TheSamba.com :: View topic - Why you don't wear jewelry while working on your car.

Mon Oct 27, 2014 9:25 pm

So pulled the car out yesterday and turned it off I check the oil. When I got back in to start it. Wouldn't start, popped the back seat to look at the wiring and see what was wrong.
Here is where the story gets interesting.
I noticed a wire had come loose from my hard start button, so I reached down to tighten it back up, and I had forgotten to take my watch off.
When I reached in, my watch touched the positive side of the battery, and arced through the metal wristband to a ground. Well in this process, the clasp got very very hot (red hot to be exact), I tried to pull it off only to realize that the arc made a spot weld on the clasp keeping me from opening it. At this point I am in allot of pain, I can hear my arm sizzling. Finally I got my knife out and managed to pry the clasp open and get the watch off. But the damage was already done, I have a second degree burn about the size of a half dollar, and a third degree burn the size of a dime, on my left wrist.
Heading to the doc tomorrow to get it checked out. Wish me luck.

Tue Oct 28, 2014 5:21 am

ewww.. good luck... it's not too often I read "my arm sizzling..."!

Tue Oct 28, 2014 7:13 am

It's not a fun experience.

Tue Oct 28, 2014 7:14 am

VWCOOL wrote: ewww.. good luck... it's not too often I read "my arm sizzling..."!
Lol that was a new experience for me too.

Tue Oct 28, 2014 1:00 pm

Ouch! Sorry to hear, but I gotta know.... Did it take licking and keep on ticking?

Tue Oct 28, 2014 2:18 pm

My wedding ring still had the divits in it and my finger still has the scar - bridged the generator hot with it .... I dont take it off, BUT always wear mechanics gloves anymore. I can honestly say "I feel your pain"

Tue Oct 28, 2014 2:23 pm

2type2 wrote: Ouch! Sorry to hear, but I gotta know.... Did it take licking and keep on ticking?
Yes actually, it's a Titan submarine, all mechanical, so it didn't do anything to it.

Tue Oct 28, 2014 2:24 pm

andk5591 wrote: My wedding ring still had the divits in it and my finger still has the scar - bridged the generator hot with it .... I dont take it off, BUT always wear mechanics gloves anymore. I can honestly say "I feel your pain"
Yeah it hurts don't it.

Tue Oct 28, 2014 3:10 pm

My buddy arced under his dash with a ring he had for scoring a hat trick in bowling! It had three rubies, so when it burned his finger it left three really cool diamond-shaped white arc-delete sections- just like a small Mitsubishi emblem!

Tue Oct 28, 2014 3:29 pm

I know a guy who fell from a car trailer, in doing so his wedding band hung up and ripped his entire finger off his hand.

Tue Oct 28, 2014 7:01 pm

hitest wrote: My buddy arced under his dash with a ring he had for scoring a hat trick in bowling! It had three rubies, so when it burned his finger it left three really cool diamond-shaped white arc-delete sections- just like a small Mitsubishi emblem!
Cool

Tue Oct 28, 2014 7:02 pm

anthracitedub wrote: I know a guy who fell from a car trailer, in doing so his wedding band hung up and ripped his entire finger off his hand.
Ouch, a girl my dad worked with did that once.

Wed Oct 29, 2014 5:21 am

I was MIG welding on something a few years back. I was holding things in place by hand, I guess I didn't have the ground clamp close enough to the part I was welding. The welder decided that my wedding ring was the path of least resistance, it must have been touching both parts of metal. I very quickly started to smoke, luckily I was able to pull it off before it got stuck. It left a perfect circular blister around my finger.

Wed Oct 29, 2014 6:32 am

I don't wear a ring anymore either. Many years ago, while dicking with the battery with pliers, crossed it and of course, melted part of a ring. Still have the "partially gold plated" pliers! :|

Wed Oct 29, 2014 9:13 am

When people refer to "what brand of watch do you have?" they don't mean this. :wink:

Wed Oct 29, 2014 9:26 am

xoo00oox wrote: I was MIG welding on something a few years back. I was holding things in place by hand, I guess I didn't have the ground clamp close enough to the part I was welding. The welder decided that my wedding ring was the path of least resistance, it must have been touching both parts of metal. I very quickly started to smoke, luckily I was able to pull it off before it got stuck. It left a perfect circular blister around my finger.
Ouch.

Wed Oct 29, 2014 9:26 am

pyrOman wrote: I don't wear a ring anymore either. Many years ago, while dicking with the battery with pliers, crossed it and of course, melted part of a ring. Still have the "partially gold plated" pliers! :|
At least they have a story haha

Wed Oct 29, 2014 9:27 am

Jon Schmid wrote: When people refer to "what brand of watch do you have?" they don't mean this. :wink:
Lol dude you made my day.

Wed Oct 29, 2014 9:30 am

To anyone wondering, went to the doc. He said I was taking good care of it so he didn't bother with it. Said it will heal enough to leave uncovered, in probably a month to 5 weeks. And he gave me antibiotics to prevent infection.
Now I just have to come up with a battle story for how I got the scar. :wink:

Wed Oct 29, 2014 11:30 am

In high school my auto shop teacher told us never to wear watches or jewelry when working on cars for that exact same reason because the same thing happened to him.