Wrenching Injuries

OK, let's hear 'em....tales of graphic injuries incurred while at wrench!

I'll start:

One late night I found myself underneath a '92 VW Corrado on axle stands. Working to solder in a fresh O2 sensor on the catalytic converter using a Weller solder gun. Had my eye protection on as always, but shoulda looked after a nearby sensory organ better. As I was working the unmelted solder roll onto the heated wire, getting it to take the heat and melt, a bit too much force on the wire gave it some spring loading...as the solder reached liquid state, a nice BB-sized blob came off in a projectile trajectory, deflecting off some exhaust shrouding and landing in my right ear....still can feel/hear it sizzling as it proceeded to roll down my ear canal, vaporizing the wax, until at last sreaching the ear drum. A literal hole in one! And, because of my rather restricted location, I could not turn my head, shake it or take any type of evasive action that would have made any difference. After I eventually extracated myself from under the car, I recall feeling dizzy and hearing was very muffled that side. I was very worried it had gone through the drum, but the ER doc said not to worry, it appeared to be on or maybe just embedded in the drum....then he gave it a poke (generating excruciating pain in the process)...immediately withdrawing and shaking his head stating "OK, I'm not touching that!"....as the blob didn't want to budge. Off I went to a specialist. He went at it with some kind of vacuum (really nice level of sound pain)....and lo & behold, off the blob came....no through hole in the drum, but "lots of damaged membrane that might heal one day." That was about 15 years ago....had diminished hearing in the ear for some years after...esp. high freq stuff. Now it's either recovered or both sides have lost enough to even out.

So, lesson learned here is to always wear hearing protection while soldering! Who woulda thunk it?

That sounds nasty.

I had weld splatter burn a hole,through my jeans and into my crotch once. Painful, but thankfully not as damaging as it could have been!

Fiddling around a hot Triumph engine for reasons I can’t remember, I heard a sizzle, followed by a smell like fried meat, followed by searing pain on my forearm. Had a nasty 3 inch long burn where I’d touched the very hot header pipe.

Also on a Triumph, tightening the clutch main shaft nut up for all I’m worth, when the socket slips off and I smack my little finger on the exposed end of the crank, which went right through the nail and broke the bone.

They both hurt like hell and seriously offended the neighbours with my yelling and profanities !

not a burn but I pulled my little finger out of joint trying to loosen a bolt on my 72 T120

Honestly not sure where to start ... guess it would be this time last year ... spent several days in shed crawling around getting 3 bikes ready for the season ... last job was checking new spokes and true up rims on Norton ... took a while sitting on mechanic stool ... fine that day, next day couldn’t stand up straight ... turned out to be hips inflamed from lifetime of out door hard labour , that few hours on stool was last straw .... why I have 3 bikes for sale today .... however did get out Sunday past for Ducati coffee meet ‘bout 150km return , on ST3s no issues !!!! been rain and snow since so have yet to confirm good to go .... sometimes it the simple stuff that catches you out ....

A mate of mine has a new Triumph 1200 ‘off roader’ that weighs about as much as a small car...

It broke his leg... not whilst riding it, it fell on him in the garage whilst he was cleaning it...!

I once rode a Heritage Soft-tail Harley. How would you be if that fell on you ? It didn't go, stop or handle, but it sounded great as it lumbered down the road.
A thirty's Brough Superior with the 1000cc OHV JAP engine, must have been an interesting ride.

Fast Eddie said:

A mate of mine has a new Triumph 1200 ‘off roader’ that weighs about as much as a small car...

It broke his leg... not whilst riding it, it fell on him in the garage whilst he was cleaning it...!

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Cleaning bikes can be dangerous for your health lol.

Ashley

My best (worst) self inflicted wrenching injury actually occurred while using a wrench.

79 Toyota Hilux pickup truck I used to haul motorcycles I bought for export business blew a hole in the back of the water pump housing. To replace that on a 20R motor you pull the head and drop the pan.

Of course, being in my 20s, this was happening on the street in front of my house, at night.

As i was loosening a stubborn bolt, it suddenly gave and my finger was propelled at force into the stamped alternator bracket. The gash probably should have had stitches, but as I needed the truck the next day I just wiped it and kept working. And I just wiped it and kept working... a few times again.

A couple days later my finger was a turgid sausage. Dr's visit and antibiotics cured that, but now the joint is a bit stiff.

Then again, a couple months ago I had my 5 yo pull down the center stand as I lifted the rear end as the c'do was on the lift. He didn't move his finger out from under the hook in time and i set it down on it. He lost his fingernail.

My wife screamed at me louder than he did.

Had a nasty kickback from a panther last year, could barely walk for a few days.
aside from that just the usual burns from welding cars.

Adam_R said:

Had a nasty kickback from a panther last year, could barely walk for a few days.
aside from that just the usual burns from welding cars.

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Be thankful you only had a stiff leg...have heard on these forums of at least one bloke breaking his femur from a kickback.

gortnipper said:

My best (worst) self inflicted wrenching injury actually occurred while using a wrench.

79 Toyota Hilux pickup truck I used to haul motorcycles I bought for export business blew a hole in the back of the water pump housing. To replace that on a 20R motor you pull the head and drop the pan.

Of course, being in my 20s, this was happening on the street in front of my house, at night.

As i was loosening a stubborn bolt, it suddenly gave and my finger was propelled at force into the stamped alternator bracket. The gash probably should have had stitches, but as I needed the truck the next day I just wiped it and kept working. And I just wiped it and kept working... a few times again.

A couple days later my finger was a turgid sausage. Dr's visit and antibiotics cured that, but now the joint is a bit stiff.

Then again, a couple months ago I had my 5 yo pull down the center stand as I lifted the rear end as the c'do was on the lift. He didn't move his finger out from under the hook in time and i set it down on it. He lost his fingernail.

My wife screamed at me louder than he did.

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Some twenty years ago I had relocated to Southern California from Ottawa. Took my '84 VW GTi Rabbit and ultimately decided it needed A/C. Got all the required bits from a u-pull scrap yard for less than $100. After three days of work, I was doing up the very last screw...a hose clamp on the rad. Big flat blade screwdriver, slippery with antifreeze, lots of twist being applied...wham! It slipped off screw head and ripped along underside of my middle finger nail. About half separated but not actually removed. After trying to sort it out some at bathroom sink, started feeling woozy...from the stress and pain. Off to ER. Doc fave me a local shot in the finger and went away for 20 min to let it numb. Came back, still not numb. Another shot and another 20 min and still fresh as a Daisy. Another 5-8 rounds of needlibg/waiting...each time he was saying he was trying to find the nerve in between the knuckles. I told him he must have the wrong schematic, as I am a European model (born in England). Made him laugh. Ultimately, he used a stronger agent and numb it went. He then trimmed the mess up and I was good to go. Not sure what was worse, the screwdriver or all the needling.

AC worked great for many years btw.

alan hodge said:

not a burn but I pulled my little finger out of joint trying to loosen a bolt on my 72 T120

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Yow! Did you set it back in place?

40 odd years ago a mate came round to my house experiencing difficulty in removing a cross head screw on, I think the bottom of a car starter motor, I had an impact screwdriver, so I got him to hold it on the bench top, while I carefully eyed up swinging the hammer, what I didn’t realise was that he, out of my sight, had a couple of fingers underneath when I swung the hammer down hard- that made him take a few sharp breaths for a few minutes, still makes me winch t this day thinking about it.

I have had so many minor injuries while working in my shed workshop, I am always knocking myself, fingers, arms, legs, shins, toes, a day wouldn't go by without spilling blood and I don't normally know I have done it till I feel the blood running down my leg or dropped something heavy on my toes or my finger being pinched, or hit the nail on the head and miss or slip, not so bad now that I now have good reading glasses, I can see close up again lol.
Most of the time not knowing till I have gone up to the house for dinner and the wife tells me you been bleeding or what have you done to yourself or my 2 dogs licking up the blood from my gash on my leg.
And the amount of times cutting metal with a grinder and fingers get in the way, home workshops can be a dangerous place and if you not in the right mind at the time even more dangerous.

Ashley

My brother had a somewhat different experience while working under his car. He lives on a farm near Kempsey and was working on his car in an open shed.. He slid out from under the car to get some parts and a couple of minutes later slid back under and started to work, turned his head a little to see a black snake had just joined him. In his hurry to get out from under the car he hit his head and had to go to the hospital for 5 stitches in his forehead.

ando

Yikes , that nightmare material , snakes should keep to themselves , glad your Bro didn’t hit head any worse , I no doubt, would have !

Bet the snake was just trying to help with work ;-)
Was going to say " lend him a hand" but then thought not....

Just Married, fixing up an old decrapid apartment to live in. Using a small circular saw to trim some hardboard ,using my fingers to check where the blade was!!,yes really stupid and young,accidently triggered it and felt those big cross cut teeth go thro the fingers. Passed out from sheer fright. Woke up to find wife bandaging not too badly cut fingers!.

norton bob said:

Just Married, fixing up an old decrapid apartment to live in. Using a small circular saw to trim some hardboard ,using my fingers to check where the blade was!!,yes really stupid and young,accidently triggered it and felt those big cross cut teeth go thro the fingers. Passed out from sheer fright. Woke up to find wife bandaging not too badly cut fingers!.

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She sounds like a keeper!

OK, not really wrenching....just a shocker:
Working in a science lab hooking up a high voltage power supply....something I had done dozens and dozens of times over past few years. This time is was a different/older model than I'd used before. Had a main power toggle switch at far back panel and a momentary push on/off output power button at front. There was no visiual indication what state front button was last left in. Holding the connected leads in one hand, reached to back panel to toggle main power on with other hand then BANG & ZAP! I recall the very severe pain all the way up the nerve of my arm. Felt pain for days and days. Had a good mind to go after the manufacturer on that one.