Imagine the danger of coming across a sharp knife to a teen who
didn't learn to chop an onion, peel a carrot and carve a turkey as
a six year old at his (not a gender specific term) mother's side. My
grandchildren are learning about everything I can think of when
they're with me, right down to the safe operation of a
chainsaw-talk about a dangerous tool!
I couldn’t agree more! I have a friend who taught his three year old
son how to use a sharp knife to chop food - under supervision of
course. He also spent many an hour in the garage with his son,
teaching him how to use all the dangerous tools in his possession,
to fix and service his motorbikes. Now eleven, the young boy in
question has a healthy respect for such tools and is very safe and
responsible when using them, not needing to wear oven mitts or the
like to operate them.
Hand trades are hand trades and should be taught as such.
As sincerely concerned as we all may be for our own safety and the
safety of our young people-THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A RISK FREE
EXISTENCE. (snip) We learn best from our own experiences and often
the lessons are emphasized by a little pain. (snip) I'm convinced
that we must not leave ourselves defenseless against the risks of
life by overly protective rules, we must throttle the nanny state.
Dr. Mac - I’m with you big time on this one. I’m a senior citizen
(77) and all the things I learned growing up have stood me in good
stead in my pursuit of jewelry fabrication. My earliest recollection
of doing something dangerous was at age 10, my Dad built scaffolding
for our 2 story house and said to me “come up here and hold this gas
burner” I need to scrape the paint off the house. My total
instructions were “pay attention to where you step or you go splat”
and “keep the flame moving slowly and don’t burn me with it” (notice
nothing was said about don’t burn myself). No big safety speech or
admonitions of the danger - just simple statements and it never
occurred to me that I couldn’t do it. So we managed to scrape the
whole house over a several weeks period - I never fell off the
scaffolding or burned myself or my Dad. Was I scared? Yeah, big
time, but that wasn’t discussed. In my family you just “did what you
were told”, no questions asked.
I think in today’s world we have gone a bit nuts over safety
regulations - soon we will be giving kids instructions on how to open
a door with a round door knob - dry hand, firm grip, look ahead,
behind, to each side before opening, watch out for any steps on the
other side - etc. etc.
As you said “There is no such think as a risk free existence”.
I wouldn't go so far as to say I support student injury perse.
Long ago I established a pricing policy where if blood was let the
price went up a minimum of 10%. With practice revenue decreased and I
had to charge more for regular bloodless work.
We are hand working with nasty pointed tools, hot stuff, and a few
chemicals. If teaching, try to not let them kill themselves (or sue
you to death). But pointing a torch at your finger just once is a
more lasting learning experience than any 10 hour safety lecture.
And now this which pretty much sums up safety,irony,and brevity. I
am all for basic and essential studio safety, in fact I consult on it
on a much larger scale than the home studio to the trade however,-
from the Associated Press:
LEBANON, Ind. - A woman accidentally stabbed herself in the foot
with a 3-foot-long sword while performing a Wiccan *good luck
ritual* at a cemetery in central Indiana.
Katherine Gunther, 36, of Lebanon, pierced her left foot with
the sword while performing the rite at Oak Hill Cemetery, police
said.
Gunther said she was performing the ceremony to give thanks for
a recent run of good luck. The ceremony involves the use of
candles, incense and driving swords into the ground during the
full moon. Gunther said was aiming to put the sword in the
ground, but hit her foot instead.
"It wasn't the first time I performed the ritual, but it was the
first time I put a sword through my foot," she said.
Gunther immediately pulled the sword out of her foot, and her
companions took her to Witham Memorial Hospital, where she was
kept a couple days for treatment.
No charges were filed, police said. The Wiccans were warned that
being in the cemetery in the city about 20 miles northwest of
Indianapolis after posted visiting hours constitutes trespassing.
Wicca is a nature-based religion based on respect for the earth,
nature and the cycle of the seasons
Tube fittings are made with a precision machined mating surface on
both ends or with a collapsable soft ferrule that is forced into
the mating face but in either case they are drawn together with a
threaded collar that spins freely on its end of the fitting and
pulls the two mating faces together. These fittings are not
designed to need the lubricant to achieve a seal
Yes, this is the type of fitting I was assuming they use as they said
not to use any type of tape or grease. I spent a fair bit of time in
a plumber’s merchant at the begining of the PhD I started, buying
bits and pieces to make such joints for my reactor (which used
natural methane gas for my gas chromatograph, used at the end of the
line for analysis). My supervisor and I did all the gas plumbing
before someone came in to check whether it was up to the correct
standards. Fortunately it was. Plumbing’s a piece of cake - she says
tongue in cheek (;-)) - but the fact that it’s gas plumbing makes it
all the more scary. The ferrules you mention are what I called
olives - probably a transatlantic language difference.
In my family you just "did what you were told", no questions asked.
That’s how it was back in the old days - oh no I sound old and I’m
saying things that everyone swears they’ll never say!
I think in today's world we have gone a bit nuts over safety
regulations - soon we will be giving kids instructions on how to
open a door with a round door knob - dry hand, firm grip, look
ahead, behind, to each side before opening, watch out for any steps
on the other side - etc. etc.
Fantastic example!!! My 16 year old daughter just had a great big
laugh at your scenario. Perhaps we’ll all have to wear crash
helmets, knee and elbow pads and steel toe capped boots when in
public spaces.
Yes, that’s pretty much where I’m coming from too as I posted today
(yesterday by the time you read it I think) - except that I wanted to
avoid actually saying I was in favour of students injuring themselves
as such. But I too am a great believer in learning by doing, and that
includes learning by making mistakes. I’ve always said the same to my
children. When they’ve come home disappointed because they did a
science experiment where it didn’t turn out as they predicted, I’ve
always said that it doesn’t matter, because getting things wrong
teaches to you as much as (if not more than) getting it right. I used
to say the same to students at school too. Half the class who “got it
wrong” would be disappointed but were quickly cheered up by the fact
that their predictions and what they learned was equally as valuable
as the other half of the class who “got it right”. You learn either
way but it’s often the mistakes which make the more valuable lessons.
The ferrules you mention are what I called olives - probably a
transatlantic language difference.
I knew exactly what you meant even though I had never heard them
called that. I like the term. I also figured that you knew a little
about plumbing if you had been a chemist but I see many folks use
the teflon tape on tube fittings and my description was mostly aimed
at them.
Jim
James Binnion @James_Binnion
James Binnion Metal Arts
... soon we will be giving kids instructions on how to open a door
with a round door knob - dry hand, firm grip, look ahead, behind,
to each side before opening, watch out for any steps on the other
side - etc. etc.
Your instructions remind me of comedian Bill Cosby directing his kids
to clear the dinner dishes from the table… he later found all the
dishes on the kitchen counters. The kids protested that they didn’t
know what “clearing” the dishes meant. When he reinstructed them to
put the dishes into the dishwasher, he returned to find the dishes,
scraps and meat bones all in the dishwasher. This time they protested
that they weren’t told to scrape the dishes first!! Sometimes common
sense isn’t common. Other times the language is used as a weapon.
many folks use the teflon tape on tube fittings and my description
was mostly aimed at them.
Good point. I think it should be more widely broadcast that you MUST
NOT use it on such fittings, as it still seems to be a common
misconception that it’s the thing to do. My own son came home, saw
the gas tanks and said “you did use ptfe tape didn’t you?”. He’s
just been “trained” to do some sort of brazing in his job and whoever
trained him told him to use it!
the industrial gas (oxygen etc) industry has used the white teflon
tape on hp cylinder valves in the US the late 60’s definitely by the
70’s. Before that we used various graphite compounds (not all these
are oxy safe). If the tape is kept clean and out of the oil it is
safe. it is a bit tricky to apply correctly – do not apply it on
the first thread and do not put multiple layers on.
Be careful when you start the installation that the tape is not
pushed off because of improper technique.
Don’t use it on instruments not because of safety - any pieces plug
small orifices up.