Goggles: a cautionary tale

[JasonGotaProblem]

I never in my life would have thought of rod building as an activity that requires eye protection, aside from contouring grips on a lathe, and even then I often don't wear glasses I just acknowledge that I probably should wear glasses while doing that.

That stance may need to be revisited. Last night I was removing guides from a rod I intend to rebuild, and everything was going surprisingly smoothly. Like almost troublingly so. Well as I was starting on the last guide the blade on my xacto knife snapped off and hit me in the eye. Well luck and geometry were on my side last night because the non-sharp side of that spinning blade hit me right in the upper eyelid. Had I been an inch closer or further away it may have gone differently, but the non sharp side never broke my skin.

I'm not a terribly superstitious person but right that moment I stopped working on the rod and went to see if my wife needed help with dinner. Figured that was my sign that I'd done enough for the day.

Bet tonight I'll have glasses on for the remaining guide removal.

[Keta]

Ouch!

[PacRat]

I'm glad you weren't injured. Just wait until you're old like me...I cannot do anything without glasses now because it's habit. Just like a seat belt, I just don't feel right without glasses even though they annoy me. Let the glasses become habit and keep them right where you work. The trick is finding glasses that are comfortable.

Even when wrenching on a reel, a spring could get you. I hope this doesn't come off as a lecture...just good advice for all members. I've had metal removed from my eyeballs twice. Once I had my glasses on and still managed to get a very small aluminum chip into my eye while milling. The other time I was beating on my clamming fork without glasses. Neither incident hurt at the moment it happened. It was only when my iris/pupil aperture wasn't working properly that I realized something was wrong.

-Mike

[Gfish]

Good info. You only get 2 of 'em/lifetime. An eyepatch might look kinda cool and mysterious, but I'll take binocular vision with full depth perception instead.

[Gobi King]

Ditto, full face shield is cheap, not comfy but will save you.

I was out weed whacking with my gas 4 stroke weed whacker and part of a weed stem flew and buried into my chubby cheeks right below my eye,

Maybe an auto darkening welding helmet will work too 

[steelfish]

........Well as I was starting on the last guide the blade on my xacto knife snapped off and hit me in the eye.......

When I started rebuilding rods few years ago, I found the Xacto blades too thin and delicates for taking old epoxy from guides, mostly because I got old rods with different kind of epoxies, some where thin, some where very thick and hard, etc, so my best tool for those jobs were those single edge razorblades and bit of heat from a lighter, I only use the heat for make the 1st cut above the guide feet and then try to find the thread to continue to unwrap the guide manually but I have found that some epoxies are so hard and "crispy" that many small pieces fly off the guide while unwrapping, so wearing safety glasses in this case is not bad idea either, in my case I always use reading glasses while working on rods (in the last 3 years    ) and those glasses had worked for me to keep those small epoxy pieces that fly away off my eyes.

I dont think I will ever break one to those razorblades or a tip of a blade while taking a fishing guide out

[Midway Tommy]

I mainly use my exacto knife to cut thread tag ends. I do use it to scrape humps in epoxy finish between coats, too.

I'm  not big on removing guides from old rods, especially since quality new blanks are so reasonably priced. The few guides I have removed, though, I do as Alex and use a single edge razor blade. I use a wood handle wall paper cutter to hold the razor blade for a little safer handling of the blade.

My eyes are getting feeble enough that I need to wear magnifiers but I don't think there is any way I could stand to wear goggles except when using an angle grinder. I can't even stand to wear them when using my bench grinder.

[Cor]

Good point!   I would never have considered that the blade could break and jump at you.

I usually use an old leather working knife (US made) that I can sharpen for these type of jobs.

[foakes]

Glad you came out unscathed, Jason —-

A sign for sure to wear eye protection.

I need reading glasses to work on reels and detail stuff.

Have about 6 pairs of these safety glasses that go over my reading glasses —- plus are easy on/off, and comfortable.

They cover what the reading glasses miss —- sides, top, and bottom edges.

In the upstairs shop, I keep a pair next to the grinding, polishing, wire wheel, and burnishing station.

Also use them when using the line winders for loading or stripping line from spools and reels.  Sometimes a spool will get away from me —- particularly if old line is being stripped and has been cobbled together over decades

In the outside shops for wood and metal work —- I have 4 more pairs next to the table saw, drill press, jointers, and the hand held power tools like angle grinders, routers, and Skilsaws.

When doing lathe-work —- I use a full face shield.

I also use these for chainsawing or working brush.  Although the metal mesh ones work better for me when outside because they won't fog up when sweating.

Never have been crazy about X-Acto knives —- but they have their place.

Mostly use a regular razor blade with a holder that slides the blade in and out.

Cheap insurance.

Best, Fred

[jgp12000]

Murphy's law, anything can, and will happen when you least expect it.I even change to work clothes for any little task if I don't,even checking the oil,it will somehow get on my favorite clothes.Years ago a friend told me he was using super glue and somehow it dripped on a ziptie which in turn catapulted the super glue into his eye ball?I know it sounds like how could that happen,and yet his eye was glued shut,a trip to the ER to get this undone,needless to say he wore safety glasses from then on for any task regardless of how menial. I have been weedeating and somehow have had a grain of sand come straight up under safety glasses into my eye lid at who knows what mph ,Goggles are better I am sure for this as well.I think gasoline in the eye has to be the worst...

[JasonGotaProblem]

Man i used to make weapons grade hot sauce. Once I was pouring freshly blended undiluted Carolina reapers into a bucket to mix and the splash sent it eyeward. That was the worst day of my life. Couldn't open it for 12 hours.

You'd think I'd have learned. To be fair I did, and always wore gogs in the kitchen when I worked with reapers after that.

[jgp12000]

Jason,I am sure you know this but gloves are a must cutting up hot peppers.

[jgp12000]

Also if I have a white shirt on eating spaghetti, it gets on the shirt everytime...

[Shellbelly]

Having been in construction for decades, safety was heavily indoctrinated into the culture.  Not wearing eye protection when required was almost a crime.  This constant reinforcement stays with me in retirement.  Almost every eye injury is a first because glasses are not comfortable when you're working.  I have bifocal safety glasses that are cumbersome to work in but have saved my eyes.

Funny how we will wear super $$ sun shades on the water, but nothing on our eyes when we work on something.

[JasonGotaProblem]

Thats funny i won't set foot outside during the day without sunglasses if I can avoid it, even if it's cloudy. My vision isn't as good now at 35 as it was at 25 but still better than 20/20 and for that I'm blessed. The trick is keeping them.

I'm not likely to start wearing lab goggles to work on rods but I'll throw on some glasses for demo from now on.