# Word to the wise...from the unwise



## Shadowracer (Sep 11, 2004)

Howdy all. As most of us know, you should always wear eye protection when you're goofing around with your dremel, or any other power tools. However I had a most unpleasant experience yesterday that didn't involve anything that was plugged into a wall.

I was noodling around with a couple of recently acquired resin cast bodies. These bodies come to you rough and you still have to take the flashing and whatnot off of them. Most of them are pretty easy but I had one where the stuff that needs to be trimmed off was unusually thick. 

In the process of carving some off with an Exacto blade, a small piece of resin flew up and lodged right in my eye. Not fun. My better half managed to help me with it, and we managed to avoid a trip to the emergency room. But it was not a fun experience. My eye is still bloodshot from it.

Anyway, just a tip...might wanna err on the side of caution and leave those safety glasses on even when you think it may not be necessary.


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## Ralphthe3rd (Feb 24, 2011)

Good Advice :thumbsup: the oldtimers(been there- done that) will probably heed this advice, but the young-ins probably won't. 
But glad to hear it wasn't too serious for you, as Eyes are Very important - not only for our Hobby, but for Life in General !


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## 1976Cordoba (Sep 20, 2000)

A few things I learned when I was young:
1 - Don't force a hobby knife through plastic/resin. You end up with stitches.
2 - When spray paint is clogged, don't use a nail to check the can. You end up with paint on your face and in your eyes. Replace the nozzle instead.
3 - Sawdust hurts more than you think it would when it hits you in the eye. You end up with an eye patch for two days.
4 - Don't force a Dremel to cut something. One of three things happens - You send whatever you are cutting flying like a ninja star; or Whatever you are cutting gets stuck to the Dremel bit and becomes a highspeed finger smasher; or You end up with stitches.

There's more but you get the point . . . watch yer eyeballs and fingers. :tongue:


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## alpink (Aug 22, 2010)

good point about wearing eye protection at all times.
be sure they are impact resistant and wrap around your eyes to prevent stuff flying in from the side
hopefully you will recover quickly and have lasting problems.
yep safe never sounds cool until you are absolutely NOT COOL in pain.
been there
done that
have the T and hat!


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## TomH (Jan 17, 2006)

1976Cordoba said:


> A few things I learned when I was young:
> 1 - Don't force a hobby knife through plastic/resin. You end up with stitches.
> 2 - When spray paint is clogged, don't use a nail to check the can. You end up with paint on your face and in your eyes. Replace the nozzle instead.
> 3 - Sawdust hurts more than you think it would when it hits you in the eye. You end up with an eye patch for two days.
> ...


this should be a sticky


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## Dslot (Sep 2, 2007)

1976Cordoba said:


> A few things I learned when I was young:
> 1 - Don't force a hobby knife through plastic/resin. You end up with stitches.
> 2 - When spray paint is clogged, don't use a nail to check the can. You end up with paint on your face and in your eyes. Replace the nozzle instead.
> 3 - Sawdust hurts more than you think it would when it hits you in the eye. You end up with an eye patch for two days.
> ...


Good advice. 

A couple more Dremel tips --

- At full motortool speed (appr. 30,000 RPM) the ever-useful rotary brush heads fling little high-velocity wires (or fiber bristles) into your face. Dremel specifies *15,000 RPM* max for the brushes - half-speed on a variable tool.

- The wafer-thin cutoff discs (the ones that come 36 to the tube), easily shatter if any side-pressure is put on them. And the jagged fragments can go flying - _at up to 90 mph_. The thicker resin-reinforced disk and the thin diamondized metal discs are better choices.

-- D


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## wyatt641 (Jan 14, 2012)

i know this is gonna sound stupid..but from experience also..the 6 bucks you spend on some safety glasses and the 1/2 second it takes to put them on saves hours pf pain and maybe an eye plus some regrets..i do not know how many times flying metal chips and dust have made me .M F myself...so..now when i drill or any concrete chipping..the ole safety glasses go on...no remorse,no regrets....no trips to the hospital..M F-ing myself...


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## JordanZ870 (Nov 25, 2004)

It ain't a joke.
If some of us need a VISUAL example, fine.









WEAR the derned glasses/face shield! 
You will never be sorry.:thumbsup:


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## Jisp (Oct 19, 2008)

All very sound advice boys, never stupid and never old. If it gets just one person to change their habits it's a good day!




Dslot said:


> ....... At full motortool speed (appr. 30,000 RPM) the ever-useful rotary brush heads fling little high-velocity wires (or fiber bristles) into your face. Dremel specifies *15,000 RPM* max for the brushes - half-speed on a variable tool.


Man, don't those little wires make perfect eye missiles! I have the variable speed version and find that even half speed is too high, causing fly outs. I usually go one setting higher than what otherwise seems to slave the motor. I think mine has 8 steps and I use the second and more commonly the third. If I need to go higher I place a board barrier behind the work piece to stop all the wires flying into the other bits n pieces on my bench.

Cheers,
Michael. :thumbsup:


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