"VICE-GRIPS: Used to round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand. "
As we speak, I'm sitting here nursing two burn marks just below the knee, courtesy of the big pincher-shaped vice-grips I'd just removed after tack-welding a patch in and dropped on the floor while I finished fully-welding the patch (which meant kneeling down, right onto said vice-grips)
Another confession - I once ran out of fuel just after taking off from a slighty-uphill set of traffic lights on a REALLY busy street. There was a park not far ahead of where I stopped, so rather than push the car uphill, I thought I'd "drive" it by putting it in first gear and using the battery (via the starter motor) to supply power.
End result - one stuffed starter motor and flywheel (ruined the ringgear). But hey, I got it off the street
And finally, another painful one. I was stripping paint off the side of the rear quarter, and taking all the neccessary precautions (glasses, rubber gloves, and a big sheet of plastic to scrape the mess onto.)
I'd done most of the 1/4 panel and only had the very bottom to scrape off, which unfortunately also meant squatting down. Very soon, I felt a burning sensation around the rear-end / genital region. Yep, I'd squatted down a bit close to a pile of freshly scraped-off paint stripper / paint gunge which was now soaking through my shorts. Only those that know the sting of paint stripper on hands, etc, can imagine the feeling by the time I'd run from the garage to the house, stripped off and jumped into the shower.
All I can say is I'm glad I have an office job. I'd kill myself if I were in the trade.