TheOtherErik Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 After 8 years of being an Automotive Technician I had my first Accidental discharge with an impact gun. The day started like any other. I arived in my usual fasion, punch the time card and head straight for the coffee maker in the show room. I drank my two cup minmum and shot the breez with the boys fror a few minuts before heading to the dispatcher for my first job. I greeted the dispatcher as ususal, "Mornin' Carl, Where da gravy at? " ( Thats mechanic speak for "give me an easy job") "No gravy here" as he slides a repair order through the slot at the bottom of the window. I quickly glance at the repair order and see that the vheicle is an '03 mustang covertable and the customers concern is that the left rear quarter window doesn't roll down. I retreive the car form the parking deck and verifty that the window does indeed not work. With the car in my stall I lowered the top and began to gather the tools necessary to complete the job. My arm full of tools and I are going to rock and roll in the back seat of this mustang. A screw driver disengages the clips for the rear seat bottom, 1/4'' drive ratchet and socket remove the 10mm bolts holding the seat back. The rear seats are out now its time for the quarter trrim. With my specialized pry tool I disengage the clips holding the trim pannel and manuver it aside. Now that all the trim is out of the way, its time to get down to the nitty gritty.To reach the window regulator and motor I first must remove the hydrulic covertable top ram. I know that these fasteners holding the ram are torqued down prety good as well having excessive amounts thread lock. The decision is simple go for the air tools. I grab my 3/8' drive Impcat gun and 13mm universal drive socket from the floor pan of the car. Quickly I place the socket on the drive. With the gun in my strong hand slightly canted outward and grabed the airline with my weak hand. As if it were a perfect reload, the fitting on the hose and the fitting on the gun mated together with a "wooosh". But then, unexpectidly the 150psi air imediatly reved the impact gun to its max. The wobbly socket separated form its drive and went careening in the air and impacted a pair of 10 foot florecent tubes with a crash. "OH Sh*t" I cried as glass and white powder rained down form the sky and blanketed the interior of the mustang like a fresh snow. I brushed my hair out, dusted sholders off and began to asses the dammage. I then realized that I had the trigger depressed when I connected the air line causing the air gun to go wide open. My lunch hour didn't go as usual. Instead of spending it with my buddys in the break room, it was spent with my new pal shop-vac. After the glass was cleaned up I continued on to make the repair and then returned the car to its original state without any more incidents. Moral of the story is. If it has a trigger.(firearm, air tools, electric drill, etc.) make sure that your finger is off it until you are on target. Otherwise the rest of you day may not go as usual. Oh yeah, make sure that you have eye protection on if you are using things with triggers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Larry Cazes Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 Erik, About 2 months ago, I had a similiar "snow storm" fall on my workbench. After working with 1911's for 5+ years, I had my first AD and wasted a flourescent bulb with a recoil plug and spring! I feel for ya! It makes a real mess....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 I have some plastic tubes that go over the bulbs. Home Depot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOtherErik Posted December 3, 2003 Author Share Posted December 3, 2003 I have some plastic tubes that go over the bulbs. Home Depot. My company spend money on safety device HA! SO tube containing broken glass falls from the sky or will it stay up there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 I mentioned it more for the springs flying from the bench and into the lights...I don't know how they would hold up to an AD. Might be fun to find out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhino Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 Great story, Erik! I think you should blame your boss for not providing you with proper tools. Clearly the wrench should have had a trigger guard at the very least, and preferably a proper thumb safety where you could rest your strong hand thumb. Never accept the responsibility when you can pass it up the line! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Sweeney Posted December 3, 2003 Share Posted December 3, 2003 Ya know, if that thing doesn't have a loaded chamber indicator and a magazine safety, they won't be able to sell in in Kalifornistan in 2007. I learned in shop class in Junior High to check machines before turnign them on. Mr. Braisted had the huge-est chains locking the chucks to the drill presses. The smaller chains kept breaking when students turned on the drill press with the chuck installed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOtherErik Posted December 4, 2003 Author Share Posted December 4, 2003 Great story, Erik!I think you should blame your boss for not providing you with proper tools. Clearly the wrench should have had a trigger guard at the very least, and preferably a proper thumb safety where you could rest your strong hand thumb. Never accept the responsibility when you can pass it up the line! Thanks Rhino, it is funny, however not nearly as great and as eloquently told as "The day the pants failed" The tool thing is a common misconception. The automotive trade is one of the only few that reqire a person to furnish their own tools. Its a continuous gripe of mine. Im waiting for some to say that this story reminds them of the time when they went to plug in the belt sander and it took off like a screaming bandit.... off the work bench out the garage over the hood if their car and halfway down the street be to it came to and grinding hault at the end of the 100' extension cord bucking and kicking at the feet of a couple of small children clutching each other in utter terror. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue edge Posted December 13, 2003 Share Posted December 13, 2003 Erik, furinsh your own tools? people just dont understand!! I could have paid cash money for my first house and had money left over with the money I have spent on tools! IT never ends sometimes spending big $$$$ on tools you use one or two times. Lets not forget the little box you put the tools in,10 k $ or more Oh yes,dont forget the hours and $$ spent for training everyear. It gripes me too! I know drift sorry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted December 14, 2003 Share Posted December 14, 2003 TheOtherErik's future signature: I couldn't repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheOtherErik Posted December 14, 2003 Author Share Posted December 14, 2003 Thats a possibilty, however I'd be inclined to cut a hole in the floor so you could stick out your feet. 3-5 grand annualy easy. I could have two new race guns every year if I didnt have to buy tools to do my job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacifistwitharifle Posted February 9, 2005 Share Posted February 9, 2005 Well if it makes you feel better i've done stupider. I was working with my old man doing framing to make trusses for a new roof on the garage i was working with a pnuematic nailgun with the press safety so you couldn't fire it with out having it on the wood. Well how this usually works is squeeze the trigger and smack the nose of the gun on the wood to fire a nail. Well my safety has been jamming all day and its near 7 o'clock in the evening and I only have to toenail this one truss in place yet. Keep in mind im a good 12 feet off the ground on a 6 in wide cinderblock wall and im leaning against an adjacent root top. I'm trying to unjam the safety and being eager to finish (read as stupid) haven't disconnected the air hose to do this safely. Well as I'm fiddling with this nailgun I accidently drop it then grab for it to keep it from dropping (the safety is still jammed) and catch it but my finger hits the trigger sending a 3 1/2 inch framing nail through my shoe (no i wasn't wearing steel toed) through my foot and pinning me to the 2x6 header on top of the cinderblock wall. Needless to say i dropped the gun again and by dumb luck fell the right direction to lean against the roof of the other garage near me. But it did mean a trip to the emergency room and a story i will likely never live down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sturmruger Posted April 8, 2005 Share Posted April 8, 2005 How on earth did you get the nail out?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pacifistwitharifle Posted April 27, 2005 Share Posted April 27, 2005 I didn't personally. My dad who was working also got up on a ladder and did some very fancy cutting on the header and nail with a sawzall and a bi metal blade to get me loose then straight to the hospital and they removed it there. Lost about 2 days work doing that Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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