Ever get mad and throw a wrench, smash something, verbal tirate, punch a...?

The river beside the last garage I worked at is full of broken tools....

 

I can't say as I have known too many men who haven't at one time or another. I don't think it is so much a maturity issue as it is a man thing; we are the warriors of the race, and are conditioned at some level in our makeup to fight things that we percieve as threats to us and those people and things we are held responsible for, in the case of discussion here, our own sanity or ability to accomplish a goal. I have wrecked a whole bunch of stuff in my life, but never a machine that was not already wrecked; other stuff has not been so fortunate; I've had to reframe or replace several doors and windows, repair numerous holes in walls and doors, paid the tarriff for the concrete that I turned into rubble, etc.; I have never hurt anybody, though, who didn't need hurtin'; scared a lot of 'em, though. This personality trait, coupled with a fairly formidable physical development, has cost me, though; most people were, at the least, put off by my agressiveness, or just downright afraid of me, and they gave me a pretty wide berth. And, all this mess ever got me was scars, ulcers, and three heart attacks in my early fifties; I don't know how I managed to avoid a criminal record. Thereafter, and after a year or so of visits with a nice Lady in a quiet office three times a week, I sort of learned to "just turn around and walk away". Oh, the fuse is still there, and it does get lit from time to time, but I have finally learned how to snuff it before it gets to the dyn-o-mite. Maybe it is a maturity thing, after all.

 

When i was younger i had a real bad temper i think the first thing i threw was a rachet threw the my just installed brand new windsheild of my 72 monte carlo after i couldnt get the hood to line up to my likeings that was at 16 i now throw my tools at other things then what im working on!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

I just walk off cussing, and just leave everything alone for awhile till I cool off.

On another note, I worked at a British car restoration shop where the owner had put a sign on the wall that said "Welcome to the Flying Wrench Garage"

 

Its nice for me to work on stuff at home because if I do get to that point, I can walk inside, get a drink or relax for a minute while I cool off. At work, its a different story. The Navy wants that thing done yesterday, damn the consequences and who cares that you've been up for 2 days straight? The best one I've seen so far was a buddy of mine mike a picture perfect olympic style hammer throw with an 8 foot ladder into the side of a pick up. Close second was the proportioning block for a marine steering system that was really stubborn coming off getting thrown about 40 yards out into the harbor, only to realize about 5 seconds later that we needed the fittings that were attached to it. Trust me, EOD divers dont like it when you call them for that type of thing.

 

and anybody who has ever worked on a brittish car, or that dam lucas electrical system can understand that one. The Brittish have a wierd sense of humor about engineering cars.

 

There isn't a soul on this site that hasn't been a member of the "you peice of sh^& motherfu%&(%" Car Club!

In High School, I kicked the shit outta a 69 Bronco that busted it's rr axle shaft. I was taking it out for a shakedown ride after installing a new trans & the shaft busted IN the F'n bearing! I was pulling out of the driveway, when it dropped onto the frame right front of my parent's house it.
The guys laffed about that one for months. I sold the it for $400 & it was worth it not to have to fix the POS ever again.

 

The owner of a shop I worked in kept this, quite nice ('64?) Tempest, with the 1/2 V8 4 cyl., in the back lot as a "slow time" project. One day a buddy of his stopped by after his constructrion job and talked my boss into bringing it into the shop and start some work on it. He offered to tow it over to the garage door with his pickup. As they made the last turn a plank he had sticking out of the truck hit the windshield and broke it.
I just stood and watched as my boss stormed into the shop, got his favorite ball pien hammer and proceed to systematically walk around that little Pontiac and smash all the rest of the windows before starting on the sheetmetal. The next week it went to the scrapyard.
Jeff, if you're a HAMBER (no pun) and you recognize yourself here, I still love ya man.

 

I was not mad at the time but.

I backed my just finished 41 ford out of the garage across the driveway in the grass on the other side. I did so I would not damage it went I was working on a small engine.

I pulled the work bench out in the center of the bay to work on the motor. I was trying to get the gear off the motor which was junk to replace it. To do this a was hitting it with a hammer. The gear would not move so I started to hit it as hard as I could.

As I was hitting it the hammer flow out of my hand went out the open garage door hit the driveway then bounced up hitting the nose of the 41 then hit the from of the roof and slide down the back of the car.

At the same time my father was walking up the driveway to see what I was doing. All I heard from outside the garage was "that will teach you to get mad." Now I was mad.

I laugh about it now. That happen about 8 years ago.

 

I was working under the sink on the pipes and things wre not going well!I threw the channel-locks down on the floor and watched in horror as they bounced up and shattered the door on my wife's new oven!That little blunder cost me 80 bucks and cured me of my urge to throw things!

 

Went out to the garage to let out some anger and decided to work on my chop project by hitting out a dent on the top close to the drip rail,from the backside.While swinging the hammer at the dent...somehow my hand moved from the inside of the car position to the outside and skacked myself on the forehead,knocking myself out...i don`t tell this story to much

 

I was working on my workbench,got mad and picked up a body hammer and threw it on the workbench.Came back and hit me in the forehead.
Try not to get that mad now,but if I do.I'll try to remember to throw something lighter!

 

When I was 16 I got in a fight with my dad right before school. On my way to school I was so riled up that I punched the windshield (while I was driving). It made a huge spiderweb. My dad and I had a pretty good relationship, and although he was angry that I had punched out my windshield, he was pretty ashamed that he had let the argument get that out of hand, and he payed for my windshield. That's the first and last time I ever hit anything out of anger.

 

oh FUDGE!

 

I am on a break from working on stuff right now . what was fun is now stressful.
This thread though, lets me know that I am not alone with my issues

 

Its latin

 

Just last night the gas linee on my dryer would not go on so i put a wrench to the side of my dryer...

 

Watched the man who lived across the street from shop where I worked come out in the morning get in his Mustang and it wouldn't start. he was so mad he went back in the house slammed the screen door so hard it fell off its hinges then comes out with a shovel and beats on the trunk lid then goes to the front and starts beating on the hood until something falls out on the ground. it was the new voltage regular he forgot to tighten the wires were not on it.

 

I go fuggin apeshit....

 

Got one friend that beat a carb off the intake with a hammer, and another that threw an oil bath air cleaner through the driverside windshield of a '49 Chev while his wife was sitting in the passenger seat. From the story I hear she was less than happy.

 

I chucked a piece of 2x4 across the garage (javeline style) and it bounced back and hit me in the forehead, it actually left a nasty mark

 

I've been known to punch a few question marks.

 

Guilty.

 

Kinda dumb but got things done at the same time.
in shop class my cadillacs lug nuts wouldnt come off and i was doing everything, waster almost a whole can of PB blaster and broke a socket in the prosess, finally the stud splines came loose and i sat ther for about 10 seconds just blankly, went back to the classroom, grabbed a can of duster, turned it upside down and froze the lugs. and the proceeded to bash them off one by one with a hammer and replace the studs calmly.

 

Great replys! You would think we would never get angry working on this passion we have for old cars. The replys did remind me that it is not only guys that do this sort of thing. There was this pretty lady that used to sit in her Mazda and read at lunch time. One day I noticed a dent in the front fender - she gave it a Karate kick because it wouldn't start one day Also, this guy told me that back in the 50's, he bought a Nash convertable to his mechanic fathers dislike. Remember those wierd column shift levers the Nash had? One day the shifter (again) got hung up at a light. He got pissed, stood up on the seat (top down) and pulled up/down on it till it broke off

 

I used to throw hissy-fits, and by extension, the subject of my anger, when I lost my head. I ended up causing more damage to windows, doors, walls various irreplaceable family heirlooms, tools and myself than the subject of my ire ever warranted. When a brake return spring I was stretching with needle nose pliers slipped off the shaft and hit me square in the chest many moons ago I reared back with a primal roar and prepared to thrust those pliers right through the fender of my beloved 71 GMC pickup. I stopped in mid swing just inches from my fender and took a big breath. Then another. And another. And another. I realized in that moment that I would have made myself 100 times angrier if I hurt my truck because I was throwing a temper tantrum like a fucking three year old. I took a few more deep breaths, turned off the lights, shut the door and walked away until the next day I discovered that some genius had invented a tool for installing new brake springs. I had the job done in 15 minutes with nary a spring shooting across the room or a swear word uttered or a bead of sweat dripped.
I decided on that day that when I was ready to blow my top, and I mean BLOW MY TOP Hiroshima style, that if I could internalize that anger instantly and throw a mental switch and just breathe deeply that I could realize that shit happens, and to think before I react. That was 12 years ago and I have not thrown a hiss-fit since. I get mad as hell all the time and somehow manage to breathe it out at the very least, or cuss and holler at the top of my lungs speeding down the road in my car alone, but I have avoided more personal and property damage and assault and battery arrests than I care to remember. Some dudes have No CLUE how close they have come to seeing me lose my cool and for that everyone should be grateful. People think I'm a teddy bear and call me a gentle giant all the time and that is okay with me My own wife has never seen me really angry and I hope she never does. Dr. Jekyll and Mister Fucking Hyde.
Remember gentleman, next time this happens, think for a second and take a few slow, deep breaths. You'll thank yourself later.

 

I tend to get pretty pissed when something won't go together or whatever i tend to throw things and cuss and scream at the wife.I walk away come back and apologize and go back to doin whatever i was doing.I worked at a bomag plant here in kewanee building their single drum rollers! Well on several occassins i would get pissed off at the junk chinese outsourced bullshit that they would bring in and would never fit and ended up tossing bolts 50 to a hundred feet across the shop or throwing their parts at the foremans office and telling him that their quality controls was a fning joke and he would just laugh at me and tell me to calm down and go try another one!I've also been known to throw my tools around the garage when i'm pissed!I am finding though that i really need to watch my temper now especially with my son being almost 2 yrs old he don't like it when dad raises his voice he tends to go into histarics and cries and comes runnin up to me like i am hollering at him or something so i am slowly learning to walk away and just cool off.I don't want him to see me be the way i saw my dad act.

 

I turn green with big muscles and then cant remember shit for a few days.

 

I drove a pair of pliers (handles first) through the hood of my car.

I punched large dents in the dash. I am much more in control now, but the desire to throw things through a wall or glass never goes away, a good beating with a hammer and stabbing is also tempting.

 

i dont throw stuff unless someone is there to display the anger to, otherwise i see it as a waste, if something goes real bad i will wait upto an hour for someone to walk past and then yell F*&K$N H%!L and find something heavy but cheap or indestructable and throw it at something i plan to throw out anayway.
that way people understand i am not going as well as it looks and nothing good is destroyed.
ive seen that much shit go on in life and had that many let downs that i could work on something for 3 years straight then have a bomb drop on it and i would just go and get a beer, light a smoke and sit down and think about what to do about it.
enough shit gets damaged by accident without adding to it. in the event of a tragety i pack up as much as is required to stay away for the night, then get on the net or listen to music and do some fast drinking.
in bad situations i usually run for a beer, smoke, or camera or a combo or all 3 not a fb hammer