The Sacred Scrolls: BCAC Shop Rules for Staying Alive and Keeping Your Dignity

From the Bench: Where safety meets sanity (and occasionally leaves both behind)

By Hootey Cline | Blue Coat Arms Company

After nine years of running Blue Coat Arms Company, I've learned that shop safety isn't just about following OSHA guidelines – it's about developing a healthy respect for the fact that everything in a gunsmith's workshop is actively plotting your demise. These rules have kept me (mostly) intact, my customers happy, and my insurance premiums from reaching astronomical levels.

Consider this your survival guide to the modern gunsmith's workshop, where ancient wisdom meets modern paranoia, and where the difference between "oops" and "911" is often measured in milliseconds. These are also not all my own creation, but wisdom comes in all forms and from many sources.

The Cardinal Laws: Non-Negotiable Truths

Rule #1: ALWAYS Follow the Cardinal Gun Safety Rules

I. Treat EVERY gun as if it is loaded

II. NEVER point a gun at something you are not willing to destroy

III. ALWAYS keep your finger off the trigger until you are ready to fire

IV. ALWAYS know the full path of travel of your rounds

These aren't suggestions – they're the difference between being a gunsmith and being a cautionary tale. I don't care if you just watched me disassemble the firearm completely. I don't care if the customer swore on their grandmother's grave it was unloaded. I don't care if you can see daylight through the barrel.

Every gun is loaded until proven otherwise, and even then, it's still loaded.

Rule #2: NO Live Ammo in the Shop. EVER!

This rule exists because Murphy's Law has a special fondness for gunsmiths. The moment you think "just this once" is the moment you discover that karma has a twisted sense of humor. Live ammo stays outside. Period. No exceptions, no excuses, no "but I was just..."

Rule #3: NO Dying in the Shop

This might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how many people need this spelled out. Death is bad for business, terrible for Yelp reviews, and really inconvenient for everyone involved. Plus, the paperwork is a nightmare.

The Philosophical Foundations of Shop Survival

Rule #4: Treat Everything Like It's Alive and Trying to Kill You

Because it is. That seemingly innocent drill press? It's been waiting all day for you to get distracted. The bench grinder? It dreams of removing your fingerprints. The propane torch? It has trust issues and commitment problems. Respect the tools, or they'll teach you about respect the hard way.

Rule #5: Everything is ALWAYS Hot

Metal has a memory, and it remembers being heated. That barrel you torched twenty minutes ago? Still hot. The soldering iron you turned off an hour ago? Probably still hot. Your coffee from this morning? Somehow still hot. When in doubt, assume it's hot enough to brand cattle.

Rule #6: NEVER Try to Catch Anything You Drop

Especially because of Rule #5. Your reflexes are fast, but physics is faster. Let gravity do its job, then assess the damage. Your toes will thank you, even if your wallet doesn't.

The Wisdom of Experience (AKA "Lessons Learned the Hard Way")

Rule #7: When Involved in a Process That Requires 100% of Your Being and Presence, NEVER Trust a Fart

This is perhaps the most philosophical of all shop rules. It speaks to the human condition, the nature of trust, and the importance of timing. Some lessons can only be learned through experience, and this is one you don't want to learn.

Rule #8: If ANYTHING You Plan to Do Has to Start with "Hey, Watch This..." Then DON'T

Famous last words in workshops around the world. Nothing good has ever followed this phrase. If you feel the urge to say it, step away from whatever you're doing, take a deep breath, and reconsider your life choices.

Rule #9: NEVER Put a Body Part Where You Wouldn't Stick Your... Well, You Get the Idea

This is the most colorful way to express a fundamental truth about shop safety: if a location is too dangerous for your most precious appendage, it's too dangerous for any appendage. Use this rule as your guide for hand placement around moving machinery.

The Professional Standards

Rule #10: If Someone Dies Trusting a Blade or Gun You Made or Repaired Because It Failed, Their Death is on YOU

This is the weight every gunsmith carries. Every repair, every modification, every restoration could be the difference between someone going home safe or not going home at all. This rule keeps you humble, keeps you careful, and keeps you checking your work twice.

Rule #11: Safeties are ALWAYS Off, Tools are ALWAYS On, and Mishaps are ALWAYS in a State of Readiness

Assume the worst-case scenario at all times. That "safety" switch? It's decorative. That "off" switch? It's more of a suggestion. That accident waiting to happen? It's not waiting – it's actively happening in slow motion.

The Practical Wisdom

Rule #12: NO GLOVES Around Rotary Equipment

Gloves and spinning things have a relationship that always ends badly. The glove gets caught, your hand follows, and suddenly you're having a very intimate conversation with a piece of machinery that doesn't speak your language.

Rule #13: NEVER Toss Things Across the Shop, Unless You're the Only One in It

And even then, think twice. Flying tools have poor aim and worse judgment. What goes up must come down, usually on something expensive or someone important.

Rule #14: NEVER Believe Anything You're Told, ALWAYS Double-Check

"I just cleaned it." "It's not loaded." "I turned off the power." "It's not that hot." Trust, but verify. Then verify again. Then maybe check one more time.

The Character Building Rules

Rule #15: The Ultimate Expression of Failure is Not Trying Due to Fear of Failure

Fear is a tool, not a master. Use it to stay sharp, not to stay paralyzed. The only way to never fail is to never try, and that's the biggest failure of all.

Rule #16: When You Need Help, ASK

Pride goeth before the fall, and in a gunsmith's shop, the fall usually involves sharp objects and expensive equipment. There's no shame in asking questions. There's plenty of shame in explaining to your insurance company why you thought you could figure it out yourself.

Rule #17: NEVER Make Excuses

Own your mistakes. Learn from them. Fix them. Move on. Excuses are like safety violations – they multiply when you're not paying attention.

The Housekeeping Philosophy

Rule #18: ALWAYS Clean Up Your Mess

A clean shop is a safe shop. A messy shop is a shop where important things get lost, dangerous things get forgotten, and expensive things get broken. Plus, your mother raised you better than that.

Rule #19: YOUR Project is YOUR Lead

Take ownership. See it through. Be responsible for the outcome. This isn't just about project management – it's about character.

The Growth Mindset

Rule #20: ALWAYS Be Open to New Things

The day you stop learning is the day you start becoming dangerous. New techniques, new tools, new ways of thinking – they all make you a better craftsman and a safer operator.

Rule #21: NEVER Take ANYTHING for Granted

Complacency kills. The routine job that goes wrong, the familiar tool that malfunctions, the "simple" repair that becomes a nightmare – they all start with taking something for granted.

Living the Rules

These rules aren't just posted on the wall for decoration – they're lived daily. They're the result of experience, observation, and occasionally, spectacular failures that taught valuable lessons.

Some days, following all these rules makes you feel like you're being overly cautious. Those are the days when the rules matter most. The moment you think you don't need them is the moment you need them most.

Remember: in a gunsmith's shop, there are old gunsmiths and bold gunsmiths, but there are no old, bold gunsmiths. The goal is to join the ranks of the old ones, with all your original parts intact and your sense of humor still functional.

No matter your era, we got your six – and we'd like to keep all six of your appendages attached where they belong.

Questions about shop safety, proper procedures, or why that seemingly innocent tool is plotting against you? Contact Blue Coat Arms Company at 217-416-5962 or BlueCoatArms@gmail.com. We're here to help you stay safe, stay smart, and stay in one piece.

Safety Note: While this article uses humor to make safety memorable, every rule listed is based on real safety concerns. Workshop safety is serious business – the jokes are just to help you remember the lessons.