Wedding bands in the Shop

Do you wear wedding bands in the shop

  • Yeah I wear one and always will.

    Votes: 62 33.0%
  • I wear one, but deep down know I shouldn't because of safety reason

    Votes: 28 14.9%
  • No way, no gesture of love is worth me losing a finger

    Votes: 55 29.3%
  • I have to, the Mrs wor Mr would kill me if I didn't. Lose a finger or lose my life...

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • I take mine off, but only inthe shop.

    Votes: 28 14.9%
  • I used to take mine off, but I kept forgetting toput it back on. See question 4 of why I wear it now

    Votes: 2 1.1%
  • I am not married (and pity those of you that are) so I would not wear one even if Iwas

    Votes: 4 2.1%
  • I am not married (but am jealous of you that are) so I would wear one if I was married

    Votes: 1 0.5%
  • I have had mishaps with my wedding band

    Votes: 14 7.4%

  • Total voters
    188
Messages
2,369
Do you wear a wedding band in the shop, or are you too afraid you could lose your finger or mar up your work during the finishing stages?
 
Couldn't vote .... no option for me ....

I've been with my sweetheart for 30 years this fall ... married for 26 years this April ... I've never owned a wedding band ... couldn't afford one when we married and don't need one now to remind me how much I love her.

But .... in a shop where I had to work close to anything moving I wouldn't have:

  • rings
  • watches
  • chains
  • loose clothes
  • long hair
  • etc...

and when I cut in the bush I wear safety chaps, steel toed boots, hearing protectors with a face screen, .... I should take a photo of the cut in my chaps on the left thigh ... no blood in my case though.

cheers eh?
 
Someday, when my shop is roofed and I'm moved in... I'll take it off when I'm out there. I'll have a specific spot where I'll leave it when I'm working. Love my wife, but there are enough risks in the shop that I wouldn't want to add to the dangers. Also, it is task dependent, If I'm working with power tools that's when it will be off, if I'm just vegging out there, I'll wear it.
 
Couldn't vote .... no option for me ....

I've been with my sweetheart for 30 years this fall ... married for 26 years this April ... I've never owned a wedding band ... couldn't afford one when we married and don't need one now to remind me how much I love her.

But .... in a shop where I had to work close to anything moving I wouldn't have:

  • rings
  • watches
  • chains
  • loose clothes
  • long hair
  • etc...

and when I cut in the bush I wear safety chaps, steel toed boots, hearing protectors with a face screen, .... I should take a photo of the cut in my chaps on the left thigh ... no blood in my case though.

cheers eh?

I have been waiting for my wife to wash my jeans before I took a picture of the carnage. I did not want to get anyone upset in case they were squimish about my DNA soaked into the cloth. Anyway here is a picture of what my jeans looked like after the saw bit into them.

Edit: In case some of you don't know,a few weeks ago I cut my thigh slightly when I ran a chainsaw into it. These were the jeans I was wearing at the time.

Cut_Jeans.JPG
 
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I've not worn my wedding band for over 42 years! The "Medics" had to fight like heck to get it off when my ring finger swelled up after it was hit with a maul by a Private!
After that I never put it back on.
 
I have worn mine for 42 years and can't get it off. My joints have grown such that the only way it could come off now is to be cut off. No grease, butter, K-Y, nothing helps.

George
 
I used to take mine off when I went to the shop, but apparently I've gained some weight in the last few years and it was getting harder and harder to remove. Now, I'm not sure I could even get it on. She's not terribly happy about it, but she understands.
 
Even though I voted I take off in shop, I really take it off many other times. Anytime I'm working, when I'm doing cold weather activities (fingers contract and risk losing ring), swimming for same reasons as cold weather. Risk of injury or losing ring not worth it. I don't need a ring to remind me I'm married. (take that any way you want)
 
I had a couple of "close calls" with my wedding ring in the metals shop eventually quit wearing it. Seemed for a few years buddies were losing a lot of hide wearing theirs. I understand it is a symbol of love, my wife appreciates I love her with or without a ring.
 
I had a couple of "close calls" with my wedding ring in the metals shop eventually quit wearing it. Seemed for a few years buddies were losing a lot of hide wearing theirs. I understand it is a symbol of love, my wife appreciates I love her with or without a ring.

Same here Jonathan. Broke my finger handling an extension chute on a ready mix truck when it slipped and somehow caught the ring. Haven't wore one since and that was over 30 years ago. Married 36 years coming up in May and it has never bothered the good wife.
 
My wife and I wear no jewelry whatsoever, so this one is an easy one for me. Even so, I don't like having anything on my hands or neck when working.
 
Travis,

I haven't worn my wedding band in 38 years. Working with high voltage daily, the chances of getting hung on something electrified is too great. In the Navy, I had one of the few jobs where you could get written up for WEARING your dog tags. I try to troubleshoot as much as I can with power shutoff at the wall. Sometimes that is just about impossible.

I gave it to my oldest son to wear for his first wedding. When that marriage went to the wayside, I got the wedding band back. It resides in my jewelry box on my night stand.
 
When I was younger and worked on my cars a lot I would always remove all jewelry. In the shop I tend to take off my watch - don't wear any chains or such - and tuck in shirt tails. Never remove my wedding band, though somewhere back in my mind I suppose I should. I guess I just don't see the same dangers in the shop as I did working on cars. Less chance of crushing, coming in contact with electricity, etc. I always were ear and eye protection.

What are some of the injuries that would be magnified because of wearing a ring? I know you can really fry your finger if your ring crosses some electrical contacts. And I know you can practically amputate a digit if your ring were crushed under an engine block. But, what about working in a small wood shop? What are the perceived dangers?
 
I quit wearing rings when I started working on heavy equipment. If they didn't snag and cause a safety issue they would generally get malformed from the work anyway. I haven't done that kind of work for a long time but never got back into the habit of wearing rings. I'm not in favor of anything that can get caught by something and pull me where I'm not planning to go.
 
I take mine off all the time. I feel naked without it, but it's not always just for safety. I don't want to damage it. This is my ring:

http://www.boonerings.com/htmpages/rosewoodburl.htm

It's easy to scratch the inlay so I am very careful with it. We aren't hung up on symbols so it really doesn't affect either of us. Unless one gets lost!! She misplaced hers last night and I was pretty miffed. Weird how that works - you don't know you have a boundry line sometimes until it's crossed.
 
As a machinist, one thing I have always meant to do...and will once I get my hands on some Titanium, is make my own wedding band. I am not a jeweler so this might pose a problem, but I would like to make the ring in two halves, joining the two halves by either lead, or plastic...or anything that would separate if the ring catches on something.

Of course the trial and error would be a problem. It would have to resist enough pull so that it would not part on just any ol thing, and yet break away when entanglement was bound to occur. Kind of a fine line. Still I was going to call it a Machinist Safety Wedding Band.

Remember, you heard me say it first!! :D:D
 
I worked in an airframe repair shop for the Army for 8 years and had to take off my ring due to the safety regulations and the wonderful posters they would have around to ensure you got the hint. In my personal shop it is a judgement call for me and probably more frequently than not I leave it on.

This may be a reminder to jolt me into taking it off more frequently to avoid possible injuries. The army safety poster they always posted showed the sheath of skin from a finger with a ring on it and the hand was not attached...

Carl
 
I do not wear one at all. Wearing anything other then cloth was frowned upon by my last employer. When I did work full time as a truck tech it was basicly beat into your head. The company had a fine for wearing jewlrey. First time was 1 day lose of pay+ clean grease trap.:eek:, second offense week off with out pay and third you no longer had a job. I did once see a guy get his ring snagged on a drive shaft and that was not pretty. I have also seen chains get stnagged by moveing parts.
 
When I was a machinist apprentice I saw a guy almost loose his finger when his ring finger got caught in a lathe chuck somehow, (he never could explain exactly how it happened). LOML & I discussed it and she was secure in my love for her, I haven't worn any rings since.
I have also seen a few videos of the aftermath when long hair gets caught up in machinery - also not a pretty picture.
 
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