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Tractor Talk Discussion Forum

OT-- overhead cutting and hot metal in ear

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midlam

12-30-2006 20:45:36




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I was using a cutting torch to cut a tractor frame from underneath and got some spatter in my ear. Loss alot of hearing and the ear feels full. Have been to a doctor but he didn't have much to say except to say a piece may have penetrated the ear drum then the drum closed over. Wants me to have a CAT scan. I would like to hear from others that have done this and learn what their outcome was. This is about the second time I have cut from the bottom side and I did not think about my ears.

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Paul Shuler

12-31-2006 13:54:35




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 Re: OT-- overhead cutting and hot metal in ear in reply to midlam, 12-30-2006 20:45:36  
I do MRIs for a living. I would recomend a simple X-ray to locate any metal in your ear. We do x-rays all the time on welders and find metal that was to small to be picked up on the Cat scan or if it is a large chunk it causes a lot of artifact making the exact location hard to pin point on CT. Plus it would save you hundreds of $ over the CT scan. We had a guy a year or two back that we x-rayed his eyes for steel and found a chunk the size of a grape in his ear that he never new he had. Needless to say he didn't get an MRI.
Paul

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John S-B

12-31-2006 11:47:42




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 Re: OT-- overhead cutting and hot metal in ear in reply to midlam, 12-30-2006 20:45:36  
Midlam you need to get a Nomex hood. It's what we firefighters and race car drivers wear. You can get them for $25-45. They can be put on so only you eyes or whole face is exposed, they flexible. Also good for sand blasting, keep all that crap out of you hair.



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Blackhole49

12-31-2006 07:17:22




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 Re: OT-- overhead cutting and hot metal in ear in reply to midlam, 12-30-2006 20:45:36  
I had the same thing happen 20+ years ago. Same diagnosis, hole in the ear drum. A year later was told by a diffirent Dr. there was never a hole because it could not repair itself. Don't know who was right, but the almost total loss of hearing in that ear came back in about a week and most of the ringing was gone in a year. I was cutting an exhaust on a truck laying on my side. I rarely cut overhead any more. Good luck.

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ErnieDD

12-31-2006 07:02:59




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 Re: OT-- overhead cutting and hot metal in ear in reply to midlam, 12-30-2006 20:45:36  
CAT scan would be the last thing I would sign up for. CAT uses powerful magnets, so powerful it extracts metal from your bod. Which way would it pull the ear metal, toward the brain or rip it out the way it came. Iffin the doc did see the metal on the scan, what then? Cut it out?

Hope your doc was right on other things, I think he is way off base on this one.

Without sign of infection I would wait and let healing take place.

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MN Scott

12-31-2006 07:48:23




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 Re: OT-- overhead cutting and hot metal in ear in reply to ErnieDD, 12-31-2006 07:02:59  
CAT scan uses X-rays, An MRI uses magnetic feilds. No danger with the CAT and imbeded metal.



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JD9295

12-31-2006 06:12:09




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 Re: OT-- overhead cutting and hot metal in ear in reply to midlam, 12-30-2006 20:45:36  
I wouldnt use the ear plugs some suggested, they are foam rubber, doesnt take much heat to melt them, think about it, the slag hits the plug the foam melts and runs into your ear. OWWW
Welders cap or best yet like old said position yourself away from it, its hard sometimes but thats when you use the welders cap.
But dont use the ear plugs



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frankiee

12-31-2006 03:09:46




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 Re: OT-- overhead cutting and hot metal in ear in reply to midlam, 12-30-2006 20:45:36  
Ya
Happened to me
For an oppomistic look, felt funny for weeks I think, then went away.
Scary feeling.
Dont really know how that got in there.
Cut or weld at pitch black and see the sparks are all over the place.
Carry disposable ear plugs



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davpal

12-30-2006 23:25:56




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 Re: OT-- overhead cutting and hot metal in ear in reply to midlam, 12-30-2006 20:45:36  
I was weedwacking around some pine trees one day that had really long needles, like 6 inches long. Not sure what they are. I thought I was fine because I had safety glasses on buy I actually got to close with my ear and stuck one of those needles right through my eardrum. You talk about pain. I heard a big whoosh like it let the pressure off in my head. It really hurt but it must have healed itself because I have had my hearing checked ten times since where I work and it is very good. I guess ear plugs would be a very smart item to weld with, or weedwack with!

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Bob

12-30-2006 21:46:23




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 I gotta tell you.... in reply to midlam, 12-30-2006 20:45:36  
A ball of molten aluminum welding spatter stuck to your eyeball ain't much fun, either!

(And, I WAS wearing a welding helmet!)



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old

12-30-2006 21:38:03




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 Re: OT-- overhead cutting and hot metal in ear in reply to midlam, 12-30-2006 20:45:36  
Easy way to fix that. Have a BIC lighter in your pocket. Then yoour ear will not hurt since it will blow your heart out. Just kidding but yes I have seen it before and yes it will kill you. If your under something and cutting wear a hat that covers your ears or some sort of other thing. Hereing is one of the 3 things that is hard to live with out. Also hold the tourch out from your body as far as you can and NEVER be right below the sparks NO MATTER what. BTDT and yep learn the hard way

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bil mar

12-31-2006 05:32:08




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 Re: OT-- overhead cutting and hot metal in ear in reply to old, 12-30-2006 21:38:03  
checked out the exploding bic lighter storys on the snopes urban legend site,they said its not true.

http://www.snopes.com/horrors/techno/lighters.asp



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old

12-31-2006 08:43:00




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 Re: OT-- overhead cutting and hot metal in ear in reply to bil mar, 12-31-2006 05:32:08  
Ya myth buster say its not true also. But when I was in the navy there was a guy doing some cutting with a tourch and he was found dead and had a hole in his chest where his smokes and light where so you figure out what happened. The navy said it was caused by a lighter explodeing



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Howard H.

12-31-2006 21:40:21




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 Re: OT-- overhead cutting and hot metal in ear in reply to old, 12-31-2006 08:43:00  

At a hunter safety training course up in Colorado one time, the instructor said they found a guy dead face first in a campfire one time. Couldn't figure it out until they realized he had a hole in his forehead and they found the metal cap off a bic in the ashes... Supposedly, the round striker blew off the top and hit him.

They said it was the only thing they could figure out, since there was nothing else out of the ordinary.

I saw that Mythbuster's show, too - and wondered who is right... I've seen lighters that would barely light when it was cold - but then burn pretty good when they are warm - maybe if they get hot first, THEN they can explode...

Howard

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old

12-31-2006 21:47:57




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 Re: OT-- overhead cutting and hot metal in ear in reply to Howard H., 12-31-2006 21:40:21  
The big thing is yes you can try to do a test the same as what really happen but there so many little thing that you can not see/know and if any one little thing is off y a little you can't get it rue to what did happen. I get a good laugh at myths busters because ya they try but for things to work right/wrong you have to get conditions just as they where and theres to many thing that if off just a little will make it not work as it did

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135 Fan

12-31-2006 09:21:57




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 Re: OT-- overhead cutting and hot metal in ear in reply to old, 12-31-2006 08:43:00  
In school you can't have disposable lighters or matches. Whether they blow up or cause severe burns, do you want to take the chance? There are reported cases of them burning or blowing up. You can get some pretty hot slag and spatter when welding or cutting. Kromer style welding hats are designed so they can be turned where ever you need the bill to protect. Pipeliners turn them to cover the ear on the top.

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RAW in IA

12-31-2006 06:11:53




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 Re: OT-- overhead cutting and hot metal in ear in reply to bil mar, 12-31-2006 05:32:08  
Mythbusters did an episode on the exploding lighter myth. Couldn't get on to exlode either. They managed to get athem to bur through and the gas escaped, but did not explode.



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Kklobru

12-30-2006 21:15:40




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 Re: OT-- overhead cutting and hot metal in ear in reply to midlam, 12-30-2006 20:45:36  
BEEN THERE! DONE THAT!!Hurts like heck. Mine eventually cleared up.



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JOHN HARMON

12-30-2006 21:12:45




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 Re: OT-- overhead cutting and hot metal in ear in reply to midlam, 12-30-2006 20:45:36  
The same thing happened to me many years ago. My ear eventually returned to normal after the Burn area healed up. Was a trying time for several months. Since then I wear a Welders Cap for any cutting or welding project no matter which side I am operating on. You know the multi colored Cap with the little floppy Bill sold at most welding Supply Houses and Hardware Stores. I observed Welders and Pipe Fitters etc. at work wearing these Caps. When they are cutting some thing from below they screw the Cap around until the Bill covers the uphill side Ear.It works. try it.I have a Cap from The Pipe Fitters Union that has two Bills to cover both Ears at once also.

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