What have you learned by mistake?

[Borrego]

Recently, I was cleaning out the drawers on a greasy and dirty tool box after I had removed many stickers on the outside. I decided to use some Goo Gone to remove the sticker residue. I accidentally got some of the Goo Gone on a heavily soiled interior part of the drawer. Had to wipe it off and found out it picks up grease and grime better than anything else I had ever used.
Maybe I wasn't smart enough to begin with, but I learned something recently by accident. How about you and your story?

 

[KraftwerkMk1Jetta]

Too much to list!

 

[strnjss]

I've learned that pipe cutters are really really really sharp!

I'm in the habit of lightly running my thumb on blades just to make sure they're sharp before I use them for cutting (knives, scissors, utility blades, etc).

So when I bought a little pipe cutter wheel thing to cut some copper pipe, I did the same. I did it so lightly and didn't feel anything. I figured it was sharp.

Few minutes later, I was wondering where all that blood was coming from. The pipe cutter was so sharp, it cut my thumb open without me even feeling a thing!

I had no idea anything could be that sharp until that incident...

 

[jrodc455]

Don't grab the sawzall blade after cutting something haha.

 

[moogoob]

Everything!!!

 

[autopts]

Are you talking besides getting married?

 

[garfunkle24]

The rhythm method doesn't work.

 

[Gort the giant robot]

Whenever flesh meets metal, there will be blood.

Gort.

 

[ron gray]

Yellow snow isn't anywhere near as tasty as it looks.

 

[Catalyze]

All sugar isn't created equal. Someone gave me a wine making kit one time in my younger days. I ran out of sugar while mixing things up so I added Powdered Sugar. I didn't know that it has corn starch. After much fermenting it was really really nasty smelling. I also learned to use a vise with a drill press. It was my first job out of the Navy and it was in a machine shop. I broke 2 fingers before I could get my hand out of the way of that Cincinnati Drill Press.
Craig

 

[wafrederick]

Watch where my fingers are,I cut myself with my Ryobi cordless circular saw once.My Snap On 3/8 air ratchets,watch where your hand is and youl will know right way.Slam your hand if not careful.Hoist arms too,I ran into them sometimes.Almost nailed myself with my finish nailer to a board,luckily it grazed my finger a little bit.Was not careful when using my skil saw once,cut the cord with the saw plugged in and luckily I did not get shocked.I now watch where the cord is.When I recieved my Fein multimaster,tried one blade against my skin shown on the infomercial while the tool was running.Went a little too far and cut myself.

 

[mrobins297aaa]

I've learned that there are people who will lie when the truth will do just as good........lol

 

[znowaczyk]

Wasnt me, but I did witness it...When I worked at the VW shop, a loober goober hooked up the vag to a jetta...with an aftermarket stereo...So I guess I learned, VW fills their scanners with smoke!!

 

[AZ_Catskinner]

I recently learned that a leather glove doesn't even slow down a 7" grinder with a Metabo cutoff wheel, and neither does your thumb.

 

[mtkst19]

cloth straps for engine hoists can cut on aluminium cylinder heads. lost the tip of my ring finger finding that one out the hard way. had a engine going in the car, was starting the motor mount bolt by hand when the strap was cut by the aluminium head like a razor blade. freak deal, but lesson learned. chains only from now on.

 

[bgott]

I recently learned that a leather glove doesn't even slow down a 7" grinder with a Metabo cutoff wheel, and neither does your thumb.

What really ***** is that is a recurring lesson.

 

[NASTYZEN]

Found out that the old style 220v double fuse thing that you pull out of the panel was incorrectly labeled at my Moms. Pulled out what I thought was the dryer fuses when in fact was the stove.When I touched the dryer wires to skin them is where I found out something was not f*%$in right!

 

[wantedabiggergarage]

Don't work on oddball left handed thread stuff for a couple of days, then go to do something on the car when your on the phone (ordering parts). Your brain will still be in left hand thread mode and you will be breaking out the broken bolt stuff.

 

[bluecomputer]

Make sure you reconnected all of the electrical plugs BEFORE you start diagnosing/chasing down the problem. Ended up taking apart the interior before finding one disconnected wire.

 

[justanengineer]

The ten second rule doesnt apply to certain floors...

That gravity *****...

That its possible to knock yourself so stupid you dont realize how hurt you are...

I could go on, but it would just make me look worse...

 

[0.511MeV]

I recently learned that a leather glove doesn't even slow down a 7" grinder with a Metabo cutoff wheel, and neither does your thumb.

I wonder if a chainsaw type glove that has kevlar in it would work better to prevent the cutting and tearing of skin. It sure won't absorb the impact, but maybe it will protect a bit better than plain leather.

I watched a safety presentation once that showed some photos of workers that had been hit in the face with bits of grinding wheels that exploded. The face shield group was a lot better off.

 

[0.511MeV]

I learned that halogenated solvents will strip the paint or finish off just about anything. Don't spill any on anything important.

I also learned that when working with acids and alkalies, you may not realize you got droplets on you until you wash your jeans and find out they are full of little holes.

After drilling out rivets, don't try to use your bare hand to pull a little ring of rivet metal off the drill bit.

 

[TOOL MASTER]

You can make a stubby screwdriver out of a 12" one with 200 amps...electricians and their bright ideas

 

[AZ_Catskinner]

I wonder if a chainsaw type glove that has kevlar in it would work better to prevent the cutting and tearing of skin. It sure won't absorb the impact, but maybe it will protect a bit better than plain leather.

I watched a safety presentation once that showed some photos of workers that had been hit in the face with bits of grinding wheels that exploded. The face shield group was a lot better off.

We've tried the kevlars - they don't slow that grinder down any either. Grinders casn be a nasty little animal, especially when they hit a rock or a piece of rubber liner.

 

[WVBrady]

On old, 2-wire wiring, the switch may open the neutral instead of the hot wire. It is safer to kill the entire circuit instead of just turning off the switch. I wired up a porch light while the circuit was "hot" once.

 

[ambenz]

Certain "Gorrilla Glue" actually can be used to glue together two dissimular parts together because the glue actually foams up like expandable foam in a can...only on a much smaller scale.
Used it to glue a poster frame and noticed it foamed when cured so the light bulb went off!
I had a remote control car (I use for car shows) that the hubcaps would never stay on...using the glue fixed my gaps in the part between the wheel hub and hubcap....that baby is on there!!!!

 

[housey]

Don't go sticking your hands where you can't see them. And needle resistant gloves may be needle resistant, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are scalpel resistant. This especially applies when you are doing work at a medical disposal facility

 

[K5blazer83]

I learned that God is great, Beer is good, and People are crazy!

 

[baubau]

i learned many things trough my stupidity...
sometimes you learn things just by proceeding like usual.
last week i was pulling Kia Optima car frame using 15 ton puller....it was just little bit swayed and up, i applied little bit of pulling force in opposite direction and down, but, i managed to buckle the roof, crack the windshield and broke engine mount..
the lesson?...$2000 bucks later, kia is not a very strong car ...and little bit of force is sometimes too much...

 

[mrobins297aaa]

I learned what it sounds like when you turn the power back on at the meter and unbeknown to me my partner had wired L1 and L2 to the ground bar on the inside disconnect............the house had overhead wires from the transformer, it sounded like a missle coming in..........it was not pretty.....lol

 

[bartels_metal_works]

I learned to never touch a fresh weld...

 

[bartels_metal_works]

I learned what it sounds like when you turn the power back on at the meter and unbeknown to me my partner had wired L1 and L2 to the ground bar on the inside disconnect............the house had overhead wires from the transformer, it sounded like a missle coming in..........it was not pretty.....lol

Might be time for a replacement partner.

 

[Jzytaruk]

1) Never stick your finger, where you wouldn't stick your ****.

 

[mrobins297aaa]

I learned to never touch a fresh weld...

thats one you have to learn over again every so often.......lol

 

[itsvegas]

1) Never stick your finger, where you wouldn't stick your ****.

 

[Jzytaruk]

Im working on large exchangers at Suncor (fort mcmurray alberta) and every now and then I have to bring out the old saying

 

[Aspen RT]

1) Never stick your finger, where you wouldn't stick your ****.

Funny...Also very true!!!

 

[chewy7]

 

[Moose-LandTran]

Don't take anyone else's word for diag; verify it yourself.