Subject: Re: safety glasses

From: [email-masked] (George Dixon)
Date: Sat, 2 Mar 1996 11:45:50 -0500

All I know is that after having a microscope stuck in my face so a piece of
scale (very sharp on edge) could be surgically removed from my eye
(something you get to watch UP CLOSE since you are not anesthetized) I
became rather religious about wearing safety glasses.
The scale came from just forging a bar on my anvil.  Safety should be the
first step of the shop-day.
George Dixon

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From: Randall Gray <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 5 Mar 96 09:42:03 EST

George Dixon wrote:

Yup.  Where I work, anyone working with a VDU was sent for an eye
test.  The technician doing the testing could see a scratch on the
surface of my eye -- the result of a small bit of coke which had
lodged itself in a few weeks before.  

I actually wear a full face mask.  Why?  I learned that tongs can slip
and nuzzled a bit of hot metal.  Still, better a superficial burn to
the mouth than a superficial burn to the eyes.  It was a cheap lesson,
and one I am glad I had.  It is now starting to feel "unnatural"
smithing without headgear.

The last time I fired the forge wasn't my best day -- I missed the
steel and you know, hammers really bounce off an anvil.  Fortunately
it hit the mask instead of the teeth.  I learned from that one too.  I
don't think I'll fire the forge again if I'm not feeling right.  I've
got a lot of years to mess with & don't want to mess them up.

-- Randall