April 30, 20188 yr I've found this out while working on the farm but it pertains to blacksmithing as well... Keep 3 to do lists. The want to do list, the need to do list, and the must do now list.
May 1, 20188 yr Dont arc weld with your sleeves up. Dont use demo saw wheels on an angle grinder (so ive, uh, been told *nervous cough*) Dont use a wire wheel on a grinder with an unbuttoned flannel. Dont do *anything* in the shop without safety glasses. Dont "play" with nunchucks.
May 1, 20188 yr JHCC; can I interest you in buying some prime beach front property here atop the Magdalena Ridge?
May 8, 20188 yr A 150 pound anvil weighs more when you're 48 years old than it did when you were 28. Prescription glasses are NOT safety glasses, they just cost a heck of a lot more and aren't as resistant to grinder slag on the lens. If hearing loss hurt, everybody would wear ear pro. Opening the garage door does not count as ventilation.
May 8, 20188 yr I try to teach my students to always grab tongs below where I am holding them and not closer to the bits than I'm holding them
May 9, 20188 yr 12 hours ago, Chris Comtois said: Prescription glasses are NOT safety glasses, they just cost a heck of a lot more and aren't as resistant to grinder slag on the lens. But but they ARE, I pay extra for the poly carbonate lenses and side shields! They are REAL safety glasses, not joking. Frosty The Lucky.
May 9, 20188 yr Thats funny.. ive only been hit in the head once that was 2 years into my apprenticeship. Fly season and the horse kicking at flies..size 2 shoe right to the temple.. That comment brought back some memories.
May 9, 20188 yr 9 hours ago, Frosty said: But but they ARE, I pay extra for the poly carbonate lenses and side shields! They are REAL safety glasses, not joking. Let me revise - Not all prescription glasses are safety glasses! I have prescription safety glasses as well, and when I wear them they work great! When I wear my regular prescriptions, I'm rapidly reminded why I shouldn't and put on the safety specs.
May 9, 20188 yr Now that makes sense Charles. After Jennifer's comment, I thought they might be eating them right off your head, cuz I'm pretty sure horse don't have any fashion sense.
May 9, 20188 yr Naw, I was in school and this Belgian mare with peaple problems took the instructors front teath out. Serves him right for playing joe cool. I got to finish that mare.... second leson, you can’t get close enough to a foal’s backside to avoid full extension kicks... Leson three, always respect a lady, regardless of spicies...
May 9, 20188 yr 3 hours ago, Chris Comtois said: Let me revise - Not all prescription glasses are safety glasses! I have prescription safety glasses as well, and when I wear them they work great! When I wear my regular prescriptions, I'm rapidly reminded why I shouldn't and put on the safety specs. I'm a jokey guy when it won't promote dangerous practices and I keep safety goggles that fit over my trifocals for doing "dirty" work. Jokes aside we only have so many parts and our sensor suite is how we're able do things. 2 eyes, 2 ears, sense of smell and taste. Our sense of feel heals pretty quickly as it's our automatic education system. But we're talking eyes. You know what the "traditional" retirement age for blacksmiths is? When they lose their other eye. You've seen how the gods of the blacksmith are depicted yes? One eyed. It's a tradition I don't want to follow and nobody without safety glasses is allowed in my shop if any work is going on. Frosty The Lucky.
May 9, 20188 yr One bit of wisdom I learned the hard way is that optometrists are never open when you have something painful in your eye. However if you go to an eyeglass store that offers eye exams, they have an optometrist who can sort you out for about fifty bucks. They can also write the prescriptions necessary to deal with infections, swelling, and pain. Compared to the emergency room, it's an obvious choice, especially since the odds of them having an eye doctor on hand are virtually zero. I was on hold trying to reach my "on call" eye doctor for longer than it took the eyeglass store optometrist to fit me in. Oh, and before I forget, safety glasses are only part of the solution. I learned (the hard way) that lots of junk can get stuck to you above the safety glasses. In my case, a metal sliver bounced off the inside of my safety glasses and into my eye when I was taking them off. Now I studiously wipe my noggin with a clean damp cloth before taking the glasses off.
May 9, 20188 yr Excellent tip Rockstar! And yes, do NOT take your safety glasses off until you've cleaned your hair, eye brows and wiped your face off. Do NOT as in NEVER!!!! blow dirt off with compressed air! It's not safe to blow dirt off a bench with compressed air. Pick up wet and dry a shop vac at a yard sale or second hand shop. You can safely vacuum crud off yourself but don't trust it to get it all. Frosty The Lucky.
May 9, 20188 yr Some of us are getting more safety conscious naturally as we age and are working to not have any hair to hold dust/debris that can then fall into our eyes after we take off our safety gear. (I'm not there yet but it's only a matter of time.)
May 9, 20188 yr On the compressed air topic, don’t blow your skin off with compressed air either, if you have a cut and catch it just right it can devolve you. Compress air is used to skin dear.... I am about 3 tenths shy of a fivehead....
May 9, 20188 yr Long beads of arc welding have a tendency to pull an assembly out of square. Struck tooling tends to benefit from being just long enough to work. Sometimes your immediate difficulty, isn't your real problem. Any number quoted has the potential to be used against you. Plan your day accounting for the path of the sun, the sparks, the smoke, the people, and the pets. Have more than one way to extinguish a fire.
May 9, 20188 yr Troubleshooting is 9/10's checking everything "known" to be true. The remaining 11/10's is understanding that things don't add up until you've accounted for all of the things.
May 9, 20188 yr 30 minutes ago, rockstar.esq said: Compared to the emergency room, it's an obvious choice, especially since the odds of them having an eye doctor on hand are virtually zero. Been there with the ER, Never again unless my eyeball is hanging out of its socket. That was a Horrible experience. Seemed like it was a game to them.
May 9, 20188 yr Install GFCI protection on all shop circuits powering convenience receptacles. Replace all worn cords, plugs, receptacles, and tools. Extension cords wear out, and small wire gauge cords are a bad investment. Buy the largest gauge you can afford, it'll spare your tools the voltage drop. Don't lay extension cords on the ground in walkways, hot work areas, or where sharp metal will be falling. On a related note, don't grab a person being electrocuted. Knock them loose with something non-conductive. Worst case, flying tackle away from the electrical source.
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