Old and foolish

[Goatwhiskers]

Some of us go from young and foolish to the old type. SWMBO has a horse trailer with an electric jack that's been getting contrary. Two big *** 12 volt batteries for power. A word to the wise: don't monkey with batteries and connections with jewelry on your hands. Got a burn on my finger and melted spots on my A&M ring. Before any of you get on my case for being an Aggie, remember there are only 3 Aggie jokes. The rest are all true stories. GW

[Hogtamer]

a Clemson guy would have peed on it to lube it up!

[William Yanda]

I've heard you can always tell an Aggie......but you can't tell him much.

Bill, ducking and running.

[Moonie]

I had an uncle that did electronics repair, TV and microwave mostly, he wouldn't wear a wedding ring. He explained to me that he had one get welded to the inside of a TV while he was wearing it....

[44man]

I was a mechanic. Don't wear a ring. A few had it turn red hot under a dashboard. The voltage will not shock you but metal can melt. You will not feel a thing from one post to another but cross a screwdriver once.
I also repaired TV's and voltage at the tube was out of sight. Back then voltage and amps were higher. Today most run on 5 volts or less. Most dangerous is where the 120 volt line comes in. Old tube sets had high at each tube. Picture tubes would need 50,000 or more volts to pull electrons to light the phosphorous. Cross a ring??? Smoked pork smell!

[Freightman]

Freight men don't need to wear a ring saw one fellow who's wife insisted he wear a ring now he don't have a ring finger to wear it on.

[OS OK]

One of my journeyman was exiting the manlift in a hurry and caught his ring on the top of the ladder tube and almost skinned the entire finger. Laid the bottom muscles back like a fish fillet. Freddy was a tough Marine fresh outa Viet Nam, walked up and ask with a straight face for me to give him a ride up to the emergency...rolled his hand over wrapped in a greasy shop towel and showed me...I almost passed out!

[ole 5 hole group]

I was a mechanic. Don't wear a ring. A few had it turn red hot under a dashboard. The voltage will not shock you but metal can melt. You will not feel a thing from one post to another but cross a screwdriver once.
I also repaired TV's and voltage at the tube was out of sight. Back then voltage and amps were higher. Today most run on 5 volts or less. Most dangerous is where the 120 volt line comes in. Old tube sets had high at each tube. Picture tubes would need 50,000 or more volts to pull electrons to light the phosphorous. Cross a ring??? Smoked pork smell!

You are probably referring to the 5U4 tube - I lost a screwdriver within a small living room once due to my mishandling of that tube. I was a HS student at the time and did minor TV repair for a local shop - All I know is both my legs straighten out at Mach IV resulting in my butt flying off the stool and both arms jerking back and where that screwdriver ended up only the Good Lord knows. The Lady of the house helped me look for it and said she would call me if she ever found it - never did get that call.;) I got her TV working for her but that screwdriver cost me 2 hours of work to replace it.

[mold maker]

I saw a fellow jump off a stake body truck once. He left behind his ring and finger hanging on a loose bolt head. Also worked with a lineman that lost a finger to a wire pulling rig because of his ring getting hung up.
I almost lost my wife till I introduced her to the lineman. Then she understood.

[Echo]

I did almost all the repair on my first TV, including installing a new picture tube. Got rejuvenated a couple of times, but nothing too exciting. Only time it was in the shop was when I was in OCS & couldn't be at home w/Sweetie.

[Moonie]

My family owned a concrete company, our salesman was checking the mix in one of the trucks once, slipped, ring caught and he lost the finger, they sewed it back on but was black a week later...

[Blackwater]

Any of the old tube-type stuff has huge voltages in it. A bassist musician friend lost his brother to a shortage in the wiring of his guitar when he stepped on a steel grating where the heat came up through the floor. It electrocuted him instantly, and they had to unplug the amp before they could touch him. The worst spot is the output side of the transformers. Many old tube type guitar amps will have as much as 600+ volts on the output side, and CERTAINLY enough to fry you in a tiny portion of 1 second!

Also, I'd long heard that AC current will make your hand release what it grabs, while DC will contract the muscles and won't allow you to release the connection if it's in your hands. Can anyone verify this for me? I've long been afraid of being shocked, and it's probably a healthy part of why I didn't become a water well driller once. I can wire simple household circuits, but even then, I always consult a real electrician before doing stuff on my own. Electricity shorts cause many, many home fires, and cheaping out on electrical wiring is NOT a wise "investment!" Size of wires is a common "cheap-out" decision that isn't wise! Use the big stuff, always! You won't regret it.

[mold maker]

Don't know about DC but high voltage AC will contract all inline muscles violently which can jerk you out of the connection while 110-220 can cause your hands to tighten and uncontrollably grasp the connection.
Really high voltage instantly boils the liquid in your tissues causing steam explosions inside you along the electrical path.
Those that don't respect electricity are not long on the job.

[DerekP Houston]

Freight men don't need to wear a ring saw one fellow who's wife insisted he wear a ring now he don't have a ring finger to wear it on.

I had enough close calls in the restaurant business that I am still jewelry free. Was a hard time explaining to people that I would rather have a cheap silver band that could easily be cut off than lose a finger due to some titanium fanciness. Desk job and I got fat, now even that doesn't fit.....I keep saying I'll get it replaced but I *know* I'm married so that's all that matters.

Those aggie rings are awful nice though, I hope you get a new one or repair it somehow.

[Goatwhiskers]

Well, the sides are OK, the top is worn almost smooth. Earned that thing back in '73, wouldn't have it if my bride-to-be hadn't bought it for me. (we're still together) Guess I'll still be wearing it on my dying day. Gig 'em! GW

[LUBEDUDE]

My ex didn't think much of a man that wouldn't proudly wear his wedding ring.

I made it abundantly clear that I don't and will not wear it while working in the shop, doing manual labor, participating in sports, or while handling guns (don't want to scratch the metal or dent the wood). That used up about 80% of my no sleeping time.

She put up with my rule for 35 years then I guess she had enough of it. :)

[44man]

Volts is just pressure but amps is the amount that kills. You can light up and get shocked with voltage but will not die. Yet cross a ring with just 12 volts and you can have over 30 amps. Burn a finger off. You can touch both posts of a battery but your resistance is high. Current does not flow.
a 12 volt battery sure does have enough current. Can't flow is all.
They cut thick steel with water now and light. Pressure makes the amount work. But amount does the work.

[DerekP Houston]

Mine was fear of getting it caught in machinery or getting crushed by a heavy duty mixer. We had a limited budget for our wedding due to my job at the time, I voted we spend it all on my wife's ring as it appears to be a bigger status symbol for her than I would ever care about.

Lubedude I hadn't thought of that pov, I will reinvest in a larger ring and display it proudly, thought I still won't spend more than $50 on it. That's primer/lead money after all.

[blackthorn]

Running to fight a fire one day I caught my ring on a bit of weld sticking out of a steel post. That one close call in the plywood plant and no more wedding ring! Later, when I got a desk job I started wearing it again, right up to the divorce. New gal 4 years later and I repurposed my Dad's gold signet ring as a wedding ring. Still wearing it after 19 and 1/2 years.

[leadman]

When I was young and working on Cummins engines I slipped on the icy ladder of a cab-over Freightliner and caught my ring on the ladder. I managed to catch myself but have not worn a ring since. That was over 40 years ago. Still married to the same woman.

[facetious]

My dad had a friend that melted his ring , now all he had was a brand for a ring. Said that was why he had to stay married. couldn't take the ring off.