Read This Before Your Next Job

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

FIRST THE GOOD NEWS:
I finished all 23 knives I was working on this evening.
I had the fastest in-out time at the ER I have ever experienced.
THE BAD NEWS:
I went to the ER tonight.

I was finishing power stropping the last fillet knife on the Badder with a 2" leather belt.I have been working 70 hours a week at the jewelery store and getting in 3 or 4 hours a night in the knife shop.Sleep is between 1AM and 5AM.I was running the belt too fast (for a strop dead slow is almost too fast) and the tip snagged. The knife kicked around against my gloved left hand.Didn't feel a thing.Looked down and saw a section of glove on the bench.Grabbed a wad of paper towels and applied pressure to the heel of my left hand.Didn't have to look,I knew what wasn't there.Cut at 9PM,ER at 9:15,left ER at 9:45,pharmacy at 10,home at 10:30. Not a slow down or a hitch in it all.Hand barely hurts (at least not yet).The attached photo is of the piece of my hand I got out of the shop after getting home.It was still attached to the slice of glove.Man that knife was scary sharp (or in this case scarry sharp).
Hey IG what is the best way to tan a small piece of hide?

What is there to learn from this? Don't work when you are tired.Don't run a honing belt at anything but dead slow.Don't think it can't happen to you.Most anyone who knows me will tell you there is not a more safety conscious person around,but I will have a permanent 1" round scar to remind me of a momentary lapse of judgment.
I'm just glad it wasn't a bad cut that involved anything deeper than skin and some meat.
Take care Bros and sisters - Stacy

 

[howiesatwork]

Ouch!
It could have been worse, but I'm glad it wasn't.
Well, you can't reattach the lost skin. Maybe frame it?

 

[Will52100]

Och! Well at least you know the knife is sharp!

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

I forgot to add that the knife that got me was ordered a surgeon.I am going to tack $200 on the bill for the ER trip.That's what he would do if someones surgery incurred him any extra expense.We will both get a laugh out of it,and I will deduct it from his bill.He is possibly the only person who would be glad to know that his knife took a piece out of someone.
Hand is sore this morning,but off to work I go.
Be Safe - Stacy

 

[Dan Gray]

I forgot to add that the knife that got me was ordered a surgeon.I am going to tack $200 on the bill for the ER trip.That's what he would do if someones surgery incurred him any extra expense.We will both get a laugh out of it,and I will deduct it from his bill.He is possibly the only person who would be glad to know that his knife took a piece out of someone.
Hand is sore this morning,but off to work I go.
Be Safe - Stacy

Stacy to bad you could'nt have gone to him and said, look, see what your knife did to me..please fix me up...

hey it could have been inside you instead of just grazing you:foot:
I keep remembering when I cut my leg with a chain saw
now that left a mark glad your OK :thumbup:

and BTW cool Picture

 

[Matthew Gregory]

Yikes!

At least you have a legitimate excuse (overtiredness)... my dumb ass will end up doing something like that simply because I'm just that... a dumbass!

Hope you're doing okay! Glad to hear it didn't hit any tendons.

 

[jhiggins]

Wow, Stacy! That's a real nice little filet there. Glad to hear you didn't lose any digits on that one. Thanks for the pic, and the warning. Definitely good reinforcement for guys who are rushing out Christmas orders.

 

[Don Hanson III]

Glad to hear it wasn't any worse, bad enough though
I work on knives all day and quit around 5 or 6, if I try to work late, I will screw something up every time, be it part of myself or some very high dollar handle material.

 

[Daniel Koster]

That's a real nice little fillet.

no kiddin!

man, that is one freak pic....hurts to look at it.

 

[Bruce Bump]

WoooWeee thats a clean cut!! That little piece of shop leather would be a cool pommel inlay!

 

[Mark Williams]

Glad you're okay Stacy.

Bet you could get big bucks for that hunk of flesh on e-bay

 

[fitzo]

That'll feel good in a couple days!!

I'm glad it was just skin, Stacy. These accidents always give pause for how close to catastrophe we've just come.

Heal well....

 

[Nowicki]

I done one sort of like that. Rushing to finish a cleaver for a Christmas order.
Bater III, Full speed, 36 grit...hoggin. Slipped and hit my hand on the wheel. Went in and held it closed while I got my daughter to mix some 5 min. epoxy and put it on. Went back out and finished it. Took a few years but no scar. Glad yours wasn't worse. I guess we all do some dumb things even when we know better. Thanks for the reminder.


Larry

 

[J.Marsillo]

Fillet O' bladesmith:barf: yeeeowch.thank god you didnt get any major tendon or vein,having a bum paw for a few weeks isnt so bad,glad to hear your ok.
Btw i would tan the piece too! :thumbup:

 

[MSCantrell]

Anyone catch the macabre irony in "attached thumbnails" at the bottom of Stacy's original post?

 

[Protactical]

I'm glad your not seriously hurt!

Looking back on all my bad accidents, there was a warning signal that went off in my head. Took a while to learn to listen to the little voice in my head.

I'm an over the top good woodworker, high IQ, mechanically inclined, and careful. Things one hasn't done before can still jump up and bite one. Metal work I am just learning.

 

[rlinger]

Thank the Lord it wasn't on a buffer wheel facing the wrong rotation. Tired equals danger almost always. I have a dual wheel buffer and I built it bi-directional (reversable). Sometimes I worry about using it and am glad I do (worry about it that is). Tired can hurt us bad. I am happy you came out of that alive and able to continue.

RL

 

[tmickley]

It all happens so fast but we can see it clearly when it's done. Glad it wasn't worse. Hope it heals up quick for you..

 

[rhrocker]

A couple of days ago I was using my rotary platen, had the knife on the tool rest, and pressed to hard into the platen. Well, it's flexible, and I ended up opening enough of the rubber to let the knife get down between the sandpaper and tool rest. I heard a "flomp", looked around, no knife. Looked at my tummy, thighs, other areas, no knife. Then I saw water on the floor. The knife shot down and into my grit catching/cooling bucket, and stuck in the side, that is, stuck in the side of the inside. I ran and got another bucket and exchanged the water, then sat back and went over what I had done wrong; Pressed to hard on the material I was grinding against the rotary platen, causing it to open enough to allow the knife to slam through. Be careful out there!!!

 

[O'Malley]

I am still wondering why I clicked on the photo enlargement, knowing that I was about to see a piece of you! Eeeeooooo. Something that Protactical said above jogged a memory: It is reported that of many shop accidents, 80% of those injured had a warning register in their head a few moments before the accident. You are right, it is good to listen to our inbuilt warning mechanisms.