It seemed like a good idea at the time...........

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

...to adjust the mesh of the power feed gears on my lathe when I was cleaning it today.

 

If I hadn't left the power on so that I could use the light and hadn't hit the switch with my elbow while tightening the gear on the banjo I wouldn't have just got home from the local hospital with a compound fracture of my (thankfully left) middle finger and an appointment at the Royal Free tomorrow...

 

So I rather doubt that I'll be joining the round the world photo thread!

 

At least I fly thumbs so I should be OK for a twiddle later in the week!

[001]

3 of us went Scuba diving about a mile off Bracklesham Bay, Sussex, there is a deep hole there we wanted to investigate. We were in a small Zodiac inflatable boat with an outboard motor. The weather wasn't very good, quite cold and choppy in fact.

We had the tanks with the yellow plastic 'boots' on the bottom (1960's), when we were ready I sat on the edge of the boat and the sharp edge of the tank boot cut a big hole in one of the three air chambers. We returned to shore with the boat listing badly,  full of water, holding the petrol tank above the waves and trying to hold the deflated part of the boat up.

We were very lucky to get back to shore.

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

Martin, sorry to hear about that mate. It only takes an instant for it all to go horribly wrong doesn't it?

 

Still, I suppose you can console yourself with the thought it could have been an awful lot worse

 

BEB

 

PS Did you finish adjusting the gears?

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Thanks for the words of concern BEB - I still can't understand how the fingertip still exists and bears even a passing resemblance to the others and I'm under no illusions that any positive result is far better than I expected when I realised what I'd just done - or deserve.

 

It passed through the meshed gears and as far as I can tell from the medics, the main concern is potential infection rather than the mechanics of healing the flesh and bones. I'm back on Tuesday for some surgery to stitch the bone parts (eeeeuuugh) and some repairs to the nail bed.

 

Funnily enough I haven't checked the gear mesh yet other than to discount my theory that the fixing bolt might have been loose enough that they opened up - they are still firmly meshed!

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

Its a horrible feeling isn't it when you know that you've done something "serious" but you're not sure just how serious.

 

A number of years ago I stupidly manged to shove a chisel right through the base of my thumb - I remember taking deep breaths and thinking "Oh God - this is bad" and then having to steal myself to look down to see just how bad it was. The chisel was coming out throught the other side - so that wasn't a good sign!. All I could think about at first was my Dad's oft repeated mantra of "Keep both hands behind the cutting edge", Ha!

 

At the time i was in the house on my own with my, then, 12 month old son. I wrapped my hand in a towel, complete with chisel,  knocked on my neighbours door and asked if she could call an ambulance for me (I was bleeding profusely) and look after my son until my wife came home.

 

Afterwards the neighbour commented that she was amazed how "matter of fact" I was about it - I don't remember feeling very calm. All I was thinking was I'd was either going to lose my thumb at best or bleed to death at worst! Though I must admit I do remember thinking "This doesn't hurt as much as it should - I wonder am I in shock?" 

 

As it turned out the hospital removed the chisel, did some surgery to repair a vein I had cut under a local aneasthetic, stiched me up and sent me home. I'd been very lucky in not damagaing any ligaments or nerves. The whole thing was cleared up in a couple of weeks. But obviously I still have the scar to help me remember my Dad's wise words about where your hands should be!

 

Best of luck with the healing - let's hope the infection stays at bay - and I'll lay a pound to a penny you'll not do that again!

 

BEB

Edited By Biggles' Elder Brother on 27/09/2010 00:18:36

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Funny thing, shock.  I felt very little pain at the time although it's made up for it later.

 

I sincerely hope that I'm not as daft again - I suppose as time goes on without a serious incident the feeling that "it won't happen to me" can make you rather careless. It's a long time since school/college and safety lessons.

[John Privett]

Posted by Biggles' Elder Brother on 26/09/2010 21:24:25: 

PS Did you finish adjusting the gears?

 

Not as serious an injury,  but one where I had to continue working...

 

Some 20-odd years ago the engine in my Mk1 Cavalier was on its last legs.  Not having anywhere off-road to work on the car I waited until I was back at my parents' house for Christmas and bought a recon'd "short" engine.  I set to work in their garage and soon extracted the old engine.  Next job, transfer all the ancilliaries from old to new.  This included the flywheel. 

 

So there I was,  engine sitting on the concrete floor and me holding the flywheel on the end of the crankshaft rotating it to match up the bolt holes.  Just getting them lined up when - oops - the flywheel slipped off the shaft and dropped a few inches to the floor.  No problem,  except that one of the fingers of my left hand cushioned the impact between the starter ring-gear on the flywheel and the floor.  OUCH!!!

 

Half an hour or so later with a huge bandage around the finger I returned to the garage.  The engine wasn't going to assemble and re-install itself,  and I needed the car in order to get home (300+ miles) later in the week.  So I had to continue with it. 

 

To this day two scars on that finger provide a useful(?) indication of the pitch of the Cavalier starter ring-gear! 

 

[Stephen Grigg]

I expect youll un plug  it next time Martin,like  I now dont fit the prop on to an electric model since one started up inadvertantly and attacked  me before I knew  anything about it apart from all the blood everywhere.Once I managed to stem the flow I went back to finishing the model off,dont like hospitals

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Safety on electric powered models is something I'm paranoid about and don't mind admitting preaching about at any opportunity. I've added isolating powered machinery to my list of paranoia...

[Stephen Grigg]

I find it interesting that sometimes you sit thiking over a problem with a model,and a very simple answer comes along,you then do something without thinking and a fraction of a second later the accident happens,the result is very painfull for days and days afterwards.you find that hurting part of your body does a lot more than you ever thought,and you never stop learning something new how ever old you are

[Flanker .]

Oh God that Spray Expanding Beeping Foam !  Years ago we lived in Wales, my true love and I. She was at Wrexham Art School . She had a "water" project and I suggested that spray foam placed on paper and combed with slotted cards would make nice foamy "waves" -  it did too.  

 

So I came home on a wet day from Ruthin ( partner is out ) with two giant cans of this stuff. It was very cold and wet and I was cold and damp and tired so I made myself a nice hot meal and a cup of tea.  While the tea brewed I went up to the work room to put the cans away.  Seeing some sheets of paper lying around I decided to make a quick test of my "sea foam" idea. I made a quick card comb sprayed a trace of foam on the paper, coambed it out and watched it expand - great it worked really well so I did another one - and the foam  spray did not stop when I released the plunger - it kept coming out  - and faster - and - oh help ! Quickly I flung open the tiny window and shoved my the can outside- just in time - the can really let go - it was abig can - and it coated a large part of the transparent plastic conservatory roof.  Worse it also coated the stove pipe that came through the roof and started to  burn.

 

Arrggh - act quickly or there will be a fire and the wretched stuff will set on the roof and we'll never see the light through it again !   What to do ? Grabing a hand full of rags I climbed through the window and by keeping my boot tips on the protruding screw caps I was able to spread eagle my self on the wet roof and creep side ways along wipeing the foam off the wet roof as I went  - thank goodness it was wet because it came off. Finaly I reached the stove pipe and flicked the smoking foam off into the garden below and then got the rest off the pipe and the last bits on the roof. The I tried to retrace my side ways progress back to the window end. I could not move. The horrid stuff had coated the front  of my body, my arms and legs, and on the warm plastic roof it had set !

 

I was now glued to my own roof.  I hit a new low at that point.  I was cold, tired, and rain was falling on me. Cold Welsh rain . There was a hot meal waiting on the table down stairs . And a cup of tea. How had I ended up in this situation leass than ten minutes after getting home?  And if I shouted for help I would be rescued, but the Village would NEVER forget it. Ever. It would be as good as when Swig got hoisted up and down a 100 foot clif by a falling Oak tree that he claimed to be able to hold on a rope when it was cut..

 

By slow rolling on the roof I was able to graduly peel myself free but it took half an hour, my dinner was stone cold, the tea was stewed , I was soaked  and I still had to replace the plastic roof panels where I had been any way because the traces left went brown in the sun

 

I have a slight fear of that spray foam that has lasted to this day.

 

Go well. F

[Phil Claridge]

many years ago when i was young and fit, iwas changing the clutch on my humber hawk in my dads garage. i was doing this at night because i wanted the car the next day, i had the gearbox already to drop out and decided i didnt need any help to remove it so i gave it a wiggle to loosen it and was going to put my trolley jack under it to support it, but the box slid straight out on to my chest so i thought i could push it off and wriggle out from under the car.noway the box had hooked into my overalls and i was stuck fast. i couldnt shout for helpas the garage was at the back of the house and mum and dad were watching the tele in the front room, the only thing i thought of doing was to find my insulated pliers somewhere on the floor and squash the bulb in the lead light. my brain said this idea was double dodgy but the weight of the box on my chest said get on with it, so i got the light as close as i could and gripped the bulb near the metal cap and squeezed, i was hoping to fuse the lights and my dad would come out to see what i was doing. the house lights went out and i laid there not daring to move still holding the pliers my dad replace the fuse and the lights came on  then off again he then did it again before he came out to see if if it was me mucking about that was causing it i was just about holding on by this time the box had been sitting on my chest for about ten minites and they are not lightweight i can tell you. my dad managed to reach through the gearlever hole and take the weight of the box and i managed to get out from under the car, he had to help me into the house as i couldnt make it on my own, luckily i didnt do my self any lasting damage

[Biggles' Elder Brother - Moderator]

Wonderful story Flanker - really brought a smile to my face on a drizzly Monday morning. The image of you spread eagled on the roof is fantastic

 

BEB  

[David Ashby - Moderator]

I nearly lost badder control laughing at that one Flanker

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Brilliant - LOL (literally)

[Tim Mackey]

Superb story Flanker, and very well told.

Puts my unfortunate happenings with a can of expanding foam into the shade.

[Michael Evans]

Back in the 70s I inherited an old Honda 50 from my uncle. It had been sat around a while outside but I got it running ok. The front tyre was flat and was a bit on the perished side to say the least. Not to worry. Got an aerosol can of that Finilec puncture repair foam out of the car and inflated it, then set off on it down to the garage to get some petrol.

I duly filled it up [about 35p a gallon then] and headed off to the till to pay. Behind me an almighty bang startled me and I spun round. The entire forecourt was enveloped in a massive snowstorm of foam particles. The perished tyre had given up and was split wide open almost around its entire circumference. I sheepishly paid for my petrol and pushed it home. Thank god for full face helmets and dark visors. 

[Big Bandit]

Hi All,

 

Back in the eighties I had a small terraced house, so it was on road parking only and my neighbor who was a real Frank Spencer type brought himself a Reliant Robin. as this thing was a bit of a wreck he decided to do his own repairs. One Saturday he decided to drop the fuel tank for some reason and started to clean it up whilst sitting on the pavement. He took the fuel pickup cover off and rather than clean around the hole in the tank with a cloth, he decided to hoover the debris up using a standard cylinder cleaner. It only took a few seconds for the hoover to suck up enough fuel vapor for the sparking around the brushes on the hoover motor to ignite. There was a very loud bang, at which point I shot up and on opening the front door found Keith sitting on the pavement looking completely stupid a because he was and b because the recoiling hoover hose complete with the now detached end of the hoover had hit him on the forehead and he was trying to workout what to do next. The remains of the hoover minus a plug on the lead was a few yards up the road. I can't remember my remarks other than I must have made a negative comment on his mental state and parentage. Couldn't stop laughing for the rest of the weekend.

 

Chris.

[David Ashby - Moderator]

Excellent Mike and Chris  

[Big Bandit]

Hi All,

 

The really really really spooky bit is that a couple of years ago, I was re-felting he shed roof. The neighbors in the bungalow at the back of our house we've known for 10 years or more (Jack and Rea), and we've always shared a bit of good humored banter and vegetables over the fence. This particular day I was sitting straddled the apex of the shed with a power stapler, punching the last few staples, when a voice sent the most intense tingle up my spine. It was Keith, the DIY bringer of doom. It turns out that Rea is his Mum. Fortunately she knows her son well and never ever asks him to do any work for her in the garden or house. Knowing this I can sleep more soundly, and I imagine Jack can as well. It transpired later that day he works for a local baker, and from that day I've never brought any of their cobs or sandwiches. Just can't take the risk.

 

Chris.

[Terence Lynock]

An old mate of mine, now gone I am afraid, bought a piece of land bordering a farm at Eaton on Tern in Shropshire, the river Tern actually ran down one side of the land and it had a derelict mill on it.

It was well overgrown and needed fencing off so my mate Les said he would get stuck into the weeds if I would start on driving the fence posts for the chestnut fencing so off I went with a load of posts and the driver which was a two foot long piece of heavy steel pipe blanked off at one end and with two loop handles.

I started driving in posts a foot to the side of the road and was making great progress,

the posts were fairly hard to drive in for about a foot then went down nine inches with one blow then went hard again, I drove in about fifty posts over the afternoon and my mate was very happy to have them all in.

It was only the following winter we found that the farmer had laid a new land drain a foot to the side of the road and I had driven fifty posts down straight through it...........

 

 

[birdy]

What seemed like a good idea at the time...

 

Cutting towards yourself? Checking with the other side of the model that you've built it the same? Letting your mate fly the model?  

[Phil Claridge]

last quarter turn on the spanner, one last flight, one last loop, its not too windy to fly, that tree is miles away

[Terence Lynock]

Checking with the other side of the model that you've built it the same? Letting your mate fly the model?  

 

That doesnt just happen with models, a story goes that 1426 flight had a Ju88 assembled from surviving components from aircraft that had crash landed on Uk soil, it had a habit of pulling to stbd and wouldnt fly straight and level.

They persuaded a German POW who was quite friendly with RAF personnel to have a look and see if he could figure out why, turned out that one outer wing panel was longer than the other with a bigger aileron, the outer panels were from two different Mk's of Ju88,

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]