[Spridgets] Only a fool uses an angle grinder without a guard

[GUY DAY]

My tale of woe from angle grinder use is when at the bench and not 
noting the direction and distance the sparks were going.  Straight back 
towards me, stood in one spot next to the bench and wearing nylon/cotton 
overall's.  The upshot was that I set myself on fire.  Concentrating on 
the workpiece and with warmth from my stomach area only slowly getting 
greater, my first distraction was smoke rising and masking my vision of 
the work detail.  I looked for the cause and saw clothing in the area 
round my belly button on fire.  No room on the bench to throw a quickly 
turned off grinder that was still rotating so I held onto that with one 
hand and used my welding gloves encased left hand to pat my stomach.  By 
now I was in full panic mode and found myself trying to use my right 
hand to put out the flames and pat the burning area with the still 
rotating disc on the grinder.  Thankfully I was able to resist that 
after a very close encounter and the flames went out either because 
their feeding source had ended or the glove patting worked - or both.  I 
wasn't burnt, clothing under my overalls saved me from that and even 
though it happened decades ago it was a lesson still remembered.
 
Best wishes to all
 
Guy R Day 
 
 
 
 
------ Original Message ------
From: spridgets at autox.team.net
To: spridgets at autox.team.net
Sent: Wednesday, April 9th 2025, 06:39
Subject: [Spridgets] Only a fool uses an angle grinder without a guard
 
Only a fool uses an angle grinder without a guard and yesterday I was 
that fool.
While I have several angle grinders, I need one more before I no longer 
have to change the occasional disc from one type to another.  The usual 
dilemma is which grinder to change the disc on so that half an hour 
later I’m not changing it back again.  I’d had a fairly well used hard 
disc on one grinder and had removed the guard to get into a tight spot 
while working on the Sprite’s floor pan replacement.  I was now 
replacing the garage roof and needed a thin cutting disc to cut through 
some old J bolts and other fixings and fitted a full-size brand-new thin 
cutting disc. It wasn’t long before I cut through my glove and into my 
finger.  The cut isn’t very deep and I guess the gloves helped.  Of 
course, I didn’t immediately put the guard back on it and had to have a 
near miss before I did.  I realised at that point it might not have had 
the accident if I’d used a smaller disc.  So, I’m sharing my stupidity 
in the hope others won’t be the fool, albeit a ‘lucky’ fool that I was 
yesterday and use a angle grinder without the guard.
 
 
Daniel the sometime fool

------------------------
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