Cut a Fireman Today...

K

Knifeclerk

Joined
Jul 16, 2004
Messages
1,083
So today at work, a random fire-safety-inpector-guy came in to yell at us for our store not being firesafe. ...or something. We had poorly arranged wiring and so on, and one of the problems in particular was that a plug was taped to an electrical outlet. He asks to borrow a knife to cut of the tape. Of course I hand him my Benchmade 710 with half serrations. I don't really watch him, but i noticed once he gasped that he had cut his finger. He tries licking it a few times, then I offer him some bandaids. Well, he bleeds through the first one and so we let him wash up in our sink. He was there, like, forever until he came out and finnished his lecture. I noticed he was bleeding through the second, heavier duty bandaid as well. He made some remark about needing stitches and left.
I felt pretty sorry for the guy. That can be really embarrasing, especially as you are trying to give people advice on how to be safer.
Later in the evening, as I helped a customer check out the Fang of Baelin, I noticed that my middle finger had a nick taken out of it and was bleeding. Is it possible that I have been making my knives too sharp?

However my real question is, who else here has let someone use their knife briefly only to cut themselves?
::or maybe i don't have a question and just wanted to brag about how sharp i keep my knives::

-KC
 
I bet that safety guy felt 2 feet tall after his safety lecture. Maybe you should give him a leason on blade safety. lol
 
benchmite, welcome to Bladeforums.

Maybe next time KC should only offer very small knives as loaners. Benchmade has some gentleman's knives that should work out pretty well. :)
 
See, I would've expected him to "follow through" too much with the blade and accidentally complete a circuit. He'd get "bit", and you'd have one giant serrstion in your knife edge.

I've never yet heard a knife story that began with "these plugs were taped together", and ended well ;)
 
Knifeclerk said:
Is it possible that I have been making my knives too sharp?
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No. There is no such thing as a knife that's too sharp. Just that you can't be careless with one. A dull knife might be safer in careless hands than a sharp one, but a sharp knife in careful hands is safer than a dull one. You can't blame the knife for a person's carelessness.

Not that I never cut myself, mind you. :D I've even cut myself (on a Spyerco Rescue) at a knife store. I blame unfamiliarity with the knife (I never did cut myself with the Rescue again, nor my other Spydercos). But I was still careless. I'd imagine that a knife shop probably goes through a box or two of bandaids a week on fools that cut themselves.

My favorite "Idiot cutting himsef" story was a former coworker who asked me to sharpen his SAK. I put a razor edge on it, then he sliced his thumb cutting an apple with it. He blamed me for the rather severe cut. Go figure. :rolleyes:

You can't blame yourself though. Even if you told him "Be careful, it's sharp", it wouldn't have mattered. Telling a guy, especially a "man's man" like an electrician, to be careful is like telling him that he has a small penis. The male gene kicks in and he has to say something like "I know...I'm not a dumbass" or look like a sissy. But of course, he won't be any more careful with the knife. In fact, he'll probably be less careful. He asked for a knife, and you accomidated him. If you gave him a butterknife, you'd be insulting him. It's his fault he cut himself.

The real question is: What's this guy doing without a knife in the first place? At the very least he should have a Leatherman or SAK.
 
I have a couple of friends that no longer even want to touch any of my knives because of the cuts they have recieved from them in the past. So, I can relate to you situation. I've always believed a sharp knife is safer than a dull one but if you borrow a knife anticipating that it is dull and push on it for a job thinking it requires more force than it will I'm sure you'll end up with a big surprise cut if you aren't careful. I always warn people once they have my knife that it is lethal sharp just in case. They tend to be a bit more gentle and respectful of it once they hear that.
 
Didn't have his own knife?! Band-aids ain't poop. About 3 times 'round with masking tape and leave it on til it comes off in the shower.
Never had anyone cut themselves with a blade of mine but after a few times of "sorry... I thought you could pry a nail/turn a screw/cut cables" I cut what needs cutting or I keep a very close eye on the proceedings. If I jack my knife up I can live with the the lesson. I don't like others learning lessons with my hardware.
I was learn't never to trust a man what don't carry a knife... :eek:
 
I lent my CRKT KISS to someone at work, he put it in his pocket stuck his hand in later to give it back and when he yanked his hand out real quick I noticed the blood on his hand.

Apparently it opened up in his pocket and the Chisel Ground Blade laid the side of his index finger open, 2 hours and 5 stitches later I asked him if I could have my knife back he was reluctant to put his hand in his pocket and told me he'd give it back after he shook it out of his when he got home. :(

Welcome Benchmite.
 
You in fact got lucky and had a nice(and somewhat foolish) inspector. I never correct violations when I find them,I don't want the liability.Now if its a "correctable at time of inspection" violation,I have the owner,worker etc. do it,or I write them.No other choice as its my name that goes on the inspection form.

He was doing your store a favor it seems. I'll also bet he's talking about the goofs at the knife store with all the unsafe wires and tape over the plugs etc."one would think manly men who work in a knife shop would know better...."

Btw I do carry a 50/50 710.....
 
T. Erdelyi said:
I lent my CRKT KISS to someone at work, he put it in his pocket stuck his hand in later to give it back and when he yanked his hand out real quick I noticed the blood on his hand.

Apparently it opened up in his pocket and the Chisel Ground Blade laid the side of his index finger open, 2 hours and 5 stitches later I asked him if I could have my knife back he was reluctant to put his hand in his pocket and told me he'd give it back after he shook it out of his when he got home. :(

Welcome Benchmite.
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I swear, my district manager said the exact same thing happened to him! But he is usually full of crap, so I have stopped believing everything he says. Except of course when he says "Why thank you for your diligent service! We would like to promote you and give you more money!"

I do feel bad for the fireman, though. He did make some reference saying "shoulda used the knife in my pocket." My guess is that his just was never sharp. Or it was a cheapie that he would have been embarrased to pull out in a sophisticated store like mine!
 
I know exactly how the inspector felt: Many years ago, as a young personnel/safety officer at a plywood mill, I was responsible for new employees' safety orientation. One day I was orienting a newbie (who was much older than I) while handling a stapler-tacker. As I was making some important safety point I ran a staple thru my thumb. Blood began to trickle down my wrist, so I hid my hand under the desk. As it was my right thumb I couldn't shake this man's hand as he left my office, which I felt badly about. He apparently didn't see what I had done - or I'm sure I'd have heard about it on the mill floor for months.
 
I loaned my SAK vic standard to my stepfather to cut a hole in a plastick cop of a gravecandle. It showed that he only uses folders with a lock and was quite unfamilar with a Slipjoint. It ended in a cut al the way into the bone at his indexfinger with the small blade. Nasty. This happened last crismas eve.
 
I once loaned a guy in an auto parts store my Opinel that I had sharpened up that morning. He had to cut off two feet of rubber hose. He got the hose, but also got himself pretty good as well.

He said that was the sharpest knife he ever saw.
 
It's a fair guess that a person who doesn't have a knife of their own, and has to borrow yours, will be less likely to know how to use it properly.
 
Planterz said:
The real question is: What's this guy doing without a knife in the first place? At the very least he should have a Leatherman or SAK.
Click to expand...

In my workplace (energy sector related) the safety/security inspectors only wear helmets and industrial boots once: the anual inspection day, the rest of the year they are gent-dressed (briefcases and all), their jobs are basically paperwork y I'm sure they don't even carry a SAK.

On the other side the members of the safety brigade wear overalls full of pockets and pouches, but they're overweighted and remarkably out of shape, so in an emergency situation I'll only trust my own tools and skills.


Jaime Orozco.
 
Knifeclerk,
Its kind of neat meeting another knife clerk here. I work on the east coast and in a small chain of stores. AND I am a girl so that makes things even more fun!!!
Anyway, I have lent my knife to others only to have them cut themselves...that includes my husband and my dad. I stopped doing it and bought them their own knives.
I just don't watch the bad things my husband (not a knife person) does do his knife...ohhh it make my skin crawl. And I stopped REbuying him knives after he has messed one up.

BUT to focus on the question - the best time I had was showing a customer and his two buddies some CRK's and he cut himself on the forefinger. He was about 300lbs and 6'4 and he went down like a rock. He took a look at the blood on his finger and before I could reach for a cloth...his face went pale and he went down. The floor shook. Well, his buddies DID NOT let him forget it that is for sure.
It was not a bad cut, it was not a sharp knife, just a factory edge. But he didnt quite know what he was doing when he was holding it.

I am surprised your fire guy didnt want to know the make of the knife and then buy one...that would have been more cool! oh well! keep them sharp!
 
We are supposed to carry a folding knife at work and I also keep a little "Razor-Back" soft arkansas stone in my work pack. The stone is 3"x1"x1/4". One of my supervisors saw me touching up my knife one day and asked to use my stone for sharpening up his knife. He's a bit of an "expert" in all things so it didn't take very long at all for him to start bleeding. Still brings a smile to my face. :p
Don't think I'd pass him my knife.
 
This is a common sort of problem, for people who apparently don't know what a sharp knife is... Its a shame that too many people keep using a knife long after it is terminally blunt and get surprised by a bitey-razor sharp edge. A sharp knife is safer than a blunt one, but only if you always keep it sharp - that way it'll always perform the way a knife should --- it cuts.

I was having this same problem when I sharpened kitchen knives for free for work colleagues. They'd go home, prepare a meal and come back to work the next day with their fingers bandaged / patched up etc.

I think the same problem could happen if we are constantly changing the knives we use - theres no chance of getting to really know one particular knife well. Jason.
 
I have had several customers cut themselves on my watch, with many different products. I think the most memorable (and gratifying on my part) was around last January(ish). I had two mexican guys in the store (about 18 or 19) complaining about how the flea-market is so much cheaper. This one vato who was looking at the knives kept testing the sharpness by slapping his thumb into the blade. He started off with the cheap "Maden Chinas," but then took a look at a Spyderco. He tapped his thumb into it a few times and just kept saying "It's not charp...Aaaagh!" He got a nasty Spyderbite that wouldn't stop bleeding. The guys were being real pains, so I just sort of smirked as I offered a papertowl. As soon as they left, I spent a few good minutes laughing about the whole thing with my coworker. ...good times.
-KC
 
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