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Jerry77

Dumb Stuff

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Jerry77

A post from Ed Kennell got me to thinking..What is the absolute dumbest , studpidest thing you have ever done? the one that tops the list for dumb?....make me feel good, I'll tell you mine and you tell me yours..short version: was a maintenance welder for Kaiser Aluminum in a foundry - had these enormous baghouses with 100 hp electic motors pulling the air from the furnaces..30 inch pipe ran from the top of the building down to a 2 story baghouse...I was on probation not having my time in yet and needed the job...foreman told me to go into the pipe and by kicking my legs I would get the dirt moving ( it had backed up and not going into the baghouse )..said to duct tape my  ankles and wrists and wear a dust mask ( the kind with two rubber bands ! ! ) and they would tie a rope to me to pull me back out after getting into the pipe thru a hatch (motor was running) after the airlocks started dumping dirt...  In retrospect I should have told him to @3##7& but I did it anyway..this was before OSHA became really effective...dumb, dumb, dumb..etc...I hope I'm not the only idiot......

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cafoose

 

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Achto

When I was in high school I ran a wire from the fence to the front bumper of my car. It was the last time that our dog lifted his leg on my aluminum rims.:D

 

As far as dumb moments. One of mine would be using a pole saw while standing on a step ladder. After the limb cut through it twisted. Me, the ladder, the limb and the saw all ended up in a heap on the ground.

Edited by Achto
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ACman
1 hour ago, JPWH said:

When I was 6 my 4 year older brother talked me into peeling on an electric fence. 

 

I did same to my cousin and he was old enough to know better :lol: ! 

 

Where to begin is a problem for me , as I done many of stupid things that should’ve put me in a wheelchair long ago. I guess anyone growing up on a farm can say the same . One that does stand out is when I worked at a machine shop as a finish grinder. I was running our new cnc grinder and I noticed my coolant was on the floor coming from the back . I went around the grinder and found that my filter paper was full . For some reason the conveyor wasn’t feeding out. The conveyor was made up with heavy duty plastic chain (like #60) with metal round bar running between so the coolant could pass through.

22B843E1-1958-4A45-B754-26189580DE53.jpeg.a36db49e93562ab518b5aed2d0047875.jpeg

 

When I grabbed the bar it started feeding in pinching my fingers against the top cover. This is when the adrenaline kicked in . With all my strength I pulled back bending the bar and breaking the chain. I’m lucky to have my fingers and the boss never did figure out how it got broken.

Edited by ACman
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KC9KAS

I am not going to add to the list, as the statue of limitations hasn't ran out on a lot of them.

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Ed Kennell
1 hour ago, Jerry77 said:

A post from Ed Kennell got me to thinking.....I hope I'm not the only idiot......

 

     I don't think of it as dumb things we do Jerry.   It's more like a calculated risk.

I can't really pick one, but the top five might be;

1. Removing a trigger fuse from a 440V breaker with a screw driver.  Seems even with the breaker racked out, the fuse is still connected to the buss.

        I survived the resulting explosion that melted my safety glasses and knocked me unconscious leaving me with no facial hair, a severe weld flash and sunburn.

       After I got my sight back and signed off on the accident investigation, Allis Chalmers changed the design of the breakers.

2. Thinking  the KEEP RIGHT sign,  that I was about to hit when my brakes failed,  would simply bend over and pass under the car.

        Seems the bottom bolt  that held it to the metal pole was missing.   The pole collapsed and went under the car as  planned, but the sign separated from the pole and came thru the

        wind shield on edge like a guillotine.   Lucky for me, it struck the steering wheel amputating my right pinky finger.  An inch higher and......

3. Working on a floating platform rebuilding the discharge edges of a hydro turbine that was the emergency supplier of electricity to a large nuclear plant.  If the nuclear plant lost power for any reason, the hydro turbine had to be put on line within 10 minutes.    That meant all the air, and power service lines  to the pit work area  were cut , the mandoor was closed , and the turbine pit flooded.  The platform and all the equipment would be washed down river.  We  felt at least 4 of the 6 men in the pit would have time to get out.

4. Working in a hand dug coal mine as a 13 year old.    The coal seam was 15" high.  Of course you laid on your side loosening the coal with a small pick and worked it out to the main shaft where it was loaded in cars.   After removing about 10' of coal, you would set a block of wood up and drive a wedge in at the top to support the rock ceiling.

5. Before I had a couple bouts with vertigo, I was once lower by rope around my feet about 15" down a vertical  20" pipe to lube and set the closed position of a butterfly valve.

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Jerry77
50 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

but the top five might be

Thanks Ed...I feel better now...I didn't list my others, but they involved high speed in a car (150+) and chainsaws and gasoline, so I'll just let it go at that...surprising you have even survived yours. I couldn't handle the 15 inch ceiling...:bow-blue:

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ztnoo
3 hours ago, Jerry77 said:

What is the absolute dumbest , stupidest thing you have ever done?

 

Jerry, let me rephrase that somewhat.

As an Indiana State Police officer, I'm sure you saw plenty of dumb, stupid things from citizens during your tenure at IPS.

Can you relate a few of those incidents to us?

I bet you've got some whoppers to tell.....1f914.png.fb36f3cbcf4ce9f2ebabae17962210da.png

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WNYPCRepair
1 hour ago, Achto said:

When I was in high school I ran a wire from the fence to the front bumper of my car. It was the last time that our dog lifted his leg on my aluminum rims.:D

 

As far as dumb moments. One of mine would be using a pole saw while standing on a step ladder. After the limb cut through it twisted. Me, the ladder, the limb and the saw all ended up in a heap on the ground.



Like many of us, I have so many it's hard to remember, but Achto's is very similar to my latest, anyway. I was cutting a large limb off a tree while standing on a ladder. I knew there was a good possibility the limb would kick back toward the ladder when it went, so as soon as it started to go, I started down the ladder, fast. Too fast, as I slipped and started to fall backward. I was afraid I would break my back or neck, so I jumped the 6 to 8 feet remaining. I broke both bones in my leg at the ankle. I thought I had just twisted my ankle, but when I tried to stand and see if I could put weight on it, it flopped over as if it weren't attached. Today, 5 months later, I am finally able to walk fairly well, and still have a LOT of pain. 

As far as electric fence stories, when I was a kid, a raccoon kept getting in the trash can, so my dad sat the galvanized can on a rubber floor mat, connected one wire of an extension cord to the can, and one to a rod in the ground. The raccoon woke us all up screaming, and never came back. 

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Jerry77
4 minutes ago, ztnoo said:

I bet you've got some whoppers to tell.

Let me  think about that, but most would take too long to quote...did really see some s t u p i d  stuff tho...if I think of any short versions I'll tell them...:)

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953 nut
42 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

I can't really pick one, but the top five might be;

Ed, if you were a cat I think most of your 9 lives have been lived!             :ychain:

3 hours ago, Jerry77 said:

maintenance welder for Kaiser Aluminum in a foundry

Mine was also at an Aluminum plant. I was doing electrical work for United Conveyor at the Alcoa plant in Massena NY. The plant used huge cast carbon anodes (about 2,000 pounds each) in the smelting process. The conveyor we were finishing up would sort them by length so they would be even sets and then deliver a full set to be lined up for the next batch as needed. We had tested individual components but this was to be the first full run to verify that everything worked as it should. A random selection of anodes had been loaded and we walked down the travel path to be sure it was clear, the switch was thrown and the test started. The casting plant was about a mile away and given the slow speed of the conveyor it would be some time before the sorter was reached. While we waited confidently a trouble alarm sounded and the machine stopped! Turns out a plumber had parked his truck in the path of the anodes unaware of the test and the first one in line drug the truck about twenty feet before the breaker tripped due to too much chain tension. Guess we should have posted all he doors as do not enter!

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Jerry77
1 hour ago, WNYPCRepair said:

I am finally able to walk fairly well,

Ouch....That was a game changer there..sure hope that gets better....:(

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WNYPCRepair
5 minutes ago, Jerry77 said:

Ouch....That was a game changer there..sure hope that gets better....:(



Getting stronger every day. Dr says it will take a year or more to heal completely. Biggest pain in the rear is the plate on the outside of my leg. There is no fat or muscle to cover it, it's just under the (tightly stretched) skin, and the slightest bump hurts


I may never climb another ladder though

 

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ebinmaine
4 hours ago, stevasaurus said:

It would take a lot less typing if I told you guys when I wasn't doing something stupid.

:text-yeahthat:

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Achto
4 hours ago, WNYPCRepair said:

Biggest pain in the rear is the plate on the outside of my leg. There is no fat or muscle to cover it, it's just under the (tightly stretched) skin, and the slightest bump hurts

 

 

I had a fist full of metal & screws when I shattered my ankle a few years back. I ended up having all the scrap metal removed after about 7 months. The doc said it could've stayed in but I couldn't take the irritation while wearing boots. I could feel the screw heads under the skin. It sucked to be laid up again for a few days after I had the metal taken out, but I have no regrets about getting it removed.

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WNYPCRepair
1 hour ago, Achto said:

 

 

I had a fist full of metal & screws when I shattered my ankle a few years back. I ended up having all the scrap metal removed after about 7 months. The doc said it could've stayed in but I couldn't take the irritation while wearing boots. I could feel the screw heads under the skin. It sucked to be laid up again for a few days after I had the metal taken out, but I have no regrets about getting it removed.



Yeah, I can feel everything. 

I ripped the band of tissue that holds the two bones together, but lets them flex when you walk, so they put a screw through both bones to hold them together. I can feel that one every step.

 

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