A Tool Tip from My Cave: The Importance of Safety Goggles
Hey everybody, Adam Savage here with a tool tip from my cave that starts with a story. A couple of weeks ago, I was milling something on my mill, and it was made of steel. And I was milling it at a fairly high rate, and the chunks that were coming off were coming off blue. That meant that the steel that was being carved off was being carved off with enough heat that it was actually heat coloring the swarf coming off my mill. One of those tiny little pieces when I turned away from the mill came around the side of my face and hit me in the eye. Uh, I went to the eye doctor the next day. She was able using magnifications, lit thing that they have to see that there was still a little tiny piece of steel in my eye. It took three visits to get it all out. Now, I am a lifelong maker, and I am grateful that in 40 years of making stuff, I have only had to visit the doctor twice because of my eyes. But that makes me very, very lucky. And I don't like being lucky; I like being smart.
That's why today's tool tip is about goggles. Ladies and gentlemen, I know you watch my videos, and sometimes you think that I don't apply enough safety measures. Totally get that, and I hear you. I am here to tell you, I am a goggle convert, and it is time for everyone to wear some goggles. I've covered goggles on the channel before, um, but I've covered like exotic cool looking goggles, weird goggles, goggles that were props from science fiction shows. These are my favorite consumer-level goggles. They're made by DeWalti love how light they are. Um, normally have three or four pairs around here, but recently, I lost them all, it might have been during the Savage Build shoot or some other uh away shoot in which I packed up some safety gear, so I've recently ordered a couple of new pairs of these DeWalt goggles.
Here's what I like about them. I like the polycarbonate lens; it is relatively, and it's not scratchproof, but it stays okay for a lot longer than many others. Really like how lightweight they are, and I like this rubber seal as well. I wear heavy glasses which means that goggles can be a nightmare for me, and these goggles if you look up close, they fit my big glasses frames really, really well. And they're actually nice and comfortable because of their light weight, it doesn't feel like something's pulling on my face.
A low threshold to entry encourages use; it encourages utilization. So, years ago when I played the saxophone, uh, my saxophone teacher said the moment you find a saxophone mouthpiece that works better for you than the one you currently have, you should spend whatever it takes to buy that mouthpiece. He was giving me an upgrade platform for a saxophone and he was explaining essentially that mouthpieces are so objective and so personal that the moment you find one that fits you, you should jump on it now.
I'm here to say same thing about safety protection and specifically safety goggles. If you have a pair that you don't like, ask around, find a pair you do like invest in it. These by the way are $12 bucks; these is worth investing in trying them out to see if they work for you, uh. The other thing I do with these when I'm not using them is put them in a dust-proof cabinet so that when I pull them out, I don't have to clean them off or scrape some dust on the lens. I think that's all.
Wearing Goggles: They Are Not Quite Enough
I want to make one thing clear; your goggles are not quite enough. And every eye doctor you've ever met has seen some of the worst things you can possibly imagine. Things that you can no longer see, yeah, yeah okay. Hey, wear your goggles! These are my favorites, and your mileage may vary if you have a pair that fits your weird specific type of face or eyes or glasses I'd love to know about it in the comments. Spread the word, help others discover the safety procedures that you use to keep you safe.
Thank you guys for joining me for this quick and dirty tool tip; I will see you next time!