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Posted

Went to grab something out of the oven but there wasn't enough folds of tea towel (no oven mitt) between my index finger and the tray. heat shot through to my finger in less than a second. Due back in work tomorrow... how am i going to repair any watches with a serious burn on the top/flat of my dominant hand's index finger? I guess I just have to see it as a challenge, during the Christmas rush no less.... so ridiculous that such a small injury would cause such a big problem. Ah well, I've vented my frustrations now, my finger still hurts but that makes me feel a little bit better. :D

 

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Posted
2 hours ago, Ishima said:

Went to grab something out of the oven but there wasn't enough folds of tea towel (no oven mitt) between my index finger and the tray. heat shot through to my finger in less than a second. Due back in work tomorrow... how am i going to repair any watches with a serious burn on the top/flat of my dominant hand's index finger? I guess I just have to see it as a challenge, during the Christmas rush no less.... so ridiculous that such a small injury would cause such a big problem. Ah well, I've vented my frustrations now, my finger still hurts but that makes me feel a little bit better. :D

 

oh boy reminds me of when I first started mucking around with watches, thought I'd try my hand at a cheap clock movement, well little did I realize at the time that if you have  a keywind clock movement, (fully wound) that when you release all that tension it has to go somewhere, well the winding key darn near took off my finger and left a pretty good impression on a ring on my right hand, I wear the ring to remind me of how stupid I could have been to try to let down a spring with key attached! I know how you feel.

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Posted (edited)
12 minutes ago, WileyDave said:

oh boy reminds me of when I first started mucking around with watches, thought I'd try my hand at a cheap clock movement, well little did I realize at the time that if you have  a keywind clock movement, (fully wound) that when you release all that tension it has to go somewhere, well the winding key darn near took off my finger and left a pretty good impression on a ring on my right hand, I wear the ring to remind me of how stupid I could have been to try to let down a spring with key attached! I know how you feel.

Did almost the same. An old clock and i hold the key and let go of the spring? Full wind hit my tumbs nail. A big blue nail was what i got. Didn't sleep that night. And in the morning i had to drill a small hole in the nail to let go of the pressure? 

Burn myself i have done so many times? But the worst i did was when i was a small child? I put the match back in the matchbox before the match had burnt up? So all the matches in the matchbox  burned up in a big fire. In my little hand?  

images (1).jpg640px-Match_stick,_lit_a_match,_match_box,_fire.JPG

Edited by rogart63
  • Like 2
Posted
14 minutes ago, WileyDave said:

oh boy reminds me of when I first started mucking around with watches, thought I'd try my hand at a cheap clock movement, well little did I realize at the time that if you have  a keywind clock movement, (fully wound) that when you release all that tension it has to go somewhere, well the winding key darn near took off my finger and left a pretty good impression on a ring on my right hand, I wear the ring to remind me of how stupid I could have been to try to let down a spring with key attached! I know how you feel.

I must consider myself lucky as I would have done the exact same thing except that the spring exploded in the barrel before it had a chance to let down.  The clock had been fully wound but not running for at least forty years.  As soon as I pulled the click away from the ratchet wheel there was a awful noise and all the tension was released.  I believe that spring came out in about six pieces.

Worst thing I've done to myself working on watches amounts to stabbing my index finger with a fine oiler.  I've done that twice now.  Boy will that make on angry.  :angry:

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  • 4 weeks later...
Posted

Stabbed myself a number of times with oiler,  dropped a pair of tweezers once that stuck in my leg, and nearly very nearly taken my eye out whilst holding tweezers and putting a loup on!!!!

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Posted

Whenever handling/using my watch making tools, I am very aware of what I'm using, and work in a slow controlled manner, always forward thinking my next move.  This is how I work now having previously almost stabbed myself in the eye with my 5 tweezers!

Posted

I almost cut my finger off whilst trying to open a snap case back with a very sharp knife / case opener... the tip of the knife just went through the flesh like butter, even touching the bone. That was really painful, and hurted for a couple of weeks... luckily no stiches.

Posted

Accidents happen normally when becoming complacent. Clock mainsprings can be really dangerous and when i first started to repair/service clocks I used to remove the mainsprings with pliers but always wore safety glasses. However I was removing a spring from a french clock using this method & I guess the spring already had a split because it just flew hit the safety glasses and cracked them. If I had not been wearing the glasses I could have lost an eye.

After this incident I made myself a spring winder & later purchased a dedicated winder.

Posted

We all know we should wear safety glasses when going into a machine shop.  Years ago, I had someone report to me that they had poked themselves in the eye with the arm of their safety glasses whilst putting them on.

To this day I don't know how to help this poor chap!

 

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