Worst Burn, and How Did You Get It?

jesnbec73 · #1 2023-12-07, 12:16pm

I recently got my worst one yet in 30 years, and I figured it would make an interesting topic and hopefully a cautionary tale for some of the newbies.
For me, it was just two weeks ago.
I was setting up my little HHO or Hydrogen hand torch to make something like a miniature glass frog for the wife for Christmas, or so I thought. I got it attached to my regular torch, set up like one of those stacks, and had a magnifying glass attached to the front of my table so that I had to actually reach around the thing to work (very tiny scale stuff) and for some reason, I went to pick up a green stringer for the tiny little frog legs and I hear this vreeeeep sound, which was that little 1/2 inch flame cutting my left ring finger nearly in half. I don't know if any of you have worked with an HHO torch, but it is for all intent and purpose, a light saber.
I got my first fourth degree burn out of it, and two weeks later it still looks pretty rough.
I learned a valuable lesson about changing your station around, anything new is going to change the way you reach around and move, so if you change anything, be a little extra careful. If you do get into Hydrogen, that stuff is anywhere from 250F up to 15000F depending on the material you are heating with it, don't underestimate it!
When I teach people, I teach them what I call the left and right zone, keep things in either zone and try not to cross your arms or hands from one zone to the other. It worked well for me for thirty years, and the one day I broke my own rule, I got nailed LOL

I'd love to hear you guys' 'learn burn' stories though.

PS. Those little Manuka Honey bandages are absolutely miraculous for burns!

Eileen · #2 2023-12-07, 7:26pm

Yikes! That sounds pretty awful!

My worst doesn't sound too bad in comparison. I was making a murrini and had the medium/large chunk of hot glass break off the punty and roll toward me and off the table. I reacted by catching it between my legs (wearing shorts) but only for a millisecond, then opened my legs and let it fall to the floor. Amazingly the scar was only temporary.

jesnbec73 · #3 2023-12-07, 7:42pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eileen

Yikes! That sounds pretty awful!

My worst doesn't sound too bad in comparison. I was making a murrini and had the medium/large chunk of hot glass break off the punty and roll toward me and off the table. I reacted by catching it between my legs (wearing shorts) but only for a millisecond, then opened my legs and let it fall to the floor. Amazingly the scar was only temporary.

Oh wow, yeah that would be a good one for sure. I guess the lesson there is 'just let it drop', definitely had a few of those as well. Ah the immortal question, "Do I trust this punty?"

Brontobrat · #4 2023-12-12, 4:47pm

Mine happened back in May. I had a honking sized bead building on a mandrel and had it in my left hand. I accidentally touched a piece of hot glass to that hand - not a bad burn, but I reacted to it and grabbed the honking bead with my right hand. I mean I GRABBED it. So stupid. Had 2nd and 3rd degree burns on a good portion of my palm. Put me outa commission for quite a while. I have a golden rule - consider EVERYTHING in front of you could be hot. Well, it would be a duh that the bead is hot. ��♀️ Lol. Mine was mostly a case of trying to do more than one thing at a time and not paying attention. Never a good idea when working at a torch and handling hot things. Wish I had known about those honey patches.

jesnbec73 · #5 2023-12-12, 5:53pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brontobrat

Mine happened back in May. I had a honking sized bead building on a mandrel and had it in my left hand. I accidentally touched a piece of hot glass to that hand - not a bad burn, but I reacted to it and grabbed the honking bead with my right hand. I mean I GRABBED it. So stupid. Had 2nd and 3rd degree burns on a good portion of my palm. Put me outa commission for quite a while. I have a golden rule - consider EVERYTHING in front of you could be hot. Well, it would be a duh that the bead is hot. ��♀️ Lol. Mine was mostly a case of trying to do more than one thing at a time and not paying attention. Never a good idea when working at a torch and handling hot things. Wish I had known about those honey patches.

Yeah those honey patches are nothing short of a miracle. That sounds like a pretty bad one, it took me years to learn how to react to getting burned, you literally have to ignore your instincts.
I let a good friend of mine try torching one night, he got a pretty decent gather going, about the size of a quarter or so, and I have no earthly idea why, but for some reason he just reached his other hand up and grabbed it. It happened so fast I couldn't stop him from doing it, but this plume of smoke came off his thumb, and to his credit, he very calmly set the rod down and said simply "I'm done."
A few years later he got finger printed for a job at the Post Office and the lady that did it asked him about his missing thumbprint. That glass was so hot, it was still squishy and left a thumb shaped impression in the glass.
I've not done a lot of teaching, but when I do, now the first thing I tell people is that the glass is hot, and it's going to stay that way for a lot longer than you think it will.

Brontobrat · #6 2023-12-13, 6:41am

Quote:

Originally Posted by jesnbec73

Yeah those honey patches are nothing short of a miracle. That sounds like a pretty bad one, it took me years to learn how to react to getting burned, you literally have to ignore your instincts.
I let a good friend of mine try torching one night, he got a pretty decent gather going, about the size of a quarter or so, and I have no earthly idea why, but for some reason he just reached his other hand up and grabbed it. It happened so fast I couldn't stop him from doing it, but this plume of smoke came off his thumb, and to his credit, he very calmly set the rod down and said simply "I'm done."
A few years later he got finger printed for a job at the Post Office and the lady that did it asked him about his missing thumbprint. That glass was so hot, it was still squishy and left a thumb shaped impression in the glass.
I've not done a lot of teaching, but when I do, now the first thing I tell people is that the glass is hot, and it's going to stay that way for a lot longer than you think it will.

Oh my. This is why I have resisted teaching. So afraid of someone doing something similar… or catching my studio on fire. Lol.

And yeah, I have been working at a torch for many years and that’s what surprised me the most - what the heck? I have never done anything like this before - remotely. As an aside I am considering getting some kevlar gloves mostly to keep the heat off of my hands and arms when I’m using my big torch for boro - a recent development and didn’t realize how much a difference there would be 👀. They have some that have cut off fingertips.

ESC · #7 2023-12-13, 6:45pm

I have some of the fingerless gloves as well as sleeves and they're a lifesaver when you have a bead bigger than an inch.

Listenup · #8 2023-12-16, 11:22am

Strangely, my worst burn was not on the torch. It was when I was taking a baked potato out of the oven. I twisted my arm to get a better angle on it and my arm brushed up against a heating element. I still carry that scar - it kind of looks like a crescent moon. The ones I get at the torch just don't compare or leave a scar. I used to be a sou chef and so I guess my hands are all battle hardened from getting burned there. I'm also pretty careful at the torch.

ewagnerfrog · #9 2023-12-20, 10:26pm

A rod of shock glass spit a hot piece into my nostril... Hard to believe if it hadn't happened to me. Ernie Wagner

jesnbec73 · #10 2024-01-02, 9:55pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by ewagnerfrog

A rod of shock glass spit a hot piece into my nostril... Hard to believe if it hadn't happened to me. Ernie Wagner

Good lord! I literally laughed at that one, but kind of a horrified laugh... I'm going to have nightmares now every time I hear that tink sound. I quit wearing my wedding ring over it, sounded just like a piece of glass heading towards you everytime it hit the glass. Right in the nostril, wow I wonder what the odds are on that one?

jesnbec73 · #11 2024-01-02, 9:57pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by ESC

I have some of the fingerless gloves as well as sleeves and they're a lifesaver when you have a bead bigger than an inch.

I saw those on a website just the other day and wondered what they were for, then after making a larger marble last night and looking at my reddened hand I think I have figured it out, do they make that much of a difference?

ESC · #12 2024-01-03, 10:34am

They really do. My fingertips are pretty calloused and don't seem to register as much heat as my fingers and palms.

jesnbec73 · #13 2024-01-03, 12:37pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by ESC

They really do. My fingertips are pretty calloused and don't seem to register as much heat as my fingers and palms.

Yeah, I've pulled so many stringers and grabbed them hot, that the fingertips on my left hand are immune to heat now.

jesnbec73 · #14 2024-01-03, 12:40pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by Listenup

Strangely, my worst burn was not on the torch. It was when I was taking a baked potato out of the oven. I twisted my arm to get a better angle on it and my arm brushed up against a heating element. I still carry that scar - it kind of looks like a crescent moon. The ones I get at the torch just don't compare or leave a scar. I used to be a sou chef and so I guess my hands are all battle hardened from getting burned there. I'm also pretty careful at the torch.

Yeah the elements in the oven are a nasty burn. I did many years of being a line cook as well, almost miss it. Almost lol
People have no idea how hard of a job that is. I remember the day we finally got around to hiring a crew to come in and do our floors, it was life changing

AVTrout · #15 2024-04-09, 5:18pm

Last August I fired up my torch for the first time in 2 years. On day 3 I picked up the molten end of a white rod and it fused to my index finger and thumb. That was the worst burn I've had, although years ago, I did burn my elbow pretty bad on a thermally shocked rod shard. Today was the first day since last August that I torched. It was a good day.