Oops, Mulligan Moment

[macbruce]

Sometimes you get a do over, a break, close call, sometimes you don't..... :(

I remember needing to lift a 200lb hammer, that is the head (only)from a Chambersburg 200lb utility with my hoist and go from A to B. Simple enough with a bridge crane but all you got is basicly a rectangle shaped box with a dovetail cut into it, not real easy to grab/rig and I was in a hurry.....Ah Ha! I'll put a Bessy C clamp on the sucker and put the hook through that.....Hmmm, printed on the clamp it sez ''DON'T USE FOR LIFTING'' but shucks, it's only 175 lbs or so (w/o the die)..... B) , I'll be carefull and watch what I'm doing........... :rolleyes: .........It was all going to plan when the upper part of the hoist struck a jib crane which was in my path and had neglected to swing out of the way.....This interference caused the hook and load to swing foward and the hammer slipped free of the clamp.....I was looking up at that moment wondering what the X caused the crash when I heard and felt a dull thump on the floor about a foot from my foot, still give me shivers to think about that.

[DSW]

Glad you are ok and didn't get seriously hurt.

[njanvilman]

Definately would have ruined you day, and many more.  I figure that in my 58 years, I have used up about 6 of my 9 lives so far.

[Dabbsterinn]

I have two stories like that

first one was when i was working at the shipyard, painting bottom plates for industrial freezers, really heavy things, 3m x 1m of that stock that looks like [ with a thick sheet metal plate in the bottom

i was done with my 5th one and had to hoist it up onto the ones that were drying, we were two working there, i was using the crane and guiding one end while he guided the other.

I had my hand on the side of it and i, being the smart person as i always am, held onto the end of the plate and was looking up at the crane, turns out i didn't have it quite high enough so when i moved it forward my fingers were in the way, fortunately for me my co-worker spotted that and yelled at me so i barely felt the pressure on my fingers, but it was so close the fingertips of my glove were caught between and i pulled my glove off on that

 

second one is blacksmith related and our foul enemy, the galvanized metal

so i was up in my smithy, just finished with my sinking tool, decided to give it a spin and fetched my 3mm plate that i got from my dad, appearantly he either wasn't aware that it was galvanized or took the wrong plate, he knew perfectly what galv can do to ya from first hand experience

so seeing how i don't have a massive ball peen or a massive arm, i decided to heat the plate up, as soon as i saw a tiny bright yellow spot developing i knew what was happening, quickly covered my nose and mouth with my elbow, threw it in the slack tub, opened the door as much as i could and walked over to the porch and sat down there for 15 minutes or so it was blowing a bit and i had an outdoor smithy with one door and a container (which is now my current smithy) on one side and the house on the other, and the wind was so that it blew straight through with the door open

i consider myself really lucky to have made the mistake of heating a small nail once and by doing that knowing what burning galv looks and smells like, i also thank everone here who have told me and everyone else how badly galv can mess you up, and as for those who know what happened to Jim Wilson, they really know what it can do and he was also one reason why i knew to get out FAST and ventilate the area well 

[Glenn]

One of the reasons we push safety on IForgeIron is we do not want anyone hurt, for any reason. 

 

Glad you recognized the signs and left the area.