Personal injuries while smithing..

[Frosty]

3 hours ago, Irondragon Forge & Clay said:

^^^^^^ THIS ^^^^^^

Sometimes I think I'm making amends for a past life. Truth is being useful makes a guy feel good. It's a win win thing. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[Rashelle]

Eek let me see if I can remember the some of the times ............Ok I got I'll start at the top and work my way down, this way I might get most of the oopsies ....

At least three times bottles were busted over my head. A thrown boulder upside the head. Various nose breaks. The last time I broke it myself almost perfectly back to straight......... was having one of those days. First the 2x12 along the ceiling narrowly missed my head when it came down as I was getting stock off the wall ........ Not my first time things headed for my head so I sensed it and moved before it hit me. Then I was at the floor shear cutting a bit bigger then should of piece of steel, had a 6-7 foot bar to pull on so it was a stretch over my head and I saw movement out the window so naturally I turned my head and looked, that's when it broke loose and the steel wacked me between the eyes. Got two black eyes and when the swelling went away my nose was almost straight again........ not sure first time it was broken. Stick in the eye, pencil broke lead off in the eye, sport balls and fists in the eyes, bee sting in the eye (darn little bugger landed on my eye when it was open and I eventually had to blink), lime burns both eyes and inner eyelids goggles had air vents grrrrrrr. Ohhhh been hit with nunchuks and been in so many armed confrontations I couldn't count them or keep track of them didn't get hit much though, lol. Light fell while sleeping burning right arm hard scars for years as I slept through it till the burning me smell woke me up. Separated one shoulder, severely tore the tendons in both shoulders (what happens when you don't feel pain right and lift heavy things), Broke first two fingers on each hand within 5 minutes was using a sledge hammer to put in a puppy pen broke the first two then switched hands and broke the next two ..... rebroke almost daily took near a year before I could make a fist, currently have finger still swollen from my time on knife or death put my hand through one of the targets methinks. Machete to left hip dr told me I was suppose to of passed out a long time ago why was I standing after they debrided and stitched me up grr darn dr not suppose to tell people they are suppose to pass out. Sat down for a few while waiting for the ride home after that. My patrol car was sideswiped so one knee knocked over the radio bracket both thumbs were jammed into the steering wheel.  Both knees hyper extended and severely sprained. Right knee should of had stitches from barbed wire still have scar ..... was being shot at ......... oh yeah left back another barbed wire cut when being shot at..... ack I apparently have forgotten how many times I been shot at now cause there are more. Left foot 90 lbs jack hammer, have scar and had stitches and was lucky didn't take my foot off. Ok there are many cuts scrapes bruises and more scars but this is quite long enough as is. Oh didn't want to forget the time the actuall 2x12x8 or 10 feet actually hit my head . had a hard hat on luckily.

 

Edited March 3, 2019 by Rashelle
forgot a good one

[ThomasPowers]

Scars do seem to fade with time---my wife tells me she can't find my birth scar anymore---I was nicked on my back with a scalpel during the cesarean.  (And people wonder why I grew up fascinated with blades...)

 However it took a while for Frosty to recover---some of his posts when he recovered enough to get back to this forum were a bit spooky to say the least.  But they greatly cheered me up when I did the bounce test with the old bean myself.  Knowing that things can get better with time was very encouraging.

[ausfire]

A minor burn from a careless mistake today … one of those things that just shouldn't happen.

Twisting the handle for a ram's head fire poker, set up the piece in the vice and reached back for a lump of rebar for a twisting bar. Grabbed the cold end (as you do) but the other end had been near the heat for some time. Slipped it through the loop and all was well until I grabbed the other end to make the twist. That was a wake up call. Not much contact, but enough to blister the webbing between forefinger and thumb.

Not serious, but uncomfortable. What's worse is that I play competitive table tennis and that point is exactly where the hand contacts the bat. Grrrr.

[Frosty]

Rashelle: Uh. . . I'd love to meet face to face some day but now I'm wondering about the safe distance? Or maybe I'm just sissy careful. I've lived in rough parts of town without much trouble, burglarized twice once by someone I knew. We've been cased and messed with twice since we moved into the woods but dogs are wonderful alarm systems. . . IF you listen to them. We had one that barked at anything and we stopped paying enough attention so our vehicles got tossed.

However I never get called to trouble, not now never was law enforcement and don't do things requiring an officer's attention.

Law enforcement is a tough dangerous job, thank you for taking it on. I'm honored to know you.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Rashelle]

I forgot a bunch of injuries such as the burns on the hands and arms from smithing, the rolled ankles, etc. 

Frosty thank you and you're welcome. That was a long time ago. Between the military Law Enforcement and civilian alarm response I put 11 years into the criminal justice system. In the end I have had a somewhat rough life, but many have had it much worse then me. Other then gaining weight from hormonal imbalance I'm in pretty good shape. I pointed out to my little brother and sister that even counting injuries I'm in much better shape then either of them and little sis is 10 years younger. 

Something I've noticed and pointed out not long ago to some people in person is we tend to forget that every person around us has their whole lifetime of experiences. I try to remind myself of that whenever possible.

I'll be happy to meet you in person someday.

[4elements]

Hi Rashelle. Wow what a history, and thank you for your law enforcement and military service. I met you once about 3 years ago at NWBA spring conference. We talked about Bloomery smelting, which is something I'm still interested in doing.  I don't think Frosty needs to worry. Disaster and injury were not following you around like harpies. Stay healthy and maybe we can do some smelting in the near future. 

[Rashelle]

LOL I can see the imagery in my head disaster and injury would be the names of the valkyries (or the harpies lol) following me around. Think I need a couple puppies and that'd be good names. I ran a Aristotle furnace and a Evenstadt hearth a few times since then. Will eventually do so again either at work or at home. It'd be good to do some more once the weather picks up a little. Or I find a good covered area, heehee.

 

[Frosty]

4 hours ago, Rashelle said:

I'll be happy to meet you in person someday.

Meeting up is on my bucket list. I figure if things go bad I'll cover your six while you deal with it.  If boulders start flying and timbers falling I'm outta there!  My drop stuff on him by date is long past.

Deb and I figure we'll be able to do some touring around in her RV before long. She probably isn't going to let me pack my anvil and tools along though. Well, I'll slip some tools in, I'm sure there're things I can heat and hit everywhere. 

I hope I was quick enough with edit.

Your Valkyries would be named: 

Knogle afbryder, Bone breaker.  

ikke-allokator, Dislocator.

kraniet krakker, Skull Cracker.

Danish of course.

Frosty The Lucky.  dubbed (Frostig Den Heldig) by SCAdians a few years ago.

[Rashelle]

Cool, watch dates for NWBA stuff and if I can get off you'll have a tour guide. Got Fort Vancouver down around here too.

[ThomasPowers]

Nemsis rather than harpies.

[Frosty]

3 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

Nemsis rather than harpies.

Around here we have teenagers texting and driving, no need for the old ones.

I've been to Fort Vancouver but it's been quite a while. A friend took me to the "living history(?)" day, maybe it was a holiday. I didn't get too much of a tour though, I ended up talking myself into demoing at the blacksmith shop instead. 

I really should learn to keep my mouth shut. Sure had a ball though. 

Frosty The Lucky.

[pnut]

It didn't happen smithing it happened at work and I've been trying to keep it attached for about two or three weeks. It came loose in the shower. The nail bed is pretty sensetive. I got a blood blister under my nail from getting it squished while working and it got infected. One  day at work I felt something wet and a hole popped by my cuticle from the infection under the nail. I disinfected it and got rid of the infection but I finally lost the nail today. There's also a nice shot of some psoriasis too.

Pnut. 

[SLAG]

Pnut,

Given time :

it will grow back, 

  (as long as the nail bed is intact).  (it looks like that is the case).

SLAG.

 

[pnut]

The nail bed is still there. It's a little sensetive. The nail is just hanging on by a tiny sliver. I didn't yank it off though. I touched the nail bed to see how much it would hurt and decided to tape the nail down to protect the nail bed. I hate nail injuries. 

Pnut

[JHCC]

Reading back over this thread, I'm reminded of my old friend Dick Adams (alas, no longer in our midst): ex-Marine, logger, rough carpenter, maple syrup maker, storyteller, Vermont woodsy extraordinaire. Whenever folks would start to tell their chainsaw horror stories, Dick would lean back and wait until everyone had told their worst can-you-top-this one. Then he would say, "Wanna hear MY chainsaw story?" Folks would think "Oh, Dick HAS to have the best chainsaw story" and say, "Yeah! Yeah!" He'd look around, and then with an air of great satisfaction would say, "I don't have one. I'm careful with things that can kill me."

[pnut]

I was injured loading a washing machine. Not so much a tale of daring do or even spectacular stupidity but boy did it smart. 

Pnut

[Welshj]

New to smithing... but I've had a few.

Worked in a foundry when I was much younger, pouring aluminum. Had just gotten married, three days later I bumped a ladle of molten aluminum and poured down the front of chaps and left leg. Still have scars from that one on my thigh.

Countless cutoff wheel explosions... ground knuckles, cuts of all kinds. Most recent was cutting wood for a knife handle on a tablesaw. I reached behind the blade to pull the wood through, and it bound and kicked back. Before I could even think, it pulled my hand back with it.

Years of woodworking, and I knew I was doing something stupid.... still did it.

[jlpservicesinc]

Got these while working some 3/4"X3" 5160 making a new hot hardie. 

Without a power hammer or press or a sledge person.. I dislike working something this large and flat.. 

[pnut]

Ouch. Is that recent? Welshj and Jen. 

I worked for a short time at an aluminum foundry in Clarksville TN. before I went to the rubber refinery. 

Pnut

 

[jlpservicesinc]

Yup. combo of a few days. The round scabbage  one was from wearing a watch strap.  the longish one was from double burn.. Burned one day, then burned again the next day.. Skin and tissues don't like being burned 2 days in a row..  They are a little sensitive about it..

There are hundreds of burn scars on that part of my hand and wrist from such deals.  the brownish ones will heal in about 3 or 4 days the scabbage ones will take about a week as long as they don't get burned again.  But, my plan is to go out and forge again today on that same stock size.   Giddy up. 

I don't really feel them anymore so usually don't bandage them..   My skin over the last few years though is more sensitive to wounds than it used to be.. Old age and thinning skin. 

[Chris C]

I'm just starting the process of acquiring burn scars on my hands and arms.  Over the years it's been cuts and scrapes...................and I've a ton of those to show, especially my ring-finger left hand. (WHAT ring finger????) 

[ThomasPowers]

Nothing like finger avulsion images to help one lose weight.   My most visible hand scar was from a bit of a broken zinc alloy fitting hiding in a spring.  When I went to pull it apart hot for stock; a bit of molten zinc squirted onto my hand.  Just a little and not that bad; but I was working in a factory and they would not put me on a job that didn't mess with it for a "home based injury".  So I spent 2 weeks with it being pulled open every shift leaving a much more impressive scar. 

Grinders, dog bite, bow saws, chisels, license plate-(thrown), crush damage, burns----cataloging my hand scars is one way I try to stay awake during boring meetings...Now for Major scars I went to professionals, got some lovely ones from surgeons.  My wife has suggested using them for Ogham when I go on campouts.

[Chris C]

[pnut]

12 minutes ago, ThomasPowers said:

My wife has suggested using them for Ogham when I go on campouts.

I have one that looks amazingly similar to ogham where I was stabbed in the back of the neck. Or a Frankenstein scar depending on your personal style I guess. It's the worst staple job I've seen but to be fair it was a nasty wound nearly five inches long. I have hardly seen it since it's on the back of my neck though. 

 

1 hour ago, jlpservicesinc said:

 My skin over the last few years though is more sensitive to wounds than it used to be.. Old age and thinning skin

I know what you mean. I have psoriasis and one of the side effects of the topical steroids is thinning skin. The skin on my hands cut pretty easily these days. 

Pnut