Show of Hands

Yea, I only usually do 1 or 2 before my reflexes kick in. Watch using alcohol / acetone for a bit, that makes them feel fresh all over again :D
 
TekSec said:
Yea, I only usually do 1 or 2 before my reflexes kick in. Watch using alcohol / acetone for a bit, that makes them feel fresh all over again :D
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Holy crap! Just the thought of alcohol or acetone in fresh belt rash made me shiver. Oh god, that would burn!!
 
Needless to say whether I have rash or not, I wear some latex gloves....well, after that first experience anyway
 
Oh you guys think the coarse belts are bad, last week I put my knuckles into a new a45 gator belt. And of course I had to use ferric and acetone that day too. Bought myself some rubber gloves.
Del
 
I thought donating a little skin was required in knifemaking. What I really hate is getting into the edge of a belt. It's like a paper cut on steroids.

I am seldom without a few nicks and scrapes on my hands and I think I long ago cooked the nerve endings in the end of my fingers.
 
Well I just put my first index finger onto my 60 griter on my 6x48 last night, but I have to admit its not near as bad as your photos. Have not had one that bad in several years, hey those scabs tend to keep one alert on the grinder for at least a month or two. At least thats how it works for me.
Chris
 
scottickes said:
Gloves and rotating machinery is a recipe for disaster! Instead of just removing a little meat that will heal quickly, you could get the glove (and your hand and your arm) wrapped up so quickly in the belt and drive that you'll mangle it beyond recognition.

I'm surprised at how many knifemakers actually wear gloves while grinding! It's extremely dangerous. Same thing with drill presses, milling machines, etc. If it rotates, go gloveless!!!
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scott, point taken. mandatory for us to wear gloves anyways when drilling, grinding, chipping... machine shop saftey different from construction. :)
 
This is the first time I was ever glad that the photos someone posted were out of focus. Looks like we better remind you about the hazards of the band saw too!

Maybe you should share the nitty gritty grinding details of your accident so some of the rest of us not so swift folks won't make the same mistake?!
 
I've lost some skin here and there. I hate when you jab the end of your thumb into the belt when the blade suddenly slips down on a 400 grit belt. Not really enough to take much of your skin, but the friction of the rapidly moving belt does a number on yanking the skin of the tip of your thumb away from your nail and seperating the nail and nail bed. Ouch! I walk on egg shells around 36 grit belts when working handles, to be sure.

I haven't worn gloves other than nitrile glooves when working on the grinder in a long while. Well, every once in a while when doing heavy profiling, I'll put a welding gloove on to help with the heat, but all close grinding work is done glove free, and I never wear gloves around the drill press.

--nathan
 
Phil,

The long and short of it, is I got greedy. While profiling a blade on the 10" wheel, I tried to stretch out the life of 36 grit belt. It was obviously long past it usable life and I was pushing too hard. The blade slipped off the side of the wheel, and my knuckles went into the wheel. I should have just grabbed a fresh belt, but I was trying to be frugal/cheap?
 
I am such an idoiot I dont even need the grinder. I sanded my thumb down so far the sandpaper turned red that I was using.....and this was sanding a piece of metal flat...by hand...it must have taken me 5 minutes to get to blood level on that sheet of 400 grit paper. I didnt even feel it until it bled and by then, it was completely caked in fine metal dust. At least I got my iron intake for the day!
 
Years ago I would hear knifemakers say you are a real knifemaker unless you are on a first name basis with someone in the emergency room. Myself the worst was when my
plastic Idle wheel came apart with a 50 grit belt running top speed to profile some blades.
After 8 years I still have a 2" wide scar on my forearm. A part of the wheel went in and the belt made sure it stayed there. I also had a gut hook knife get caught in the buffer and came out and went into my leg so far I could not pull it out. I could not walk for about a week.
Grinders and buffers great tools to watch out far.
Percy
 
percy said:
...I also had a gut hook knife get caught in the buffer and came out and went into my leg so far I could not pull it out. I could not walk for about a week.
Grinders and buffers great tools to watch out far.
Percy
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You must be happy to have kept your manhood!
 
The edge of the belts cuts me once in a while, sometimes under the fingernail. That hurts. The bandsaw has sent me to the ER twice though. My right thumb is still numb from being half sawed off.
 
I am seldom without a few nicks and scrapes on my hands and I think I long ago cooked the nerve endings in the end of my fingers.[/QUOTE]

Its fun to grind a blade. hand it to somebody and watch them let go of it because its too hot to hold. Knifemakers have a warped sense of humor. :D
 
You guys are sending shivers up my spine... Yikes. My stone cutting equipment is all diamond and even the 60 grit can be touched without any major damage. I do wear nytril gloves for pretty much everything including buffing but they really don't pull enough to feel when they get grabbed, they just get a hole ripped in them.
 
I hear ya Bruce. The first time that happened with me was with one of my high school students. It was with a piece of jewelry I was demonstrating buffing with. I handed it back to her when I was done and she screamed and dropped it like a hot potato. Now I hand stuff to folks with an impish grin and say, watch out, it's probably a little warm. Even with a warning they're caught of guard. They usually look at me quite confused as they try to figure out the disconnect they're experiencing between their eyes that saw me holding it fine and their burning hands. I just tell them, oh I guess I'm used to it. :D

Back to the OP though. I have such an immense respect for the power equipment I'm exposing these kids to that I go way overboard (probably still not enough though) explaining and demonstrating the forces and dangers of using the stuff. No one gets near the machines with anything loose on. Hair must be tied back in a bun (not just a pony tail), necklaces and bracelets removed and clothing (not removed, stop it you guys!) must be appropriate. No one can be anywhere near the operator and machine while in operation. Anyone talking to the operator or behaving in anyway distracting suffers consequences such as: lower grade, detention or sent out of the class. I haven't had to do much of this, but they all know I mean business and have heard more than once tales of lifetime disfigurement and tragedy from me. When it comes to the belt grinder I often refer to it as the hamburger maker. :yawn:

Of course in the forge classes we have another whole set of hazards.

Truth be told, it's still usually me in band aids in my classes, not my students.
 
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