Who has NOT REALLY burned yourself? - Page 2

Tirian · #31 2008-07-17, 10:53am

Wow -- and I thought I was the only one! LOL!

I've had my share of glass pops adhering themselves to my epidermis, clothing, etc. I watched as a hot glass pop bounced right off the center of my safety glasses (scared the crap out of me for EVER not wearing them!).

The most unique was WAY back in the beginning when I had my kiln set up and had the torch going. I learned the hard way when I was putting a bead into the kiln and leaned down to the right to see inside the bead door, and leaned the top of my head right into the still burning torch. Honestly, I don't think I have ever moved that fast before. Smell of burnt hair and only a slight 2nd degree burn was the result, as well as learning to always lean LEFT when I need to look into the kiln to put in a bead!

It's part and parcel of working with Hot Glass -- it's HOT! and sometimes burns happen!

Jim

beadworkstudio · #32 2008-07-17, 6:16pm

I've only had some really minor "singes" but I did have a close call when I was still on the HotHead. I think it was my second or third torch session, and I was standing at my stained glass worktable. I have no idea what I did, but I lost control of the mandrel and it went flying. I jumped back, but not fast enough. Hit me on the chest right on the little rosette on my bra. Thank goodness I'm not well-endowed!

mad hatter · #33 2008-07-17, 9:38pm

Gosh, you guys must be very careful. I get the little speckle burns all the time. I have no ability to wait and am always popping glass. And of course there are the just plain dumb stuff like sticking my arm in the flame. I have become somewhat inured to it and it only hurts for a minute or two. My mom always told me if you play with fire fire you are bound to get burned. I don't think she expected my to be so literal though. I am she she would have thought I wasn't being very feminine. That seemed to be a continuing theme to he conversation. I was never the daughter of he imagination. Hope somewhere up there she has gotten used to me.

blindmonkey · #34 2008-07-18, 5:09pm

I have been lampworked off and on for almost 5 years and I somehow have not burned myself --which is shocking because i burn myself almost everytime I cook or bake (which I do daily!). The closest I came was just a couple months ago and a piece popped off a rod and hit my chest--I had a little burn hole in my shirt and a small brown mark on my brand new bra.

What is surprising is that I am the type of klutz that falls going up stairs and I constantly have bruises that I just don't know where they came from because I bump into things so much I can't keep track! Some fire-guardian-angel must be watching out for me!

Beadanna · #35 2008-07-19, 1:03pm

I've been making beads for 8 or nine months. Last Friday I was at the studio and had made a bead. The kiln was just warming up and I was looking for the tub of vermiculite. I swung around and my hand wandered. Index finger straight into the torch. Wowowow what a fright. Got the bead into the vermiculite (naturally) and then finger into the water jar. Creamy white serious looking burn with black dots. My teacher put on aloe vera gel and a bandage. I've been doing that all week. Two days ago a layer of dry skin came off. No blistering - just quite a hard layer of dry skin protecting the tip of my finger. No pain except 2 or three minutes of throbbing and pain during the first hour or so after it happened. I did an emergency MAP (Medical Action Programme - http://www.perelandra-ltd.com/search.cfm?UserID=897584&jsessionid=2a30b8d0333b$1 F$8E$B) as soon as I sat down and I'm sure that helped too.
I find it incredible that such a serious burn healed so very quickly.
Yay MAP, Yay Aloe vera and Yay my teacher Ruzica.
I'm ready to torch again whenever I get the chance.

I did see the T shirt, something like - You will get burned, You will get cut, Be a Lampworker. . .

Beadanna

Beadanna · #36 2008-07-19, 1:06pm

Oh, sorry - I didn't do the poll as I couldn't decide which category I was in.

Beadanna

Teague · #37 2008-07-19, 1:26pm

Technically I had one tiny third degree burn on one of my fingers. I did the 'ole reach around the front of the torch for something and scorched the top of two fingers. It was a little dicey for the first couple of days, but it healed in it's own with a loose bandage. Couldn't torch for probably a week or two, then I had to be careful not to catch the bandages on fire.

Teague

Katrina · #38 2008-07-20, 4:47am

I love threads like this...makes me smile and not feel so silly about my burned digits

I've had 3 second degree burns (at least) in the last two years (slow learner). I've been beading for 6 years and my DH informs me my injuries are the result of intermediate cavalierness. Okay, moment of truth...first one my gold leaf caught a breeze and started to blow away, I grabbed for it and put my hand in the flame. Second, switching hands and picking up a tool, dropped one of them...went to grab it and put hand in flame. Third, last summer got distracted demo-ing, hand drifted in the flame. See the pattern

I hate the smell of burned skin, and am happy to report a 14 month reprive from injury.

Cheers,
kat

vega · #39 2008-07-20, 12:18pm

I have had a few black spots on my hands but I would say my my left index finger just gets the crap kicked out of it. I work production level pendants (spun frit implosions, dot implosions (rod and tube), dichro pick-ups, pulled or looped), blow-in tubes, blow tubes, and mandrel-less beads. I burn my left index finger probably on average 3-4 times a week, if not more. It has gotten to the point where I can't even feel it. I can tap my finger on the table and it sounds like im tapping a pen on the table. The blow-in prep is the worst, when your setting up a 36" 44mm tube with a fresh blow-tube on one side and putting another on the open side, you have your arms nearly completely apart and sometimes (becuase normally I have the music crashing, the c-funk screaming and just in general crazed from the high-intensity) the only way I can tell that my finger is burning is the smell... yeah, it gets your attention. So I decided to show you my finger. There is about 9 calloused blisters stacked on top of each other, the one most visible is from yesterday

ShelleyLee · #40 2008-07-21, 1:22am

Quote:

Originally Posted by cheeky monkey

Well I just plain ol' stuck my hand right in the flame!!

I have NO IDEA what I was trying to do but it sure hurt!! Burned the skin near the webbing between thumb and forefinger. Probably should have gone to the hospital but it finally healed. For some weird reason it didn't scar badly. I have had lesser burns that have left worse marks

I did EXACTLY the same thing... burned myself pretty badly too... hit my hand on the tip of the torch... owwwww!

Ever After · #41 2008-07-21, 4:41am

Ive decided I have a magical thumb! it regenerates! my right thumb/top of my hand seems to get in the way all the time..
Ive had some nasty burns on it, even just this week, i lightly toasted it..
and once a blob fell betwixt my boobs.. that took forever to heal..

Retta · #42 2008-07-21, 5:57am

I have never burnt myself on the torch, glass splinters yes... Burning myself on the oven or range top the same day I plan to make beads and having my burn get aggravated so I couldn't torch yes. I guess I am "really" careful on the torch.

ChristinaColligan · #43 2008-07-26, 11:02am

Had a glass rod explode and a piece the size of a dime hit me beside my nose and it stuck there I still had the glass rod in my hand and had to reach up and pull the glass out of my face....it took about 2 weeks to heal that was the most embarrassing one b/c I had to leave A&D ointment on it and it looked like a zit scar for the longest time -
I cannot use Neosporin or anything in it that has neomycin/bacitracin I am allergic.
So i have to be careful.

JenP · #44 2008-07-26, 10:09pm

I reached under my torch (stupid stupid) a year ago, 3rd degree burn from index finger to thumb. I'm so much more aware of stupid moves now. Luckily, no scar, but it took 6 weeks to heal to a usable hand, 2 months more till I could bear heat to torch. Ouch! Got the popping glass burns too, but those are not so bad.
Jen

beadsoncypress · #45 2008-07-27, 5:16am

The other evening I was torching and my rod popped and I got a little bit on my forearm....no biggie.....but I was in the middle of a bead and both hands were busy, so I stupidly decided.....just flick it off with my toungue.....you guessed it....now I have a burn on the tip of my tounge....nothing on my arm.....stupdi, stupid, stupid!

DPete1104 · #46 2008-07-30, 12:19pm

I go by the Two Rules of Glassworking...

Rule #1: Hot Glass looks like Cold Glass
Rule#2: If it sticks to your fingers when you pick it up then it's Hot Glass.

fcfmountain · #47 2008-07-31, 1:19am

Most of you will all remember how shockey moretti White used to be? My first bead class (all ladies) and one poor gal squalled like a cat and peeled off her T shirt to get at the hot fleck in her bra. Afterwards she froze in place and slowly looked up where I was pretending to be busy but the whole class laughed like maniacs. I wear a heavy denim apron cinched up tight to my neck. Its easy to flick a hot shard back on the table with a thick apron where it would have burned right thru trousers. My scarred permanently red knuckle wants to remind you that reading glasses distort perspective when reaching under the flame for something. TIM

NLC Beads · #48 2009-03-24, 10:22am

2nd and a half here, maybe... I'll answer second on the poll... Caught glass I was prepping for a two-tone twisty, in between my first and middle finger of my left hand. It blistered, white skin, I still have scars if I'm looking for them a couple years later, but no pain. I dropped the glass, shut off the torch, and had it soaking under cool water in the bathroom next to my studio immediately, then followed up with Second Skin for a while, then Neosporin.

(It happened to be the same spot I caught a soldering iron a few years prior... My catching reflex kicks in at the absolute worst times.)

And yeah, I was back to torching that night as soon as it was covered up.

The twistie came out nicely the second try.

Hels · #49 2009-03-24, 10:39am

I've gotten MUCH better about burns now, because I've gotten that inate sense of where the flame on a torch is. My first few months... omg... lets just say that what doesn't kill us makes us stronger...

suzanne · #50 2009-03-24, 11:17am

I ran my hand right through my blazing Barracuda when pressing a big boro lentil. Black, painless, leather...the whole nine yards.

suzanne · #51 2009-03-24, 11:18am

btw the flame felt like cold running water on my hand...

rusticstudio · #52 2009-03-24, 11:21am

Since this poll, I burned myself a little worse, so I'd have to vote 2nd instead of 1st. But it was worth it!

And Suzanne.... Ouch!!!

Hayley · #53 2009-03-24, 11:37am

Ouch!

Fortunately I got the best burn cream . . . thus even the worst burn was healed quickly and without pain!

GlassyEyedGirl · #54 2009-03-24, 1:31pm

I torched my left index finger. It was hard and white and painless and took a couple of weeks to heal and now I have a little numb spot. I got it on the thicker skin on the pad of my fingertip or it probably would have been a lot worse. It scared the crap out of me, but I didn't even stop torching. How's that for stubborn?

PerfectDeb · #55 2009-03-24, 4:10pm

i read this same thread in the Bathroom and immediatly went back to my studio and cleaned up!

it seems you burn youself when your not organised, fishing around for tools or another colour etc

i singed all the hair off my arm the other day - horrible smell!

JetAge Studio · #56 2009-03-24, 6:09pm

I recently was at the torch and fumbled a very orange hot rod which landed hot end down on my thigh and burned right through my most comfortable torching pants in a matter of seconds (I was most pissed at that!). I got a nice pea sized spot of severely burned skin (and a crazy scent of 'popcorn' after that in my studio) there....I never saw my skin turn yellow like that before!! I'd show you, but then I'd have to take off my pants, and no one whom I don't call 'hubby' should have to go there!

Anyway, I'm all healed up though...nice scar 3 weeks later. I kinda secretly like these kind of "art battle scars"...although I could do without the mandrel burns and various flying glass burns on my fingers. I hate those.

Renee Wiggins

Puddy Tat Glass · #57 2009-03-24, 7:11pm

My hubby bought me a Creation Station to help with my tremors, but when I first started using it I wasn't used to reaching around the supports and ended up putting my forearm right in front of the flame...fortunately for me I had my favorite sweatshirt on. It immediately burned a hole though the fabric, my arm wasn't in that flame for more than a fraction of a second so I lucked out and just got a warming.

However...I have learned that once your mandrels have sat in the kiln for a while you should never try to pick them up with your bare fingers. I could see that there was a problem with the placement of one of my sculptural beads and just grabbed the end of the mandrel (the end that was outside the kiln)...whew, that gave me a nice new crease right across three fingers. That burn was a long yellow line...lesson learned.

PerfectDeb · #58 2009-03-24, 8:49pm

when my DD first started pulling stringers, she pulled the stringer then picked it up by the thick end.........

of course it was my fault cos i didnt tell her that that piece of glass that had been molten moments ago would still be hot...

Jackson River Glass · #59 2009-03-24, 10:02pm

As far as lampworking goes, I have only burned the tip of my finger once. I do mostly boro so I don't really have the flying glass to contend with. My real burn episodes have occurred in the kitchen, being stupid about pans of hot grease. Doh!

I figure if I never bring an aloe plant into my studio, maybe I'll never NEED an aloe plant. So far, it has worked.

suzanne · #60 2009-03-25, 12:13am

Kimberly lol , I'm in good company

My burn didn't hurt at all actually, and the scar is still numb. I think I completely burned out the nerves on my right hand index finger and knuckle