Ow Ow Ow!!!!

[KC0KBH]

Tonight I almost finished my oil preheat for my waste oil burner. I've spent a few hours with the milling machine, machining an aluminum block down, and drilling holes for heating elements. I did a test run of it tonight. A 3x1x5 block of aluminum, with two 150w elements in it. I set it on two wrenches to test it, not to scorch the bench. I had it up to about 300°F, and then I unplugged it. I set it outside to cool. Not thinking, I grabbed one of the wrenches it was sitting on. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif Wow!! I smelled burning flesh, and ran outside as fast as I could, and grabbed a handful of snow, and held it until my hand got numb. I had just taken the infrared thermometer and aimed it at the wrench before that, and got 293°F. I now have 5 burned areas on my hand. That was worse than one of the many times I picked up a soldering iron by the wrong end! I won't be picking up any hot steel for a while. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[w5lda]

Does the word "numbnutz" sound familiar?http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

[KC0KBH]

It was just such a stupid thing to do! I don't generally deal with blocks of aluminum that are 300°, and are heating the heck out of their surroundings. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[KA9VQF]

Have you ever heard the term “live and learn” ?

With any luck you will continue to live try to work on the learning part as you go.

Worked for me.

[N1MLF]

KBH.. it takes a righteous man to admit he made a mistake!!
Heal up & go forth with a bit more wisdom.

73
..JW..

[KC0KBH]

I tell you, it really stings! I did get a good deal on the heating elements, though. $2 for 8 on ebay. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[KA9VQF]

For a few years I supplemented the heat in my shop with two heating elements that were intended to go in an electric water heater.

I just put them in a metal box with expanded metal front and back. With a 20” fan behind this Frankenstein monster looking thing. It would come on with a thermostat if the wood burner got low before I got to the shop to refill it.

Never had a problem with the water freezing there while the thing was in operation. I don’t remember what it did to the electricity bill. Probably didn’t help it any.

Seems to me that if your used oil pre-heater gets that warm you may not need the used oil burner at all.

[KC0KBH]

The used veggie oil needs to hit 275 to become thin enough to burn well. Used motor oil needs to be about 200, I think. I don't like the smell of burning waste motor oil. Plus, I've got 20 gallons of used veggie oil and diesel. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[w4rot]

Try grabbin' a porcelain crucible after an ashing procedure at 800C.
Once bitten twice shy.
White hot,NC
w4rot

[KW4MW]

It certainly doesn't take you long to look at a wrench. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[al2i]

I know how that hurts, as I've had a couple of nasty burns in my day. I hate it that it can sting for days if it is bad enough. http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

[W5HTW]

Once upon a time, using a portable jig saw to cut through 1X3s after a bit the saw did not appear to be cutting very well at all. I stopped it and looked it over. Nothing wrong. Went on trying to cut. Slow progress. Well, sure, I should have been using a circular saw, certainly.

Curious as to why the wood wasn't even getting hot and black from a hard working blade, I once again stopped the saw and wondering if the blade might be warm, I pinched it with my fingers.

It was warm. I discovered that a saw blade that is very, very hot, looks exactly lot a saw blade that is very, very cold.

But they don't feel the same.

I ran cold water over my finger and thumb for perhaps two minutes, maybe longer. Interestingly, though I had scars, there was never any real pain, thanks to the water. Healed quickly.

Decided there are better ways to see if something is really hot.

[KA9VQF]

In my younger days I worked at a restaurant. Part of my job was to clean the grill every morning. To clean the grill it had to be hot then we would cover the top with cooking oil then take a product called grill brick and use it to scour the surface of the grill until it pretty well shined.

Grill brick looks a lot like a block of pumice straight from a volcano only a bit more rectangular and brick shaped. It leaves behind a nasty black gritty crap that you then scrape off with your cooking spatula. Then you take several clean wet dish towels and wipe the surface and apply fresh cooking oil.

Job done.

We had a grill brick holder thing that worked pretty good but eventually the brick would get so thin that the holder was ineffective anymore so I guess someone somewhere threw those ½ inch thick bits of grill brick out but not me.

Yeah, when they get that thin they tend to break pretty easily.

Ever had third degree burns on both hands at the same time.

“Valium would have helped that crash”

[K8ERV]

Quote[/b] (KW4MW @ Mar. 14 2006,21:47)]It certainly doesn't take you long to look at a wrench. # http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
I think you meant "wench" ??

TOM K8ERV Montrose Colo

[kl7aj]

And NEVER solder in your jammies! Quite some time ago, (though not as long ago as I wish) I was doing that, and dropped a small blob of molten solder on my naughty bits.

As compelling as amateur radio experimentation is, it's well worth it to get dressed first.

http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

eric

[N0KLT]

I knew a guy who was pouring molten lead into bullet molds while wearing Wellington boots. Several problems arose at the same time, first and foremost he had consumed somewhere between a 6 pack and a 12 pack before starting and while the lead was becoming molten. The other problem was that he didn't make sure his boot tops were covered or that his feet were under his chair out of the way. He accidently (like he would do this on purpose) poured an amount of lead down inside his boot. My understanding was the knobby bone on the inside of his ankle was destroyed as was a good share of the inside part of his foot including part of the arch and the ball of that foot. Guess you could hear him scream all over the house and part of the neighborhood. There had to be an easier way to get early retirement from the police force I would think. Man that had to hurt.

[KC0KBH]

The other day I was welding in winter boots. A spark went down my boot, next to my foot! http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

I have also picked up a hot cutting blade before, only it was a sawzall blade that broke off. I still have the scar. My fingers don't hurt anymore, but them being so smooth where the burns are is driving me nuts!

[KW4MW]

A preventive maintenance check that we used to do on a UHF transceiver was to check the fan speed using a strobotach.

A least once every couple of months somebody would be performing that check, and when they got the strobotach adjusted just right the revolving metal blades would appear to be absolutely stationary. #

It was then that they would notice that one of the blades was slightly bent or had a piece of dirt stuck to it and they would reach in to correct the problem. #Ouch!

Seems like everybody I knew, including myself, had joined the black fingernail club at least once - once was enough for me to remind myself to never do it again.

[K0RGR]

I'm happy to report that the meat has grown back on the hand that I used to catch the falling desoldering iron the one and only time I ever did that.