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Close Calls: Life and death modelling

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  • Member since
    March 2005
  • From: Lancaster, South Carolina
Posted by Devil Dawg on Thursday, October 6, 2011 1:40 AM

Oh, wow! These are some of the funniest stories I've ever read! Big Smile I love 'em!

As far as modeling mishaps, I can't recall any major ones. I can't recall any minor ones, either, although I'm sure I've had a few over the years. The old memory ain't what it used to be (and I'm only 47!).

But, just recently, while working at a hospital's cancer treatment department, at night, I wasn't watching where I was walking, and slammed my head into a ceiling-mounted BrainLab monitor that had a very hard metal handle attached to the bottom of it (yep, I hit that handle). I literally saw stars. I immediately fell to the floor, holding my head in both hands, with blood pouring all over the floor (although I didn't realize I was bleeding at the moment). I think I invented a few new words while lying there. Luckily, someone working late in the department heard me, came to see what was up, and saw all the blood on me, my hands, face, clothing, and the floor. She got me up, looked at the wound on the top of my noggin (said it wasn't serious), cleaned up the floor, and got me to sit for a while until the bleeding stopped. I take Plavix, so bleeding is a big concern for me. I did make sure to move that f***&%$#@ monitor outa the way, though.

And, for another story, the day before Mother's Day this year (07 May 2011), I was cutting some boards to replace rotting planks in our deck, and, as the blade on my table saw was winding down after I had turned off the power, I STUPIDLY reached across the saw to pick up a scrap piece of wood, and sawed through three fingers on my right hand, cutting the index, middle, and ring fingers longitudinally from the last knuckle to the finger tip on each. Needless to say, I lost the fingernails on all three fingers, plus lots of meat as well. What's really wierd about this is none of my fingers ever hurt from this. Never. When the fingers hit the spinning blade, all I heard was a "DING" from the blade, and I felt something hit my fingers. I had to look at them to realize that they were injured. No pain at all. Ripped through the fingers of the glove I was weaing like they weren't even there. The only pain I had was when the doctor in the ER filled all three fingers with Lidocain to prevent pain while stitching everything up. THAT FREAKIN' HURT!!!!! You would figure that a medicine that prevents pain by deadening nerves wouldn't hurt when administered - WRONG! It hurts worse than anything, except maybe kidney stones (those are another story). I live in a very small town, so anything like my dilemma is a big deal at a small-town hospital, and word gets around very quickly (my wife actually took picures of the suture procedure with her iPhone, and posted all of this on Facebook before the doctor was even done with the stitches!! How do I know this? No, she didn't tell me - I started getting phone calls on my cell phone from church friends enquiring about my fingers!! Wasn't that nice of her?). So, while in the ER, awaiting the Lidocain to take effect, numerous (around 20 or so over the two-hour span I was there) hospital employees (and I think some other patients, too) made their way over to my room to see just how many fingers were missing. I think quite a few were disappointed to see that I still had all of mine - just three missing fingernails, and some ugly-looking wounds. The fingers are still healing nicely, although I will some nasty scars for the rest of my life on them. They never did hurt.........

Gary Mason

 

Devil Dawg

On The Bench: Tamiya 1/32nd Mitsubishi A6M5 Model 52 Zeke For Japanese Group Build

Build one at a time? Hah! That'll be the day!!

  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Allentown, PA
Posted by BaBill212 on Friday, September 30, 2011 3:53 PM

Len,,,     I would probably forget the chute!

Enjoy the ride!

 

  • Member since
    July 2011
  • From: Armpit of NY
Posted by MJames70 on Friday, September 30, 2011 7:59 AM

Nothing life and death, but I did stupidly slice up a hand with the old #11 once. As I jumped up after slicing myself, blood ran out onto the old kitchen chair I was using. Probably 20 years later, I still have that old and still bloodstained chair as a hobby bench chair. Provides me a free reminder of not to do anything that stupid again any time I go to sit on my 'Blood Throne' Cool

  • Member since
    June 2008
  • From: Iowa
Posted by Hans von Hammer on Thursday, September 29, 2011 11:52 PM

rudedog72

 Hans von Hammer:

I think the closest call was when I was in Irag and a Improvised Explosive Device detonated about 20 feet from the HMMWV that I was gunning the turret in.  Lets just say that will bring you to levels of alertness not often seen.  No injuries though and we made it just fine so that was a very close (and lucky) call.

But did you ever go into a minefield to get model parts?

 

No you got me on that one.  Though we did take a wrong turn one day and had a tire blow out on our truck.  When the passenger got out to look at the tire we realized that we had drove into a field of toe-poppers that the Iraqis had kindly left behind for the Iranians to find a few decades before.

Yah, came across some of those evil,  vicious little bassiges m'self too... 

  • Member since
    July 2007
  • From: Southern New Jersey
Posted by troublemaker66 on Wednesday, September 28, 2011 4:34 PM

BaBill212

Modelling-wise - stabbed, sliced, jabbed, poked and dropped (on legs and close to other sensitive areas) the xacto knife / #11 blade more times than I like to think of. Drilled through "something" into fingers / hands on numerous occasions. Was using a Dremel and a cutting disc when the ceramic disc exploded sending shards all over...  there is one still sticking in the wall in front of my work bench area as a reminder... if it would have went the other way it would have been stuck in me....  lots of other things along the way too

Dayum,,,  never realized this hobby was so dangerous

Geeze Bill, maybe you should take up a safer hobby like skydiving...Big Smile

Len Pytlewski

  • Member since
    April 2004
Posted by rudedog72 on Wednesday, September 28, 2011 4:08 PM

Hans von Hammer

I think the closest call was when I was in Irag and a Improvised Explosive Device detonated about 20 feet from the HMMWV that I was gunning the turret in.  Lets just say that will bring you to levels of alertness not often seen.  No injuries though and we made it just fine so that was a very close (and lucky) call.

But did you ever go into a minefield to get model parts?

No you got me on that one.  Though we did take a wrong turn one day and had a tire blow out on our truck.  When the passenger got out to look at the tire we realized that we had drove into a field of toe-poppers that the Iraqis had kindly left behind for the Iranians to find a few decades before.

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
  • Member since
    February 2003
  • From: Allentown, PA
Posted by BaBill212 on Wednesday, September 28, 2011 4:01 PM

Modelling-wise - stabbed, sliced, jabbed, poked and dropped (on legs and close to other sensitive areas) the xacto knife / #11 blade more times than I like to think of. Drilled through "something" into fingers / hands on numerous occasions. Was using a Dremel and a cutting disc when the ceramic disc exploded sending shards all over...  there is one still sticking in the wall in front of my work bench area as a reminder... if it would have went the other way it would have been stuck in me....  lots of other things along the way too

Dayum,,,  never realized this hobby was so dangerous

Enjoy the ride!

 

  • Member since
    March 2011
  • From: Ottawa,Ontario,Canada
Posted by modeler#1 on Wednesday, September 28, 2011 3:58 PM

A few close calls but nothing serious

On the Bench: Nothing atm

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Houston, Texas
Posted by panzerpilot on Wednesday, September 28, 2011 3:56 PM

Non modeling: I'm a pilot. About 15 years ago,  I was flying a twin engine, at night with a friend. We had a fuel leak and didn't know it. Long story, but the fuel gauges were showing we had around 1/3 tank both sides. They were erroneous. I was at 6000 feet. The left engine quit. I declared an emergency, turned toward an airport that we saw (17 miles away). Luckily it was a clear night. When we were about 1/2 mile from landing, the other engine started to sputter. It quit right as I was touching down on the runway. It was THAT close! Luckily, we walked away...straight to a convenience store and a 12 pack...

-Tom

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Houston, Texas
Posted by panzerpilot on Wednesday, September 28, 2011 3:47 PM

I've been modeling since I was 5 years old. The biggest battle wound I got was when I was 13. I used an ice pick to try to unclog a tube of super glue. (Being 13, I had no idea this is pretty much futile). The pick slipped off the tube and went right through my left hand. Luckily it missed any major veins and no trip to the hospital. So, yeah, don't do that..

-Tom

  • Member since
    January 2009
  • From: hamburg michigan
Posted by fermis on Monday, September 26, 2011 8:30 AM

Modeling wise, exacto rolled off the bench and imbedded itself, blade deep, into the top of my right foot. Pulled it out, pinched it shut, a quick swipe with a rag, followed by a dab of CA....no blood on the carpet!

When I was around 10yrs old, I had a folding chair at my desk. I grabbed the seatback to scoot myself in toward the desk. When I scooted forward, the back legs started to fold up, enough room to get my right index finger in there. When I sat back down all the way, the rear legs folded back out, pinching off my finger tip.

A couple close calls in regular life. First one, I was on final approach, for a straight in landing at Sherman Field (Ft. Leavenworth KS.). I was right over the Mo. River, I saw a flock of geese approaching. They were high enough to not be a factor.....so I thought. One of em decided to kamakazee me. It dropped out of the flock, and nailed the top of the windscreen. It happened SO fast. When I openned my eyes, I had the right side control yoke right in my face! Only damage to the plane, surprizingly, was a crack in the windscreen, from the OAT guage to the top...5/6 inches. That was in a Cessna 150.

 The other was in a 172. I had my daughter with me, about 6 at the time. We were flying over the lake we live at. Flying low (no less than Wink 500 aglWhistling), following the tree line around the lake. There's an area with a sharp point out into the lake. I made a steep left turn, just like hundreds of times before! This time, the bottom dropped out. It felt like an elevator, heading toward the lake....azz first. There was just enough forward motion that I had very sluggish control. As the nose dropped, right aileron and full right rudder swung us around and back into full forward flight. We were less than ten feet from the water. My daughter enjoyed the ride.....I did not!!! Flew straight back to the airport and put the plane to bed...then I got the shakes.

  • Member since
    June 2008
  • From: Iowa
Posted by Hans von Hammer on Sunday, September 25, 2011 6:27 PM

I think the closest call was when I was in Irag and a Improvised Explosive Device detonated about 20 feet from the HMMWV that I was gunning the turret in.  Lets just say that will bring you to levels of alertness not often seen.  No injuries though and we made it just fine so that was a very close (and lucky) call.

But did you ever go into a minefield to get model parts?

  • Member since
    September 2005
  • From: Illinois: Hive of Scum and Villany
Posted by Sprue-ce Goose on Saturday, September 24, 2011 6:30 AM

I've been very lucky- - -so far.

Worst modeling injury was a deep slice on my finger.

 

  • Member since
    June 2009
  • From: Netherlands
Posted by kermit on Saturday, September 24, 2011 2:27 AM

Modelling wise i had the odd slit with a fresh knife.. think we all did at some point at various degrees of seriousness...

As a 6-7 year old however i had a very close call... Me and a few buddy's went walking over a frozen waterway in late winter... thawing had set in and there was already  a thin layer of water over the ice. Passing underneath a bridge the ice gave away and i fell down into the cold water and was trapped under the ice.

If it wasnt for a guy just passing by at the moment i might have kicked the bucket right then and there... My buddies were just frozen with panic.

Also chopped of the tip of my right hand middle finger as a young kid playing around with the lid of a sewage drain.... I remember i had the greatest fun when the doc told me to show my finger during checkups at the hospitalStick out tongue

Richard

 

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm." - Sir Winston Churchill

  • Member since
    October 2009
  • From: Houston, Texas
Posted by Medicman71 on Saturday, September 24, 2011 1:54 AM

And now we know why I have a job. Lol.

I've never done anything "Life Threatening" Just the X-acto to the fingers.

Building- (All 1/48) F-14A Tomcat, F-16C Blk 30, He 129

 

  • Member since
    May 2004
  • From: Land of Lakes
Posted by cbaltrin on Friday, September 23, 2011 7:13 PM

Sorry, this sounds a bit over-dramatized to me. Do you work for the Weather Channel? Wink

On the Bench: Too Much

  • Member since
    March 2008
  • From: Ohio
Posted by B-17 Guy on Friday, September 23, 2011 3:27 PM

rudedog72

Outside of modeling I lost count.  I think the closest call was when I was in Irag and a Improvised Explosive Device detonated about 20 feet from the HMMWV that I was gunning the turret in.  Lets just say that will bring you to levels of alertness not often seen.  No injuries though and we made it just fine so that was a very close (and lucky) call.

Unfortunately, I know exactly how you feel there. IED's are not fun. I honestly could not tell ya how many I've had detonate near me.

As far as modeling goes, lots of exacto scars. I've had the inevitable exacto rolls off the bench, mine stuck into the top of my left foot. Lots of 4 letter words were spoken at that moment, and for a good bit after that.

  • Member since
    April 2009
  • From: Carmel, IN
Posted by deafpanzer on Friday, September 23, 2011 1:35 PM

Thanks to you guys I haven't had an injury from #11 so far... read similar comments when I first joined here so I learned to allow my knife fall down if it ever happens instead of trying to grab it.

However you DIDN"T warn me that it may fall right into the foot.  Good thing I was wearing slippers... it can be chilly in the basement sometimes.

My only major injury since my return to modeling two years ago, a part fell down on the floor and I leaned down to pick it up while sitting on my brand new leather chair with rollers.  The chair flipped pushing my face against the table hitting my jaw real good.  It sure felt like if I was hit by Mike Tyson... Black Eye

Andy

  • Member since
    July 2007
  • From: Southern New Jersey
Posted by troublemaker66 on Friday, September 23, 2011 12:35 PM

Monday night ,I was making up some speaker cables for a PA system that my band uses ( I was in Hans von Hammer mode..cheaper to make `em than buy `em) and was soldering 1/4 jacks to the ends of the wires. While tinnig one wire ,I flicked it  to knock the excess solder off and watched the blob of  molten solder head right for my eye. My reflexes were pretty good `cause my eye closed just in time that the solder didn`t get in and just burned my eyelid...whew!

As for modeling, I`m the same as evryone else, # 11 injuries and the occasional glued fingers and minor burns...Black Eye

Len Pytlewski

  • Member since
    July 2007
  • From: Southern New Jersey
Posted by troublemaker66 on Friday, September 23, 2011 12:26 PM

anthony2779

No close calls on a really serious modeling mishap,but on a outside gas leak investigation one 10 degree night,I stepped one leg into an unprotected open manhole on the sidewalk,only half of me went in,but if I fell in all the way,I could have been dead,it was at 15ft deep.

sounds silly,but it was dark with a lot of commotion going on,and it was in the sidewalk,not where you would expect a manhole,and no barricades !! Embarrassed

My Mom used to tell me a story about she and my aunt taking a walk at night time and my aunt suddenly disappeared. Mom could hear her sister calling her name but sounded far away. My aunt wound up falling down a manhole into 4 feet of water, totally uninjured...Mom said they laughed for hours once she got my aunt outta the hole..lol.

Len Pytlewski

  • Member since
    April 2004
Posted by rudedog72 on Friday, September 23, 2011 9:12 AM

I am noticing a bit of a trend here....I too dropped a brand new #11 blade into my lap when I was a kid.  I still have a scar on the inside of my thingh where the blade went point in.  Luckily it missed the artery and more importantly...Mom didnt know.

Outside of modeling I lost count.  I think the closest call was when I was in Irag and a Improvised Explosive Device detonated about 20 feet from the HMMWV that I was gunning the turret in.  Lets just say that will bring you to levels of alertness not often seen.  No injuries though and we made it just fine so that was a very close (and lucky) call.

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former."
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
  • Member since
    June 2008
  • From: Piscataway,NJ
Posted by jtrace214 on Friday, September 23, 2011 7:39 AM

Just a few weeks ago I had 20 inches  of water in my shop from hurricane Irene. I pumped it out'Still had about 1/2 inch in the shop and needed to get something done. I had a power unknowlingly on the floor.I sat in my metal folding chair,after about 15 minutes my left foot got real warm. I couldn't take it anymore and went upstairs and had a bad burn with blisters on my arch.I guess I had been lucky not to get zapped.Haven't been in there since.

 

John

the pic to the left is my weekend condo lol

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Western North Carolina
Posted by Tojo72 on Friday, September 23, 2011 6:59 AM

No close calls on a really serious modeling mishap,but on a outside gas leak investigation one 10 degree night,I stepped one leg into an unprotected open manhole on the sidewalk,only half of me went in,but if I fell in all the way,I could have been dead,it was at 15ft deep.

sounds silly,but it was dark with a lot of commotion going on,and it was in the sidewalk,not where you would expect a manhole,and no barricades !! Embarrassed

  • Member since
    June 2008
  • From: Iowa
Posted by Hans von Hammer on Friday, September 23, 2011 4:28 AM

How many of us have come close to biting it "Final Destination"-style?

Left my X-Acto knife on the couch and thusly stabbed myself right in th' butt with it...

Used too much catalyst in some resin... It generated so much heat that it set the resin on fire, the model embedded in it it, and the table it was on, on fire...

Faulty-ground almost electrocuted me after I built a home-made variable-speed control for my Dremel tool from a rheostat and metal (instead of springing for the extra buck of a plastic one)junction-box...

Policing up some Soviet-type APERS-mine shipping plugs from the "edge" of an Iraqi minefield... They (the plugs) were of a type and shape that were excellent for some detail-parts I wanted to make for a couple of kits.. Never was close to actually "buying it" though, as the Engineers had de-fanged pretty-much all of them... I say "pretty much" because all it takes is ONE mine to be missed for it to become a bad day... I was pretty sure that they weren't booby-trapped either.. Found some Soviet-type CVC helmets that WERE though..

I've given up counting burns from  soldering, soldering irons, or flaming sprue used for "welding" parts together...

 

  • Member since
    March 2010
  • From: New Zealand
Posted by Scorpiomikey on Friday, September 23, 2011 1:45 AM

Ouch to all.

Worst ive had modeling based is i drove a craft knife (the extendable ones) into my thumb. Took me a bit to figure out where the red was coming from, nearly made my sister pass out. I was only around 10 or 12. I even remember the kit. It was the Revel Mil-24 Tigermeet.

In terms of the rest of my life. I have some funny scars on my hands and a nasty one on my head. No idea how they got there. No-one seems to want to tell me either. I can only assume thats the worst ive had.

"I am a leaf on the wind, watch how i soar"

Recite the litanies, fire up the Gellar field, a poo storm is coming Hmm 

My signature

Check out my blog here.

  • Member since
    February 2011
  • From: Launceston, Australia
Posted by the real red baron on Friday, September 23, 2011 1:12 AM

CallSignOWL

I nearly took off the tip of my finger before. I was drilling out some diving flaps when the knife slipped and  lifted a nice flap of skin off the tip of my left index finger, right above the finger nail. It took over an hour and a half for it to stop bleeding, and I got rather light headed during that time. Eventually the bleeding slowed enough for me to get a bandage over it. I still have a scar and an off-sided finger tip, but the flap reattached it self quite nicely and I still have full mobility and feeling in the tip.... Probably due to the #11 making such a clean cut!  Black Eye



Ouchie!!!!

hmm.... never had a life or death situation with modeling, or a serious injury during modeling. But i almost got one of my eyes ripped out!! im metal-work at school, a guy was throwing around some metal and it almost took my eye out, but i cought it around a inch from my eye. Black Eye

 

 

 

 

  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: Cave City, KY
Posted by Watchmann on Thursday, September 22, 2011 11:04 PM

I spilled a bottle silver Testers paint on my shirt and on my bedroom carpet.  Mom nearly ended me.

Those were the days when I used naphtha to clean my brushes.  It removed it from the carpet and shirt, so I lived.

  • Member since
    January 2010
  • From: Nebraska, USA
Posted by CallSignOWL on Thursday, September 22, 2011 10:28 PM

I nearly took off the tip of my finger before. I was drilling out some diving flaps when the knife slipped and  lifted a nice flap of skin off the tip of my left index finger, right above the finger nail. It took over an hour and a half for it to stop bleeding, and I got rather light headed during that time. Eventually the bleeding slowed enough for me to get a bandage over it. I still have a scar and an off-sided finger tip, but the flap reattached it self quite nicely and I still have full mobility and feeling in the tip.... Probably due to the #11 making such a clean cut!  Black Eye

------------------------

Now that I'm here, where am I??

  • Member since
    November 2009
Posted by artworks2 on Thursday, September 22, 2011 10:07 PM

Had a C&C machine try to re configure my hand into a faceplate meant for a light switch. Was zapped at a welding table, Had dust from a hovering MD900 blind me for 3days. I use waterbased paints so I'm alright. I do follow safety procedures so I've been lucky considering all the jobs I've done in my life. Does making my wife angry qualify as a HASMAT?????Artworks2

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