Stupidity should be painful!

[Ron Kellison]

I was reloading my brad gun with 1 1/4" nails (without removing it from the air hose) and, when I slammed the receiver home the gun fired. My left index finger was somehow in front of the gun and this is the result. They had a few chuckles at the local Emergency room! I have to say that the anesthetic injections hurt a lot more than the nail in my finger. They offered me the brad as a souvenier but I told them I still had plenty more at home. All is well...it missed the bone and I should be as good as new in a couple of days. As it is regarded as a "through and through" I will have to keep an eye out for infection.

I will long remember that first moment after I looked at my finger and thought..."Really? How stupid is that?"

Tenderly,

Ron

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[Pat Barry]

I hope you didn't nail the finger to the table top. BTW, who took the photo? Hope you are feeling better soon.

[Ron Kellison]

I took the photo. My finger was completely numb from the impact so I thought "Why not?" The entry point was on the other side of my finger.

Hmmm...the local is wearing off. Perhaps it's time for something medicinal?

Ron

[johnny means]

Been there before. They really hurt the next day when that subcutaneous bruising sets in.

[John TenEyck]

Sorry to read and see your accident, but glad it wasn't more severe. I think I'm going to disconnect the air hose when reloading from now on. Thanks for being willing to share your misfortune. And it if helps any, I've had to use home medicinal remedies once or twice.

John

[Michael Dunn]

Ouch!!! Do I understand you correctly in saying that you shot the brad from the inside of your finger? So were looking at the 'bottom' of brad that should be buried in the material and NOT your finger?

Your like me... I take pics of everything.

I was eating some Tilapia of few weeks back and I felt a sharp stabbing in my tongue. It was a bone stuck about 1/4" in my tongue. I had my wife take a pic first.

I hope your finger heals swiftly.

[Ron Kellison]

That's correct! I was holding the damn thing in my left hand and pushing on the retaining clip with my right hand. I still have no idea why it fired because neither hand was near the trigger but, when it did, my index finger was right over the nail opening. As soon as my finger heals, the firt thing I'm going to do is tear down the gun to figure out why it fired.

Ron

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[Jim Matthews]

.. I take pics of everything.
I was eating some Tilapia of few weeks back and I felt a sharp stabbing in my tongue. It was a bone stuck about 1/4" in my tongue. I had my wife take a pic first.


Where's the retaining clip on a fish?

Did you heal cleanly, or do you whistle when you run up the stairs?

Owie...

[Carl Beckett]

A good reminder Ron - I dont like reading these posts, but if I can capture some of these images in my brain to pull up the next time I am loading, it will help motivate me to pay attention to safety procedures in every way.

As a side note - its not just during loading. I shot a framing nail through the tip of one of my fingers a couple years ago. I just got a little lax while framing up a wall and was holding a board while shooting through another into it. It decided that half way through it would turn at a right angle and shoot out the side. I knew it happens from time to time, but let my holding hand drift up a bit close to where it should have been.

Heal fast.

[Rick Moyer]

I hope you didn't nail the finger to the table top. BTW, who took the photo? Hope you are feeling better soon.
If he hadn't taken the picture SOMEBODY would have said "no pics, didn't happen" :p.

Ron, many years ago I was using a two inch staple gun to build a crate where I used to work. I pushed the tool against the wood pulled the trigger and it shot one, jumped off the wood and slammed back onto the wood ascew as I still had the trigger depressed, shooting a large staple into the big knuckle of my hand holding the two pcs of wood.
I was very fortunate that the staple hit the bone and came right back out. Didn't even feel it much; until the next day when it was really stiff and sore!

[Myk Rian]

How stupid is that?"
OK. I'll say it. "That was Stupid". :)

Really though. I've never done that, so I'll feel the pain with you.
It's gonna be more than a few days to get over that one.

[Peter Aeschliman]

Ouch!!!!

How on earth did that miss the bone? It's right in the middle of your finger!

[tom blankenship]

In my experience stupidity is painful. I endure a lot of pain.

I wish you rapid healing.

tom

[Dave Ray]

I feel pain just looking at the pictures. Hope you heal quickly

[David Helm]

Don't fell too stupid. A number of years ago, I did the same with a framing nailer. Fortunately for me the nail went through the air a couple of feet before going through my thumb. Pulled the nail out, put a bandaid on it, called the doctor to make sure my tetanus shot was up to date and went back to work. Soft tissue is so much easier than nailing a bone! Hope everything goes well.

[Ron Kellison]

Been there before. They really hurt the next day when that subcutaneous bruising sets in.

You "nailed" it! I've been feeling my pulse in that finger all day. I was back in the shop today but didn't use the nail gun.

Ron

[Brad Cambell]

I grimaced and chills ran up my spine when I saw your finger. hope all goes well with the healing.

[Bryan Mills]

Been there...done that, but worse. I was using a coil nailer while adding trim to a deck and the gun jumped when i fired a nail (probably hit another nail or screw under the surface) and landed on my hand while still holding the trigger. The reason i say worse is because coil nails are collated with two strips of wire so there's two nubs with wire bits on the body of the nail...they went right through my finger. To make matters worse, the doctor did not want to cut the head off and just pull it the rest of the way though in the direction is entered because he was concerned that the removal of the head would leave the end to be pulled though rough and burred. So the genius decided to pull it out the other way, even though i said that the nubs and wire bits were no better than the perceived marring he was worried about (with regards to cutting off the head). Sure enough, he pulled it back though, and left a piece of wire in my finger... Oh but wait, it gets worse. I could see it just under the skin, it almost made it out. When i told him, he told me "no, that's not it" and proceeded to make multiple incisions in my fingertip during his hunt. Eventually he took me to the xray machine and located it, right where i told him it was in the first place. Grrrrrrr. Makes me wish I had simply cut the head off at the job site and pulled it out myself. Would have been far less damage and faster healing time.

What you say is really true though...did not hurt at all and the worst part was the needle. I tried to take a pic, but my phone would not work...I was disappointed about that, haha.

[Peter Quinn]

Haven't been there, hope I never do, hope you heal quickly. Maybe I'm a safety weenie in this particular regard, but I always disconnect the air. I had a 15g finish nailer shoot a round when reloading years ago, just after I got my first nail guns. It didn't hit me or anyone close, up it got my attention. I don't like bump fire guns either, except roofing nailers, though my framer can be set up that way for nailing of sheathing. Don't call it stupid, call it experience. Means the same thing, has a better ring to it.

[Ken Kortge]

Hmmm, I just happened to be looking at the user manuals for my Porter Cable brad and finish nailers last night (yeah, an exciting Saturday night) and they specifically say to connect the air supply BEFORE loading the nailer.

An explanation is in the long list of safety rules:

"Connect tool to air supply before loading fasteners, to prevent a fastener from being fired during connection. The tool driving mechanism may cycle when tool is connected to the air supply."

[john looser]

I feel your pain . Last month I nailed 2 fingers together with a 2 1/2" 16 gauge finish nail and once with a 2" 15 gauge staple . It happens :eek:

[Jay Jolliffe]

When framing my house I used a coil framing gun. I don't know how it happened but I shot a 16 gauge into my hand. It went in between the baby finger knuckle & the next one. Went under the skin between that & bone. The point came out where my thumb is attached. I buried the head into the skin. Grabbed it with pliers & pulled it out. Those barbs hurt a bit. Like ripping a fish hook through your hand. Put a little ointment & band-aid on and continue working....Part of the job i guess. My wife was more freaked out than I was.

[Carl Beckett]

And just to be fair from all this nail gun safety, I have seen as much damage done by a conventional hammer (saw a guy mash the tip of a finger while holding a roofing nail - there wasnt much left on the tip that resembled a finger.....

Get well soon!

[Mel Fulks]

People have been killed with hammers, but usually someone else was wielding them .My state executed a guy for 2 or 3.

[ray hampton]

When framing my house I used a coil framing gun. I don't know how it happened but I shot a 16 gauge into my hand. It went in between the baby finger knuckle & the next one. Went under the skin between that & bone. The point came out where my thumb is attached. I buried the head into the skin. Grabbed it with pliers & pulled it out. Those barbs hurt a bit. Like ripping a fish hook through your hand. Put a little ointment & band-aid on and continue working....Part of the job i guess. My wife was more freaked out than I was.

a number of people have been shot in the head and chest by a nail gun , sometime at a site across the wide street BUT IT'S IS NOT THE GUN FAULT

[Dave Zellers]

a number of people have been shot in the head and chest by a nail gun , sometime at a site across the wide street
By the time a nail gun nail reached the other side of a street, there would be very little force left. Hard to imagine much damage could occur. Eyes notwithstanding.

[Bill Wyko]

Many years ago when I was a framer, I was nailing a top plate to a stud. The safety hit the top edge of the plate and16p nail flew threw the air and went through my hand that was holding the stud. I showed my boss & he laughed at me & said pull that @#$/ out and get your @$$ back to work. I can say, it hurts like heck after a day or 2.

[ray hampton]

By the time a nail gun nail reached the other side of a street, there would be very little force left. Hard to imagine much damage could occur. Eyes notwithstanding.

you are possible right not much damage will occur even if you get hit in your head by a nail and do not know that you got hit by a nail