Let's bitch about (finger) cuts for a minute..

[Kosa_PL]

Best method do avoid cuts and other injuries.



Don't be a idiot trying to make 2-10 things at once, and use good force when needed.
AND DON'T DRINK ALCOHOL ON WORK!

Music is good.

 

[samuraistuart]

This didn't happen while knife making.....but thought I'd throw it in there so you can have a good laugh at me. About 5 years ago I was sitting on my bed playing with a samurai sword that I have. Not a nihonto, but an expensive reproduction of one. So I am now laying on my bed, watching of all things The Last Samurai (I kid you not ), and I fall asleep. The next thing I know my wife is shaking me trying to wake me up, screaming, "Where is all this blood coming from?" At this time I was so light headed, it took me a minute just to gather my senses to understand what she was saying. Lo and behold, I had apparently rolled over on top of the sword when I fell asleep (I didn't mean to fall asleep!), and it had sliced me....not once....but TWICE on the inside of my left upper arm. Usually I'm the guy who says, "No it doesn't need stitches, leave me alone, I'm fine." But I was not "fine" at all. The two cuts were pretty deep, and I realized it was time to visit the ER. That sword is pretty sharp to cut me twice on the upper arm like that and not wake me up. Looking back on that I feel like a dummy.

 

[Ninja Blacksmith]

I too have had many small cuts on my fingers from straying too close to an edge while hand sanding - never experienced spinwhack though. I think my worst actually wasn't on a hand, but my right leg. This was years ago when I was still a newbie to the trade, and I was beveling a small file knife on a belt grinder. Somehow the belt caught the blade hard enough to jerk it free from hands and slung it tip-first into my leg, just above the knee. That day, I learned that duct tape can be useful to keep pressure on a gash until you can get some more orthodox treatment for it.

Speaking of music in the shop, not long ago I saw a pair of 60 -70 dollar shop earmuffs. I really didn't understand why a single pair would be so darned expensive, then I figured out that they also pick up AM/FM radio.

 

[tinkerer]

Did you know that a belt sander with a 60 grit belt will do great for rough shaping on blades and a really good job of removing the tops of knuckles and fingernails?:thumbdn:

Or, did you know that when rough cutting walnut on a table saw that the piece you just cut off, if not moved immediately, can be grabbed and launched, at great velocity, directly at your own abdomen. I did not know you could bleed through your skin. I have a nice subdermal scar like a star shell to this day.

Larry
Tinkerer

 

[J.Babody]

Its still best to remain focused, No Music or chatting with visitors and use push sticks and the like when possible.

I agree with all except the music part. I am almost required to have some kind of music when I work at home. I'm on a concrete crusher most days and I run it by sound, so no music typically:grumpy:. When in the shop I listen to music on a small speaker and while I'm grinding or doing other louder, more dangerous tasks it drowns out enough not to break my focus. I am not a fan of wearing headphones of any kind while doing dangerous work. The effect is two-fold as it is an easy distraction as well as allows you to miss things you wish you heard without them.

Justin

 

[Rhinoknives1]

In a former life I was a Musician and have so many songs over the years imbedded in my mind I don't need to listen to any piped in music.
The Buffer is defiantly the machine that you don't want ear phones or any loud music in the background or you could be in big trouble!

 

[J.Babody]

In a former life I was a Musician and have so many songs over the years imbedded in my mind I don't need to listen to any piped in music.
The Buffer is defiantly the machine that you don't want ear phones or any loud music in the background or you could be in big trouble!

Wish I could say I had any musical talent, but alas I have to rely on those that do! No ear phones while I'm working, and that includes visitors. I really don't use the buffer often, because it honestly scares the hell out of me and I have no shame in that. I do find that when I am about to use a machine that can flail a knife into my body with ease, I turn the music down. I do the same thing when I'm in the car looking for a street I'm unfamiliar with(I always turn down my radio because it helps me focus.) Whether it's superficial or not, it definitely helps.

Justin

 

[Mike Reilly]

I'm pretty new to knife making and am just finishing up my 3rd blade (8" Gyuto). While hand sanding with a block I realize that a) not all the paper is wearing evenly and b) the block isn't good at sanding as evenly as I like. So I tear the used paper into strips and just cowboy it with my hands. Now the blade is screwed down on a wooden block, but some idiot decided to leave the blade just hanging off the edge to facilitate sanding the edge. The combination of these factors aligned with fatigue and whoops, there goes the top of my ring finger - I cut it about 2/3 of the way through about 4mm from the tip. Went to the bathroom with pressure applied and my wife calls out "are we going to emergency?" "No," I replied, "I think I can bandage it up." And then I take the pressure off and several Tbsp of red paint come out. "Ok" I think top myself, "the guys on Bladeforums said something about crazy glue." And I quickly abandon that thought as it's apparent that nothing's going to stick with all that blood coming out. I show the wife and she feels faint and needs to sit down. I wrapped it up and went in to emerg. They tell me it will likely just dry up and fall off in the end, but stitched it on in the hope it had enough blood flow left to keep it alive. Just 7 stitches. Maybe THIS time I'll remember safety first.

Edit: fix spelling mistakes due to one finger not being functional on the keyboard.

 

[Rhinoknives1]

I'm pretty new to knife making and am just finishing up my 3rd blade (8" Gyuto). While hand sanding with a block I realize that a) not all the paper is wearing evenly and b) the block isn't good at sanding as evenly as I like. So I tear the used paper into strips and just cowboy it with my hands. Now the blade is screwed down on a wooden block, but some idiot decided to leave the blade just hanging off the edge to facilitate sanding the edge. The combination of these factors aligned with fatigue and whoops, there goes the top of my ring finger - I cut it about 2/3 of the way through about 4mm from the tip. Went to the bathroom with pressure applied and my wife calls out "are we going to emergency?" "No," I replied, "I think I can bandage it up." And then I take the pressure off and several Tbsp of red paint come out. "Ok" I think top myself, "the guys on Bladeforums said something about crazy glue." And I quickly abandon that thought as it's apparent that nothing's going to stick with all that blood coming out. I show the wife and she feels faint and needs to sit down. I wrapped it up and went in to emerg. They tell me it will likely just dry up and fall off in the end, but stitched it on in the hope it had enough blood flow left to keep it alive. Just 7 stitches. Maybe THIS time I'll remember safety first.

Edit: fix spelling mistakes due to one finger not being functional on the keyboard.

Mike, sorry that happened to you and you need to talk to that idiot that left the blade like that. We need constant vigilance in our shops as you have found out. Along with crazy glue there is a product that seals pretty quickly and doesn't burn like CA glue does.

Its call WoundSeal powder. Most pharmacies stock it. I keep a few packets in my pocket when I am doing my mobile sharpening work along with cloth bandaids.

 

[Perrin]

When I read this thread the other day, the thought occurred to me that it would probably be a good idea to invest in some QuickClot, Celox or similar for the shop 1st aid kit. Anyone have any experience with these or stock them in their shop 1st aid kit?

Seems Laurence above uses something like these, I see now that I finally got this posted.

 

[Rhinoknives1]

When I read this thread the other day, the thought occurred to me that it would probably be a good idea to invest in some QuickClot, Celox or similar for the shop 1st aid kit. Anyone have any experience with these or stock them in their shop 1st aid kit?

Seems Laurence above uses something like these, I see now that I finally got this posted.

I've only used the WoundSeal and I've found that the gel kind of CA seems to be a little easier to get into the cuts where I want it.

 

[Mike Reilly]

Mike, sorry that happened to you and you need to talk to that idiot that left the blade like that. We need constant vigilance in our shops as you have found out. Along with crazy glue there is a product that seals pretty quickly and doesn't burn like CA glue does.

Its call WoundSeal powder. Most pharmacies stock it. I keep a few packets in my pocket when I am doing my mobile sharpening work along with cloth bandaids.

Thanks for the advice. My wife had a long talk to the culprit while we were in the ER last night

 

[J.Babody]

I've only used the WoundSeal and I've found that the gel kind of CA seems to be a little easier to get into the cuts where I want it.

The gel does seem to stay in place better, but always seems to take longer to dry for me. I never did think about a clotting powder because I haven't ever used it,but I'm gonna have to check that out.

Justin

 

[Perrin]

I've only used the WoundSeal and I've found that the gel kind of CA seems to be a little easier to get into the cuts where I want it.

I guess I was really thinking about in case of an instance where a cut that superglue, shop towels, and tape would not be sufficient to stop the bleeding. As a newbie hobby maker, about the only time I can carve out for shop time is late at night after the family goes to bed or on the rare occasion I get all my work done far enough ahead that I can stay home and sand steel during the day. I live in rural KY and emergency help is over the hills and through the woods away.

Some of the hemostatic products come in forms other than granules, such as a sponge or an impregnated gauze/bandage. I think one of those might be easier to use while injured than the magic pixie dust one sprinkles into the wound.

This might be a little beyond the scope of the original post but seemed relevant.

 

[A.McPherson]

Hey guys, a quick word on quick-clot and other such products. Don't use any of the powders. They can lead to massive tissue loss if the powder gets into the wound and is moved further into the body by the blood stream. Bad juju. Most of, if not all of the loose powder should be offs the shelf by now, if you still have that stuff in your "oh sh!t kits" ditch it today. Get some of the impregnated gauze or sponges instead. In truth there is very little bleeding out there that cannot be stopped by sustained direct pressure, and if it can't, it needs stitches. Just my professional opinion. Im not an ER doc or anything, but I am an EMT, so it does count for something...

 

[John Katt]

Worst finger injury, Non knife related I was helping my youngest son move to his new apartment and we were moving his TV which was a 35"crt type that I bought for my father after we needed to move him to a nursing home, I gave it to the boy after my father passed

Anyway the insanely heavy beast of a TV had to come downstairs on a narrow steep staircase with a tight turn at the top, after the turn I stepped down 3 steps, then needed to set it down for a better grip, I felt up under the TV to see where the step was and figured I had plenty of room so as to not smash my fingers, The TV came down kinda quick and landed on my right hand index finger, The plastic case of the TV was in a grid shape underneath and was sharp, It cut half way though my finger, Guess the bone stop it.

So I lifted the TV up and pulled my finger out, Seen how bad it was, Made a fist, And then ran out side so the blood wouldn't get all over the house. After about 15 minutes of bleeding and leaving an impressive pool of blood on the patio, I came in rinsed the cut with tap water, that was some exquisite pain let me tell you, Then I put a finger tip bandage and some antibiotic cream on it, Tapped it up with electric tape and left it for 5 days

It healed nicely, except my finger tip was numb for 6 or 7 months, which bugged the crap out of me because it was my favorite finger ;0)

 

[ricky_arthur]

Well, I managed to plunge my right thumb into the band saw a couple hours ago. Holy crap band saw cuts hurt. lol I wrapped it and pulled on a nitrile glove to keep it tight and semi clean. Till the blood started running out the glove. Lesson learned. Never push on an object into the saw with the finger in the line of the blade if it snaps. This ones going to hurt for a while.

 

[John Katt]

OH SHIT... This injury thread just went live...better knock on some wood people ;0)

I was going to test out my new 24 grit blaze belts tonight but I think I'll wait, they're kinda scary looking ;0)

 

[Rhinoknives1]

Well, I managed to plunge my right thumb into the band saw a couple hours ago. Holy crap band saw cuts hurt. lol I wrapped it and pulled on a nitrile glove to keep it tight and semi clean. Till the blood started running out the glove. Lesson learned. Never push on an object into the saw with the finger in the line of the blade if it snaps. This ones going to hurt for a while.

Been there done that, I like to use push sticks, but after I outline my tang onto a scale I need to use both hands to push it around to trim it to shape on my SWAG table on my portable 44 7/8" bandsaw.

Pressure is No 1 to stop bleeding but I need to get back to work now and will only go for stitches if its really bad.

I once almost pinned my foot to the floor when I knocked a 11" blade Bowie knife I was making off of a counter. It went straight down into the top of my right foot and pierced into my foot about 1" deep by 1" long.

I bled like a stuck pig! I finally got it to stop bleeding long enough to wrap it down with Duct tape and en it was off to the ER. 6 stitches. Just another Day in Paradise!

 

[stezann]

c'mon guys, raise your hand who has been cut by a bandsaw...anyone, really? i said raise your hand... ooops, i get it!