The danger of wearing a ring?

[SLOB]

I wear my wedding band "almost" every day. I wear it tied on a leather cord around my neck, long enough to stay tucked inside my shirt at all times.

I do have to remove it sometimes at work when I am in packaging, an induction heater will do a number on any metal jewelry nearby (or so I've been told) I dont want to be the one testing out how close it really has to be.

at a previous job we had an induction heater for shrink fit tooling collets. while messing around we almost melted a Browne and Sharpe scale in about one second. it turned red and bent like well done pasta. imagine it was a ring on a finger.......that would be some serious burns.

Rob

[woodforge]

I can think of another danger from wearing a wedding ring that has nothing to do with blacksmithing! LOL

[Finnr]

Don't have a wedding ring. I do love rings however and NEVER wear one in the shop. I'm too fond of my fingers!
Finnr

[gerald]

Two ring stories:
(1) Back in the '70's I was in a towed artillery unit in Panama. We were in the field and one of my gun chiefs jumped off the back of a truck. His wedding ring hung and jerked the ring finger off at the middle knuckle. I thought he was going to bleed to death before the MEDEVAC chopper got there to get him to the hospital. His biggest fear : Being able to continue to play the bag pipes without the missing finger.

(2) Two friends of mine were loading an old flathead Ford engine into the back of a truck. As the chain from the hoist payed out, the engine rolled to one side and caught one's finger (with ring attached) between it and the sidewall of the truck bed. Ring was crushed onto the finger. Pretty painful. I wasn't there, but the other friend told me that trying to hold the hurt guy still while he cut the ring off was like wrestling an eel.

[Ted T]

Re: Rings v. Safety
I believe this is a valuable wake up call about wearing “RINGS” while we work.
It just reminds me that I have never seen anybody grow a new finger back again. Or, I have not been paying attention.
My ears ring and the hearing is mostly gone. The doctor said it was caused from old age, loud noise, not wanting to hear what I am told to do. Oh, I guess that is a different type of ring.
I am always happy to see posts like this one that remind us about simple things that could ruin our day real quick.
When I was 14 years old, I jumped backward off of the side of a cattle truck. They had rope guides placed all along the side of the cattle rack. They look very similar to cup holders (half moon shaped).
After I pushed backwards and was falling, my ring caught in one of those guides.
I was hanging there like a dangling participle. All of the impact of my falling weight was stopped by my finger. Ouch! They were able to save my finger, but just barely.
As time is put into the fast forward mode 50 plus years, I can now remember crushing my wedding band on my finger a time or two.
Now, being older, hating pain, hating doctor bills, having my wife insists on me wearing my wedding band, and do not heal very fast, maybe I will do something smart this time.
This little reminder will cause me to place my wedding band in a “known safe spot” along with my glasses, wallet, and car keys. I already do this each time I work in my shop. And I will add my wedding ring to this list!
Be Safe!
Old Rusty Ted

[ThomasPowers]

Les see my Father managed to ground out a circuit with his wedding band; left a nice spark gouge in the ring and a circular burn on the finger.

I used to wear my ring in the shop; but holding tongs wore through them at a fairly fast clip---I have had 4 sterling silver wedding rings so far.

Now I tend to not wear it save on "social" occasions.

[Phil Patrick]

I am currently not wearing my band. I am on number 4. Destroyed the first three. My last one is made of titanium. Broke my ring finger 3 years ago, had to pull the ring off over the break. Couldn't wear it for 6 months. Tried again for a bit, recently bashed the same finger again, finger swelled, etc. I just gave up on it. It doesn't help that I am left handed so that hand is the first into battle too many times!!! My wife would rather me have my finger on than my ring.

[hdwarner]

i think you are missing one other reason not to wear your wedding ring in the shop.
don't you think it would be hard to pick up single women in the blacksmith shop if you have your ring on

[Phil Patrick]

Ha Ha Ha Ha!!! The only woman that hangs around my shop is my wife and she already knows all my pick up lines!!!

[ThomasPowers]

I think a soft metal ring would be preferable to get into trouble than a Ti ring---ifn they have to cut it off at the ER....

Hmm My wife says I wouldn't know what to do if I picked up a single women in my shop---she's wrong though I know I'd need to either put her back down or run like the devil for the mountains!

I used to modify my silver wedding rings when my fingers would get swollen. I'd put the ring on a polished mandrel and tap it larger with a polished hammer.