Yes we would all like to know, what is the most STUPID thing you have done with a modeling tool? Yes we have all done something !!!! Mike
I am guessing this either falls into the break it/ruin it, or injure self realms? In which case I'd be up all night listing for both categories...
Me too!!! I once had a soldering iron on the layout and was wiring under the layout. The Iron fell off on my head and burned my hair. DOAH !!!!!!! Mike
Haven't done it but saw it done, a friend went to pick up his small soldering iron, he knew exactly where it was so he just reach up over the edge of the table and grabbed it - wrong end - 3rd degree burns to part of his hand.
You, too? Well, that makes me feel a little better. For years I'd thought I was all alone in doing that to myself....
I've done something similar a time or two. Or three. But I thought it was mandatory for anyone doing serious layout wiring to suffer that type of ill at least once.
I was helping a friend wire an outlet for a garden railroad in his back yard. I carefully removed an outlet inside the house where I would install a GFI outlet that would also power a new box on the outside next to where he wanted to plug in his power supply. I carefully capped the live lead with a wire nut. I grabbed a few tools and crawled into a very restricted section of the attic to splice a new electrical box in and run a new line down through an outside wall to a hole where the new electrical box for the power supply would be installed. I found where the two wires descended through a hole in the 2X4 top wall plate to the outlet below where I had removed the plug assembly and capped the hot wire. Then I made a bad call in judgement. I assumed that the wire leading in the general direction of the circuit breaker box on the other side of the house was the live wire and the one heading away to another outlet across the room below me was now disconnected and safe. I pulled out my Zircon rail cutters that I was using to cut wires and bit into the Romex cable. Blam-flash and most of the cutting jaws were vaporized.
uh, now lemme see. We had a soldering iron on the floor in a rack at the club. I was standing around talking to someone, and stood on the cord, knocking the iron out of the stand. I failed to notice this and when I shifted my feet, I stood on the soldering iron. Never felt the heat, but I think everyone at the club could smell the burning rubber of the soles of my shoes. Another time, (I guess you could call it a tool). I left a trix wheel cleaner on the track, you know, those big boxy things that sit on top of the track? Well, my train completed one lap, and slammed into the wheel cleaner, sliding it forward until it hit a turnout. . Would have just been a sudden stop, except I had a powered helper on the rear end. I derailed the entire back half of the train.
I put Gorilla Glue on some window frames of a Down Town Deco model. As it swelled it clouded the windows themselves which made the model look horrible when done. Ruined that model; I have used it as an abandoned house since
Or setting an Xacto knife down hand having it roll off the work bench only to impale itself in you leg or foot.
Both. Of course, more than once. :uhoh: My work bench now features a removable lip to prevent various objects from ever rolling off.
I dont even know where to start. I have done everything from leaving tools on the tracks to accidentally stabbing myself with T-pins.
Been there, done that.....I was removing details off of an Athearn shell with w sharp number 17 chiesel blade. The knife made its final cut thru the detail, and kept going, not stopping until it had run itself thru my left thumb. I thought I had taken out a chunk of meat, but it was just separated, and I bled like a stuck pig. I still have parallel scars, and no feeling in that part of my thumb.
OUCH. I am sitting here, cringing. Just waiting for someone to admit how they'd sat down upon an X-Acto or hot soldering iron. That could just be the winner- At least for pain.
The dumbest thing I do in the USE of a tool regularly perhaps is let the X-Acto type blades get too old and try to keep using it. It does NOT work that way. I just start getting bad cuts or I push really hard and slip. I have never seriously gotten myself with a new blade. It's always the older blades, pushing hard and then slipping and cutting the holy living fluff out of my hand. I mostly learned my lesson on this already. The other thing I do which isn't dangerous but is annoying is that I don't always put things back where they go, so then I have a hard time finding them the next time I need them.
Luckily I didn't get injured, but I forgot to put on eye protection when using a dremel cutoff disk. The disk exploded as they do and pieces went everywhere. One piece hit me on the cheek. It was weird, because right before the disk broke up, I remembered I need to put the glasses on then pow. Now I leave a set of glasses in the box I keep my dremel in. I must have about six or seven pairs of glasses laying around now. They re cheap but invaluable. Eric
Ok, lets see here. I haven't hurt myself too bad yet but I have screwed some stuff up good. 1st, was soldering a decoder into a circuit board and was stupid enough to put the shell right in front of the board and put the soldering iron on the shell. Ruined it, still sitting in the box and I'm brewing on what to do with it. 2nd, I was air brushing a car and the little paint cup (the one with the open top, silver) fell out of its place and ruined a perfectly good pair of shorts. Made people wonder why my leg was tinted green. Haha. Robert
