Safety Glasses while cleaning guns

F

FhvnLT4A

Joined
May 25, 2008
Messages
1,737
Likes
226
Location
SE Mass
Feedback: 9 / 0 / 0
I know Im probably gonna get hammered for this, as Im sure EVERYONE reading this wears em all the time while cleaning, but i got a painful introduction into why Safety glasses should be worn during cleaning. I had taken my bolt carrier group into my station for cleaning while on a callback. I had broken down the extractor and was spraying it with gun scrubber, when it squirted full force back in my right eye. I think that a red hot poker would have hurt less the instant this stuff hit me. Thank god that our shop has a eyewash station at the door. After a solid 5 minutes of flushing, I could still barely open my eye. After 15, it was ok, but I have a little chemical burn on my tearduct. Certainly not life ending injuries or debilitating but just the same... take a minute and think twice before you clean your guns with any solvents without eye protection on .... I will next time for sure!
 
it WAS .. at arms length... the problem was that the bolt carrier sent the spray back at me ..... the hoke the bolt rides in was what i was cleaning, at an angle through the lock pin, and it came right back at me through it.
 
Funny how the time you decide you don't really need them are the times when something goes wrong. I took them off one time as I was pretty much finished. Worked the bolt a couple times before putting the gun away and that one drop of oil that had pooled up shot right in my face.
 
I need to wear my safety glass more often. I usually forget them. Especially when I'm working in the garage or at the range by myself. Knock on wood I still have both eyes.
 
hoppes #9 really hurts eyes to. i get that into my eyes EVERY FRIGGEN TIME I USE IT.
i need to stop rubbing my eyes and touching my face.
 
I've never worn safety glasses while cleaning my guns... it never occurred to me to... interesting.

I guess I'll start wearing them. [smile]
 
thats sounds awfull. i had a recent incident at my job where it got a small slither of glass in my shooting eye i removed it myself, i have never had a more worrysome experince. thank god i went to the eye doctors and the glass only scratched the white of my eye and just need some ointment im my eye.

my eyeglasses have saved my ass more than once when i had something come flying at my face. i usully just where safety glasses over my eyeglasses when im shooting but im going to start using them when i clean now.
 
I was cutting out an exhaust once on a car and has some slag fall down, hit my forehead, bounce under my safety glasses and burn my eye lid. Talk about scary, I could see the metal burning with my eye closed! Left a nice burn on my eye lid for a few days. After my first trip to the ER after getting metal in my eye, I learned my lesson. I wear safetys all the time, reloading, house work, fixing cars. You only gots two of em boys and girls, you should try and keep em safe as much as possible.
 
Well, the gun scrubber stuff burned for close to 10 minutes before i had gotten my eyelid open enough to flush it with enough water to make it stop. Thankfully (sofar) I have just a little chem burn in my tear duct that Im hoping will go away in a few days... but from now on ill be wearing safety glasses, sun glasses, SOMETHING to keep those oversprays out of my eyes. On the good side, if im ever at a loss for a weapon while cleaning my gun.. this shit works better than OC, CS, Pee, gas, you name it.. my eyes were SHUT!
 
When I used that horrible Hoppes Number 9 stuff I used a R100 respirator, latex gloves and goggles just to keep from getting cancer...

I'm not so careful with CLP, but its not a bad idea, to avoid lead exposure, springs in the eyes, etc.
 
Lol, I did the same thing with brake clean when I was new in the shops. Except mine was a direct blast straight from the nozzle into my eye. I think I might have even created some new, never before used explicitives during that ordeal.
 
Slipped once with a screwdriver, put a huge gouge in my glasses that I wear. Would have severely damaged my eye if I had not been wearing glasses. Prety much will wear goggles if I get under a car and cutting anything.
 
Last edited:
noidlight said:
I was cutting out an exhaust once on a car and has some slag fall down, hit my forehead, bounce under my safety glasses and burn my eye lid. Talk about scary, I could see the metal burning with my eye closed! Left a nice burn on my eye lid for a few days. After my first trip to the ER after getting metal in my eye, I learned my lesson. I wear safetys all the time, reloading, house work, fixing cars. You only gots two of em boys and girls, you should try and keep em safe as much as possible.
Click to expand...

Only time I ever got anything hurtful in my eye was while wearing safety glasses. Cutting an oil tank in half with a Sawzall on a hot day. air currents from the heat and my body temp brought a metal filing around the glasses and into my eye. Having them pull the metal splinter from your eye is a wonderful experience[shocked]

I have been cleaning guns for a lot of years. Luckily I never had a problem.
 
FhvnLT4A said:
Well, the gun scrubber stuff burned for close to 10 minutes before i had gotten my eyelid open enough to flush it with enough water to make it stop. Thankfully (sofar) I have just a little chem burn in my tear duct that Im hoping will go away in a few days... but from now on ill be wearing safety glasses, sun glasses, SOMETHING to keep those oversprays out of my eyes. On the good side, if im ever at a loss for a weapon while cleaning my gun.. this shit works better than OC, CS, Pee, gas, you name it.. my eyes were SHUT!
Click to expand...



i would visit the eye doctors if i were you
 
As a vocational teacher I always preach safety to my students and require eye protection at all times. When working in the field, I'm embarrased to say...not so much. I have had a few near misses, and a few times wearing eye protection has saved me. Buy high quality safety equipment, it makes a difference. As for gun scrubber, it DOES sting like a &*%$#@* when it "backfires" into your eyes. Ask me how I know.

Chris
 
I wear prescription glasses,so I always have something on. Zeiss makes my current pair. Safety glass and all. Always have a pair on. They don't make a glass eye you can see out of yet!

I will be happy to provide anyone who has none a pair of safety glasses. Send a PM.
 
After narrowly missing a 1911 spring and bushing to my eye, I wear them all the time when cleaning my guns now. I got lucky once. Not going to count on luck again. It's a good message and one people should heed.
 
Interesting thread. I wear eye protection when stripping or assembling firearms due to the risk from the recoil or main spring. When I use gunscrubber, I typically put the bit to be cleaned on the floor on old newspaper and get a good gap between me and the target...
 
Mine was held at arms length due to a prior splat.. Should have put some on after that hit but it was minor so, i went on about cleaning and WHAMMO
 
My most painful (but not most damaging) eye accident happened when I was under the front end of a military 3/4 ton truck (yes, a LONG time ago.) I had a 1 1/8 inch deep socket on the end of an extension working on the front end. When I finished tightening the bolt, I pulled the ratchet down and saw there was no socket on the end of the extension. I looked up just as it fell and hit me dead on in my right eye. I learned the value of eye protection that day.
 
i hit myself hopps 9 "mist" while using a tooth brush cleaning the slide on a pistol.

i've worn my big goofy glasses or goggle ever since.
 
codenamepaul said:
I wear prescription glasses,so I always have something on. Zeiss makes my current pair. Safety glass and all. Always have a pair on. They don't make a glass eye you can see out of yet!

I will be happy to provide anyone who has none a pair of safety glasses. Send a PM.
Click to expand...
Do NOT count on safety glass - safety glass will SHATTER if hit hard enough. I know because it happened to me.

Now, EVERY pair of glasses I get is made from polycarbonate - that is the ONLY material that will not shatter if you hit it hard enough. One bout of eye surgery to remove glass splinters was enough for me, thanks.
 

Similar threads

Cleaning your guns
2 3
Replies
66
Views
2K
Buck F
Buck F
Glasses with Optics
Replies
5
Views
185
DeputyDawg
D
Correct way to get guns back from police?
Replies
16
Views
706
appraiser
appraiser
Migrants can carry guns
Replies
23
Views
727
KBCraig
KBCraig
Incels with guns
2
Replies
36
Views
1K
chris_1001
chris_1001
Back
Top Bottom