Don't do what I did....burned

pstew96

pstew96

Active member
Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2003
RO Number
12527
Messages
727
While reaching over towards the distributor to time the 5.0 mercruiser my watch came in contact with the solenoid atop the motor and my metal watch band completed the circuit, gave me two messy burns through the watch, watch still works fine though!
 
Loose clothing, watches, rings, necklaces etc are not a good idea around rotating machinery
 
Was it a Timex? Takes a licking and keeps on ticking...:D
 
Doesn't the engine come from the factory with a cover on the solenoid? Most engines do not seem to have it installed after a few years.
 
No it was a Movado...haaa...yea, no cover on that solenoid...also, for some reason I wear my watch on my right and I'm a rightie.
 
I'll wear a watch that's mostly plastic with a plastic band underway in the boat. Would probably still take it off to work on anything. But...

RINGS TOO!!! In addition to the shock and burn risk, a ring caught on something can remove that finger. My daughter got "safety rings" for the family this past Christmas. They look like jewelry but are actually made of a material that feels a lot like O-Rings. I don't know if this is the site she bought from by they're a good example and call their product "silicone rubber." I'm really pleased with mine. Had it off in the hospital because it was easier than arguing, but other'n that I've worn it full time, mechanics, painting, camping.
http://www.saferingz.com/
 
Been there, done that, got the third degree burns and scars to prove it! Not on a boat but on my old Jag E-Type I had back in the '80's. My metal watch band completed the circuit between the battery primary wire and the alternator case. It spot welded the clasp shut, making removal difficult, thus allowing more time for the burn. I narrowly avoided having my wrist grafted to my stomach for 3 months, but I got a good scar as a result.
BTW it WAS a TIMEX and I still have the watch and it still works all these years later. Where's John Cameron Swaize when you need him.
 
I worked for a car dealership. We went to a customer's home to remove the battery from an Olds they weren't going to be using for a few months. Take it back to our shop and keep it on trickle charge. Mechanic went to take the Positive off first (wrong) using a Box-end wrench (wrong again). Wrench got to ground and turned Red-White&Blue hot. Snatched it off using a wadded rag and threw it into a nearby kiddie pool. We watched the pool drain, through a wrench-shaped hole in the bottom...
 
I worked around high current DC power supplies for years. Anyone that wore a watch, metal rim glasses, rings or other jewelry was summarily chewed out. To this day I don't even wear my wedding ring around anything electrical or mechanical. You could lose a finger very easily.
 
I caught my wedding ring on the head of a rivet on a boat years ago. Got a nice circle scar around that finger. I was lucky I did not deglove the finger.
 
^^^ Yes you were! Thankful it didn't happen. There's a "safety cut" that used to be popular. A jeweler makes three cuts in the ring from the inside out, and 120-degrees. Two go partway through, so the ring is easy to bend. The third goes all the way through but cut on a dog-leg so the metal still shows looking into the cut. The ring can spread open under strain.
 
I now take it off now when I am working on the boat. Have you seen the new wedding rings? - I think they are tungsten steel. They cannot be cut off in an emergency, they have to be cracked with a special tool.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top