War wounds...

Rick Baum · Oct 19, 2002

In the interest of saftey, I thought that I would start this thread to give everone a chance to remind everyone else what not to do while making a knife or working in th shop.

I'll go first. Sorry but I have no pic's of this one.

Always wear gloves when cutting with a hack saw. My left index finger took 8 stitches to stop the bleeding when I misjudged the number of strokes it was going to take to finish a cut on a piece of 1/4 inch steel that I was attempting to cut. Luckily this happened while I was making my first commissioned knife. I could honestly tell the gentleman that ordered the knife that I put a lot of blood sweat and tears into his knife (literaly)! Luckily my finger still works fine.

DC KNIVES · Oct 19, 2002

Well fortunately the only real bad wound I've had knifemaking is the hole in my knee.Back when I started, I was heattreating an O-1 blade when on the way to the quench tank I fumbled it and it dropped with visegrips still attached and about 1500 degrees point first into the top of my knee then fell out.Deep wound but cauterized real good.I now wear a leather apron.May not help much, but better than nothing.Dave

misque · Oct 19, 2002

YIKES!

GAWD Dave! I hope I don't have nightmares tonight because of that.
I think tomorrow before the games start I better go out and clean up the shop a little. At least around the heat treat area and quench tank.

I hope you guys don't have any residual pain from these injuries.

All the best,
Mike U.

DC KNIVES · Oct 20, 2002

Mike,my knee is fine except for a small scar from the stitches.Still got that knife though,won't sell it.It was still red when if fell out of my knee and hit the floor.Bent it up good.After recovering I straightened it, finished it and carried it for 3 years as my EDC.Dave

helmar4578 · Oct 20, 2002

Dave, the description of your mishap is so graphic it should be X-rated. I do not believe an LOL would be appropriate here. SOL ordinarily stands for something else but in this case I think it would refer to "Screaming out loud"! Sandy

Jason Cutter · Oct 21, 2002

Dave ..... Owwww.
I was heat treating a 9inch Bowie blade in my tubular miniforge chamber, but had the nozzle of the high-powered gas burner slightly out of angle. The flames were shooting back out of the chamber right at me, but couldn't see it because I was working outdoors in daylight. Next thing. I stand up because I smell burning and I see in a nearby window pane that there are flames shooting out the top of my head. I have always been bad tempered but this was ridiculous.

I had to "put myself out" by emptying my quenching bucket over myself. It was full of steel grinding dust and debris which gave me a very good look.

End result - weird haircut, partial eyebrows, singed ears, 60grit metal shavings all over me. My goggles had melted, respirator completely glued together, the canvas on the back of my forging gloves totally missing. Burnt out 9inch blade completely wrecked. It could have been worse, but my wife totally freaked when I said, "I've got to finish that knife..."

Goes to show, all that protective equipment works. I was scared but effectively unhurt. I have always been accident prone so when I announced that I was going to start making knives, a lot of people started praying...

Cheers.

Dan Gray · Oct 21, 2002

I got my thumb into my stock saw using it as a ban saw (new blade too) the welding glove never slowed it down at all. should of had it sewn up but that would have taking more time and money then I wanted to give a doctor. that was all most as good as when I shot a 16 penny nail through my finger with a nail-gun I had some cord hanging out of the hole it left, I had to go that time I was do for my tetanus shot anyway. I won't talk about the thing with the chain saw

that left a mark a big Mark)..it all make for an interesting day

dave that wasn't to cool was it, I had to say that..

DC KNIVES · Oct 21, 2002

Sandy, actually was to hot to hurt bad.I didn't start hurting till the next day going to work.
Jason, Thats why we're knifemakers,we worried if our knives survived the ordeal.
Dan, the only cool thing was dropping my pants for the cute nurse.

Dave

Jason Cutter · Oct 22, 2002

I've had to get those tetanus shots too. Found out the hard way I'm actually allergic to the ####### things. Caused more problems than when I started off with those wounds. I'm a medical doctor myself and I'm possibly one of the worst patients any physician could imagine ! Usually, the doctor in the ER has to take a few minutes to calm down when I tell them I actually make knives and its how this happened ...

If we didn't love what we do so much, we'd be curled up in a corner, rocking back and forth in a fetal position ...

Dan Gray · Oct 22, 2002

Jason did your patients look at you a little funny after that happened? it must have been a site for them for
a while,, Dave I
see your point (no pun intended)
when I do go to the doctors
I get a male doctor and the finger and
it's not the one I care much for.eeeeekk