Swisstool Damage

[Mike D]

I thought you guys might get a kick out of this.

At work today I asked my helper to take care of a simple task that I had been putting off. The job was putting a new female end on my 50' electrical extension cord that had been giving me fits the last couple weeks. So I hand him my Swisstool RS to expedite the process instead of having him run out to the van to get a knife and screwdrivers to do the job. Meanwhile I headed off to finish whatever it was I was doing at the time. Fifteen minutes later he comes over to where I'm working with said cord in hand with a brand new end on it, right on I think and mentally check it off the to do list. He hands me the cord and I notice that the blade is still sticking out of my swisstool, I asked him if he had some kind of problem, closing it, he says no, but he did have a slight problem and proceeds to show me the blade of my swisstool, which now looks like this:

Now my helper isn't an idiot by any means, but some days I do wonder where the guys head is. I asked him what the hell happened, he says that he forgot to unplug the cord before he cut the old end off of it. At this point I am speechless, I honestly didn't know what to say, although I know I must have been giving him the combo eye roll/headshake ::)along with a look that said wtf were you thinking??

Anyways, the main blade on my swisstool has now been custom modified by 120 volts, and needless to say I am no longer worried about getting it dirty anymore

[duckman1975]

WOW lucky your helper didn't get electricuted, does the thing on the knife bulge?

[max6166]

That's what I was thinking. You didn't even hear a small yell? It's doubley sad to think he caused you that pain without even experiencing a little himself... 

Definitely sorry for your tool damage though. 

[Anthony]

He cut through a cord with a knife blade?  I thought that's what the wire cutters were for!

Not unplugging something is just stupid IMO...that's the #1 thing you do

[Mike D]

No he didn't get electrocuted at all, how? I have no idea, just dumb luck and a really sharp blade I think.

I actually think its all pretty funny now, and "cosmetically enhanced" tools really don't bother me much.

The mark is a burn into the blade actually not a lump so it still closes ok.

The only thing wrong with the tool is a little notch in the blade, the ugly arc on it, and now the crate opener/prytool right next to the main blade comes out when you get the main blade half way out.

[Mike D]

He cut through a cord with a knife blade?  I thought that's what the wire cutters were for!

Not unplugging something is just stupid IMO...that's the #1 thing you do

Well, yeah that would have been my first move too.

[duckman1975]

Time to get out the dremel 

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

He's one lucky SOB , I wonder how a 'lesser' tool would have stood up to being fried

[Leatherman123]

Good story, mate! What a multitool using virgin!

[Spoonrobot]

Well, at least it's still functional. Interesting character mark for sure. 

By the by, did you take that picture with an Olympus Stylus camera?

[NeitherExtreme]

I kinda like it. Adds some character for sure... It's kinda a good thing he used the blade instead of the pliers, cause wirecutters tend to become non-functional after a run-in with 120 V...

Seriously, though, sounds like you kept a cool temper when it would have been easy not to.

[MultiMat]

Me thinks you should have a back up helper as this one might not be around for long  . A tattoo for your tool? It is cool you have physical evidence of that "dumb luck" story.

[WhichDawg]

I wonder if the heat messed up the temper of the blade?
remember to keep him away from flammables and explosives!

[duckman1975]

by the way is that covered by the warranty 

[jzmtl]

The electricity probably went in from one side of the mark out from the other, so the guy didn't feel anything.

I have the same mark on my screwdriver (not mt) from testing my car's starter, and my friend have it on his SAK blade from cutting into live wire (accidentally, at least he tells me).

[NeitherExtreme]

Somewhat off topic, but...

Another "dumb luck" helper story: I have a friend (electrician) who had a helper who drilled a ~1" hole in a working iron natural gas line! He came upstairs and said, "I think I hit a water line or something..." When they went to the basement it reeked of gas... I'ts just amazing he didn't cause a spark and blow the whole place up.

[J-sews]

Wow, those are some scary stories.

Although I can't hardly act superior to those guys. I've lost track of how many times I've been "poked" by 110v electricity.

[NeitherExtreme]

Wow, those are some scary stories.

Although I can't hardly act superior to those guys. I've lost track of how many times I've been "poked" by 110v electricity.

Hehe, I'm not claiming superiority either! I've had more than my share of, um... unplanned electrical experiences.

[duckman1975]

Wow, those are some scary stories.

Although I can't hardly act superior to those guys. I've lost track of how many times I've been "poked" by 110v electricity.

Been there done that, used the charge plier to cut a wire which I didn't know is a live 220V wire. You'll have a metal after taste on your mouth after that.

[Mike D]

Me thinks you should have a back up helper as this one might not be around for long  . A tattoo for your tool? It is cool you have physical evidence of that "dumb luck" story.

Ya know the funny thing about helpers is they dont seem to last very long. Either they think they know it all after six months and leave you (before they start making you any money btw) or they just dont want to work very hard. In 20 years of doing what I do I have lost track of how many I have went through.

[max6166]

If you don't mind the question - what do you do? Just curious...

[duckman1975]

Natural progression me thinks good helpers are good so after learning from you they start their own business, bad helpers well they are just bad

[Mike D]

Well, at least it's still functional. Interesting character mark for sure. 

By the by, did you take that picture with an Olympus Stylus camera?

Good eye Spoon, caught the reflection did ya? Good thing I had clothes on

Reminds me of that reflection picture of the nekid lady on Dick Cheneys sunglasses floating around on the net

[Hoghead]

Been there done that, used the charge plier to cut a wire which I didn't know is a live 220V wire. You'll have a metal after taste on your mouth after that.

"the metal after taste" gave me a nice chuckle.

When I was a kid, I talked one of my nephews into putting a knife blade across the metal plug in on the back of Christmas lights. He wasn't hurt, but it burnt two 1/4" notches in the knife blade and threw some sparks and blew a fuse.   It was sweet meanness for a 8 year old to pull on a 4 year old.  

[Mike D]

Natural progression me thinks good helpers are good so after learning from you they start their own business, bad helpers well they are just bad

I don't know about that man, it makes sense, but the truth is something entirely different.

I spent 4 years as an apprentice before I was ever allowed to do ANYTHING major on my own, now like I said before the kids nowadays are lucky to put in six months before they THINK they know it all. Any journeyman of any trade will tell you that they only way to learn is by doing, and the only way to get this kind of experience is by doing and watching somebody that has been there done that. When these guys leave me they end up my competitors who are only partially trained and really do not know how to do the job properly or are efficient enough to make money doing it. So in the end they usually end up dropping out of the trade and giving my trade a bad rep because of the shoddy work they did when they were out there taking jobs from me.

I have no problems training the next generation of installers who are willing to put in the time to learn the trade correctly.

Oh btw I am a professional floor installer, but hardwood is my specialty.

[duckman1975]

Yup I hear you, got your point. Thats way you can't find any good plummer, carpenter, installer etc anymore. Most people don't want to spend time to hone their skills anymore they want everything instant.