What the heck is acetone? (warning, should not be read by small children)

[AZ JazzyJ]

I sit here attempting to type this message with only 4 fingers. Now usually, this type of behavior is best left to late nights when I am bored and want to see which 4 fingers I just can’t live without. This time though, there is a medical reason why I am only using that many fingers. Well, maybe medical is the wrong word, it is more mental. You know, like when your computer brings up the error message, “Nut loose in operator’s chair” and you get a screwdriver out and check all the bolts on your chair only to find out that the computer was talking about you and not the furniture. Well, after our little Disney Store adventure, we came home and gave the kids their one pin each and the pin bag. They of course wanted to put more pins in the bag (this has me wondering, is there some sort of pin trading gene that immediately kicks in once a person owns one pin?). Trying to be a good father, I decided that I might just have some pins in my collection that can be moved to the kids bag for them to trade. I began going through my collection selecting pins that I thought they would like. As I removed the pin back from a Figment pin Trina brought back from our trip to Orlando, I noticed that the pointy part had a pretty nasty bend in it. Well, this coupled with the fact that I was watching The New Yankee Workshop on television led me to believe I could fix this. I first went to the garage to collect the necessary tools. Of course there I found that Dakota had recently been practicing his entry into the exciting field of Indy Car Pit Crew and my tools were strewn all across the garage as was half of his bicycle. Luckily I had thought to keep the assembly instructions for the bike. I just had to remember if you read Chinese from top to bottom or right to left. Before I got too distracted, I remembered this was a pin repair story not a bike repair saga. Finally, I found my needle-nose pliers up to their handles in the flower bed (funny, I don’t remember storing them there). I reached down to retrieve them. As I pulled them out of the ground, water began to spew out like a small geyser (oh wait, I did put them there because there was a hole in the drip line). I made a note that I needed to replace the pliers when I got finished. Ok, I know I should just fix the sprinkler line but with baseball now going until November, this sounds like a good activity to do while the turkey is roasting. With tools in hand, I went back inside to begin my pin repair operation. According to Norm Abram, the most important thing was that I wear safety glasses. I thought the most important thing was not to get killed while attempting home repairs but I guess that must be second. Well, I really don’t own safety glasses so I immediately decided I was tired of Safe and Sane, this was a job for Dumb and Dangerous. I must have had that look in my eye as Dakota immediately stressed that I should have safety glasses. So I did the next best thing, I put on my sunglasses. Now I am not blaming the glasses because chances are I would have done this anyway but being blind didn’t help matters. With the pliers in my hand, I grabbed the pointy part and with the flick of my wrist I twisted it straightening it. Well, instead of the pin, I had mistakenly grabbed one of the girl’s Barbies and now we have one doll that looks as if she was in some sort of really bad skiing accident as her arm should not bend in that direction. She won’t be waving at any parades any time soon. After twisting her little arm back into somewhat normal position, I put a splint on it and made a tiny sling for her. I am not sure why I did that. After all, the woman lives in a giant house, has like about a hundred cars and is herself a registered nurse as well as cheerleader. She could have fixed the arm herself. Sorry, I digressed just a bit. This time, with my safety sunglasses not on quite as well, I grabbed the pin and attempted to straighten the post. The post of course broke off the pin leaving me holding a Figment without a back in one hand and a pair of pliers with a pin post locked in their jaws in the other. These types of things happen to me all the time so I was not too stressed yet. I went to the one tool that is most used in our house (after the hammer. Is there nothing that can’t be fixed with a good whack?) Yes ladies and gentlemen, I brought out the Super Glue. As often as I use this stuff, I really should go to Sam’s Club and see if they sell it in a 55 gallon drum. Well, I carefully placed the Figment face down on the table and opened the tube to place a small dab of glue where the post used to be. I should have checked to see if the tube was clogged but I didn’t. Instead, when faced with resistance from the glue tube I did was every man in America would do, I squeezed harder. The good news is, the tube was unclogged. The bad news is Super Glue flew everywhere. Well, first things first, I set the pin back on the pin and held it in place with two fingers. The other hand of course went to wipe up the glue before Trina came in. I should have really made a mental note at this point that the guy on the television could be suspended on a steel beam by his construction hat, but I didn’t. After 10 seconds, I found that I now had a permanent connection with that pin, literally. Of course the pin was also permanently attached to the table and my other hand was somehow attached to the tabletop where I was wiping up glue using one of Trina’s good hand towels. It was like some sort of crazed Twister game without the dots. Dakota of course was no help as he did the one thing I needed him not to do. He called Trina. So there I sat with two fingers stuck to the pin back, my thumb attached to the pin body. The pin attached to the table. Two fingers from my other hand were attached to the table and a finger and thumb attached to Trina’s good hand towel which now sported a large Super Glue glob. I can tell you this, when your wife and four of your children are standing around laughing at you, a minute seems like a REALLY long time. And what does Trina do? She calls Ashley. After all, just because she is away at college doesn’t mean she should miss out on the happenings at home. Finally, in a count of 3 I ripped my fingers from the table leaving at least two layers of skin there (not to worry, Super Glue can be used to help skin heal by putting a protective layer on the finger tips). Getting removed from the pin was a little more difficult but still doable. Now though, I am faced with trying to remove Super Glue from the table and the back of the pin (I have given up attempting to save the hand towel. Even Barbie thinks that is a lost cause and she should know since she is a chemical engineer). According to the web, acetone will help to dissolve the glue but I have no idea what the heck this stuff is. This sounds like a job for Home Depot. I guess I better make up a good story for this so I can get some help. Do you think they would buy an alien abduction story?

Jeff

 

[Eeyore's Pal]

Nailpolish remover. By the way, while I'm sure it may take super glue off your table, it will also take the finish (stain, varnish, etc.) off your table, the paint off your walls, and the dye out of many fabrics.

I just thought I'd mention those other things because being forwarned is being forarmed. . .

Oh, I forgot. That doesn't seem to work for you.

 

[Raulandpinboy]

Jeff being there myself many a times, the answer is simple.

Blame it on Barbie. That little know it all caused the problem, not only did she break her arm in the progress, but whom else but a woman would use a good towel to clean up the mess. Hello…

We are men by golly, and we use oily rags, which by the way oily rags dissolve super glue.

So obviously you came in to garage planning to fix everything, then you noticed Barbie breaking the pin back off, you offer to help but her being a know it all told you stand back, which you did but when she grabbed the glue you said to yourself oh oh, and immediately put on your cool safety glasses (OSHA would be proud).

After she tried to clean up the mess with the good towel mind you, and after she rejected your oily rag saying it was oookkie. She breaks her arm and starts that weak boohoo innocent little act of hers, and of course as you help you get caught cleaning her mess, and as people walk in she goes into that lifeless act of hers, and refuses to fess up.

Case solved you're a hero Barbie bites.

How's the pin by the way?

 

[JudithM]

More from Beauregard: Acetone is the only solvent more universal & powerful than water. The only drawback, of course, is that acetone is HIGHLY VOLATILE and it is EXTREMELY IMFLAMMABLE. The fumes will make you high as a kite & the flames are so pure & blue, you cannot see them. Oh, yes, & it will feel just wonderful on an open wound on your hands. Have a good day!

From Judith: TRINA!! Do you have a fire extinguisher, an oxygen tank, ...?

 

[iNTeNSeBLue98]

Acetone is found in nail enamel (polish) remover. Check labels because the remover is available with or without acetone. You might find straight acetone at the building supply store, but the nail polish remover is much cheaper I'm sure.

 

[Dar20]

Oh, poor, poor Jeff! I know you must be in pain, but thanks for the giggle.

Be careful with acetone - it can ruin polished furniture (believe me, I got a good spankin' for discovering that when I was little! ), and is also very painful to open wounds.

Dar

 

[MeanLaureen]

I need to talk to Trina.. I need to make sure she calls me too when stuff like this happens

 

[shirley 38]

First I have to say God Bless you. This has been the first time I have laughed in a long time. I really mean that. I want to say Thank You and now I have a Headache from laughting so hard.

Second are you related to John59. Thank God he has not discovered super glue yet. Please do not tell him.
Everything with John is Duct Tape. Our Sewer Pipes have Duct Tape on them. Our screens have it our air conditioner has it.
Oh well The best part is John is a accident waiting to happen. I can tell you how many times he has broken his toes, stapled himself, glued himself.
One time he bent over to pick his keys up and hit his head on the corner of the car door.

Well off to the hospital. They had to shave part of his head and put these really awful stitches in.
Our Son who was about 2 or 3 took one look at him and screamed. He thought he was Frankenstien and he did look like him. He would not go near him for about a week.

Not only is he accident prone but if you are around him watch out. Oh I could write a book.
His favorite thing was to scare kids with stories and then carry it out. Was telling our daughter a ghost story one night in bed and he tied a string to the curtain in the window.

Well when he would say the ghost was coming in throught the window he would lift his leg and the curtain would move upward.
My kids would not go upstairs at night if they knew he was up there. This is only the tip of the iceburg
Thank you again been missing for a while just can't seem to shake the world trade center thing. shirley38
Ps sometime if anyone sees him asking him who is Grimelda

 

[TIGGERSMOM]

OK I bid one WDW Mystery pin for pictures of the adventure!!!!! Sounds better than the August one.

Trina please tell us you took pics?!?!?!?

Actually I think my nephew is still glued to our dog from his last encounter with Super glue.

 

[AZ JazzyJ]

First, I would like to thank everyone for their help in identifying what acetone is. Armed with this knowledge, I headed to the store with my newly webbed hands. I wandered around the grocery store looking for the finger nail polish remover aisle (they have to have an aisle for this right?) Well, I have never shopped for this kind of stuff before so I was a little intimidated and not real sure where I would find it. The first place I looked was on the hardware aisle next to the Super Glue. After all, that is why they sell this stuff right? Well I didn’t find any. So then I thought, if I were going to stock the shelves of this store, where would I put it? Well, that was a no-brainer. I immediately headed over to the female products aisle. This is an aisle that I have to be honest, scares me. It is like walking down a gauntlet of a guy’s worst fears. I don’t even like seeing the commercials for these products on television let alone have to walk down the aisle checking the shelves out. So, with a quick look to my left and my right to make sure no one I knew saw me walking towards this aisle, I put my sunglasses on and pulled my collar up around my face and began to quickly run down the aisle glancing back and forth trying to see if there was finger nail polish remover. I am not sure if it was there or not, everything was kind of a blur. But I am pretty sure I didn’t see anything like that. Finally, I relented and decided I better ask someone. That in itself was a dilemma as I didn’t quite know how to ask. I mean, if I asked a guy they would wonder why the heck was this dude looking for fingernail polish remover? Based on that knowledge, I figured I would be safer asking a woman. I found the least intimidating looking female employee I could find and asked her where they kept the finger nail polish remover. Just as I suspected, she immediately looked at my fingers and my toes to see if they were colored! Geez, now I felt obligated to tell her the whole story and to prove it I showed her where my fingers were glued together. Well between the laughter and the tears, she was able to lead me over to the right aisle. There she left me saying something about how she needed to go on break and that no one was going to believe her. I am not sure what that meant, but at least now I was where I needed to be. What no one bothered to tell me though was that there are many different kinds of this nail polish remover in all colors and stuff. After studying the bottles and checking the ingredients, I settled on a lovely yellow bottle that promised to make my fingernails stronger and had a lemon scent. I figured I have seen enough lemon-fresh Pledge commercials; lemons must be good for furniture. I took the bottle up to the cashier and waited to pay. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted the girl who helped me find the right aisle. She had with her two or three of her co-workers. They were whispering and pointing in my direction then they all walked off giggling. What is up with that? Well, I got home and began the task of cleaning glue off of everything. Several hours and a half a bottle later, I think things are pretty much back to normal. Does anyone want to trade for a clean lemon-scented Figment pin?

Jeff

 

[renknt]

Jeff,

I am soooooo sorry to hear of your encounter with the second most important tool in the house.

I must say that after I finished laughing the thought that ran through my mind was the only way this could have been more funny was if it happened to a Dodger.


Have fun at the E.R.



Mike(did you see B. B. is at 66) Young

 

[KathiWithAnI]

Jeff, I'd trade for the pin just for the memories!

 

[Figgy]

On Behalf of Figment I have to say thanks for the rescue attempt but next time just give the pin to one of the kids they could have it unbent in about 1 min flat I bet...HEHE

I think you are related to Britt with his Nair story.... I worry about some of the things the male brain comes up with.. I mean how many women are gonna see a bent pin back and go ok I need a tool.. I just use the counter in the kitchen and poof straight pin.... HEHE

Luv Ya Jeff....

 

[pintrader]

The inevitable has happened !!! No, not the super glue part JJ, but the fact that Jazzy Jeff and Rauland Pin Boy have made their way to the same DIS thread. Hold on to your seats kids, fastens your seat belts. and take a deep breath. Believe me. laughing CAN BE hazardous to your health, if you can't find time to breathe.

 

[john59]

I have read the Topic and replys.

If I had a CYBER VALIUM, I would take it. Instead maybe I will go Flyfishing for trout.

It can't be jeff.

It must be me.

john59