STUPID !!!!!!! Wire wheel accident

[arkie]

My old bench grinder and wire wheel is single speed...too fast for comfort when polishing with the wire wheel :-(

Behind the times I guess, but I saw a variable speed bench grinder yesterday. Just what I need to slow that wire wheel to a "slow and hopefully safer speed". Gotta get one :-)

[Jakesshop]

Everyone has a story, I've been "bit" a time or two but this horror story involved my nephew years ago. He was using a wire wheel cleaning paint off a motorcycle tank. He took a wire to his eye which infected due to the paint and solvent. A week later the infection moved to the other eye. It was touch and go there for several months and he really lucked out and now has normal vision out of BOTH eyes.

[Metalsmith21]

Not a wire wheel story my self but a remindr to do things right the first time:

After reading the stories about the gloves. It was the first thing I did right.

In the process of putting together my first brake drum forge, I wanted to drill sone holes in a pipe cap, so I figured id use the drill press. There I made my first mistake. Instead of taking the time to adjust the platform and brace the piece with a clamp, I figured hey! Ill just told onto it with my fingers. worked at first..then when the drill about punched through the top it slipped out of my fingers and beat them a little while the piece spun on the drill. Then I made a third mistake. Figured if i came from the bottom it would wedge it self as the drill bottomed out.... started out great then it slipped my fingers again this time my finger caught and the drill bit sliced open a nice 1 inch gash on my pointer finger. Didn't bother with the hospital not unless I see bone. Needless to say it woke me up and after the clean up, I did it the right way bracing it and clamping it down for the rest off the holes.

Lesson learned:
Do it the right way, the safe way the first time.

[BobL]

I have wire wheels on a bench and angle grinder in my shop and I do use them a fair bit, with a full face shield and with a lot of care.

 

Increasingly I find I'm using a wheel that is made up of tightly packed tough pot scouring pads. It has enough abraviseness  to clean up flat surfaces without obvious scratch marks (especially on brass and copper) and instead leaves an attractive matte finish.