Goofs & Blunders You Should Avoid.

Tony Wells said:
.... I have a very bad habit though. Working QC for a while, I developed this habit of catching things (instruments, delicate parts, etc) with my feet. Hard to NOT stick them in the way sometimes.
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My first job out of college was working as an analytical chemist. Some of the chemical analyses involved ashing samples at 1200ºC in platinum crucibles. When removing one from the muffle furnace, it slipped out of the tongs. The crucibles were quite expensive and dropping one to the floor would ruin it so I instinctively stuck my hand out and bounced the glowing crucible onto the counter. Fortunately when it hit my hand, it was upside down and I only suffered a thin ring of a burn. It would have been much different had it hit right side up.

BTW, I use the foot catch trick as well. Old habits are hard to break. :face slap:
 
About 25 years ago I used the "capture between your arm and side" method when I dropped one of the kitchen knifes out of a set in a dark hardware store. I was holding it up to the light so I could see it better. After pulling an inch of steel out of my arm, and with my girlfriend applying pressure I paid for the knife set, then got a bunch of stitches. I still have the scar and the knife set, but not the girlfriend.
 
My favourite trick when I started my trade was removing a large copper pan with brass handles from a very hot oven with cloths, then tucking said cloths into my apron and using a bare hand to remove the lid, also with brass handles.
Usually it was so hot my palm would skid over the brass with a hissing noise searing the palm. It stung like hell, the air turned blue but never raised a blister, sort of branded the palm.
The other thing with knives we were always taught to jump back if a knife fell off the bench.
I still do this to this day automatically if I drop something.
 
I wonder if the employees jump back if they drop a knife at the Buck Knife Company. However, if you are ever in Post Falls, Idaho, get a tour of the company. They will give you a list of rules that you must follow such as wearing shoes not flipflops, no pets, etc. The last sentence is "After all this is a knife factory". Also the tour is free. Well, sort of, you will find yourself buying a knife like we did after the tour is over with.
 
Shoot, I didn't know Buck was in Post Falls. I lived in Idaho 15 years and took motorcycle trips almost every nice weather weekend. Would have been a nice place to go to.
 
Groundhog said:
Shoot, I didn't know Buck was in Post Falls. I lived in Idaho 15 years and took motorcycle trips almost every nice weather weekend. Would have been a nice place to go to.
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Buck Knife moved from San Diego Ca. in 2005. At the tour, the guide explained that Kalifornia was getting hard to do business in. So it was either have the Chinese make the knives (which they did for a while in order to keep up the demand) or move. The problem with the Chinese is that Buck did not like their steel, besides they real wanted to stay in the US. By the way their steel either comes from Ohio or Sweden.
 
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