gotta be careful out there!!!!!!!!

**randyt** · 05-22-2013, 09:21 PM

I've been smacking on red hot iron for over 35 years with nary a accident. Anyhoo the other day I was making a fire steel and gave it a wop with a hammer and it flipped up and nearly hit me in the eye. It actually came so close it burned my eyelid a tad bit. I wondered for a second before I opened my eye but when I did I could still see so all is well but what a close call. I have safety glasses and wear them at times but they do fog up so bad I can barely see. Time to be careful.

**canid** · 05-22-2013, 10:13 PM

That's when it pays to have one of those ventilated face shields. Too bad they're so spendy, but I hear you only get one set of eye-balls.

**rezmut** · 05-23-2013, 01:59 AM

Spit on the glasses,then wipe them-this cuts down on how bad they fog a bunch.

**1stimestar** · 05-23-2013, 02:50 AM

Wow Randy, close call there bud.

**GreatUsername** · 05-23-2013, 03:23 AM

Yikes... definitely going to work on my grip-strength in my workpiece hand, and buy a good face-shield, before I get into smithing.

Could be worse though... you could be writing to tell us about your cool new eye-patch

**crashdive123** · 05-23-2013, 04:48 AM

Glad it only served as a reminder and not a painful lesson.

**gryffynklm** · 05-23-2013, 08:47 AM

Glad you got the message. I learned from a friend who was not so lucky. Keep in mind that safety glasses only work to protect from objects coming at you from in front of the lens. There remains the slight possibility that particles can bounce off your clothing or face and sneak behind your glasses and find your eye. I use UV safety glasses that have side shields. The UV isn't too bad unless you are above 2000˚F approaching yellow heat or brazing or forge welding.

Just 2cent

**randyt** · 05-23-2013, 09:30 PM

thanks for the comments. Really boils down to the wrong tongs for the job.

**welderguy** · 05-23-2013, 09:35 PM

Originally Posted by randyt

thanks for the comments. Really boils down to the wrong tongs for the job.

OMG you wore a .... OH tongs...not ... Nevermind...Glade to hear it wasnt an injury just a scare.

**Rick** · 05-24-2013, 08:47 AM

About the only way he could mess up with the other is to wear white before Memorial Day. That would be tacky.

Glad you lucked out.....this time......safety first!

**woodsman86** · 05-24-2013, 09:23 AM

Yup, never know when the stuff you are beating on is going to try and bite ya. Worked with an older welder that swore against face shields/safety glasses until a 6" wire cup jumped and took his left cheek with it.

Glad you are ok.

**2dumb2kwit** · 05-24-2013, 09:25 AM

Originally Posted by Rick

About the only way he could mess up with the other is to wear white before Memorial Day. That would be tacky.

Glad you lucked out.....this time......safety first!

Wait....I thought it was OK as long as it's after Easter.

**2dumb2kwit** · 05-24-2013, 09:35 AM

Originally Posted by gryffynklm

Glad you got the message. I learned from a friend who was not so lucky. Keep in mind that safety glasses only work to protect from objects coming at you from in front of the lens. There remains the slight possibility that particles can bounce off your clothing or face and sneak behind your glasses and find your eye. I use UV safety glasses that have side shields. The UV isn't too bad unless you are above 2000˚F approaching yellow heat or brazing or forge welding.

Just 2cent

....also....

I once ended up with a piece of metal in my eye, long after I was finished grinding and welding. When I finished what I was doing, I jumped in my truck and was going somewhere. (I don't even remember where) I was riding with the window down and the wind was kind of blowing my shirt around. Turns out there were still little pieces of metal on my shirt and one flew up into my eye. It was in deep enough that the regular doc was afraid to dig any deeper trying to get it out and sent my to an eye doc. By the time I got in to see him, (Happened on a Sat., got to the eye doc on Monday.) the metal had started to rust, so the eye doc had to scrape even more off my eyeball. I had to go back to him in a few days, because he said that it's not unusual, when that much is scraped off, that when it grows back over the eye it will form a ridge where it meets and have to be scraped back down. I lucked out, and it healed right the first time. Still.....having the metal dug out, then having the rust ring scraped of your eyeball is no fun.

Side note; If you mess your shoulder up, and go for an MRI, they will ask you if you work with metal. (Cutting grinding, etc.) If you tell them yes, don't be surprised when they make you get an xray of your eyes, to be sure that there is no metal in them....to get sucked out by the magnet.

**hunter63** · 05-24-2013, 10:45 AM

Glad you are OK, had many close calls in my previous life....and recieved a few "Wise Owl" awards.

Eyes are nothing......I feel naked without something protecting my eyes.

**randyt** · 05-24-2013, 06:42 PM

The worst eye injury I had was a spark from a grinder landed in my eye exactly on the edge where the pupil dilates. What a painful son of a gun, sunlight was a bugger. I couldn't even drive a vehicle. Tis better now that it healed up