Plenty has been said and written about always wearing safety goggles while cutting rail with Xuron-type tools. As we all know, those rails being cut tend to break with incredible force sending the rail being cut flying across the room. I’ve seen them stick inside wood 2x4s, and always wear safety goggles in case they aim for my face.
Today while laying track in Marlborough Junction, I discovered another reason besides the flying rail. Squeezing the tool on my first cut I heard the usual CRACK, but the rail didn’t separate. I looked at the tool, and one of the blades had snapped right off! I found it on the floor, inches away from my foot. (also a good reason not to go barefoot in the train room)
Just one more compelling reason to wear safety goggles. You don’t want that in your eye. Off to Walthers to replace my Xuron!
(PS: If anyone’s been wondering where I’ve been, I’m still modeling at close to my usual pace, I just haven’t had time to model AND post about it! The layout is coming along nicely.)
I’ve had that happen with Kobalt wire cutters when attempting to cut something bigger or harder than they were rated for. In that case the broken jaw sailed over my right shoulder narrowly missing my ear and bounced off the wall mounted Shop-Vac two feet behind me leaving a scratch in the plastic.
“Don’t go barefoot in the train room,” should be expanded to include, “Wear sometning more resistant to sharp objects than flip-flop slippers or canvas-top deck shoes.” At least leather tops will offer some resistance to sharp falling objects. OTOH, if you routinely move anvils and heavy forgings, steel toed boots are a must.
Likewise, if you routinely handle things with sharp edges, wear leather-palmed gloves. My gloves have lots of little slice marks - mementos of occasions when forming steel stud material into layout benchwork DIDN’T draw blood…
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - in appropriate safety gear)
While it is within the realm of possibility that there could have been a flaw with that railcutter, I’m wondering how much force you actually had to exert to get that piece to break like that.
It appears from your picture that the cutting edges are not very sharp, and I would think that that fact would contribute to the failure. And unless the shadows are hiding the detail and exaggerating the nicks on the blades, I’d also guess that someone has been using those cutters for cutting something other than rail.
Thanks for the reminder to play safe. I have to admit that I have gotten out of the habit of putting on my safety glasses when needed. Dumb![banghead][N][li][zzz]
You never know when eye protection is needed, sometimes when it is impractical. My oldest daughter(15 years old) had a very small piece of metal imbed dead center of her eye while riding the Georgia Scorcher rollercoaster at Six Flags this summer. An ophthalmologist used a small drill instrument to remove it. She is very lucky that there is no permanent problems.
I usually only wear standard glasses but I do place the cutters, then cup my hand over it while actually cutting to stop the piece from flying anywhere.
I could have googled them myself easily enough, that is not a problem.
What I meant was, I see safety glasse and goggles everywhere, along with welding helmets and kneepads and gloves of all types for safety, but I must be missing walking into a place and jsut finding safety face shields there.
Perhaps Broadway Lion’s idea of having to order them is more correct?
Either that, or I have jsut missed them as I haven’t really been looking for one, but I will certainly check out my Lowe’s for one. Thanks to Jeffrey for pointing out the Lowe’s model. I shall certainly ask about it iff’n I don’t see it the next time.
I use a face sheild in the garage all the time when I’m grinding away on a old car body. Make sure the clear plastic piece will take an impact. I’ve seen cheap ones break when hit with something.
Anyone who ever watched the PBS program ‘The New Yankee Workshop’ with Norm Abrams should remember the safety talk which started every episode. It always ended with words about wearing safety glasses - great advice. This also reminds me about respirators, masks, adequate ventilation and other precautions that we all should take. This is a great hobby but not at the expense of personal safety and common sense.
I am an ophthalmologist and for more than 20 years have pulled everything from fishooks to fingernails out of people’s eyes. I’m glad to hear that forum readers take eye safety seriously. Unfortunately, short of a completely enclosed piece of headgear, there is no convenient, affordable product that won’t fog up to some degree (potentially reducing it’s safety effectiveness) that will keep any foreign body out your eye or face. In addition to reducing the risk getting anything in your eye, safety glasses and shields slow the projectile down, turning a high-speed injury into a low-speed injury, whose outcomes are significantly better.
For those of us who wear acrylic or polycarbonate eyeglasses, the stylish emphasis on smaller-sized lenses makes them less safe. I remember the old shop teacher glasses with side wings, but perhaps the glasses-accommodating newer safety goggles are also ok. Cedarwoodron
Every town or city has a fire and safety store of some sort, after all, fire departments, and ems organizations have to buy their supplies somewhere, yes I know, most order these things from catalogs, but there are places where you can just drop in to buy odds and ends. Especially with industrial companies having to have such things as well.
RAILROADS REGARDLESS OF SIZE ARE HIGH HAZARD ENVIRONMENTS
Hazards in this area include sharp cutting tools, high voltage electricity, hot soldering irons, chemical and vapor hazards, equipment underfoot and tripping hazards, and moving trains.
Actually running trains is far safer then racing 1/24th and 1/32 slot cars on a highly competitive commercial track…I’ve been hit by flying slot cars in the face while doing turn marshal duties and it stings for awhile…
Mind you 98% of these racers are highly competitive adults-not kids as one may believe-and their cars are fast…
