Jamie,
Peter W Rowe As I read your post, I placed my hand in my mouth, my toes curled, and a low moan issued from my throat. The further I read, the harder I bit down, the more my toes curled, and the louder the moan got.
First, people usually just call me Peter. I might sign my posts with
my full name, but please. No need to be so formal And itâs a good
thing I didnât spell out the whole middle name, I guess⌠:-))
Second. Go make yourself a nice warm cup of tea please, and relax.
Yes, that story I related is real enough, but I donât lose sleep over
it, and you shouldnât either. I assure you the young man involved has
by now gotten on with his life for the last 22 years.
The point to telling that story was not to inspire horror or curled
toes and fingers or lurid moans. Rather, it was simply to suggest
that there are few tools that can be used in ignorance and
complacency, and especially those with higher power and higher speed
motors. Polishing machines are ubiqutious, in use in tens or hundreds
of thousands of workshops, usually without major accidents or lost
fingers. But anyone who uses them for any time, will have at least a
few minor mishaps where something either goes wrong, or just doesnât
quite end up with the desired end result. This is not limited to
polishing machines, and polishing machines are no where near the most
dangerous devices we use (Iâd suggest the automobile is much worse,
given the many people who die using one every year)
The fix is simple. Common sense, doing the required research or
getting the needed instruction, so you understand the proper and safe
use of any device youâre using. This ranges from proper methods of
holding the work for polishing, to proper methods of holding a ring
in a ring clamp when setting a stone so you donât accidentally run a
graver through your hand, or any of the many many other things to
watch out for in a jewelry shop, or the kitchen or bathroom too, for
that matter.
So relax a bit. Just keep the point of the message in mind. Common
sense and care and awareness that almost nothing is totally safe
without them.
By the way, if you have a frequent problem with this moaning,
curling of toes and fingers, and general sense of horror, you may
wish to change your email address. Identifying yourself on the net
with a term like âgravediggerâ might be having a subliminal feedback
sort of effect on your mood. Why not change it to ârainbowchaserâ or
something. Iâll bet that makes you much less prone to the night
horrors sort of thing⌠(grin)
cheers
Peter