Be careful with those tools

MikeV

Member since
April 2003
From: Hayward, CA

Be careful with those tools

Posted by MikeV on Sunday, March 21, 2004 12:11 AM

I have a couple of Comair/Rotron fans that I bought off Ebay and I use one of them to exhaust air out the side garage door when I paint since I don't have a booth.
It looks like this:

This is a 10" fan producing 550 cfm and it spins pretty good at 1650 rpm.
The problem is that I don't have blade guards on these fans and I just set it on top of the clothes dryer and put a small block of wood under each side to keep it from rolling while running. Today while I was spraying primer on my Skyraider I noticed the fan was not facing the open door the way I like so I grabbed it while running as I always do and made the mistake of grabbing too far towards the rear of the fan and had those spinning blades hit the tips of my index and middle fingers and it scared me to death. Shock [:O]

It hurt fairly bad and the tips of them were fairly numb this afternoon because of the trauma they went through.
Fortunately I was not cut at all and only had the numbness in the tips as I did.
I should have known better as I am always around dangerous conditions at the foundry I work at and have never had an accident in 20 years. So be careful with those tools and make sure moving machines have guards on them! SoapBox [soapbox]

I have learned my lesson and am going to find some material to make a blade guard for these things.

Mike

“Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom. " Charles Spurgeon

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, March 21, 2004 12:26 AM

Whoa Mike!!! That was indeed a close one!! You should also figure out a way to hard mount them at least to a 2 X 4. You could just pop rivet some aluminum L-shaped tabs, and then screw 'em into the wood. I've had some close calls over the years, but the scariest was when I ran into a tree branch, and nearly ripped my eye out. Luckily, I blinked right as I ran into it, and it just tore my eyelid up, got 7 stitches from that one!!!

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MikeV

Member since
April 2003
From: Hayward, CA

Posted by MikeV on Sunday, March 21, 2004 12:40 AM

Heath,

I found a place online that sells 10" fan guards but they have a $15 minimum and the screen is only $1.95 each. Big Smile [:D]

I wonder what I could make one out of? I need to go look at Lowes or Home Depot and see if they have some screen material I can make one from.

Mike

“Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom. " Charles Spurgeon

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, March 21, 2004 1:39 AM

Don't forget Radioshack, I know they have fans, so they might have the same fan guards!! Or maybe even OfficeDepot (may be a long shot, but perhaps computer stores may carry those protective covers).

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, March 21, 2004 10:51 PM

You might want to just use some 'window screen' material that they sell at Home Depot. It's pretty cheap and would likely do the trick. The 'guard' you posted above would be more rigid, but some 'screen' may be an option??

Murray

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uilleann

Member since
March 2004
From: Salt Lake City, Utah

Posted by uilleann on Monday, March 22, 2004 8:12 AM

Mike,

Take a look at the local car stereo shop(s). 10" waffle speaker covers would do the trick beautifully and they're cheap! They're also practically indestructable.

Bri~

"I may not fly with the eagles.....but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines!"

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MikeV

Member since
April 2003
From: Hayward, CA

Posted by MikeV on Monday, March 22, 2004 8:47 AM

QUOTE: Originally posted by uilleann

Mike,

Take a look at the local car stereo shop(s). 10" waffle speaker covers would do the trick beautifully and they're cheap! They're also practically indestructable.

Brian,

That's exactly what I have been looking at. Big Smile [:D]

I have found them for a little over $3 each online but most of the stereo shops I have seen them at are charging close to $10 each.

Murray,

I thought about screen material, but I was unsure as to how I would apply it to the surface as most of it is plastic.

Mike

“Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom. " Charles Spurgeon

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, April 7, 2004 1:48 AM

Hi Mike,

How bout cutting your fan guard out of chicken wire?

Rick

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MikeV

Member since
April 2003
From: Hayward, CA

Posted by MikeV on Wednesday, April 7, 2004 6:48 AM

Rick,

I was thinking about something like that. They sell small screen like that at Home Depot that would work great. My brother-in-law owns a welding shop and I told him about it and he said he had some material there that is used for safety screen doors on houses that would work great. I will probably go and see what he has this weekend.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Mike

“Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom. " Charles Spurgeon

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, April 7, 2004 9:05 PM

That fan guard looks a lot like the top of a small charcol grill.
just buy a cheap throw away BBQ grill and use the rack.

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zokissima

Member since
July 2003
From: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Posted by zokissima on Thursday, April 8, 2004 8:48 AM

OUCH!! That hurts me just thinking about it! We as modelers naturally work around hazardous tools and materials. It's only too easy to lose your concentration sometimes and do something potentialy dangerous.

I actually have a friend who cut off a fingerip off a fanblade. Consider buying just 4 pieces of wood and two screens. Building an elcosure for a fan is a relatively cheap, easy, and most importantly SAFE thing to do!

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, April 10, 2004 6:50 PM

need me to machine you something? i need an excuse to use the lathe in tech Smile [:)]

that musta been owned!

try buying one of those mesh garbage cans. mount. or try putting thin fabric to make sure you dont shove yur hand in there, and also, make an arrow pointing the way you want, and dont start it until you are sure the arrow is pointing the way you need.

btw mikeV how many did you buy

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MikeV

Member since
April 2003
From: Hayward, CA

Posted by MikeV on Saturday, April 10, 2004 7:29 PM

QUOTE: Originally posted by 1337

btw mikeV how many did you buy

I bought two of them for something like $20. Big Smile [:D]

Not bad considering they are almost $70 each from Grainger.com

Mike

“Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom. " Charles Spurgeon

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MusicCity

Member since
January 2004
From: USA

Posted by MusicCity on Friday, April 23, 2004 1:21 PM

Mike, I may have some 10" guards in my junk box. I know I've got several good-sized fans but I'm not sure if they are 10" and I'm not sure I have guards for them. I'll look over the weekend and see.

On a similar note, I was outside one cold December night breaking in a .60 engine for a model airplane. It had, I think, a 12" wooden prop on it. I didn't have a starter for it at the time, so I was cranking it by hand. It caught and started running backwards.

It was 25 years ago and I can remember this sooooooo plainly ...
1) I said to myself, just grab the prop and stop it!
2) I grabbed the prop.
3) I said to myself, "Self that was really stupid"
4) The pain started.

Like you I was really afraid to look down. I did and everything was still attached but hurting like h***! The heavy leather gloves I had on had gashes almost all the way through, but not quite.

Scott Craig -- Nashville, TN -- My Website -- My Models Page

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MikeV

Member since
April 2003
From: Hayward, CA

Posted by MikeV on Friday, April 23, 2004 7:16 PM

Scott,

Thanks for the offer but my brother-in-law took one of the fans to his welding shop and he is going to make me a guard to go over the front and back.
He said he might just make the guards square and bigger than the fan so that the fan can sit on a flat surface.

Ouch about that prop story. [:0]
That was not a wise decision was it? Wink [;)]

Mike

“Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. To know is not to be wise. Many men know a great deal, and are all the greater fools for it. There is no fool so great a fool as a knowing fool. But to know how to use knowledge is to have wisdom. " Charles Spurgeon

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Friday, April 23, 2004 9:34 PM

QUOTE: Originally posted by MusicCity

It was 25 years ago and I can remember this sooooooo plainly ...
1) I said to myself, just grab the prop and stop it!
2) I grabbed the prop.
3) I said to myself, "Self that was really stupid"
4) The pain started.

I did the same damn thing a few years ago with my first R/C plane. Only I wasn't wearing gloves, and didn't try to stop it. I didn't get my finger out of the way fast enough when that thing kicked over, and it had a very sharp plastic edge on the blade!! I thought for sure my finger was gone, 'cause It was so cold that evening that my hands were numb to begin with!! Luckily everything was ok, but like you, I will never get that pain out of my head!!! I can remember it like yesterday....that and the time I had to eat a full plate of eggplant parmesian....gross!!! For a 9 year old, it just isn't right. Unfortunately, even though my tastes have matured, I can still remember what that pile tasted like.....and never again for me!!!! LOL

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, April 24, 2004 3:01 AM

A full plate of eggplant parmesian............. Dead [xx(]

I'd rather stick my fingers into a spinning prop Big Smile [:D]

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, April 24, 2004 2:49 PM

LOL owned. i still remember the time i accidently discharted a 350 volt 1 uf capacitor into my hand, or the time i dropped a taser on my foot.

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MusicCity

Member since
January 2004
From: USA

Posted by MusicCity on Wednesday, April 28, 2004 9:15 PM

QUOTE: Luckily everything was ok, but like you, I will never get that pain out of my head!!! I can remember it like yesterday

Yup, I can relate. I will never, ever forget that whack. I was absolutely convinced that my fingers were somewhere over the treetops. Looking down to see if they were still there was a very hard thing to do.

QUOTE: Ouch about that prop story.
That was not a wise decision was it?

No, it definitely was not Blush [:I]

I just stood there trying to decide whether to scream, look down to check my hand, or kick my own butt. That was finally the order I did things in!

Scott Craig -- Nashville, TN -- My Website -- My Models Page

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MusicCity

Member since
January 2004
From: USA

Posted by MusicCity on Wednesday, April 28, 2004 9:22 PM

QUOTE: Originally posted by 1337

LOL owned. i still remember the time i accidently discharted a 350 volt 1 uf capacitor into my hand, or the time i dropped a taser on my foot.

Which reminds me of another incident ... in fact it was about the same era as the prop incident. Probably too much alcohol in the world at that time.

Anyway I was working on my amplifier (2kw amateur radio amp). Per the instructions, I always discharged the filter caps by shorting the rectifier string to ground with a screwdriver. Stuck my screwdriver in there, discharged the caps, burned the tip off my screwdriver, unplugged the damn amplifier (step ONE in the instructions!) and tried again.

Next, and this one wasn't me but it's real funny ... one of the electrical engineers I used to work with was checking a wall receptacle in the office that wasn't working right. He stuck his multimeter probes in the receptacle, zero voltage, everything OK. Pulled the faceplate off, stuck a screwdriver in it, got kicked against the wall. Checked it again with the multimeter, no voltage, stuck screwdriver in, got zapped again. One of the other designers standing there nudged me and pointed to the multimeter. He hadn't plugged the probe leads into the meter. We told him after he got hit 4 or 5 times.

Scott Craig -- Nashville, TN -- My Website -- My Models Page

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, April 28, 2004 10:47 PM

i know this dude, lucky to be alive, got shocked with a MiG welder, was holding the electrode with one hand, and accidently discharged the welder into his other, knocked him against a wall 20 feet away, uncouncious for 13 hours, serious burns on his hand.

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, April 29, 2004 12:11 AM

Hehehehehe......when I was in the military, we used to tape a small charged cap to the refrigerator handle......set some cake on the table, and tell everyone there was fresh milk in the fridge...... Big Smile [:D]

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Anonymous

Member since
November 2005

Posted by Anonymous on Thursday, April 29, 2004 11:15 AM

I guess I'm just a sick puppy. I laughed at most of your tramatic experiences, but that's only because I can relate them to some point in my life. When I was in 9th grade metal shop, I grounded the welded edge off a piece of metal, along with the right half of my left thumb. Thank god it all grew back.
Then as and electronic technician in the Air Force, the first time I got shocked was plugging in my electronic calculator... still don't know why I let my fingers rest on the medal prongs as I plugged them in.
And while modifying my PL LIS Robot for lights, I was cutting a piece of tubing to slip some wires into and remember thinking to myself, "This is stu..." That was about as far as I got before the x-acto knife slipped and sliced into my right index finger... Still have the scar for that one.

Now that I think of it... Gloves would have prevented all those mishaps. Maybe there's something to this Safety thing. Laugh [(-D]

Don

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knight667

Member since
January 2004
From: Philomath, OR, USA

Posted by knight667 on Tuesday, May 11, 2004 10:28 AM

Mike, glad you're okay; that could have been a lot worse. I've done stuff like that when working with my computer (inside) while it was on...took the very tip off one of my fingers with the CPU cooling fan a couple years back. Safety first!

Glad you found a solution...I'll keep that in mind when I build my own ventilation fan.

John "The only easy day was yesterday." - US Navy SEALs "Improvise. Adapt. Overcome." - US Marine Corp. "I live each day/Like it's my last/...I never look back" - from "I'm A Rocker" by Judas Priest

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Duke Maddog

Member since
June 2003
From: Rowland Heights, California

Posted by Duke Maddog on Tuesday, May 11, 2004 1:17 PM

QUOTE: Originally posted by 1337

i know this dude, lucky to be alive, got shocked with a MiG welder, was holding the electrode with one hand, and accidently discharged the welder into his other, knocked him against a wall 20 feet away, uncouncious for 13 hours, serious burns on his hand.

This sounds similar to a story a friend of mine told. He was standing with an electrician who was putting fuses back into a 240-volt board, holding a 2x4 ready to smack him if he 'went live'. As he was putting the last one in, the electrician jumped a little and made a sound, so my friend smacked him as hard as he could with the 2x4 to clear him, sending him across the room. The electrician then asked, "Why'd you do that?" and my friend replied, "Because you were being shocked!" The electrician replied, "No I wasn't! That was my Pager! It's on vibrate!"