• Widdershins@lemmy.world
    35·
    4 days ago

    As a machinist I will tell you that it’s the pieces you can see stuck in your skin with your eyes that are the real problem. Those usually hurt a lot more. Machine shops are filthy and it’s up to you to wear glasses and gloves and wash up with soap containing pumice.

    A bigger concern to me is the cloud of coolant steam containing lord knows what billowing out of a lathe. I’ve started wearing a winter coat and hat during work with a fan blasting right at the door to keep the air I breathe clean.

    Anyways neat picture. Judging by the tiny chips it looks like the mill is to blame. Makes me glad I run mostly lathe these days. I had something like that in my elbow for a few months. It was about one centimeter long and hurt like hell when pressure was on it.

    If you want to run machines the first tool you should buy yourself is good tweezers. I have 6 different pairs of tweezers. You can borrow workshop tools but should stay sanitary and have your own tweezers.

    • Know_not_Scotty_does@lemmy.world
      9·
      4 days ago

      Not a machinist, just an amateur fab guy but sweet Jesus carbide burrs on a die grinder suuuuck for that kind of thing. If they weren’t so good at material removal I wouldn’t have them because those damn micro metal splinters are the worst. I used to get them stuck in my socks because my shoes were loose and then they would stab my feet.

      • moody@lemmings.world
        7·
        4 days ago

        The danger depends on the type of lathe and the tools being used with it.

        In metalworking, you would probably be using mechanical lathe tools, keeping your hands far away from the danger bits. In woodworking, you may be using gouges directly on the wood and want to keep any dangly bits as far away as possible.

        • Maalus@lemmy.world
          3·
          3 days ago

          Nah, even in metalworking, people do lots of stuff around lathes and get hurt because of long sleeves. Like running sandpaper on round stock which is a common thing people do. Anything that spins means no rags, no sleeves, no gloves etc. And for good reasons

        • Widdershins@lemmy.world
          2·
          3 days ago

          I do CNC lathe. I could run it with the door open but don’t due to coolant. It shouldn’t run with the door open but it does run like that. Safety interlock is long gone. I roll my sleeves back on my flannel jacket and button the cuffs. I sweat a lot and the breeze that brings me fresher air makes me get cold easily.

          I have seen the Tool Time episode where Tim The Toolman Taylor has his shirt ripped off by a lathe and am very aware of the danger every day. The green button doesn’t get pushed until doors are closed.