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x-acto 8 - thumb 0

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  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: Middle Tennessee
x-acto 8 - thumb 0
Posted by Dick McC2 on Thursday, October 2, 2008 6:31 AM

The old line from "NY PD Blue", "...and let's be careful out there" came to mind yesterday afternoon after my latest fiasco... I'm in the process of building up Model Airways Nieuport 28 and got ready to carve the prop which consists of three pieces of basswood I'd glued together about a month ago. After studying the plans for about the upteenth time I came to the realization I'd incorrectly glued the pieces. Since I had used wood glue, I figured I could soak the prop in a jar of hot water and then disassemble it. I let it soak about 30 minutes, pulled it out, grabbed my trusty x-acto knife, with a fresh #11 blade, and slipped it between the first piece. It took a bit of pressure, but I managed to get it apart without any damage. I was so pleased with my expertise I patted myself on the back and started the second separation, probably with too much zeal. I got it halfway separated, turned it around, inserted the blade in the gap, and pressed on, obviously with too much force. Suddenly the blade slid all the way through and laid my left thumb open about 2" above my wrist to the first knuckle - a gash about 3" long and deep enough I could see things I didn't know I had. I grapped a roll of paper towels and used about four sheets to to wrap my hand in and went downstairs. I yelled for the wife, who is not overly fond of blood, that I needed some help. She took one look at my now blood soaked paper towel wrapped hand and started to shake, mumbling something about, ".... I don't think we have any bandaides that big." I said, no I think we better head to the emergency walk-in clinic and get some stitches... It took 8 to close my mistake... Fortunately, the doc cut a perscription for pain pills and they came in mighty handy last night. This morning I found out just how much I used my left thumb and how incapacitated I am without it. Buttoning my 5 button Levi's was out of the question and I had to drag out a pair with a zipper. Doing any modeling is also out of the picture until I get the stitches out next week. There is good news, actually two pieces: I did get the prop separated and I didn't get any blood on my wife's Mustang! The latter she complimented me on more than once while also gigging me on my prior comments of her and knives. So, lesson learned - the hard way - and Let's be careful out there!

Dick McC

  • Member since
    April 2008
  • From: Philadelphia PA
Posted by smeagol the vile on Thursday, October 2, 2008 7:03 AM

wow, just wonderful.  I love your wife's comment.

I'm happy to save the exact never won a battle with my fingers... that said, my hobby saw has won two of them... and ill tell you, thats painful 

 

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • From: South Central Wisconsin
Posted by Daywalker on Thursday, October 2, 2008 7:25 AM

Man, that sounds PAINFULL!!!!!

Hope you're feeling better soon, and can show that hobby knife who's boss. Mischief [:-,]

Frank 

 

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Massachusetts
Posted by ajlafleche on Thursday, October 2, 2008 7:33 AM
Three inches and only 8 sutures? You're lucky. I have a u-shaped scar at the tip of my left middle finger (yes, a #11 and sprue were involved) that took 10 sutures to close. The puncture wound in my right upper thigh from the same incident didn't require any significant attention.

Remember, if the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

  • Member since
    March 2005
Posted by philo426 on Thursday, October 2, 2008 9:15 AM
Sorry to hear of your mishap!i did the same thing but luckily the cut was just a surface wound and stopped after a short time.I don't like to put too much pressure on my exacto when cutting as it slipped too many times with several serious near misses1
  • Member since
    September 2003
  • From: North East Texas
Posted by roadkill_275 on Thursday, October 2, 2008 11:30 AM
Sorry to hear about you incident with Mr X. I've never had to have stitches but I did get carted to the emergency room with a #1 handle and large blade imbedded in my foot. It rolled off the desk and hit point first on my bare foot with enough force to drive the blade nearly through one of the bones in my foot. The Doctor in the emergency room told me I was lucky it hadn't cut anything important like a nerve, ligament or vein. It took him nearly twenty minutes to work it out of where it had lodged. Then he closed the cut with a single butterfly bandaid. I did get some really wonderful little white pills out of the ordeal which made it all go away for a few days.
Kevin M. Bodkins "Meddle not in the affairs of dragons, for thou art crunchy and taste good with ketchup" American By Birth, Southern By the Grace of God! www.milavia.com Christian Modelers For McCain
  • Member since
    June 2008
  • From: Iowa
Posted by Hans von Hammer on Sunday, October 5, 2008 12:44 AM

The old line from "NY PD Blue", "...and let's be careful out there" 

Actually, that was Sgt Estherhaus' line at the end of the shift briefing on "Hill Street Blues"..

Three inch cut and 8 sutures is pretty lucky.... I had 26 internal and 30 external last year and only about an inch and a half of my left thumb.... 'Course it wasn't an X-acto, it was a chainsaw...

  • Member since
    September 2012
Posted by namrednef on Sunday, October 5, 2008 8:18 PM
 Hans von Hammer wrote:

The old line from "NY PD Blue", "...and let's be careful out there" 

Actually, that was Sgt Estherhaus' line at the end of the shift briefing on "Hill Street Blues"..

Three inch cut and 8 sutures is pretty lucky.... I had 26 internal and 30 external last year and only about an inch and a half of my left thumb.... 'Course it wasn't an X-acto, it was a chainsaw...

Chainsaw!!??....I wondered how you modeled!Laugh [(-D]

  • Member since
    June 2008
  • From: Piscataway,NJ
Posted by jtrace214 on Sunday, October 5, 2008 8:20 PM

A chain saw??????? Thats the only tool I have that I'm scared of and I used to work on them all the time at my last job (rental store) you'd be supprised at the kinda people that go to rent a chain saw. worst thing I ever did that affected my models I was about 14 we had a big hill and trails in the woods well I built a big ramp to try and jump a stream on my bmx bike up to the top of the hill down the hill hit the ramp weeeeeeeee I;m Evel Kenevel I landed like him too in the stream broke both arms in the process my buddys laughing at mill till they saw my arms going this way and that way I look back now and wonder how I made it to 20 much less 38 now lol

John 

 

 

the pic to the left is my weekend condo lol

  • Member since
    September 2012
Posted by namrednef on Monday, October 6, 2008 4:01 PM
 jtrace214 wrote:

A chain saw??????? Thats the only tool I have that I'm scared of and I used to work on them all the time at my last job (rental store) you'd be supprised at the kinda people that go to rent a chain saw. worst thing I ever did that affected my models I was about 14 we had a big hill and trails in the woods well I built a big ramp to try and jump a stream on my bmx bike up to the top of the hill down the hill hit the ramp weeeeeeeee I;m Evel Kenevel I landed like him too in the stream broke both arms in the process my buddys laughing at mill till they saw my arms going this way and that way I look back now and wonder how I made it to 20 much less 38 now lol

John 

 

 

Been there!Laugh [(-D] Tried to jump a swingset from a ramp off a hill.......had I been a couple feet closer..................Confused [%-)] Just got the wind knocked from me though as I swung from the top rail of the swingset!Laugh [(-D]

  • Member since
    June 2008
  • From: Piscataway,NJ
Posted by jtrace214 on Monday, October 6, 2008 9:23 PM

That hurt just reading it lol,oh to be young and dumb and full of.........

 John

the pic to the left is my weekend condo lol

  • Member since
    December 2002
  • From: Massachusetts
Posted by ajlafleche on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 10:46 AM

That bike incident reminded me of one of my crashes...

I had this Mattel Winchester rifle sometime in the late 50's.

I also had a bike. I liked westerns and thought it was cool how the cowboys would pull their rifles from the scabbard while riding.

I figured I should be able to do this on my bike, too.

Lacking a scabbard, I somehow lashed the rifle to the fork of the bike and proceeded to ride halfway down the rutted, bumpy gravel driveway leading to the back of the apartment where we lived. Halfway, because the lashing let go and the rifle proceeded to instantly go through the spokes which broke the rifle and sent me over the handle bars sliding down the aforementioned rutted, bumpy gravel driveway.

 

Remember, if the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy.

  • Member since
    June 2008
  • From: Piscataway,NJ
Posted by jtrace214 on Tuesday, October 7, 2008 11:13 AM

Should have gotten a Red Ryder bb gun, but then you'd shoot your eye out lol....

John

the pic to the left is my weekend condo lol

  • Member since
    November 2003
  • From: Naples, FL
Posted by tempestjohnny on Monday, October 13, 2008 2:44 PM
My only experience with stitches happened when I was a sophomore in High School.  During gym class we were playing floor hockey and somehow my lower lip got in between the blade of the stick and my braces.  Blood and wires everywhere.  Also knocked me out.  Surprisingly it only took 3 stitches to close. One on the outside of my lip and two on the inside.  Needless to say I was drinking and eating through a straw for a few days after that.  JOHN

 

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: Middle Tennessee
Posted by Dick McC2 on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 7:33 AM

Here's an update on my conflict with the X-Acto knife:

I got the stitches out last Wednesday; the kid who took them out advised that I might rpt might end up with a scar... I'd figured that one out all my my lonesome, and I didn't go to med school.

Saturday I received the statement from Blue Cross/Shield and the only thing they paid for was the office visit, nothing for the medical treatment, or shots, leaving me with a balance due the walk-in clinic of $288.00. It didn't seem quite right, so yesterday I phoned Blue Cross and was advised that on the form the clinic submitted to them they neglected to check off the box down there somewhere that my encounter with the knife was accidential. Sooooo, Blue Cross considered it to be "self inflicted" and therefore the medical treatment was not allowable.... I admitted that yes, I had done it to myself, but it was not intentional and was clearly accidential. As my cousin, a retired MD, said if I had been trying for hari kari, I missed big time. Blue Cross advised that all that had to be done was to have the clinic resubmit the claim form and make sure that they ticked off the box that it was an accident and that they, Blue Cross, would pay for everything. I think I finally got the folk convinced at the clinic of what they had to do after about 30 minutes on the phone with them yesterday afternoon.

Needless to say, regardless of who pays, this is going to be the most expensive propeller I've ever put on a plane. Sunday, I took my life in my hands and got it carved without any more loss of blood and yesterday got a coat of stain down on it.... I definitely have learned my lesson and am real cautious about using my X-Acto knives...

Dick McC

  • Member since
    June 2005
  • From: NJ 07073
Posted by archangel571 on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 5:00 AM
 jtrace214 wrote:

A chain saw??????? Thats the only tool I have that I'm scared of and I used to work on them all the time at my last job (rental store) you'd be supprised at the kinda people that go to rent a chain saw. worst thing I ever did that affected my models I was about 14 we had a big hill and trails in the woods well I built a big ramp to try and jump a stream on my bmx bike up to the top of the hill down the hill hit the ramp weeeeeeeee I;m Evel Kenevel I landed like him too in the stream broke both arms in the process my buddys laughing at mill till they saw my arms going this way and that way I look back now and wonder how I made it to 20 much less 38 now lol

John

 

OUUUCH.  were u at the 6 mile run trail??  i fell into one of the streams there and had the tree branches carving some ten inch scratches on my arms aside from breaking my friend's flipflops and riding barefoot afterwards...

-=Ryan=- Too many kits... so little free time. MadDocWorks
  • Member since
    June 2008
  • From: Piscataway,NJ
Posted by jtrace214 on Wednesday, October 15, 2008 10:41 PM

No just some woods that USED to be near my house,I'm not familar with the 6 mile thing youre talking about is that in Central Jersey thats where I am (Piscataway).

 

John

the pic to the left is my weekend condo lol

  • Member since
    June 2005
  • From: NJ 07073
Posted by archangel571 on Thursday, October 16, 2008 12:33 AM
 jtrace214 wrote:

No just some woods that USED to be near my house,I'm not familar with the 6 mile thing youre talking about is that in Central Jersey thats where I am (Piscataway).

 

John

 

http://www.bikekinetix.com/t_nj/nj_state/six-mile-run.php

oh, well it's still close to you i guess.  i went to rutgers engineering (right there in piscataway) and used to ride there.

-=Ryan=- Too many kits... so little free time. MadDocWorks
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