# This hurt like hell today



## DUNBAR PLUMBING (Sep 11, 2008)

I was soldering overhead, looking up, flicked the solder bead off the bottom of the joint and where did it go?


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## revenge (Jun 30, 2011)

I member one time i was cutting metal over head with a torch and a fire fly went down my shirt and landed right insid my belly button dam did that hurt i had this big ass blister on my stomach


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## rocksteady (Oct 8, 2008)

I'm guessing right down your shoe. I've done that and it sucks because there's really nothing you can do quickly to get it out, especially if you're in the middle of soldering. You just sit and let it burn. :furious:









Paul


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## SewerRatz (Apr 25, 2009)

My brother was soldring overhead, and a drop of hot flx/solder just happened to find its way past the safty glasses and catch him in the corner of his eye.


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## Titan Plumbing (Oct 8, 2009)

I voted pocket...but it could have been one of those big nostrils too, Steve!


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## ToUtahNow (Jul 19, 2008)

I vote all of the above but my worst scars are when drips landed in my chest hair.

Mark


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

I'm so dam good when I solder my joint doesn't drip at all !!!! Joking ...


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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

*nose*

dropped it in my nose before....that made me tear up 

that is why I wear safety glasses, 
 so it dont catch me
in the eyes....


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## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

ToUtahNow said:


> I vote all of the above but my worst scars are when drips landed in my chest hair.
> 
> Mark


 I've had them in my nose hairs, my armpit, inside of my glove, inside of my sock, in my eye lashes and pretty much all points in between.

So glad I switched to PEX.


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## Plumber Jim (Jun 19, 2008)

Back in 2001 I was soldering over head and got a drop of hot solder in my eye. that wasn't fun. Lucky for me it was in the home of an eye surgeon. talk about luck huh?


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## RealLivePlumber (Jun 22, 2008)

Ear. It hurts like a mofo.


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

When I'm up on a ladder soldering, I like to wipe the joint with a dry rag. And in doing so, I try to flick the hot solder onto the people below.......:laughing:


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## hroark2112 (Apr 16, 2011)

I was replacing about 80' of 2" copper overhead, and on the last joint of the last coupling, this happened:


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## sikxsevn (Jun 23, 2009)

hroark2112 said:


> I was replacing about 80' of 2" copper overhead, and on the last joint of the last coupling, this happened:


Been there, done that, hurts like he'll. I've got a scar that suspiciously resembles needle tracks. Stupid solder/flux burns. 

Oh yeah, it helps if you dont stand under whatever it is your soldering


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## hroark2112 (Apr 16, 2011)

sikxsevn said:


> .
> 
> Oh yeah, it helps if you dont stand under whatever it is your soldering


<mumbles thanks ahole!!>. 

I started the job at 1AM and finished around 5:30, pulled out 4 lengths of copper over top of offices. I was whipped, I knew it would hurt like hell, but I didn't want to mess up the solder joint by letting go too quickly!


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## sikxsevn (Jun 23, 2009)

hroark2112 said:


> <mumbles thanks ahole!!>.
> 
> I started the job at 1AM and finished around 5:30, pulled out 4 lengths of copper over top of offices. I was whipped, I knew it would hurt like hell, but I didn't want to mess up the solder joint by letting go too quickly!


I know exactly what you mean :grins:

We've all been there and done that, an learned our lessons the hard way. But a little smart-ass-ery comes with the territory, and I do apologize if I offended you, it was purely in jest


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## DUNBAR PLUMBING (Sep 11, 2008)

I was between the wall and the furnace, inbetween the cold air return and heat run, replacing a section of water line with just enough space for me to get in and make the cut, replace the pipe.



It's when I flicked the drip off the finished connection that the solder hit the cold air return and hit my face, right into my goatee.


Hit the mustache part, right above my lip and instead of rolling off, it attached instantly and melted the hairs right onto my lip's edge.


About the size of a pencil eraser and I had to cut out the solder that was glued to the burned hair. 


I've been burned in numerous areas of the body but never there. 

Been hit by sparks on my mig countless times last week, no problem.. but solder takes some time to cool off and I'm telling you it hurt... had tears in my eyes it stung so bad.


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## hroark2112 (Apr 16, 2011)

sikxsevn said:


> I know exactly what you mean :grins:
> 
> We've all been there and done that, an learned our lessons the hard way. But a little smart-ass-ery comes with the territory, and I do apologize if I offended you, it was purely in jest


Heh...no offense taken at all!! When I do something dumb, I'll be the 84th person to admit it  I can take it!!


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## bartnc37 (Feb 24, 2009)

Worst I ever got was a piece of solder behind my ear. Was walking by a coworker while carrying a w.c across the mech room, It had an outside access and I was going to a basement bath. Long story short he flicked the solder off a joint it landed right between my head and my ear and as I was carrying both the tank and the bowl stacked up I couldn't just drop them. I got the w.c set down and fought back the intense urge to go level the guy. I know it wasn't intentional, but there were about 2 seconds of blind rage. That one hurt and it hurt bad, to his credit he didn't start laughing or anything as i was standing there trying to rip my ear off to get the solder out. :furious:


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## DesertOkie (Jul 15, 2011)

TX MECH PLUMBER said:


> I'm so dam good when I solder my joint doesn't drip at all !!!! Joking ...


Sharkbites don't drip.:thumbup:


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## DesertOkie (Jul 15, 2011)

I think the worst is the skin between the thumb and the pointer finger. Especially when you know more is coming and are not going to move your hand until the back is soldered.


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## dynomite05 (Jul 2, 2011)

I haven't had the pleasure of feeling the solder burn yet, but I have rubbed both forearms against a freshly soldered copper.


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## greenscoutII (Aug 27, 2008)

Solder (and hot shell casings) have a way of finding their way into my collar and roasting chest hairs......

I think flux burns are worse than solder burns. A little molten flux just instantly dissolves your skin making everything that touches that spot feel like a branding iron.

I'd almost prefer primer in my eye to a flux burn......


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## sikxsevn (Jun 23, 2009)

bartnc37 said:


> Worst I ever got was a piece of solder behind my ear. Was walking by a coworker while carrying a w.c across the mech room, It had an outside access and I was going to a basement bath. Long story short he flicked the solder off a joint it landed right between my head and my ear and as I was carrying both the tank and the bowl stacked up I couldn't just drop them. I got the w.c set down and fought back the intense urge to go level the guy. I know it wasn't intentional, but there were about 2 seconds of blind rage. That one hurt and it hurt bad, to his credit he didn't start laughing or anything as i was standing there trying to rip my ear off to get the solder out. :furious:


The worst part about it is that you can literally hear it burn.


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## sikxsevn (Jun 23, 2009)

greenscoutII said:


> Solder (and hot shell casings) have a way of finding their way into my collar and roasting chest hairs......
> 
> I think flux burns are worse than solder burns. A little molten flux just instantly dissolves your skin making everything that touches that spot feel like a branding iron.
> 
> I'd almost prefer primer in my eye to a flux burn......


I *would* prefer primer in the eye to a flux burn anywhere. Glue, OTOH, is a different story. 

With primer, it's like "argh, it burns, it burns, it burns.... Oh wait, nevermind, gone now". Glue is much, much worse. 

Oh, and double post. :sheepish grin:


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

What are y'all doin out there to get it in all these places ?? I've got it on my boots and pants but never ear or eye, I ware glasses when I solder, now yes I've got flux on my arms a few times but just wipe it fast with your jersey gloves and it's no biggy but if you let it sit ther then yea it's gona eat ur skin .... I'm sure y'all know but if you position ur self above the pipe it wont drip on you,, come on down to Texas and I'll teach y'all how it's done down here!!!!! Ha ha ha ha. Just joking


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## greenscoutII (Aug 27, 2008)

sikxsevn said:


> I *would* prefer primer in the eye to a flux burn anywhere. Glue, OTOH, is a different story.
> 
> With primer, it's like "argh, it burns, it burns, it burns.... Oh wait, nevermind, gone now". Glue is much, much worse.
> 
> Oh, and double post. :sheepish grin:


Shudder.... Yeah, glue in the eyes is about as bad as it gets.

How does this happen? Crawlspaces...... Sometimes you just can't get enough room to get out of your own way in a crawlspace.....


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## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

greenscoutII said:


> Shudder.... Yeah, glue in the eyes is about as bad as it gets.
> 
> How does this happen? Crawlspaces...... Sometimes you just can't get enough room to get out of your own way in a crawlspace.....


 I think the worst I ever got it was when I knocked over a can of ABS glue in a crawlspace without knowing it -- I was laying on my back and stuck the back of my head in it.

I have very long hair I keep pulled back in a ponytail -- It took the better part of a week just to get the hair tie out. Much, much longer to get the glue out.


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## greenscoutII (Aug 27, 2008)

Widdershins said:


> I think the worst I ever got it was when I knocked over a can of ABS glue in a crawlspace without knowing it -- I was laying on my back and stuck the back of my head in it.
> 
> I have very long hair I keep pulled back in a ponytail -- It took the better part of a week just to get the hair tie out. Much, much longer to get the glue out.


 Dang..... Just.... Ouch!

Sometimes I'm glad I'm bald.....:laughing:


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## Titan Plumbing (Oct 8, 2009)

Shins, did you end up looking like this???


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## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

Titan Plumbing said:


> Shins, did you end up looking like this???



Never tried that one, but I bet I could pull it off with the right quantity of gel and mousse.:laughing:


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## plumber666 (Sep 19, 2010)

SewerRatz said:


> My brother was soldring overhead, and a drop of hot flx/solder just happened to find its way past the safty glasses and catch him in the corner of his eye.


I got 'er in the eye once, too. Still say that was the most painfull experience I ever had. Just the corner, didn't hurt the eyeball just the red muscly part. 10 times worse than a harsh kick to the nuts, which I've unfortunately also experienced several times.


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## DUNBAR PLUMBING (Sep 11, 2008)

I've got them down into the boot many a time as well. Hurts. 


Back when I started in plumbing back in the mid 80's I grazed a copper pipe that had just been soldered, hit the upper part of my inside arm, the real sensitive part where tattoos are painful. Took a month to not feel that every day, and it was a large area that two intersecting copper pipes came together. Lesson learned quickly for future reference.


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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

the worst thing I have ever heard happen...was to 
my father when I was only a child.... 

back when they poured cast joints... 

He got laid up for a month because he backed into 
a Lead Pot full of hot lead and when it tipped over it 
poured down into the back side of his shoe.....

it took well over a month for that to heal up


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## Dun' Right (Sep 27, 2010)

I was 20+ feet up in the air soldering a web of copper lines, I guess I was "too far into my work". I got done soldering a couple lines, and then turned to solder another line, and I actually touched my ear on the line I just soldered. HURT LIKE HELL!!!!!


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

Dun' Right said:


> I was 20+ feet up in the air soldering a web of copper lines, I guess I was "too far into my work". I got done soldering a couple lines, and then turned to solder another line, and I actually touched my ear on the line I just soldered. HURT LIKE HELL!!!!!


 



I hate it when that happens. Touching a copper line that you just soldered.


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## U666A (Dec 11, 2010)

Tommy plumber said:


> I hate it when that happens. Touching a copper line that you just soldered.


Especially when your media is BCuP-5... but at least it cauterizes the 3rd degree burns instantly, and chicks dig scars! :laughing:


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## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

U666A said:


> Especially when your media is BCuP-5... but at least it cauterizes the 3rd degree burns instantly, and chicks dig scars! :laughing:


I left a sizable chunk of my forearm on a 3" chiller line back in the late 70's.

That took me out and laid me flat for almost a month.

The skin grafts from the backs of my legs feel like frostbite when it gets down into the 30's.


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## DUNBAR PLUMBING (Sep 11, 2008)

The edge of my lip is 90% healed at this point... was going to post a picture right when it happened. 

I'll be running my mig welder again soon, getting my boat trailer converted to a regular trailer with a deck. The weather and daylight savings is going to be my enemy soon.


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

U666A said:


> Especially when your media is BCuP-5... but at least it cauterizes the 3rd degree burns instantly, and chicks dig scars! :laughing:


 




I said 'soldering' not brazing. I have never touched a copper pipe with bare skin while brazing.....ouch!!

I can be careless and complacent while soldering, but I have the utmost respect for copper tubing that is glowing orange!.....:yes:


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## Mississippiplum (Sep 30, 2011)

I accidentally touched a male adapter right after I got done soldering left thread imprints in my hand lol, I never made that mistake again


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## U666A (Dec 11, 2010)

Mississippiplum said:


> ... I never made that mistake again



Yet...

:laughing:


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## JK949 (Mar 18, 2009)

hroark2112 said:


> I was replacing about 80' of 2" copper overhead, and on the last joint of the last coupling, this happened:


I HAVE ONE OF THOSE TOO! Mine looks like a butterfly. Curl of solder landed in the crook of my arm a few months back.:thumbsup:


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## Epox (Sep 19, 2010)

Soldering over head, a nice molten blotch landed right under my watch which held it there to sizzle.


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## 422 plumber (Jul 31, 2008)

DesertOkie said:


> Sharkbites don't drip.:thumbup:


until you turn the water on!


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