Worst brewing wound

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Nate

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2005
Messages
713
Reaction score
24
Location
Virginia
I'm sitting here looking at second degree burn scars caused by a boiling starter and was wondering what everyone's worst brew wound was. FYI, I stupidly shook a hot starter to mix it up and blew it all over my hand. Two fingers looked (and felt) like old leather for a few weeks... still doesn't look right. Beer turned out awesome though. :)
 
I was brewing in the kitchen one day with no shirt on. I had a carboy full of idophor and instead of siphoning into the sink I picked it up and turned it gently to dump into the sink. It slipped and broke while it was in my hands and resting against my stomach. I thought it had cut my gut wide open but did not go that deep just deep enough to make me bleed all over the place. I had a few small cuts on my hands, and legs but my stomach was the worse, I ended up getting no stitches just kinda scared me pretty bad. I dont pick them up unless I have too. I let gravity do the work when I can.
 
Dark_Ale said:
I was brewing in the kitchen one day with no shirt on. I had a carboy full of idophor and instead of siphoning into the sink I picked it up and turned it gently to dump into the sink. It slipped and broke while it was in my hands and resting against my stomach. I thought it had cut my gut wide open but did not go that deep just deep enough to make me bleed all over the place. I had a few small cuts on my hands, and legs but my stomach was the worse, I ended up getting no stitches just kinda scared me pretty bad. I dont pick them up unless I have too. I let gravity do the work when I can.
One of the reasons I have my carboys in a milk crate...more handles!:D ;)
 
homebrewer_99 said:
One of the reasons I have my carboys in a milk crate...more handles!:D ;)

After reading a few posts about broken carboys, I've also eyed the milkcrates. But I'm curious: do you just sit them in the crate, or do you tie them in somehow? The crate would seem to add safety when simply moving a carboy around, but the biggest risk seems to be when washing a carboy. How does a milk crate help then, unless it's tied in? (BTW, I brew outdoors on a concrete patio, and I rinse/sanatize/aerate there as well.)

I use a stack of old cardboard on the patio when working with the primary on brew day, to provide some protection against breaking the glass. The cardboard works well, but it needs replacing after a couple of brew sessions. I'm currently looking for some sort of rubber pad. What do you all use to protect your glass primary?
 
just an idea, you can you use those rubber pads made to help relieve standing tension, the anti-fatigue mats, i believe. do you know what i mean? they seem like they would stand up pretty well to a beating and work well at helping to prevent a carboy breaking.
 
Why not build a washer/rinser so you don't have to hold and shake the carboy in the first place? Sometime ago I saw a how to using an up side down plastic flower pot with a hole cut out of the middle (this was the stand - the neck of the carboy went into the hole) then connect some rigid copper tubing to a garden hose and run the pipe up through the hole in the pot and into the carboy where it can spray water and gently rinse the carboy.

All you'd have to do is scrub it a bit with the brush and then place it on the stand for rinsing and repeat if necessary. I think I may try this if I ever finish that damn fridge/kegerator (I think I may finally have all the kinks worked out as of tonight).

Anyhow, as to the original question.. I haven't broken a carboy yet but I have burned myself several times. Seems like everytime I brew I find something else to burn my hand on. I recall one time in particular when I was using a small pot for decotion mashing, I sat it on my 150,000 btu propane burner and the flames were leaping up the sides. Not more than 30 seconds after I shut it off I reached for the *metal* handles. I even looked at my oven mitts right before I did it and thought.. "ah, why bother.. it can't be that hot." I had raised white bars on my palms and on a couple of fingers - the blisters perfectly matched the handles of the pots.

Unlike homebrewing, I found homebranding to be a rather unpleasant hobby and don't plan on trying it again anytime soon.
 
Dark_Ale said:
I was brewing in the kitchen one day with no shirt on. I had a carboy full of idophor and instead of siphoning into the sink I picked it up and turned it gently to dump into the sink. It slipped and broke while it was in my hands and resting against my stomach. I thought it had cut my gut wide open but did not go that deep just deep enough to make me bleed all over the place. I had a few small cuts on my hands, and legs but my stomach was the worse, I ended up getting no stitches just kinda scared me pretty bad. I dont pick them up unless I have too. I let gravity do the work when I can.

You are lucky you had iodophor in there, which would have disinfected the wound.

I prefer to use plastic fermenters...glass just scares me.
 
homebrewer_99 said:
One of the reasons I have my carboys in a milk crate...more handles!:D ;)

I use one of these:

http://www.austinhomebrew.com/product_info.php?cPath=178_53_148&products_id=1079

While the carboy could still break, it won't be right up against my body when it does. Makes life 100 times easier when transfer/bottling days come around.

Worst wound for me......small, superficial cut on my foot when I accidentally dropped my floating thermometer and it broke. I've also burned the hair off of my legs and feet by standing too close to the burner with shorts and sandals on.....
 
Lost said:
Why not build a washer/rinser so you don't have to hold and shake the carboy in the first place? Sometime ago I saw a how to using an up side down plastic flower pot with a hole cut out of the middle (this was the stand - the neck of the carboy went into the hole) then connect some rigid copper tubing to a garden hose and run the pipe up through the hole in the pot and into the carboy where it can spray water and gently rinse the carboy.

All you'd have to do is scrub it a bit with the brush and then place it on the stand for rinsing and repeat if necessary. I think I may try this if I ever finish that damn fridge/kegerator (I think I may finally have all the kinks worked out as of tonight).

Here is what you are talking about: flower pot and 1/2" pvc..

1332-P1010009.JPG
 
I managed to burn my wrist to the bone relighting the turkey burner. Not a big burn, but painful at the time and nicely scarred now. I added an igniter before the next session.
 
Brewiz said:
Here is what you are talking about: flower pot and 1/2" pvc..

Yes, that's it. Somehow I remember it being copper but now that I see that pic that's definitely it. Thanks. If it's yours can you tell us how it works?

david_42 said:
I managed to burn my wrist to the bone relighting the turkey burner. Not a big burn, but painful at the time and nicely scarred now. I added an igniter before the next session.

I use those wand type lighters.. they work well. I know how stupid you feel walking around with a big bald spot on your right arm and hand... it only took once for me to learn... looking back I think I was fortunate I still had my eyebrows after that one.
 
Yes it's mine and it works great. After I soak a carboy in Oxyclean I drain it and set it on the rinser and just let it go for a while. I usually spin it a few times while it rinses to help get the entire bottom and to help it drain, then just let it set and dry. And it works on both 5 and 6.5 gal carboy's.
 
I was carrying about 6 gallons of hot wort that had just finished boiling and I happened to slip as I was walking up the stairs. Of course, my only concern was not dropping the day's work, so I managed to not drop the beer, but in the process a crap load of it splashed all over the place, including my left arm. It burned the crap out of me and I'm sure the burn was made worse b/c I was wearing a long sleeve shirt, so the hot wort just sat on my arm as I hustled the beer into the kitchen so I could set it down. Once the beer was safely sitting on the floor, I removed the shirt and ran cold water over my arm.

Cliffs: 2nd degree blistery burns all over my left arm
 
My carboys reside in milk crates. These are good solid metal crates. the handles aren't too comfortable, but whatever, it beats dropping a carboy full of beer.

When washing the carboys out, they're usually partially to mostly empty so I remove the crate and handle them by one of those loop carboy handles at top, and another hand under the base of the carboy. I recently purchased a better bottle, not to replace a carboy, but to augment. Now I can brew three batches at a time. Wooo Hooo!!! :ban:
 
For weeks I've been saying, "I'll never break my hydrometer like all those guys on HBT have...muhahaha!"

Today I broke my flask and my hydrometer.
 
Back
Top