Turk's Head Safety *CAUTION* GRAPHIC CONTENT

[Tyler Blake]

Hi Everyone,
If you're squeamish, do not read this. I'm not posting this for shock value, I'm posting it in the hopes that someone here will learn from my mistake. Especially those of you who are just getting started with making whips- It's OK to be eager, but not hasty! The other night I was tying a Turk's head, and it was a little loose so I was using a pair of needle nose pliers to tighten it up. I've done it many times, starting with the standing end and working your way through, pulling out the slack until you get to the free end. Well, I was pulling away, talking to my wife, when the pliers slipped and, since I was pulling towards myself, they went through my lower lip. At first I didn't realize what happened- I stood up and was holding my mouth, and then I felt this tickling sensation on my forearms, and on closer inspection they were covered in blood.

Now, I know that I shouldn't pull towards myself, but I did it anyways because I wasn't thinking about it. Those of us who own firearms KNOW that they have to be unloaded before cleaning, but you still hear about accidental discharges because people didn't think about it. Everyone KNOWS when handling a knife not to cut towards themselves, but they still do, and have accidents, because they weren't thinking about it. So please- think about it and remember a mental image of me with blood running out of my face when you're using pliers to tighten a knot, and be safe.

I like to try and find the positive side to negative situations- number one, I didn't get blood on my customers whip! And better still, it wasn't my eye...

[Jonathan Lewis]

Wow Tyler, I am soooo glad it was not your eye.
I hope it doesn't keep you in pain for too long, but give yourself some extra time to rest up even after you feel like you can do everything you are used too.

[Caleb Krug]

Well, I have already managed in my short whip making history to stab myself in the thumb with a fid, I am glad that is my personal reminder and not a new piercing! Nice to hear you are okay though!

[David Cross]

Slip-and-jab is actually very common in maille-making. The preferred technique is to grip the ring with two pairs of flat-jawed pliers and use a rotational force to open and close the ends. However, even though there is a great deal of leverage in that method, sometimes the pliers can lose their grip. It is very common to use smooth-jaw pliers (no teeth), to avoid marring the surface of the rings, which does not help grip strength at all.

Everyone is cautioned about the possibility of grip loss, yet it still happens. You don't mean to be careless, but after 20-30,000 rings, you get into a pattern and your mind wanders. You start thinking about other things and...~stab~. I have done it myself.

Another dangerous part of maille-making -perhaps the most dangerous part- is coiling the wire prior to cutting out the rings. The method I used for over ten years was to cut specially-shaped grooves into a pair of wood blocks, then drill a wire feed hole in the side of one of them. The blocks are clamped around a metal rod, the wire is fed in, and the rod is turned (SLOWLY) by an electric drill.

We are all told that metal wire should never be taken lightly. We are all told that the end of a spool is the most dangerous thing you can come into contact with, because if the free end comes off the spool (under tension) it can slice through your skin like a knife. We're also told not to coil the wire too quickly because the wire can come off the spool incorrectly and form a loop.

Well...just such a thing happened to me. It would have been about 7-8 years ago, back when I was living with an old friend of mine. We were talking about something (I can't remember what) and one of those thrice-damned loops came off the spool at high speed. I am very lucky I had the reflexes to let off the drill's trigger as soon as I saw it. The loop came straight down on my left index finger.

Luckily I was wearing heavy gloves at the time and my drill wasn't very powerful. If there had been ANY more inertia on that loop, I'd be minus one finger. As it is, I was only bruised for a few days. The point remains: I wasn't trying to be casual about it, but it still happened.

I think that the thing to remember is to keep oneself aware of what's happening. Take regular breaks, even if they're not needed. Stopping what you're doing can break your rhythm, yes, but it can also hard-reset your thinking and force you to "come back" to reality.

I like to take a break about once every hour or so; more if I feel like I need it. It does slow me down, but I haven't had any accidents like this in years. I think a couple extra days' production time is well worth the sacrifice if I get to keep my fingers.

I'm sorry to hear about your accident, Tyler. Be sure to get yourself checked for Tetanus. Anti-biotics can't hurt either.

I would also recommend this topic be kept around for others' benefit. It's a bit of a shock, but it's good to know what can happen if you're not paying attention.

[Jeremy McEachern]

Ive had pretty serious cuts under my finger nails, especially thumbs, from fid slips. That incopacitates you for while!!
Sorry to hear you hurt yourself, but i'm glad you shared. Maybes it'll help someone!

[Guest]

Occupational hazards can suck a lot. Thanks for sharing this as "this can also happen" kind of advice. Got any stitches with this one, or just a Indiana Jones -worthy scar?

Jeremy: Having seen some photos of leatherwork tools, I must say I'm surprised to hear that a fid is something you mention as a hazard. Some of the lace cutting tools look like one misplaced daydream short of a hospital trip.


- Pokkis

[Jeremy McEachern]

When tying turks head knots, especially leather since even under tension its somewhat springy, the fid can ALMOST work under the strand then slip. Youre already pushing very hard on it so when its slips it goes. If theres a finger or something neaby, theres no avoiding it! And since its blunt it tears whatever it hits... Long time to heal lol

[Tim Cousineau]

Tyler, sorry to hear about that, but good to know you're ok. You're right, you got lucky, you coulda bled all over the whip! Just joking. I'm glad you're ok.

[Robby Amper]

Oh, man... I'm happy, too, that you didn't hurt your eyes. Such accidents happen so fast, it's terrible. A little lack of concentration and - well. Tell your customer what happened and I'm sure he'll understand absolutely. Take your time, get well and have a rest. And in a few days you can start all over again!

My best wishes!
Robby

[Josee Richard]

Sorry to hear about your accident. Hope you feel better soon...

[Keanu Shimaoka]

Ouch. I once had a similar accident, I was trying to pull my needle and lace with a pair of pliers to tighten up a Turk's head. Lo and behold, the needle slipped and stabbed me in my hand. Ever since, I've always used glasses while tying Turk's heads as a precaution.

Take care and get well soon!

[Fritz Ehlers]

This whole thread is making my toes curl.
Tyler that sounds quite painful, glad you're okay man.
Could have gone all kinds of wrong.

[Tyler Blake]

Thanks for the Well Wishes everyone I didn't get any stitches, just put pressure on it till the bleeding stopped and put a band-aid on it. I'll have a scar, but I don't really know if it's Indiana Jones worthy. Next time I grow my beard back, I'm not even sure if it will show. Be safe, everyone!

[Jonathan Lewis]

Good idea. I'll keep my beard for now as safety cushion for my chin. Indy got his scar from his his first whip-crack so I'm sure yours will be just as respectable.

[Lasse Carenvall]

OUCH! Still, I know just what you mean. Problem is, if you´re working with sharp tools, injuries & wounds sort of come with the territory. All you can do is try to minimize them.

Myself, I have had a somewhat limited success in this over the years. My two sons are at times taking bets on how many percents of my hands and lower arms that will be covered with scar tissue the day I die... :-P