Read carefully. I didn't drop it. I was looking in the box and reached for it blindly while trying to keep a recalcitrant 10 gauge wire in place. If the bulky power cord had NOT shifted the iron I still would have gotten my thumb and forefinger around the barrel. To catch something that's falling is instinctive, and perhaps forgivable. To grope for the iron handle from memory was plain stupid. As I remember the worst burn was where the thumb joins the palm at the crease. No calluses... Chris Cox Herbert Graf wrote: > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: pic microcontroller discussion list > > [mailto:PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU]On Behalf Of Nigel Goodwin > > Sent: Saturday, April 14, 2001 02:23 > > To: PICLIST@MITVMA.MIT.EDU > > Subject: Re: [OT]: What makes an engineer > > > > > > In message <3AD7DE4D.63AD1FF0@bellsouth.net>, Chris Cox > > writes > > > When I got out of the service in '65, my first job was with Western > > >Union in Boston. They assigned me to a bench to modify some old > > >(EVERYTHING in WU was old, furniture from 20's and 30's, ancient tube > > >equipment, etc.) tube device I forget the function of. I had almost no > > >soldering experience. They had these huge American Beauty soldering > > >irons with hot dog size barrels and pencil size tips. The wiring ranged > > >from 22 to 10 gauge stranded and conditions were VERY jammed and crowded > > >in the box. I had placed my iron in it's tip cradle and was looking in > > >the box and trying to hold a 10 gauge piece, with a mind of it's own, in > > >a very tight spot. Now the American Beauties were very old and had the > > >ancient heavy cloth covered cord plugged into a strip on the back of the > > >bench. The cord had slipped the iron back a little. While looking in the > > >box I reached for the iron and grabbed the barrel full grip, all fingers > > >and palm firmly wrapped. You didn't hold these irons like a pencil, you > > >held them like a baseball bat. > > > > It's a normal reaction to try and catch something if you drop it, after > > a few years you lose this reaction when you drop a soldering iron :-). > > I agree with that one! Now I just watch WHERE it falls, unfortunately I've > started doing that with other stuff... :( TTYL > > -- > http://www.piclist.com hint: The PICList is archived three different > ways. See http://www.piclist.com/#archives for details. -- http://www.piclist.com hint: The PICList is archived three different ways. See http://www.piclist.com/#archives for details.