Self inflicted wounds

[bermudahwin]

So when restoring a 1940s binocular case, that had never been fed or treated, yesterday I managed to diamond awl my left index finger.

Yes, I am experienced.

Yes, I had fed and treated the leather, to try to get it away from the 'so dry it will tear if you look at it' to workable.

Yes, I was avoiding obvious weak areas.

But in the final run, re-attaching the lid hinge; a job designed for much smaller hands than mine, I hit a spot with NO strength at all and instead of having to force the awl it went through like a hot knife through butter, straight into my finger.

The cut has stopped me stitching today, and I was pondering if it was the stupidest thing I had done or witnessed in a leatherwork shop.

It isn't either of them:

I stupidly caught a clicking knife that rolled off the bench in 1983, and the blade went straight into bone, luckily only a scar, no worse damage; BUT I can still jump back real fast if tools drop, I am not catching them!

I have watched a colleague stitch himself to a sequinned clutch bag on an old Singer, years back, boy did he swear!

I saw someone stitch their shirtsleeve into a bag lining.

AND Finally for now...

The Queen's side saddle maker, was teaching how to use a round knife on leather, and an end grain board, and as he was giving the safety lecture, he hit a snag in the board and the knife took of a small piece of his pinkie... With great calm he said, 'that is exactly what I mean... DO NOT DO IT!' and went to the hospital.  Sheesh we were sooooo careful, if someone with his experience could do that!

But having lectured later in life, it is so easy to get distracted. AND he had one group that really respect their tools.

 

[Sheilajeanne]

Tried to catch a box cutter knife I dropped once.

ONLY once.  

Have a permanent split in my right thumb nail after damaging the thumb nail bed when a knife slipped (yes, I'm left-handed).

But the best story of all is the one about the guy who decided to test the sharpness of a round knife with his thumb. I disremember who the owner of the round knife was, but he's on this board, so maybe he'll chime in!

Yes, numerous stitches were involved!  

[JLSleather]

I miss those days when tools arrived sharp enough to cut ... (sigh)...

[immiketoo]

2 minutes ago, JLSleather said:

I miss those days when tools arrived sharp enough to cut ... (sigh)...

Buy the right tool and they still do

I know this because my Knip knives are so sharp that you don't even feel the bite until the blood stains your leather.  Or the awl from elder Louis comes out the top of your thumb from the bottom :/

[JazzBass]

Sharp??
I could probably cut myself with a Q-tip.

[Handstitched]

If it makes you feel any better, in my early days, I had my fingers a bit too far over the edge of the ruler, happily cutting away......I took the minutest bits of skin off the very tips of my fingers, no blood, but the tips of my fingers were nice and straight   I've also put needles and awls into my fingers too many times to count. 

Off topic: I manufactured  fibreglass pools in another life,and while  making  cardboard form work ,  I often used my  leg as a ' work bench' . Come lunch time, I couldn't work out why blood was pouring out onto my boot..........there was a 2"  long hole in my leg ....I got a bit too close with my blade....OOPS!!  

My Mother put a sewing machine needle right through her finger once, makes my needles and awls into my fingers look like mozzie bites .

We all make the silliest of mistakes using tools ....do we learn from it?  mmmmmm.....maybe   

HS 

Edited December 14, 2018 by Handstitched

[ComputerDoctor]

Pain is a great teacher:)

Sam

[bermudahwin]

2 hours ago, Handstitched said:

My Mother put a sewing machine needle right through her finger once

My wife did years back, and her dad just cut the needle off top and bottom, and a neighbour who was a nurse, removed it. She wont touch my Singer 45K58 with the BIG needles.

 

2 hours ago, Handstitched said:

there was a 2"  long hole in my leg ....I got a bit too close with my blade....OOPS!!

Just AAAARGH

2 hours ago, ComputerDoctor said:

Pain is a great teacher:)

not always. Constantly forget my hands are too big for a particular job in one of the car's engine bays, UNTIL I re-graze the knuckles, THEN I remember.

Edited December 14, 2018 by hwinbermuda

[rodneywt1180b]

I keep a tube of superglue handy.  It makes a good bandage when I nick myself. 

[Sheilajeanne]

My mother did an awful lot of peeling when she was keeping house for a family of four, and the blade of her peeler was razor sharp from use. One night, it slipped while she was peeling potatoes, and removed a sizable piece of her left pinkie!

She bandaged it up, finished preparing dinner, and we all stat down and ate supper before she made a trip to Emergency to get it re-attached!

I am still kicking myself for pooh-poohing the injury, ungrateful teenager that I was. I really though she was being overdramatic!

There are times when parents are unsung heroes!

[robs456]

On 2018-12-12 at 3:51 PM, hwinbermuda said:

The Queen's side saddle maker, was teaching how to use a round knife on leather, and an end grain board, and as he was giving the safety lecture, he hit a snag in the board and the knife took of a small piece of his pinkie... With great calm he said, 'that is exactly what I mean... DO NOT DO IT!' and went to the hospital.  Sheesh we were sooooo careful, if someone with his experience could do that!

Kinda like this idiot guy...

 

Edited December 14, 2018 by robs456

[JazzBass]

Yeah, that guy IS an idiot. He declares arrogantly and confidently that he is trained and that others shouldn't handle firearms.
I've seen it before, essentially, "I'm a cop, so I'm an expert and you are not.". Stunning.

I've been involved with firearms for over 30 years, and was a competitive shooter for about 15 years, shooting 3-500rnds a week in practice, with probably 200,000+ rounds under my finger - and I know a LOT of folks who routinely shot more, and consequently were better than I.

Meanwhile, I remember some leftist commentator saying about this video -"If a trained police officer can have an accident like this, then guns are too dangerous for the untrained public." Typical BS from those who believe that they are smarter than you. I'm SO tired of this crap!

Accident? NO! An "accidental discharge" is when something in the gun fails and it fires when it should not. A "NEGLIGENT discharge" is when someone unintentionally fires a gun that is functioning as intended. HUGE difference.

A lot of guys like this dude, need to go to a CIVILIAN competition, and see what can really be done with a firearm in TRULY trained hands.

....but I still stink with knives! LOL!

[Sheilajeanne]

Jazz, with your other hobby being so reliant on intact fingers, PLEASE be careful!!  

[JazzBass]

22 minutes ago, Sheilajeanne said:

Jazz, with your other hobby being so reliant on intact fingers, PLEASE be careful!!  

It's worse than if it were a hobby...playing music is my profession by training and trade.
I do my best to take your advise- but I have jabbed myself with the awl a few times. Oh well...$#!^ happens!
 

 

[Sheilajeanne]

 Indeed! I play guitar, so I appreciate just how much even something like stabbing yourself with an awl or a needle can affect your playing ability!

[bruce johnson]

Everytime I did a tool related injury the first thing I said was a bad word. The second thing I said to myself was "Well, you could sure see that coming dumba**!".

Don't shove leather into a dull draw gauge blade, the draw gauge will stick into your knuckle pretty far when the leather edge finally pops through. Pull the blade into the leather or make a knife knick if it is really hard leather. If the blade is dull - address that first.

Don't pop your bare hand down on the bench clamp to loosen your leather while your draw gauge blade is still sticking up in a short cut. The sharp top point that serves pretty much NO purpose will bury right into your palm. Be careful of that point or do like several old guys did - round off and blunt that top point. 

You can have one of the safest designed splitters ever, the blade edge right there between two rollers. You sharpen the blade and screw it back in place. You grab that stubby screwdriver right there, not the longer one you usually use. About then you drag a ring finger over the edge and wonder where the hell all that blood is coming from. You notice a dime on the bottom roller and realize it is your fingertip and not spending coin. Watch all of your fingers around blades and use the proper tools not the closest tools.

You don't want to be finishing up a saddle in flipflops. You will be stringing on conchos. You set the string bleeder down and watch it roll off the edge of the bench. In slow motion "real time" it does quarter turn in midair to land perfectly vertical in the top of your foot. Right there in that big vein like a lawn dart. When you pull it out you realize why the tool is called a bleeder. You watched the whole thing happen and didn't react to move your barefoot. It is a mesmerizing experience until you realize you are the target. 

From my old tool mentor, God rest his soul. He witnessed this repeatedly. People have some inborne desire to always check the sharpness of someone else's knife edges by running their thumb over it. Without asking, they just pick up knives and check them. If it is really dull and you can push on it, you will embarass him. If it is really sharp and you slice yourself, you bleed all over another person's shop and the embarasses you. Don't be that person. Just drink their coffee,njoy the comradierie and admire the knives visually.

Murphy's Law - the further you are from the bandaids - the more the cut will bleed. Keep them everywhere to ward off the self inflicted wound juju. 

[immiketoo]

11 hours ago, JazzBass said:

Yeah, that guy IS an idiot. He declares arrogantly and confidently that he is trained and that others shouldn't handle firearms.
I've seen it before, essentially, "I'm a cop, so I'm an expert and you are not.". Stunning.

I've been involved with firearms for over 30 years, and was a competitive shooter for about 15 years, shooting 3-500rnds a week in practice, with probably 200,000+ rounds under my finger - and I know a LOT of folks who routinely shot more, and consequently were better than I.

Meanwhile, I remember some leftist commentator saying about this video -"If a trained police officer can have an accident like this, then guns are too dangerous for the untrained public." Typical BS from those who believe that they are smarter than you. I'm SO tired of this crap!

Accident? NO! An "accidental discharge" is when something in the gun fails and it fires when it should not. A "NEGLIGENT discharge" is when someone unintentionally fires a gun that is functioning as intended. HUGE difference.

A lot of guys like this dude, need to go to a CIVILIAN competition, and see what can really be done with a firearm in TRULY trained hands.

....but I still stink with knives! LOL!

Generally speaking, cops are the worst shooters out there.  I was in charge of our department training and I would DQ guys for not being able to complete what I consider basic drills and firearm handling skills.  FFS, I had to order a guy to buy a new holster because his had broken and was only being held together by the lining cloth of a Safariland level 3 retention rig.  As a competitive shooter in several disciplines, I was appalled at the average cop's ambivalence regarding firearms.

[zuludog]

I recently bought a half round, or single point head knife

It was quite cheap, and so it only had a basic sharp edge, and you were expected to do the fine sharpening & polishing yourself

I can inform you that whilst it might not have been sharp enough to cut leather, it was definitely sharp enough to cut fingers......

[Lobo]

When I was a little guy it cost me a fingertip to learn what lawn mowers were all about. 43 years working with leather, I have managed to cut or puncture myself just about every way that can be done. Spent a few years building houses and running a roofing company, found out there are things out there I can't order over the phone without needing bandages or stitches. Once had a guy working for me managed to nail his left hand to a roof deck while operating a pneumatic nail gun with his right hand.

Oh well. Live and learn.

[Sheilajeanne]

True story: guy manages to run over his foot with a lawn mower. When he goes to Emerg, he finds a cousin of his is on duty. The cousin asks to see the injury. After looking at it, the injured party asks "So, what do you think?"

The cousin replies, "Well, I think your lawn mower blade needs sharpening. You've still got all your toes!"

 

[billybopp]

A well equipped first-aid kit is arguably the most essential tool in every workshop.

It is an established fact that some leather projects require an infusion to bring them to life / back to life.  A number of my projects have certainly been given life by infusion. I understand that the same is true of woodworking, metalworking, cooking, electronics (the backside of old circuit boards were treacherous!) and apparently fiberglass working.  A few months ago I managed to remove a small bit of my left forefinger and fingernail while cutting up some veggies.  Oddly enough, it did not bleed at all at first, then I went to the bathroom sink to wash out the wound.  Who know an entire sink bowl could turn such a shade of pink!

- Bill

 

[bermudahwin]

4 minutes ago, billybopp said:

apparently fiberglass working.

Handstitched comment made me vow never to use my leg as a cutting board... even with the added protection of jeans and a workshop apron.

[jcuk]

No real horror stories yet touch wood, I always take care when using my tools -  the one tool i take extra care with is the Skirt Shave / French Edger if in anyway its slightly dull your control is not what it should be. Even when i did my training my tutors took great length to tell to be extra cautious when using it. Also Glovers needles can be.....

.....pain in the finger at times.

 

all the best

JCUK ,

 

   

[Samalan]

i was giving a band saw safety demo in Jr high, teacher talked to me just for a second . you know the rest of the story teach was very upset .

[JazzBass]

1 minute ago, Samalan said:

i was giving a band saw safety demo in Jr high, teacher talked to me just for a second . you know the rest of the story teach was very upset .

I'll bet the teacher wasn't quite as "upset" as you were!