random post and a warning to you all about clamping coilsprings up!

was giving a guy at work a demo on how to use these amazing failsafe spring clamps we got, clamped the spring right up, strut was real loose so the spring was well clamped, undid the top nut, went to pull the mount plate etc off and then BANG! top 2 coils of the spring twisted out of the clamp taking half my thumb with it

had a op on it yesterday they pinned it back together,stitched it all up now just gotta see how it all takes

just feeling kinda sorry for myself at the moment, stood in the garage looking at the indy realising it's gonna be ages now until i can get back on it

john

OUCH!

Hope you have a speedy recovery...

David

Sorry - but I had to laugh at the title - I'd just been looking at Timf's mock "porn site unavailable" page, came back and saw "1 handed builders"!

They always sell those things in pairs and you need three to do the job properly and safely. It's no laughing matter having accidents, if we added all the mishaps on here and piled them on one builder he would look pretty sick I think. You'll find a way round it I'm sure as soon as it stops hurting

Hope you'll get better soon.

or should that be

Hope you get better soon and it 'takes' alright.

One of my friends lost his total thumb from the first knuckle (nearest his palm) you were well lucky...

thanks for the comments guys, i know really i have been lucky, just doesn't seem it a few hours after the op!

already been out in the garage playing about with a few things, luckily my dad is on holiday from work at the moment so i point and he does the work

know how it feels mate, mines just two fingers instead of a thumb but they were unable to re-attach them in my case.

Hope all goes well and look out for all the thumb jokes....

John I hope you mend quickly. Its no laughing matter and having missing digits is absolutely nothing to be proud of or show off (Im not saying you are John). There is no reason to have "accidents". They seldom are accidents, but are usually the result of laziness or arrogance. Ignorance is no defence because if you dont know how to use something then you should take the time to research it.
I have been around cars and machinery "since I were a lad" and have never suffered an injury (self inflicted that is!) worse than a splinter.
It really anoys me to see handymen (pardon the pun) sporting voids on their hands...or worse. Im sure it anoys them too.
At least you didnt cause someone else an injury.

Hugh, I totally agree with what you are saying.

However, if a spring clamp 'lets go' does that mean he has done something wrong? Your comment seems a little narrow IMHO.

I've working in engineering all of my career and seen some horrific accidents one fatal. Most caused by the operator but probably less than 5% were pure accidents.

In my opinion if you have been around machinery and cars all your life, then you have been 'lucky', it's that simple.

I feel pretty sure that most of us on here have some 'near miss' stories to tell, some involving the loss of digits, other's of severe cuts and even bruises. With respect, "sometimes life isn't so black and white".

That's my
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Incedentally John, it's very reassuring that your sense of humour wasn't in the latter portion of your thumb. You commented with wit which; considering the circumstances; is the best path to follow, a bit of positive mental attitude does you good when you have every right to be depressed about it. Keep smiling bud!

hugh, tbh i'm not sure how i should be taking that reply? but yeah looking back i have no one to blame other than myself really. i'm 22 now and been changing springs almost every day sinse i was 16, i admit i was complacent with the equimpent as a spring has never even so much as moved in them clamps before so thinking about the risk factor just becomes less and less.

as hellfire says, if you've spent a great amount of time around engineering or mechanical operations without having any kind of 'accident' then you are very lucky.

totally agree though about at least no one else got injured, the guy who's strut it was, was standing just the other end of the strut (pulling on the bloody thing!) so yeah he's got a wife and kid to support where as i just gotta look after myself.

I hope that you don't think I was being flippant in my reply... that sort of injury is scary, as well as hurting a huge amount. Of all injuries, damaging my hands or my eyes would be my biggest worry.

I've been lucky rather than skillful when building my car, getting away with little injury when I could easily have been badly hurt.

The stupidest one was when I was unfolding my engine hoist - my next-door neighbour poked his head round the corner and as he started to chat (distracting me), one of the legs of the hoist fell across my foot. As these legs weigh 20 lbs or more I could easily have smashed a fair number of the small bones on the top of my foot (I wasn't wearing proper boots). As luck would have it, the wheel on the leg held it just high enough to leave me with a bad bruise.

There have been other incidents!

Get well soon,

David

"random post and a warning to you all about clamping coilsprings up! "


That wasnt showing off, it was someone sharing experience.


Not all 'accidents' can be predicted. In many cases, the ability to avoid accidents over many years are the result of knowing what good and bad practice is. Generally thats learned by other people's missfortunes.

It only takes one accident of the correct proportion to be fatal, even after a megayonks accident-free period.


atb

steve


[Edited on 19/8/04 by stephen_gusterson]

Hope everything heals Ok john.
I've been a trained engineer all my working life (now 40) and I've done all sorts of daft things,most of which could have been avoided.Quite often the result of rushing or being tired when you dont always look for the danger in the operation you are carrying out,it's called risk assesment in the industry.
I've got plenty of scars on my hands and a nice one under my chin as well from a Hi lift jack handle lifting me off the floor when I didnt hold on to it properly.
Had loads of metal fragments removed from my eyes as well as welding splatter burnt onto my eye,but one of the worst and daftest things was dropping a 3.5 ton trolley jack on my achilles tendon as I was dragging the jack along a rough yard,3 years it took me to stop feeling pain everytime I walked.
The real killers though are usually involving large masses of weight,such as large vehicles or machinery being able to move or drop,thes are usually the fatal ones,everyone please be careful,its too easy to rush a job without thinking first,and we all do it sometimes.
Most accidents CAN be avoided.
DEAN..........

quote:

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Originally posted by john_p_b
hugh, tbh i'm not sure how i should be taking that reply? but yeah looking back i have no one to blame other than myself really. i'm 22 now and been changing springs almost every day sinse i was 16, i admit i was complacent with the equimpent as a spring has never even so much as moved in them clamps before so thinking about the risk factor just becomes less and less.

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cheers syd and lol at the locostbusters

hugh, i'll try and find a picture of the clamps i was using, seriously you would never in a million years expect them to do what they did

I have a friend who was a mechanic for 30 years. He would not use clamps without there were 3 of them. His other solution was to put jubilee clips on the spring to stop the clamps from sliding round to the same side, which they always try to do. He never got caught out by them, but he did wave a gas welding torch across the back of his hand once and that made a mess. It looked like a water balloon stuck to him . You can't predict all eventualities and we all think" Oh it's only a little job" sometimes and don't exercise the care we ought to. Locostbusters is a bit of a faux pas I think. Locostfixers would probably be more appropriate . Get mended soon once again.

unsure if this is going to work and it's only a small picture anyway but as u might be able to see this was no half cocked lashed together home made clamp. it was a top of the range professional clamp that is supposed to secure 2/3 diameter of the spring. i honestly do not have a clue how it could have gone so wrong

on a plus side i just got back from hospital having the dressing changed and all seems to be mending perfectly. gotta go back on september 13th when they will x-ray it and if all is well take the pin out of it
Rescued attachment clamp.JPG