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Angry Grinder & A&E
loggyboy - 27/6/11 at 07:55 PM

Slipped...
SoreThumb2
SoreThumb2


SoreThumb
SoreThumb


luckily not too deep, can move and feel ok. surprisiingly little blood.
Sat in A&E now waiting to be stiched/glued.


Ninehigh - 27/6/11 at 07:59 PM

Rather lucky there, how quickly could it have done some serious damage? I imagine there's no tendon or major arteries in the end of your thumb but if it hit the bone?


BenB - 27/6/11 at 08:00 PM

Ouch! I bet you said something when that happened! Saw someone who did that all the way across the back of their wrist once. In fact I did a right proper job stitching it up but it took bloody ages.... If that was a bit further round the side you'ld have cleanly ground through your digital nerve and have a numb half thumb end!


Ben_Copeland - 27/6/11 at 08:02 PM

i wouldnt of gone to A&E tbh. They have better things to do. Although all people are different and i'm sure you were right in going


Marcus - 27/6/11 at 08:08 PM

Yeah, nasty things them angry grinders!!
I did this grinding the corner of my chassis a bit


[img] Injury
Injury
[/img]


4 hours in a&e, 12 stitches later and yes not much blood!!


ashg - 27/6/11 at 08:16 PM

they wont do much more than clean it up and stick a dressing over it. did the same thing but from the tip of the nail up my index finger, straight through the gloves down to the bone. also caught myself on the top of my hand once with a 40-60 odd grit flap disc again straight through the glove, took about 4 hours to pick all the grit out . nothing will stop a makita angel grinder once it bites .

looks like you have cut and cauterised it all at once. lucky you wasn't using a 1mm disc, as from experience they go through fingers and bone like butter and i doubt you would still have the end of your finger.

plus point is that the human body is pretty good at sorting out our cockups


Peteff - 27/6/11 at 08:16 PM

Angle grinder wounds are self cauterising, that's why you don't bleed much. Did you have gloves on? I was a fettler for quite a few years and if the gaffer saw you without gloves using a grinder you got a telling off.


daviep - 27/6/11 at 09:04 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Ben_Copeland
i wouldnt of gone to A&E tbh.


+1


daviep - 27/6/11 at 09:04 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Ben_Copeland
i wouldnt of gone to A&E tbh. They have better things to do. Although all people are different and i'm sure you were right in going


scootz - 27/6/11 at 09:20 PM

A&E??? For that???



hillbillyracer - 27/6/11 at 10:54 PM

Yeah, for what they'd do for it (& more to the point you sitting bored silly wasting time waiting) you'd be better sorting it at home. Can't stitch it it so only needs cleaned & dressed. I did something similar to the side of my hand years ago & my mother made me go to the doctor, I went & got my hair cut instead!


Davg - 27/6/11 at 11:20 PM

Woooooooooooooooooosssss!!!!!!!!!!!!!



PUB time


splitrivet - 27/6/11 at 11:24 PM

Bet you said Oh dear I appear to have injured myself, or words to that effect.
Cheers,
Bob


kj - 28/6/11 at 06:40 AM

The worst i ever seen was for a shutter company i worked, the guy was not following health and safety and no PPE when cutting out an old set of guides.
He was sitting on the frame work at the top and the grinder kicked back knocked him off the frame annd the grinder hit his head and went on accross his face.
Following some big investigations etc his face is still rather nasty but as the hospital said he is lucky to be alive, the others who were working with him at the time also had a lot of time off to cope with what they had seen.


David Jenkins - 28/6/11 at 07:12 AM

quote:
Originally posted by Peteff
Angle grinder wounds are self cauterising, that's why you don't bleed much. Did you have gloves on? I was a fettler for quite a few years and if the gaffer saw you without gloves using a grinder you got a telling off.


When I was building my chassis I was always very careful to wear overalls, goggles and gloves. Trouble is, occasionally I got caught by the 'it only needs another touch with the grinder' syndrome. Once the grinder kicked and just caught the edge of my hand - got away with a nasty surface burn. Another time I ended up with a speck in my eye because I couldn't be bothered to put my goggles back on - that was a trip to A&E (mind you - I've also had a speck in my eye WITH goggles on!).

Bleedin' dangerous things, angry grinders! Especially if you misuse them...


hughpinder - 28/6/11 at 07:37 AM

I took about 1 sq inch of skin off with an angle grinder a few years ago. As the disc was red hot it cauterised the wound which then didnt look much and didn't bleed at all, so I didn't bother with A+E. Worst mistake of my life! After 3 days it started to hurt a bit, after 5 days hurt like my leg was broken, on the 6th day I woke up to find all the veins in my leg up to the knee bright red and the leg from ankle to knee about twice the normal diameter. I went to A+E then - classic blood poisioning, apparently quite common with that sort of injury as the dust and crap is blown into the wound by the rotating disc, the wound is then cauterised, and the swelling caused by this hides how deep the wound really is (Once it had all healed the hole was a good 1/4 inch deep). It makes you think a bit when the doctors are stood discussing whether they think injected antibiotics will work, or should they go straight for amputation (at the knee). I not sure if that was just a frightener to make me think about coming in a bit earlier, but it certainly worked. Luckily the antibiotics worked miracuously well.

Regards
Hugh


geoff shep - 28/6/11 at 07:49 AM

Definitely go to A&E unless you're sure it's trivial - that's what they are for. There could have been bits of grinding disc or metal in there. I caught my fingers between a number of paving slabs recently, just looked like cuts, turned out I'd severed the tendon which needed an op - ideally within 24 hrs so don't hang about.



loggyboy - 28/6/11 at 08:20 AM

As above, I wanted to be sure I hadnt done any tendon/nerver damage, I could see more than just skin thru the wound . I was suprised how little pain I had, 2 paracetmol when I first got there and ive not needed anything since.
Even the nurse & doctor where quite suprised when they checked me over that I had all feeling and movement and so little pain. The 'things' I saw that wasnt just skin was the back of my nail and the associated stuff that I had just trimmed a few mm off!

There was little the could do except clean it up, pop some gauze on it and wrap it. They wanted to stitch but due to the thickness of the blade and the lack of flexible skin they couldnt pull it closed!

Apparently I was the second angry grinder accident they had, but the other chap had dropped his on his foot still spinning. - OUCH.

I was wearing gloves but sadly they werent very thick and it just went straight thru them, I had finshed the cut and was withdrawing the grinder thru a tight ish hole between engine and turret, thats when somehow my thumb moved into the path of the slowing disc. All I was trying to do is trim a rounded nut , I'd been out there about 5 mins so wasted the whole evening which made me more angry than having the cut itself!


hoots_min - 28/6/11 at 09:42 AM

I think each case is different. I was wearing gloves and my disc shattered and a shard ricocheted and embedded itself in my finger. I ended up in hospital for 3 days - they had to re-attach couple of tendons but the extended stay was to make sure that all the bits of the disc were removed. I was also wearing welding gloves and it went straight through the gloves and would have taken off the top part of my finger if it wasn't for the bone. I always wear heavy duty gloves now, but still not sure what they would end up doing.

most important thing is to plan the job properly and keep yourself out the line of fire. I also only angry grind if I really have to now, I will look for the alternative first and will even use a hacksaw and 15 minutes of sawing rather than get it out.


Miketheconn - 28/6/11 at 11:19 AM

Bloody hell. I will be a lot more carefull next time I use it.

My angle grinder is one behind the hammer, i.e if I have spent an hour t***ing it with a hammer and it still doesnt work I get Mr Angry out. That goes for everything from putting up shelves to changing light bulbs.

I think i may treat it with a little more respect next time.

Like others have said at firts you start with overalls and gloves and googles and all best intentions but the amount of times I have not bothered as its only a tiny job and I cant be arsed walking the two feet to the gogles and gloves is untrue.


scootz - 28/6/11 at 11:44 AM

My angle-grinder is an extension of my arm! Think Edward Scissorhands... I'm Scootzward Grinderhands.

If it's stuck... GRIND IT!
If it's not stuck... GRIND IT!


David Jenkins - 28/6/11 at 01:21 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Miketheconn
BLike others have said at firts you start with overalls and gloves and googles and all best intentions but the amount of times I have not bothered as its only a tiny job and I cant be arsed walking the two feet to the gogles and gloves is untrue.


It's like most tools - it's a lot safer when you engage your brain before using it! For example, thinking about how the grinder would kick if it jammed (even if you don't think it will), adjusting the guard so that it's between the disc and bits of your body, fitting the handle to the side (I'm guilty of not fitting it when I only have a quick job), not over-reaching (i.e. move yourself, don't stretch that last inch), and not abusing the grinder (pushing too hard, so any kick-back is doubly bad, or risking a broken disc).

Although I'm as guilty as anyone else on most of those points...


Dangle_kt - 28/6/11 at 03:37 PM

I think we are all missing the important point here, which is splitrivet's avatar.


Gws!


loggyboy - 28/6/11 at 03:53 PM

quote:
Originally posted by Dangle_kt
I think we are all missing the important point here, which is splitrivet's avatar.


Gws!


No one missed it http://locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=157504


Dangle_kt - 28/6/11 at 08:06 PM

quote:
Originally posted by loggyboy
quote:
Originally posted by Dangle_kt
I think we are all missing the important point here, which is splitrivet's avatar.


Gws!


No one missed it http://locostbuilders.co.uk/viewthread.php?tid=157504


Phew! I was getting a little worried.

"This is the same forum I usually go on isn't it? The one full of balding blokes like me who spend most of their time with oily hands and bore women talking about castor angle...so where is the perving..."