Who has NOT REALLY burned yourself?

[thatsmithlady]

"popoffs" into the face or down the shirt...many of which have left interesting scars, or (duh) picking up the wrong end of a rod and frying fingers, but the worst was totally my own fault and I'll have the scar till I leave Earth this time around! 3rd degree and still pink after 6 months!

[tenor_ringer]

I've been seriously working with glass for less than a year and so far I haven't had any really bad burns. I have a couple of freckles from shocky glass that is drawn to the inside of my left elbow. The scariest one was a white/yellow path a hot marble left on the fingers of my left hand when it fell off the punty. No pain, no after effects, but I learned an important lesson.

[DarleenMB]

The only burns I've had have come from bits of glass popping off the rod and sticking to my neck or arm. teeny tiny ones.

My first instructor warned us about NEVER REACHING ACROSS THE FLAME. So I have always put my tools where I could reach them with that in mind.

I know one BNBM (big name beadmaker) who burned her arm so badly by doing just that, that she said she would wake up at night crying from the pain. The burn went down almost to the bone. So I was told.

Oh and the popping bits? cured that one by learning to put the rod into the flame vertically instead of horizontally. The flying bits hit the table instead of me.

[SteveWright]

I've had so much popping glass burns to my arms, I have only blotchy hair on most of my forearms. That's never coming back.

Many years ago I decided to try boro so I got a monster tip for my National 8M. Within 10 minutes of wrecking some boro I turned to look left and my right thumb went into the sweet spot of the flame, the back of it over the joint. I did not do anything for a month.

Oh, and I have burned two onlookers. I was handling a freshly made twistie, and one guy wanted to see it. Apparently my tolerance for heat was a bit higher than his. I felt terrible, especially since the 60 something screamed like a 12 year old girl, in front of his family. I handed a bead to another onlooker with a hot glass rod in the same hand. Branded.

Steve

[stacied]

I guess the only part of my budy I haven't hit with burning glass is my back. But hey give me another year on the torch and I can probably burn that too lol.

[CelesteK]

I wasn't going to vote here and say that I had never been burned because I was sure that as soon as I did that I'd burn myself really good. Well, since today I did something really stupid and burned myself I can vote now. A couple weeks ago I was blowing in my torch head to make sure it didn't have dust in it and I got it too close to my lips and managed to burn a little spot on my upper lip.

Today I was torching and I had one foot resting on the milk crate that's full of quart jars of rods and I managed to tip it onto the floor. Naturally, I hop up to try to deal with this while making a bead. I managed to pass the underside of my right arm through the flame. It didn't hurt much, so I was just going to torch some more before common sense kicked in and I decided I'd better get cold water on it. I was very fortunate--mostly first-degree burns with a quarter-size area in the middle that is most likely second degree. It hurts a bit now and I quit since I think I was burning my glass...

Celeste

[parisgal]

When I voted, I'd only had first degree burns - I know have the dubious honor of watching my second degree burn heal.

Originally Posted by SteveWright

Many years ago I decided to try boro so I got a monster tip for my National 8M. Within 10 minutes of wrecking some boro I turned to look left and my right thumb went into the sweet spot of the flame, the back of it over the joint. I did not do anything for a month.

I pulled my right hand away from the keyboard in sympathy while reading this...

[SquarePeg]

I was using a thick Lauscha clear rod and it had gotten too small to rest in the metal holder so I laid it down on the tabletop pad. Because I had gotten into a bad habit of using BOTH ends of rods...I burned myself so badly picking the rod up by the molten end! I actually felt the glass squish as I picked it up and it left the worst grooves in my fingers! I felt NO pain...thank goodness. It turned white and left thick skin on the burn for a while. Now I point my rods towards the metal stand even when I place them down on the table. I also only melt ONE end of the rod.......

[Rachel]

I burned my rear end in my very first class. LOL. A piece of glass that was shattered landed in my chair and I didn't know it at all until I felt my ass burning. It burned a hole in my jeans. It didn't hurt too baldy though because it was a small piece.

I burn my arms fairly regularly with shocky glass because I am not patient with it and I just usually let it pop and such but it burns when it sticks on my arm so I have some of those types of burns but they don't hurt too much. they are mostly itchy.

the worst burn I've had came from what I call a direct hit meaning my thumb went into the flame. It was a couple of summers ago and it was at night and a potato bug flew into the flame. This is fairly common where I live in the summer and they love the flame and I typically just try to make them go away or put them out of their misery if they have gotten into the flame. this particular one ran through the fire and into my hair. Initially I didn't do much of anything but shake my head a bit because I was working on a very large bead and was almost finished. Then, I smelled hair burning. I leaned over to shake my head more and when I did the hand that was holding the mandrel dipped right into the flame. It cought the outside of my thumb and I didn't feel it first but I smelled it. Of course I dropped the bead at that point and ran in knowing it was bad. I had some of the prescription burn cream on hand and did that until morning and got to my family doctor. He just told me to make sure to keep it clean so it wouldn't get infected and to keep the medicine on it and keep it covered. It formed a big blister but it was a fiarly small area since the torch flame is small in diameter. Thankfully I was only using the inner ring of my barracuda. That side of my thumb has no feeling in that spot now.

I try to be very careful and surely don't want to blow myself up and get seriously burned but small burns and even cuts are going to happen I think. I have cut myself on glass and other things around the table. I hate cuts too. But, you can minimize hurting yourself seriously by just paying attention and being careful and following the "rules."

My last torching session even resulted in a small burn. I was working on a large encased bead that had the bead release broken. I was trying to save it by moving it with my marver because it was great and I didn't want to lose it but it had started getting larger around the mandrel and when that happens, there is no hope but it slid down the mandrel and rested itself on my hand to leave me a nice reminder to just let those go from now on when I see the bead release has broken. Even still, I couldn't stop torching...

The thumb burn was very bad but I still think the worst burn I have ever gotten was from a microwave dinner that had the plastic cover on it and I steamed my fingers really good pulling that cover off. Microwave dinners can be dangerous I say!

[PerfectDeb]

yeah when i voted i'd only had 1st degree - can i vote again?

[JanithS]

I was very proud of myself that I managed to lampwork for 4 hours without a single burn. I guess I got to cocky because when I stopped lampworking I went to get the turkey out of the oven and burned my whole hand. I guess I shouldn't celebrate Thanksgiving or Christmas anymore.

[BellaBean]

I got a 3rd degree burn during my very first lampwork class I attended. My marble popped of the punty, rolled onto my lap and started my jeans on fire. It was a nice dime sized burn. Good news about 3rd degree is that it didn't hurt one bit! All of the nerves got charred. I was on antibiotics for a few weeks because of the open wound until my body healed.

[Doodletart]

I'm an impatient glass worker, and constantly get dinged in the left upper arm by shocked bits of glass. My solution is of course not to warm shocky glass slower ( the smarter idea) but to use an old sock with the toe cut out. I slide my sock protector up my arm and ta da! instant protection....the heal of the sock actually custom fits my elbow. Of course, I look pretty stupid, but thats another reason I never allow visitors in the studio.

[nwmud]

I have had extreme burns but not from glass. I have not done enough yet. But I know I will.

dont ask about the two really bad burns I had.....

[Troyd]

Have had bad burns on the knuckle of my thumb were it meets the palm. no pain and several months to heal. White glob of exploded point. More recently I was grabbing a piece of stringer and it dropped, I went to pick it up off the floor while trying to keep my piece in the flame and burnt my left ring right on the tip. Put it right into the flame, definitely 2nd degree it hurt. really. really bad.

[Molly Bird]

I burned my thumb last night. Some of the skin was white, which I knew from experience, was not good. I scrubbed the burn with a wash cloth, dried it, put Tea Tree oil on it, covered that with Silvadene Cream & covered with a band aid. It looks oozy today. YUK

[Kreszentia]

I voted thid degree. I'm too busy with other things to torch often so it may give a false impression when I say I torch since 2004. In the beginning I managed to burn the tip of a fingernail (bad smell) and I had two or three minimal burns of the first degree from flying bits of glass (I am very ! careful too heat my rods slowly to prevent popping). So until may of this year I would have voted first degree. But then I managed to just stick my finger into the flame by trying to get something from the table I needed to proceed with my bead. Ouch! Stupid me torched even 10 minutes longer with my burnt finger to finish the piece. Severe burn with white / brownish / black skin above the nailbed of my right indexfinger. Took a lot of weeks to heal and I must have damaged the nailbed as my nail has a sharp indent that is growing out now.

Take care

Kreszenta

[Molly Bird]

Burning fingernails do stink.

[essiemessy]

Worst flame burn was a blister on a thumb, where the nailbed starts. There was even what appeared to be a small blister under the nail. That was weird. Was very owies. But healed up reasonably quickly.

But the worst scar I have is from a very quick touch of the (big brick) kiln door with my wrist. That one went very deep and took ages to heal. Scar will never go away.

[Hot Panama Glass]

I have multiple burn scars on my neck from popping/shocky glass that managed to stick to my skin. Now I keep healthy aloe vera plants growing right outside my studio for instant pain relief. Also helps to minimize scarring.

[eregel]

I've had a number of small burns from shocky glass, and I think I've picked up the hot end of a rod and temporarily singed my fingerprints off 4 or 5 times now. But the BIG burn I've got, the permanent brand from lampworking... isn't from glass, or from the torch. I run my studio off a Honda generator, and one day when I was distracted while cleaning up at the end of a long session I picked it up and used a knee for leverage to slide it in the door of the shed. Unfortunately, I hadn't let it cool down first... and I have a permanent brand the size and shape of the exhaust opening burned into the flesh just above my left knee.

[28676bhe]

All of us can be a bit clumsy at times, or in the way of flying glass. The important thing is to take care of that burn right away. I keep a small tin on Burt's Bees ResQ Ointment next to me and slather it on that spot.

I have never had a burn to blister since using that stuff, and it takes the pain away within minutes!

Stuff is also great for mosquito bites on kids and adults (I am their favorite meal), so I keep some in my pocket i n the summer. too.

Comes in a little green can, look for it!

[steiconi]

My worst burns have always been from cooking, not lampwork or welding. And I'm actually a good cook!

[Eileen]

I burned myself on the "rod warmer" (really hair tool warmer) I got from the thrift store a week or so ago. It never really "hurt", and is scabbing up now, but I'm sure glad my reflexes didn't let it sit there very long!

[dmmcnair]

I just burned myself on a hot mandrel. Right where I hold the stupid mandrel to rotate it. Got a nice blister. Have a few scabs from flying glass on my arms and chest. Sigh.

[jonibird]

I get way more burns in the kitchen! Seems I can't take anything out of the oven without getting burned or cook bacon without getting burned!
But I have wrestled with some hot mandrels and a bit of popping glass, nothing major.

[JMB Glass]

I keep a vial of Lavender oil with me un like butter and other oils this sinks in to your skin and prevents a blister! works best when applied immediately and follow with icing best for singes and other small type burns Not 4th degree...

[2tumblingdragonz]

Not sure if I've posted here before. I've had first degree burns so far, but like when I took my first motorcycle safety course....There are 2 types of people, those who have fallen and those who have not fallen, YET.

IOW, we are playing with fire and hot things, we will get burned. How badly and when and how we heal depends on alot of things including luck.

I have far more toaster oven scars than anything else.

angel blessings
namaste
Rowyn

[bexrox]

I'll play... This burn to my left thumb was the result of about 1/20 of a second in the sweet spot. A couple of days later, I stuck a right finger in the flame, but with much less serious results. I discovered that the one thing that had changed between my 3 years of lampworking with no burns and my two burns in one week, was that I had started wearing reading glasses under my didys... my sense of depth was slightly askew lol! A year and a half later, and I'm very aware of where I am in relation to the fire, and have had no more burns...

The first pic is immediately after the burn.. some of it is crispy golden brown. The next pic is nine days later. The worst part of it was that I had to wear work gloves all day, and moisture and sweat would keep it from healing quickly. It hurt soooo badly towards the end of the healing process when everything was stretched out. I still have a minor scar, and still develop blistering in the spot where the burn was the worst (a tiny portion of it was considered 3rd degree, while the rest was 2nd degree).

[Dr Bill]

bye