What is the worst accident you've had costume/ prop building?

joshvanrad

joshvanrad

Sr Member
I am looking for the most horrific stories out there regarding costume/ prop building. To all the guys and gals who have cut off a finger tip with an exacto blade, those who have run a drill through their hand, burnt all your hair off striking a torch, dropped a sledgehammer on your toe, etc etc.

Share your story of the worst accident you've had in the shop while you've been designing!

Joshua C.
 
not while prop building, but while doing actual work, i cut off my thumb with a circular saw. they reattached it tho. in school, some guy accidentally drilled through his finger with the drill press.

worst thing that happened to me while prop building was cutting myself pretty badly into the finger with scissors, cause i slipped cause the thing was thick to cut and the pressure was enough for the finger :D like a 5 mm deep cut in the finger, but i only taped it shut and left it be. healed in about a month tho
 
I cut a 1 1/2 long gash in my left thumb after I slipped with a hobby knife when cutting soft plastic. The base was a toy that many others had converted before me, but the material is ridiculously difficult to work with.

Thankfully, the knife wasn't longer than 1/4" long so I avoided any important nerves or blood vessels, the hospital is only 5 minutes away
and most of the cut is in a natural wrinkle in the hand so only half of the scar is noticeable.
 
Darth Lars said:
Thankfully, the knife wasn't longer than 1/4" long so I avoided any important nerves or blood vessels, the hospital is only 5 minutes away
and most of the cut is in a natural wrinkle in the hand so only half of the scar is noticeable.
Click to expand...

That must have really sucked in terms of healing though.
 
When prop building i have:
Cut myself, burn myself, electrocuted myself, stapled myself, soldered myself, and i'v had heavy objects fall on my hand/fingers, feet/toes.

I'v also damaged/destroyed things by spilling coffee/tea on them :lol

It's only a matter of time for something to happens if you build/create enough props :lol

Oh yeah i also poisoned myself airbrushing some nasty lacquer... the filter wasn't properly screwed in and the fumes got in the mask... after 5 mins i was dizzy, stopped and nearly passed out on the couch...

I'm also very good with my hands and very careful, but things still happen over the course of the past 10 years. I would say usually it's because i'm rushing something 'cuz i got 5-10 mins left before i need to do/go something/somewhere'... i'v learned in the recent years that i can wait :lol
 
I've sewn through my pointer finger on my left hand twice with the sewing machine. Didn't think the first time and pulled it out which made a big mess. Second time I had a little more forethought to make sure the needle was out first. Given that I've also put my scissors through another finger....twice...my husband is pretty quick with the glue and I haven't had to go for stitches yet. Should have on the first scissor accident though as I had a lot of trouble getting that one to stayed closed but I know better now.
 
FANGS said:
I've sewn through my pointer finger on my left hand twice with the sewing machine. Didn't think the first time and pulled it out which made a big mess. Second time I had a little more forethought to make sure the needle was out first. Given that I've also put my scissors through another finger....twice...my husband is pretty quick with the glue and I haven't had to go for stitches yet. Should have on the first scissor accident though as I had a lot of trouble getting that one to stayed closed but I know better now.
Click to expand...

I can recommend those 'home stitches'. They are needle free (they are like tape). Pretty handy to have for small cuts that could require stitches, but saves you a trip to the hospital.

Only for small cuts that aren't near anything vital or that are highly visible.

Hospital is still #1 idea, just in case :)
 
Had a close call in my 3D Design class. I was making a movie prop for one of my projects that had to be turned on a wood lathe. The original block was maybe 6" x 8" of solid wood. Apparently the screws to attach it in place weren't ready for that much weight and about 30 seconds in, that wood block flew about an inch from my head over my left shoulder. The breeze off of that alone made me freeze out of fear.
 
Just a couple of days ago I burnt my hand and it left a scar while building a portal gun. A gluestick had gotten stuck in the gluepistol. When i yanked it out some molten hot as lava glue splurged onto my hand. Accidents happen, can only try to be safe, never be totally safe. Flowers dont cut so well into iron for example, but they are super safe ;)
 
I've burned myself with a soldering iron and had molten solder splash on my hands. Hot glue and I will never be friends no matter how careful I attempt to be.
Cut myself with exacto blades and had the occasional micro screwdriver slip and puncture my hand.
Basically my hands look much older than I am due to the small scars everywhere.
 
I cut my finger really deep with a box cutter making my Lego costume a few years back. It wouldn't stop gushing blood so I had to go to the emergency room and had to get 3 stitches (and a really painful shot) in my finger. When I got back home I noticed I had left a trail of blood drops throughout the house. Even after insurance I ended up paying over a hundred bucks out of pocket.

The worst part is I didn't even end up using the piece I was working on when it happened.
 
Stuck a small breakaway knife in my hand while trying to cut some resin flashing off. Still have the blood stains on my shop floor, reminds me to be more careful every time I walk through the doorway :)
 
Hmmmm....

Just in order of remembering ;)

Filleted the top of my left index finger, just under the nail bed to almost the knuckle. I did a really good job of getting it to heal though :) I used strapping tape to hold the D shaped cut closed and then strapped the finger down to the second knuckle so that there was no pulling on the skin when bending my finger. It didn't stop bleeding for a few days but there was enough airflow and everything and I cleaned and changed the dressing daily. I not only have the finest delicate scar but lost no feeling from any necrosis!
It was though using a craft knife on some EVA floor boards- dremels all the way now! They are in fact much safer.

I do have a tendency of getting very sick while in costume and did pass out while wearing full Liara gear. Basically you can't really sweat due to the bodysuit and clothing, cloves and shoes. And the latex headpieces mean no cooling through the scalp. So boom, down I went at the end of the D*C parade 2012.
And this year while in Darth Talon I wound up in first aid getting warm and rehydrating etc.

I did get a horrible infection from wearing shoes I made and din't pad properly which turned septic and I wound up in hospital for three days clearing the infection that wound up in my kidneys! The original infection was terrible, I needed wound dressing every day by nurses.
 
I was working with a makita grinder with a cutting wheel, cutting a piece of metal, i had it close to my body cause i was holding the tool with my right hand and the piece i was cutting with the left, then suddenly it suck my shirt..................almost cut my stomach....good thing it had the dust guard on and the thing stopped there with the shirt, just had minor scratches, but i needed help to get it out....was a close one
 
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