Way, way back in the annals of history, just after high school, I worked at an electrical supply company where I sold to electrical contractors as well as layfolk all kinds of electrical stuff, from light bulbs to breaker panels, wire and cable, electrical conduit and lighting fixtures.
On one particular day I was getting a length of large-gauge cable for a customer. My memory suggests that it what they call "6/3 BX", which is an armored cable, as shown below, the size of a small child's wrist, and is covered by a flexible metal sheath.
It was clear to me that what I needed to do was to align the sheath in the jaws "just so", so that it would cut at last. I took some fair care in lining that cut up, sighting down from above the cutting jaws to see with great clarity that stubborn bit of metal between the jaws of the cutter, and gave a quick, sharp thrust of the handles, hoping that the sudden shot would help to convince the cutter to go through the last shred of cladding.
What really happened, though, was that the two handles smacked me in the head, one on either temple, and I saw stars, and the cable did not cut.

I have the same problems with can openers....
ReplyDeleteAnd the garden pruners which are too heavy for me and which I persist in trying to use to cut things over my head.
ReplyDeleteIf I had a dollar for every self inflicted bruise, scrape or cut I would be a very wealthy woman indeed.
My wife gets the pool boy to do that.
DeleteNow, if we only had a pool...
Talk about near-death experience. The stars you saw were angels. I am glad you didn't go into the light...s.
ReplyDeleteHehe...I'm betting that my light's going to be orange and flickering! :)
DeleteBut would you do it again? See, that's evolution. ;)
ReplyDeleteI haven't repeated yet, but that doesn't mean that I won't.
Delete