That looks quite painful.   Reminds me of a job I was on once where a kid reached into a running machine and got his finger pulled into a v-belt.   Pulled the meat and nail clean off the whole first joint of his index finger in one piece like a little hat.   Left the end bone of the finger sticking out all white and shiny.
Reply:Glad you didn't lose the end of your finger but that had to hurt! I saw a poster warning of the dangers of wearing any jewelry around machine tools. It showed what happens when your ring gets caught on something. It made your injury look like a mosquito bite. I had gear teeth marks in my thumb nail from trying to figure out why a gear reduction Chrysler starter was  intermittent. I spun the gear by hand while applying power to the starter on a bench and it took my thumb into it. Didn't lose the nail but my thumb was sure throbbing. Worked a shop where a young kid was about to grab a piece of flat bar that was already spinning from the drill bit catching in a drill press. Luckily we stopped him before he could grab it.
Reply:WOW!!! Get healed up man!I think most all of us have been there a time or two! I once reached up under the side of a car to put a motor mout bolt in. My back was bothering me and I was in a hurry....... so I didn't want to get down under it yet again. I started the flanged bolt then grab my 1/2" air impact with one hand help the socket get started on the head and the other hand on the trigger...wellllllll my right hand thought faster than my left and the whole tip of my index finger ended up smashed out under the bolt flange. That was like 6yrs ago....still have no feeling in the tip of that finger and it's still not shaped right...Live and learn my friend!!-DoogieMiller 350PMiller Trailblazer 325 EFI w/ Excel PowerLincoln LN25 suitcase welderXMT 304/22a feederMiller Syncrowave 350LXMiller EconotigHobart Handler 140(2) Uni-Hydro 42-14Hypertherm 65 plasmaWEBB Gap bed lathe
Reply:that had to hurt. been there and done that. you always think you got time to react but by the time you realize you done fu@ked up it's already over. hope it heals quick.i.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:Quit your crying....You will heal but it will take time.I have lost my whole thumbnail more than once...yup hurts like hell but it grows back....The biggest problem with these things is when you get back to work....You wait and see how many times you whack it on things that were never in your way before.No problem man...suck it up and deal with it.You will be fine....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Oh, you're gonna feel that for a few weeks.I'd get rid of that wedding ring! In the first year of my apprenticeship, I was installing cat walk grating. Went to drop a piece of grating in place, it hung on my ring, and smashed my hand. That was the last day I wore a ring.Don’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:Get healed up and remember your lesson - next time they might call you "Stumpy."Btw, my definition of "Rush Job" just means I'll start it right away - it doesn't mean I'll move faster and cut corners.Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:Originally Posted by CEPOh, you're gonna feel that for a few weeks.I'd get rid of that wedding ring! In the first year of my apprenticeship, I was installing cat walk grating. Went to drop a piece of grating in place, it hung on my ring, and smashed my hand. That was the last day I wore a ring.
Reply:We all have scars to remind use of safety first.....if the nail doesnt grow back, it will be a reminder to you ..be safe first before fast and quick...heal quick and you'll get some sympathy from the wife..good excuse to buy some new stuff for the shop and tell her its so this doesnt happen again..lolOf all the things I lost I miss my mind the most...I know just enough about everything to be dangerous......You cant cure stupid..only kill it...
Reply:It will happen sooner or later to all of us. I saw a guy that was getting ready to drill a hole in light gauge sheet metal on a drill press. He was holding it in his hand, just as I was about to say something he screamed. Yep , drill bit go t caught, spun in his hand cutting the shlt out of it. Clamps were sitting right next to him too.
Reply:Short cuts make long delays. You probably would have been ok if you would have have the clamp resting up against the column of the press or a supplemental stop on the table. It don't take much of a motor to snatched something from the hand.Sent from my SCH-I545 using TapatalkCRIME SCENES, COURT DATES, FUNERALS, RIDING THROUGH THE CITY WITH A BITCH THAT IS JUST BEAUTIFUL IT'S JUST BUSINESS AS USUAL.
Reply:Yup, I've been wrapped up in a frill press.Luckily, my belts are nice and loose, so I regained control....I lost my thumbnail about 2 years ago. it's grown back, but it isn't fully attached to the skin under the nail. I have to clean dirt out from under it often.I'm glad it wasn't any worse. Just a couple welders, big hammers, grinders, and torches.Work will free you.Men in dirty jeans built this country, while men in clean suits have destroyed it. Trump/Carson 2016-2024
Reply:Ouch man! Your right about safety first though. I think we've all had close calls or did something not really safe in our lives. I'd say your lucky you did'nt rip the finger off...I've seen a glove wearing individule do that before. I've been so beat up in the past that now I try my hardest to stop and think about the reprecussions of my actions (similar to the water tig torch fella. You dont know until its too late). It'll heal and you'll get on, but a hard lesson learned for sure. Hope it heals quick for ya and you'll know better next time im sure of it.Pidge.Lincoln210mpHobart Handler 125...soldBoat battery and a couple coat hangers
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsterQuit your crying....You will heal but it will take time.I have lost my whole thumbnail more than once...yup hurts like hell but it grows back....The biggest problem with these things is when you get back to work....You wait and see how many times you whack it on things that were never in your way before.No problem man...suck it up and deal with it.You will be fine....zap!
Reply:Yeah, what Zap said plus remember " It will feel better when it quits hurtin'......"
Reply:Zap, post the pix of the last a$$ beating the Hendy gave you.Talk about a wake up call Expert Garage Hack....https://www.facebook.com/steven.webber.948
Reply:I had a soft oriental gold wedding ring at one time.  It got snagged on a ladder once when I had to jump or fall off.  Fortunately it did no real harm (stretched), but that was it. No more.  Had it on a chain around my neck but it wiggled off (somehow?) when I was chasing my lost little kid at a flea market.  Still don't know how that happened. ???  No more wedding ring.Anyhow, I've come close with a piece spinning in a drill press.  Damn. Econdron, I appreciate you posting this.  Let it be a reminder to us all. Thanks."USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:Originally Posted by 7A749Zap, post the pix of the last a$$ beating the Hendy gave you.Talk about a wake up call
Reply:Originally Posted by EcondronHaha I like you Zap. You got kids? You sound like a good dad. And yes, ring should definitely be off while working. Had a couple close calls with that one too... Pictures look painful, but I barely felt a thing. Still don't. Feels like somebody else's finger is on me!
Reply:You may not feel that now, but you will be feeling it for years.  I have one finger that looked very similar to that.  It got crushed between a pallet (with an engine on it) and the lip of a 55 gallon drum.  It is the first finger to get cold in the winter, but is otherwise fine now.  It was very sensitive for years.My name's not Jim....
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsterKids?Nope.The world is screwed up enough as it is......zap?
Reply:gotta think safety. till a couple year's ago always wore a ring until i saw pics here of degloving now jewelry stays in the locker till quitting time.i.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:Jeebzuss.... what's with everyone around here destroying their fingers lately?Welding/Fab Pics: www.UtahWeld.com
Reply:Mechanics, welders and electrical workers should not wear rings or wrist watches.Ive seen too many cut up fingers because a ring got caught.On a drill press I clamp parts down and set them against the post.Keep one finger on the switch in case the drill catches.OUCH!!! I hope you rushed to see MR. Doctor for those fingers. I've been there and done that and it hurts. Sorry to see this but we've all done this once or twice or will in the future if we aren't careful. Take it easy!Miller Millermatic 252Miller Syncrowave 200Liincoln AC-DC 225Victor O-A Set
Reply:Chit happens   I sliced the tip of my finger in half long ago trying to remove the wiring harness off a chevy car, I sliced the nail and meat which exposed the bone but holy chit the pain was horrible and not even the semi coming into my lane hitting me head on years later could compare to that finger !!!  I guess I got a lot of nerves in my fingers because they always hurt like a bit$h when it comes to cuts or getting smashed. Who ever owned the car before had used a wood screw to hold the fender down and painted the head so no one could of spotted that sharp screw unless using an inspection camera which was unaffordable then if it existed.  I don't know what I could of done differently that day but I know getting a pipe and smashing that car was not the answer,  These days I feel around before tugging on wires or anything else. My feeling for sharp stuff skill paid off at harbor freight a couple months ago when I was trying on their cheap mechanics gloves , Found a nice razor blade some A$shole put in the finger of the glove . The worst pain I ever felt was when I was getting operated to have a rod inserted into my broken femur, They gave me enough juice to make me motionless but not enough to knock me out so I felt everything from cutting me open to slamming that rod in with a hammer To bad they couldn't hear me screaming on the inside. I guess what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger ?Time will heal that finger and the nail should grow back ! Stay safe everyone Last edited by NinjaRay; 03-20-2015 at 05:40 AM.
Reply:Econdron...sorry for you accident and misery.You do realize that you are gonna have a h*ll of a time picking your nose with that finger now, with no feeling.
Reply:In a hurry to drill a couple holes in a small piece of flat stock, held it with my hand on the drill press, one hole ok, second hole the piece came out of my hand, spun around and pinned my hand against the drill press, making the belt slip, Urgent Care, a few stitches and almost 250 bucks later all is well. Yup, be sure brain is engaged before turning on tools.