Face Safety

[nylonRigging]

14 hours ago, DebSweet said:

I am wondering what folks use for eye and face protection while sewing.  Plain old everyday glasses, safety glasses, face goggles, or something else?  

While working with my 31-15 (I'm still finding filthy places on her!!) I've been wearing goggles, but I am hoping for the day where I can switch off to something more comfortable, and I am looking for recommendations from the 'been there; done that' crowd in order to shorten my learning curve.

Thank you!

 

 

People sewing sitting behind a machine for the most part, have there face and eyes tuned right in there within a couple feet of there materials and the needle . So No harm in wearing safety glasses behind sew machinery .

There is little chance needle deflection strike and piece of broken needle going ballistic when sewing threw, Slow, Thin , Soft , Level ,  is a micro small chance deflection and slamming throat plate or dogs . ( but It Is still there ) .. But Deflection on the needle punching is the wild card and you can't predict , and when Needles snap they do unpredictable .
I can Not Count the # of times I have had deflections and needle strikes over the years . Have replaced a few throat plates with new that have been trashed multiple strikes . I have been hit in face and arm couple times in my life behind sew machine and needle break . Once on Bartacker and that made me NEVER go without eye's or face shield on that machine, Also been hit zigzagging threw some thick harder materials webbing and cordura before on the normal industrial. ..Etc.
.

Edited October 21, 2019 by nylonRigging

[Matt S]

11 hours ago, 480volt said:

But the OP asked about eye protection, it’s maybe eight bucks for peace of mind, regardless whether the rest of us think it’s necessary. 

If the OP wants to wear goggles, a grinding mask or a full-body kevlar EOD suit is their choice. However my experience of cheapo safety glasses is that they are uncomfortable, fit badly, fog quickly, scratch easily and are optically non-flat (they distort the image you see through them). I find it interesting that the UK Health & Safety Executive (equivalent of the US OSHA), generally known (fairly or not) as a bunch of jobsworths who have never operated anything more dangerous than a clipboard, don't even mention goggles/glasses in their guidance to sewing machine operators, simply to assess provision of machine-fitted eye guards.

[Handstitched]

My Mother put a needle from her *Pfaff 60 straight through her finger many years ago    .

Needless to say I have learnt from that, considering the needles from ' our machines on steroids'  we all use  are like long nails , so I keep my 'fingees' well away  from the business end of the machine . 

I have never had the need to use PPE while sewing , only with other machines like buffers, grinders  etc.

*the Pfaff 60  is now in my workshop sewing thin leathers . Can't help but think of what Mum did every time I use it. *

HS

Edited October 21, 2019 by Handstitched

[robs456]

2 hours ago, Matt S said:

If the OP wants to wear goggles, a grinding mask or a full-body kevlar EOD suit is their choice.

Don't forget to put on one of these whenever using dangerous machinery like sewing machines or clicker presses, it may save you from all the throat cutting flying debris that we leatherworkers have to put up with.  

 

(Just having fun, no disrespect to the OP that obviously needs/wants protection. Better safe than sorry.)
(Pic found on Google, remove if not OK for any reason)