Striking hardened Steel on hardened Steel is a bad idea.

[98G]

While working on flipping deuce hubs I was removing the wheelstuds by means of tapping them out. To ensure I didn't hit one off center, I placed a 3lb sledge on the stud and then struck the sledge with another hammer.

I knew this was a bad idea but did it anyway.

I felt an impact on my left hand. I thought perhaps the handle had twisted in my grip. A few blows later and my glove was bloody. I removed my glove, blood squirted.

Assessment revealed a small cut. I palpated and didn't feel any foreign body. I held pressure, got it stopped bleeding, put on a new glove and continued working.

I got home about 3am.

I woke up yesterday with more pain and swelling. Placing a magnet near the affected area caused instant extreme pain.

X-ray shows a steel shard about the size of a 5.56 projectile up against the bone.

I spent the day yesterday getting this dug out of me. My left hand is unusable for a while.....

 

[Scar59]

- beats a jab in the eye with a sharp stick....John, you know better. Hope you heal quickly, if you are going to continue to flip hubs, get a porta press.

 

[tobyS]

- beats a jab in the eye with a sharp stick....John, you know better. Hope you heal quickly, if you are going to continue to flip hubs, get a porta press.

Or a brass or lead hammer.

 

[mkcoen]

Wow! Sorry to hear about that. I will keep that in the back of my mind though. I have a great aversion to pain and just the thought having to have it dug out is lesson enough.

 

[dmetalmiki]

Heck!, I hope all is well with you now, The number of times we all "just do it anyway", Until, 'someone "gets it". Another safety item duly noted.

 

[tobyS]

Father in law did that years ago and a nice big piece went in his leg. My 3# was never the same. I don't know about the (ex) father in law.

 

[silverstate55]

Sorry to hear about your hand, but I'm glad that you didn't lose an eye or have things turn out worse.

 

[M35A2-AZ]

Sorry to hear about your hand!! Sometime we do things we should not and get away with it and sometime we do not.
Hope you get better soon!!.

 

[Aerialfred]

Hope you heal quickly!

 

[Plane Fast]

Hope your back in action soon. Get well.

 

[jbayer]

It's funny (not that someone got hurt)that when we're doing someting that we know we should'nt, we keep doing it anyway. (Been there done that, more than once) Hope your recovery goes well.

 

[rchalmers3]

It's funny ....... that when we're doing someting that we know we should'nt, we keep doing it anyway. (Been there done that, more than once)

Yep, each time we get away with it, we become more emboldened. When I copped a shard, it went into my elbow from the inside of the joint. The doc mentioned all the things he had to dodge, tendon, veins and a nerve, as he rooted it out.

I have owned three different weight brass hammers for some time now!

Rick

 

[BenRoberts]

Hang it there. I use hammer on hammer everyday at work and have lucked out so far but this makes me think twice about it.

 

[98G]

Hang it there. I use hammer on hammer everyday at work and have lucked out so far but this makes me think twice about it.

That is the goal of me posting this....

 

[gimpyrobb]

I still have a chunk in my arm from years ago. Things get exciting when I wave a magnet over it! Hope you heal up good as new.

 

[sed6]

Total bummer, heal fast! I worry all the time about hurting myself working on mine. Everything is big and heavy or requires climbing to service. Seems there is no end to the number of ways to injure oneself. Plus they happen at the most inopportune times too, in the middle of a repair or with $$ on the line. I do hope you heal up fast!

 

[MtnSnow]

Glad you will survive John. Hope things heal up quickly for you.

 

[AZK9]

... I woke up yesterday with more pain and swelling.

... My left hand is unusable for a while.....

Sorry to hear of your injury. Hope things improve quickly.

On the bright side...
Maybe you can use the 'healing-time' to head north and do some property hunting.

 

[royalflush55]

Sorry about your accident. I would like to recommend you get some UDDERLY SMOOTH body cream and keep it on your wound until it heals. It was developed for dairy cow udders but is safe for humans to use also. It is available at WALMART and some of the other big name pharmacies. It will keep you from having as much scar tissue in your hand. I had to have stitches in two fingers several years ago and the doctor said I would lose some of the movement in my fingers. I kept them moistened with this cream until they healed and to this day they are still in good shape. The doctor couldn't believe how well it worked. Hope you have a speedy recovery.

 

[USAFSS-ColdWarrior]

Prayers UP for your quick, complete and an uneventful recovery. May you grow older and wiser in the process.
Amen.