Getting hurt in the lab

[HarryChiling]

I would venture to say every other time I fire up the torch to solder a pad arm or frame I burn myself. Never anything crazy, I always get distracted and reach for the torch without realizing it is still on. I think I am just clumsy but today I cut my finger on a knife edge and burned myself. Does any of this ring a bell to anyone else or is it just me. :hammer:

[FVCCHRIS]

Wow Harry, have I been there a few times! Tell me just out of curiosity and for a good comparison, how many times do you let those little balls of red hot solder burn a hole in your polyester pants before you break down and buy a new pr. of pants?? Then there's the time I just finished a solder in time to notice the torch was pointing right at my dispenser jar of acetone!! Thank god it didn't blow up in my face!!

[C-10]

be carefull you are going to be a father.

[chip anderson]

I remember my first job in the optical business which was polishing bifocal segments. We had 18 spindles of 50lb. blocks with 25 to 50 blanks on each blocked with pitch. Most had at least one blank slipped over the edge of the block. We tended these by hand applying polish with a brush from a rubber bowl. The polish was white. By the end of the shift I would have all 18 spindles and the catcher tray below streaked with blood. This was just a nightly experience.

Chip

[FVCCHRIS]

Hey Chip, was that about the time Pink #1 and Pink #2 became so popular??:bbg:

[OPTIDONN]

Well electricity and me just do not mix. Every time I have to take something apart sparks fly!! Once when I was changing a switch in a cylinder machine I plugged it in to make sure it worked. I realized that the position of the switch needed adjustment. So I grabbed the switch from the inside when my hand began to tingle and tighten around the switch! It took a second to realize that it was electricity!!:hammer:

Or how about slipping with the screwdriver and stabbing yourself! Thats always a good one.

[Jubilee]

I have found out that the nerves do regenerate in the fingers that were constantly either being stabbed, burned, electrocuted or pressed constantly in the lab.

Though.. to be honest.. I kind of miss it!

Cassandra

[OPTIDONN]

oooh!...How about taking a freshly deblocked plus lens and holding it by the edged so when you clean it, it spins and the razor sharp edges slice into your finger tips!!! Thats a fun one! Or when you get a little cut and never realize it until you clean a lens with alcohol!

[HarryChiling]

How about taking a freshly deblocked plus lens and holding it by the edged so when you clean it, it spins and the razor sharp edges slice into your finger tips!!!

That's exactly what happened!

We tended these by hand applying polish with a brush from a rubber bowl. The polish was white. By the end of the shift I would have all 18 spindles and the catcher tray below streaked with blood.

Chip you never seem to amaze me, your an animal man.

[C-10]

In the mid 60's when I started at the lab we use to bock the lenses up with pitch. Using a pitch machine it would squirt a shot of pitch up through the block and in between the lenses. Every once and a while the spout on the pitch machine would get pluged. so to clean it out we would turn up the heat and stick a sharp object down thorgh it. That when I got hit with a shot of pitch all over my face. Now that was a site.

[LENNY]

What is pitch?

[Jacqui]

What is pitch?

Danged Kids

[chip anderson]

Pitch is kind of a pine tar you heat, it adheres to glass and metal (for blocking) it comes un-stuck with more heat or a sharpe blow applied to the metal. Mostly replaced today by adhesive pads as plastic lenses deform too much with heat.
Pitch had several types some were used as polishing laps in lue of polishing pads.


Chip

[Chris Ryser]

What is pitch?

Have you never watched base ball.............?????????????????????????

:hammer: :D

[HarryChiling]

Wow Harry, have I been there a few times! Tell me just out of curiosity and for a good comparison, how many times do you let those little balls of red hot solder burn a hole in your polyester pants before you break down and buy a new pr. of pants?? Then there's the time I just finished a solder in time to notice the torch was pointing right at my dispenser jar of acetone!! Thank god it didn't blow up in my face!!

Can't say I have burned my pants, and both my parents were tailor/designers so I would never wear polyester.:bbg: Those hot balls of solder I have droped a few in my hands, on my arm down a shirt sleve once.

I think its the staff in my office whenever I am doing something potentialy dangerous they seem to want my attention right that instance. Almost like clockwork.

[LKahn]

I am constantly amazed by lack of attention to safety. When you handle chemicals you need eye protection, gloves and most importantly you need a good ventilation system.

[Framebender]

My first day there we were air hardening a bunch of lenses. Unknown to me there was a machine that launched about 1 out of every 10 pairs of lenses. So I'm just starting to get my rythm down and it launches. My natural reaction was to put my hand up. PGX at 1000 degrees is not the one you want to catch, but I did. The guy that set me up and I actually became good friends. It wasn't very funny at the time though.

[RGC_man]

First surfacing lab I ran 20 years ago the blocker didn't cool properly and the generator would fire out the occasional semi-finished lens at about 100mph with a big bang. It is a miracle I was never seriously injured.

[lab fly]

The old oil cooled generators we used in the military were set up to cut glass. You would always have to slow down on the deeper than usual cuts or the oil could heat up and you guessed it. BOOM! I cut a lens so fast and deep that the fire ball squeezed out of the rubber baffles, singed my exposed hairs and threads on my uniform. It also singed the operator 3 feet away on his backside. the entire lab came to screeching halt and I was very proud of myself.

[jherman]

Are always worth a Greenie:D

Rep. Point headed your way!

The old oil cooled generators we used in the military were set up to cut glass. You would always have to slow down on the deeper than usual cuts or the oil could heat up and you guessed it. BOOM! I cut a lens so fast and deep that the fire ball squeezed out of the rubber baffles, singed my exposed hairs and threads on my uniform. It also singed the operator 3 feet away on his backside. the entire lab came to screeching halt and I was very proud of myself.

[Fezz]

Ah, generator fireballs! That brings me back to my lab days. I wish that I still had a picture of the glass surfacing area that showed the cajun-esk blackened ceiling with all of the dents, holes and shrapnel marks!


As already mentioned, I can still remember all of the slices from de-blocking high plus lenses and twisting in the hand!(squirming as I remeber the pain!).


Fezz
:cheers:

[jherman]

:D

Ah, generator fireballs! That brings me back to my lab days. I wish that I still had a picture of the glass surfacing area that showed the cajun-esk blackened ceiling with all of the dents, holes and shrapnel marks!


As already mentioned, I can still remember all of the slices from de-blocking high plus lenses and twisting in the hand!(squirming as I remeber the pain!).


Fezz
:cheers:

[Fezz]

Thanks Jim. I think that I need all the "Greenies" that I can get. All my negative jabs have been bringing me down. ;^)



Fezz
:cheers:

[LENNY]

Chris!

Have you never watched base ball.............?????????????????????????


The answer is NO!
I newer watch this sport. Fortunately or unfortunately it was not popular when I was growing up back in Russia! Even though I think we had a very simular game in the very old days (end of 18th century i think).
I also do not understand American Futboll ... But it is just me!

I love soccer and hockey... But I dont play it anymore!
To much time on Optiboard!:bbg:

[harry a saake]

actually at b@L you use to take the pitch off by laying the lenses down on a cold plate, when the pitch became real cold and hard you could just give it a knock and it would fall off, ever put your hand on the cold plate for a minute as it felt good, only to have it take off your skin.

I once worked in a private lab in georgia, were some of the employees thought it was funny to to shoot a stream of acetone across the room and see if they could hit someone. i can see larry kahn pulling his hair out already