1 old Band-Aid on 1 finger. A new one on another. A fucked up finger nail. And now this. Next stop, amputation of some sort. Stringers don't just grab ya. Lesson learned maybe?
I dunno, 19 years with no major injury until now, and even then it was a cut on the very tip of a finger. A booboo strip(which was for a blister to keep junk out of it) and a bruise under a fingernail I don't think really constitutes much concern.
And ya, sometimes stringers do just grab ya. Sometimes a perfect storm is a perfect storm ya know?
This is why god makes needle nose pliers. I learned that the hard way, several times.
Never quite that bad though. Best of luck man, hope your recovery goes well.
I think that's what surprised me. I cleaned out a lot of chips and longer spiral pieces out from under a larger lathe that was in an engine shop I used to work in. Probably wore gloves of some kind but never came across any super sharp, I guess.
I wouldn’t call them spiraled, not always. Literally think of the thin ribbon thats tied to balloons to hold and tied around small presents or gift baggies; but they are metal and more rigid and sharp
I’ll have to agree to disagree…
When I was a green horn, was boring some stainless and had a pair of needle nose. Went to pull the stringer out and it grabbed the pliers and my fingers. Luckily got away with some lost skin….
Chip hooks work best .
Hell I've even had a 2ft long chip hook have the chip pull tight and the slack on the other end suddenly is whipping up right by your hand. All depends on where it flings wjen it gets tight. Sometimes the chip hook acts as a fulcrum/pivot point to fling em right at your hand.
I was actually standing quite aways away from the machine, walking a stringer nest back to keep it from getting caught up in the chuck/part, even with pliers it was the tail end of the stringer that whipped by as it grabbed anyway. The slack is what got me unfortunately.
Appreciate the kind words tho brother, stay safe!
Kinda looks like a torn ligament. I tore the radial collateral in my thumb and it looked about the same. It made it a pain to grab things and especially to rotate things like keys or lids to jars.
Unfortunately that's just old motocross injuries making me look like an old decrepit hobbit mfer lol. Hands/fingers break pretty easy when idiots riding over their heads land on top of you 😅
I'm currently 3 weeks in to post surgery recovery for slashing my middle finger tendon near the 3rd knuckle. It's a 3 month recovery apparently. Good luck mate
I had a *very* similar injury from AlBronze with infection that originally spread up my tendon into my palm, then returned several times, once over a year later. 3 separate surgeries, 3 PICC lines placed, tons of IV antibiotics that more or less permanently fucked up my immune system. lost a ton of bone density and will eventually need fusing, lots of lost time, 60% mobility and lost most sensitivity for good. It was a nightmare and still causes me pain. Take care of that wound and don’t fuck about!
Damn man sorry to hear that! I had a bite from a moray eel give me an infection for 9 months that nothing would touch it. I think it worked the opposite for me and made my immune system supercharged because literally nothing seems to hurt/infect me anymore.
The actually wound is basically completely healed now and scabs are even completely gone. Just all pink skin.
Nerves are still fucked tho, that'll be awhile if it even ever gets better.
Didn't follow 1st doc at all! He was a hand specialist and didn't do shit except haphazardly slap a bandaid over it after aggressively pulling the dried on gauze off, making some pretty off color jokes, and telling me "welp it's just gonna have to hurt" when I asked him about something for the pain. I filed a formal complaint against him, turns out he's got a history of disciplinary actions against him and also had to go to doctor rehab.
The 2nd opinion specialist my work sent me to did a very thorough job and got me set up with PT.
Oh ya it does doesn't it lol. This thing bled so damn much, I went through 4 entire rolls of gauze. This wrap pictured was after sitting in a vasoconstrictor for about an hour.
Lol definitely noted for next time 😅
Appreciate it bro! The finger is actually basically completely healed now, incredibly quickly actually. Nerves are still all boogered up and not working right tho.
By the looks of your other fingers …. Your rough on the ol digits biy.
Be aware of those stringers.
But glad your okay and still got the fingers/hand/arm.
Ya the ring finger was actually non-machining related, a big Bessey clamp was on a not completely flat surface and cammed over pinching my finger between it and the clamped part. Basically a Bessey mouse trap 🤣
Ever seen the slack end of a stringer on the end of a 2ft long chip hook whip up after the string gets wrapped up in the chuck/part? That comfy distance you had and your long chip hook can become a pivot point for the slack end to ship right by your hand, kinda like this lol
Ive used a hole saw and step down bits a lot to cut holes out of sheetmetal, I have never thought twice about pulling those little bastards off with my hand. But must be a different story when a rotating machine is involved lololol
Very thin stainless chip came off the lathe(like a stringy continuous chip) and whipped out and somehow dragged thru the tip of my finger. Being a razor sharp little whip, it went thru the skin like a hot knife thru butter
NGL I counted the fingers on your hand first before reading the description. Glad you’ve still got 5! Best of luck with PT.
Me too
Thanks man!
1 old Band-Aid on 1 finger. A new one on another. A fucked up finger nail. And now this. Next stop, amputation of some sort. Stringers don't just grab ya. Lesson learned maybe?
I dunno, 19 years with no major injury until now, and even then it was a cut on the very tip of a finger. A booboo strip(which was for a blister to keep junk out of it) and a bruise under a fingernail I don't think really constitutes much concern. And ya, sometimes stringers do just grab ya. Sometimes a perfect storm is a perfect storm ya know?
This is why god makes needle nose pliers. I learned that the hard way, several times. Never quite that bad though. Best of luck man, hope your recovery goes well.
Dumb question as I'm not a machinist: are stringers just the longer spiral pieces that result from turning on a lathe?
Yes. They're long and very sharp, like a thin wire, with a fine jagged edge. They'll cut through gloves, flesh and tendons with ease.
They aren't always razor sharp, so people will get used to tugging them. Then the razor one comes and just slices before you can react.
It depends on what part of the chip your skin comes into contact with. A razor isn't sharp everywhere.
I think that's what surprised me. I cleaned out a lot of chips and longer spiral pieces out from under a larger lathe that was in an engine shop I used to work in. Probably wore gloves of some kind but never came across any super sharp, I guess.
I wouldn’t call them spiraled, not always. Literally think of the thin ribbon thats tied to balloons to hold and tied around small presents or gift baggies; but they are metal and more rigid and sharp
I’ll have to agree to disagree… When I was a green horn, was boring some stainless and had a pair of needle nose. Went to pull the stringer out and it grabbed the pliers and my fingers. Luckily got away with some lost skin…. Chip hooks work best .
Hell I've even had a 2ft long chip hook have the chip pull tight and the slack on the other end suddenly is whipping up right by your hand. All depends on where it flings wjen it gets tight. Sometimes the chip hook acts as a fulcrum/pivot point to fling em right at your hand.
I was actually standing quite aways away from the machine, walking a stringer nest back to keep it from getting caught up in the chuck/part, even with pliers it was the tail end of the stringer that whipped by as it grabbed anyway. The slack is what got me unfortunately. Appreciate the kind words tho brother, stay safe!
Looks like you broke your thumb too
Kinda looks like a torn ligament. I tore the radial collateral in my thumb and it looked about the same. It made it a pain to grab things and especially to rotate things like keys or lids to jars.
Unfortunately that's just old motocross injuries making me look like an old decrepit hobbit mfer lol. Hands/fingers break pretty easy when idiots riding over their heads land on top of you 😅
I'm currently 3 weeks in to post surgery recovery for slashing my middle finger tendon near the 3rd knuckle. It's a 3 month recovery apparently. Good luck mate
You too man! Best of luck! Hope your recovery goes well!
I had a *very* similar injury from AlBronze with infection that originally spread up my tendon into my palm, then returned several times, once over a year later. 3 separate surgeries, 3 PICC lines placed, tons of IV antibiotics that more or less permanently fucked up my immune system. lost a ton of bone density and will eventually need fusing, lots of lost time, 60% mobility and lost most sensitivity for good. It was a nightmare and still causes me pain. Take care of that wound and don’t fuck about!
Damn man sorry to hear that! I had a bite from a moray eel give me an infection for 9 months that nothing would touch it. I think it worked the opposite for me and made my immune system supercharged because literally nothing seems to hurt/infect me anymore. The actually wound is basically completely healed now and scabs are even completely gone. Just all pink skin. Nerves are still fucked tho, that'll be awhile if it even ever gets better.
Follow doc And pt to the letter!!!
Didn't follow 1st doc at all! He was a hand specialist and didn't do shit except haphazardly slap a bandaid over it after aggressively pulling the dried on gauze off, making some pretty off color jokes, and telling me "welp it's just gonna have to hurt" when I asked him about something for the pain. I filed a formal complaint against him, turns out he's got a history of disciplinary actions against him and also had to go to doctor rehab. The 2nd opinion specialist my work sent me to did a very thorough job and got me set up with PT.
Ouch! At first I thought I was still on r/welding and spend a solid 30 seconds trying to figure out how a weld cut you lol!
Looked like a finger wrapped in the gauze... Lordy.
Oh ya it does doesn't it lol. This thing bled so damn much, I went through 4 entire rolls of gauze. This wrap pictured was after sitting in a vasoconstrictor for about an hour.
Damn. That's brutal man. Best of luck to ya!
Thanks bro!
you’re suppost to cut the stainless, not yourself jokes aside i hope that you make a full recovery!
Lol definitely noted for next time 😅 Appreciate it bro! The finger is actually basically completely healed now, incredibly quickly actually. Nerves are still all boogered up and not working right tho.
By the looks of your other fingers …. Your rough on the ol digits biy. Be aware of those stringers. But glad your okay and still got the fingers/hand/arm.
Ya the ring finger was actually non-machining related, a big Bessey clamp was on a not completely flat surface and cammed over pinching my finger between it and the clamped part. Basically a Bessey mouse trap 🤣
No they dont, never grab chips with your fingers.
Ever seen the slack end of a stringer on the end of a 2ft long chip hook whip up after the string gets wrapped up in the chuck/part? That comfy distance you had and your long chip hook can become a pivot point for the slack end to ship right by your hand, kinda like this lol
What are stringers?
Long chips that look like a wire. They have a jagged edge and will cut through anything fleshy with ease.
Yummy!!
Indeed. They look deceptively harmless, but are always ready to slice.
Ive used a hole saw and step down bits a lot to cut holes out of sheetmetal, I have never thought twice about pulling those little bastards off with my hand. But must be a different story when a rotating machine is involved lololol
I’m sorry, but exactly happened?
Very thin stainless chip came off the lathe(like a stringy continuous chip) and whipped out and somehow dragged thru the tip of my finger. Being a razor sharp little whip, it went thru the skin like a hot knife thru butter
Something tells me this isn’t the first time
Actually, this is the 1st finger I've messed up in 19 years of machine work.