How many of you still turn with your wedding ring on? I’ve read some articles where taking off the ring was talked about but I did a search and I didn’t turn up much.
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How many of you still turn with your wedding ring on? I’ve read some articles where taking off the ring was talked about but I did a search and I didn’t turn up much.
I stopped wearing rings many years ago. Dad had a ring cut off of his finger half a century ago after an electrical accident and one of my brothers got caught in a wire drawing machine he was working on due to rings quite a few decades ago. I figured that I'd forget to take the ring off if I took it on and off just for work so I just stopped wearing rings. My wife was on board with the choice, she may have even been the one who suggested it.Quote:
Originally Posted by bob pfohler
My knuckles have swollen over the years, I haven't been able to get my ring off for nearly 30 years now. I have trouble imagining how it would get me into trouble while turning.
I feel the same way although I’ve heard some people be very adamant about taking it off.Quote:
Originally Posted by roger wiegand
Honestly I’ve seen some of the popular turners on FB that make me cringe more so thane wearing a ring.
I watched a recent YouTube turner checking the wall thickness of a very small turning with his fingers while the lathe was running and the tool rest in place.
Unfortunatly there are a lot of idiots on youtube that have no idea what they are doing and a lot of people that think because it's on youtube it must be right and practice what they see...Quote:
Originally Posted by bob pfohler
I never have my ring on while at home. Not so much for turning but just in general I do enough odds and end stuff that having it on could damage it or my finger. In the past I would just tackle the greasiest job bare handed which always got under the ring making cleaning up that much more of a pain. As for turning I can't see anything I do where my finger is in danger. If it was I would say that's a sign of poor technique and should be changed.
I am presently wearing a ring in the shop in an attempt to test Corian's ability to take abuse. Just wanted to try making rings and was able to get a few pieces of Corian free but hesitate to give or sell rings if they won't hold up. I did take my wedding ring off in the 60's when I managed to get it caught on top of a metal post and nearly did major damage. I put my hand on top of the short metal post on a truck bed and the jumped off the truck. The ring caught on the top corner of the post and nearly removed my finger. Having said that I really don't think that I do anything in my shop that would cause problems if I wore my ring all the time. But that is just me.
I worked with a guy who reached down to tighten a bolt on the engine starter of his boat and his wedding ring shorted between the positive terminal of the starter and the frame. He said his ring turned cherry red in less than a second and burned his finger so bad there was nothing left but the bone. His finger looked terrible even years after it happened. I have seen dozens of safety videos though the years at a variety of construction sites and decided that the best practice was to not ever wear any jewelry because I would surely forget to remove it and suffer the consequences.
They make silicone rings now that look like metal, but help avoid most of the issues you can face with traditional rings - they're non-conductive, won't corrode, are easy to clean, and (I'd assume) will break or stretch if caught on something.
I agree that turning risks are probably low wrt rings, but to me it just isn't worth the added risk of injury, even when the risk is low. I have know enough people who have had serious injuries or injuries that were made more serious as a result of wearing rings for me to swear off of them.
Some years ago I was climbing down from a tree stand. I had installed metal screw-in steps in the tree, and as I was dismounting from the last step my foot slipped off before I had turned loose of the two steps above me on which I had each hand. My wedding ring caught on the step and took my entire weight on my left hand. Fortunately, I quickly reacted and lifted my weight with the other foot. My finger immediately started swelling so I quickly removed my ring. That is the last day I wore a ring. Prior to that, there had been other minor situations in my work shop involving my wedding ring that I should have heeded. But, all is well, still have all ten fingers, the wedding ring is in the safe, and I am still married to the perfect wife!
I have a silicone ring I wear whenever I have any sort of physical work planned. In part for safety, in part because I don't want to ding it up (or bend it into an oval) if I can avoid it.