Put a piece of tungsten through my hand

[sstewartllc]

So here's a new one (at least I've never heard of it happening).

I was doing some tig work in the field yesterday and ran out of pre sharpened tungstens. As I needed them I was sharpening them with a flap disk and angle grinder. Well it must have caught the disk the wrong way because in split second I had a 3/32" piece of 2% ceriated go through my glove, into my palm and out the other side! At first I thought it just poked me but when I grabbed it, it didn't move. Talk about an 'oh ****' moment! My first reaction was the yank that sucker out! I pulled my glove off and saw a hole on one side and a hole on the other side. I moved my fingers and they were fine and it didn't hurt much. I thought 'oh wow, I'm actually ok' but a few minutes later there was a rush of pain and I felt like I was going to pass out. Long story short the customer had to drive me to the urgent care, they x rayed it and said I was going to be alright. So I guess I'm one lucky guy because nothings broken, it doesn't hurt that bad and I didn't have to miss any work.

So be careful out there guys. This was one of those things that never even thought about happening!

Oh and sorry, no pictures. All I have is a bent piece of tungsten and two small holes to show for it!

[claymans13]

Us lazy union guys take that oppurtunity to mosy to the tool room to resharpen on the bench grinder, or send an apprentice to do it for us haha. Glad you're ok though.

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[Rick V]

Scary Sh*t! Glad you appear to be OK!

[welds4d]

I hope you got a tetanus shot while you were at the doc's

[Joshfromsaltlake]

Roman soldiers approve of this method.

[Joshfromsaltlake]

I bet this is what happened:


Glad you didn't damage any tendons or nerves in there, man.

[Inkydoggy]

Your lucky it did not hit you below your belt! Now that would have given one hell of a rush of pain! Martini Olives anyone?? Or Vienna Sausages on a Tungsten Toothpick??

[retro_shop]

I'd be watching closely for signs of infection with a wound that deep. Hand infections can be devastating.

[Mr. Moose]

Bummer that you didn't take at least a cell phone picture before you pulled it out. That kind of event needs documentation.

[fdcmiami]

Originally Posted by sstewartllc

So here's a new one (at least I've never heard of it happening).

I was doing some tig work in the field yesterday and ran out of pre sharpened tungstens. As I needed them I was sharpening them with a flap disk and angle grinder. Well it must have caught the disk the wrong way because in split second I had a 3/32" piece of 2% ceriated go through my glove, into my palm and out the other side! At first I thought it just poked me but when I grabbed it, it didn't move. Talk about an 'oh ****' moment! My first reaction was the yank that sucker out! I pulled my glove off and saw a hole on one side and a hole on the other side. I moved my fingers and they were fine and it didn't hurt much. I thought 'oh wow, I'm actually ok' but a few minutes later there was a rush of pain and I felt like I was going to pass out. Long story short the customer had to drive me to the urgent care, they x rayed it and said I was going to be alright. So I guess I'm one lucky guy because nothings broken, it doesn't hurt that bad and I didn't have to miss any work.
So be careful out there guys. This was one of those things that never even thought about happening!

Oh and sorry, no pictures. All I have is a bent piece of tungsten and two small holes to show for it!

so, how long were you at urgent care? did the customer have to wait with you? who drove you to the job site? whose worker's comp got tagged for the injury. every injury has ramifications. when you say you didn't miss any work; i am assuming you mean that you were paid while waiting (with the customer) at the ER; hope you can see the bigger picture here.

[speedfreak87]

Glad you're ok, but where are the pictures? isn't this rule # with minor injuries? PICTURES FIRST then first aid? lol!

[farmall]

At least you weren't holding the grinder near your lap.

"Honest, Doc! I wasn't trying to give my self a Prince Albert!"

[Gamble]

Time for a tungsten grinder?

[sstewartllc]

Its been a few weeks since the accident and I feel comfortable saying that everything turned out all right. All the pain and swelling was gone in a few days and there was no sign of infection. 50 years from now maybe I'll have some arthritis but as of now everything is normal.

I chuck the tungstens in the drill every time now. They turn out better anyways.

I'm my own boss so I drove myself to the job site. I still got the job done on schedule so that's what I mean by I didn't miss any work. The customer heard me shut down the generator and came out to see what happened. When he saw what happened he was kind enough to offer me a ride to the nearest clinic. Having a safe ride sounded better than trying to drive while seeing stars.

Next time I'll make sure I get a picture......gotta learn from your mistakes