Hazard Profile

If you are a drummer/percussionist, then you take great care of your hands, because they are your career. But sometimes little things happen—there are always hazards. Like last week when I was packing up from my gig. I had taken apart my Gong rack and was putting a tube in the carry bag when I felt a sharp pain—I knew what it was. Pulling my hand out, I could see blood dripping down my fingers. I quickly grabbed my finger, squeezing it to stop the bleeding, and ran out of the back room in search of some help. Fortunately, I found a band-aid, and even better, a friend to help apply it while I still squeezed my finger (thanks Mark!).

 What happend was the tip if my right index finger was sliced open, much like a giant paper cut, by a large flake of chrome coming off one of the rack tubes. I've had this happen enough times before to know what had happened even before I looked at my finger.
1 inch chrome flake

 Now I'm not writing about all this to be dramatic, but to remind everyone to check their stands once in a while for signs of chrome flaking. No one wants to sustain an injury. Unfortunately, because of today's environmental laws (which are good), chrome is not as durable as it once was in the past. I still have stands from the 1970s that look almost new, without any flaking, while more recent stands have had the chrome start to flake off within a few years. 
The offending tube with missing chrome

 So, check your hardware, and wear gloves for safety when setting up or tearing down.

 ~ MB

 PS - My finger has healed nicely.

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