Brodhead Pietenpol Association

Original Posted By: Galen Hutcheson
gotta share a funny story that happened to me today while working on N74DV.I had to do some final gusset welding to the engine mount. I pulled themount off the plane, set it on the ground and fired up the gas torch.Started welding up the gussets and all is going well. I got the tip alittle too close to the work and get that "Crack/Pop". Usually when thathappens a few small beads of molten metal go flying... no biggie just keepwelding.Well... you see, today here in Arizona it's a nice chilly 103. So as usualI'm working in my shorts and Tshirt. anyways...like I say, I got the tip alittle too close and got the "pop"..... molten metal fragments shoot offfrom the puddle hit the floor, bounce up and proceed directly up my shortswhere I am instantly made aware of their presence by a great burningsensation on a part of the body used commonly in adult jokes.I instantly stand up and start doing a dance that even the local PimaIndians here would stare at in amazement. The dance included random andviolent hand and arm movements near the crotch.... sort of the "hot potato"look to it.This lasts about 5 seconds after which the molten metal assailants havecooled...... then I started laughing my ass off. I could never get that tohappen again if I tried a thousand times.so.... I guess the moral of the story would be to wear leather briefs whenwelding in shorts...... hmmm leather briefs??? I've only seen those withmetal studs and rings through them... better not go there.DJ_________________________________________________________________________________Date: Sat, 18 Sep 2004 15:37:00 -0700 (PDT)

Original Posted By: CraigAlanCarter(at)aol.com
Subject: Re: Pietenpol-List: hot crotchHey, last year I was welding on the corner posts here on my farm. I have a big trailer with a generator and a couple of MIG welders. Dressed up in leathergloves, long denim shirt. denim jeans and it's in the middle of the summer. Not as bad as Mesa, but humid.I'm welding and sparks are flying everywhere. I also carry a large tank of water and a spray rig to soak down the grass around the area I'm welding, as notto start a range-fire out here on the prairie.I'm welding and I feel the sparks eating me alive on the back of my neck. Not to worry, this has happened before, but in a few seconds, the welding sparks are biting through my denim pants, my denim shirt, into my crotch, through my socks. What the HAY? I stop welding, pull my auto-darkening helmet and GAWD, Yellow Jacket WASPS are swarming everywhere and they are PISSED OFF. It seems Iwas welding a 6 inch open frame pipe they had lovingly built several nests in, and they were not happy I was screwing up the neighborhood.After about being stung 50 times, I was hauled to the hospital to get an auto-injection of some kind of drug, then something else to reduce my elevatedblood pressure.Now, in addition to hauling a large trailer stocked with water, welding gear, safety equipment... I keep a can of wasp spray and I look very carefullywhere I'm about to weld. Don't have time to write about dodging rattlesnakes around the fence line, but have stories about those too.S.B.________________________________________________________________________________