Pretending you DIDN'T just cut yourself

Jeff Clark

Jeff Clark

Joined
Apr 27, 1999
Messages
6,117
We all cut ourselves on occasion. Often times this is when we get "cute" with one of our sharp toys and do things that other people never do. I bet all of us have stories of hiding the blood and acting nonchalant while we slipped around a corner to give ourself first aid.

At home I only let my wife know about 20% of the nicks I give myself (usually related to sharpening and edge testing activities). One of the funniest cases of my recent public embarrasment was at the local Safeway market. They had a sale on corn on the cob. I could have just stuck the ears of corn in a bag complete with husks, but I had to get cute. I pulled out my SAK and was neatly slicing off the ends of the ears and husking them before I bagged the trimmed product. Several women were looking at how I was minimizing the refuse that I was taking home and my head swelled with pride. This must have interfered with my coordination for my blade whipped through a cob and into my thumb.

I smoothly pinched my wound, pocketed my knife, and pushed my shopping cart around the corner. Then I walked briskly to the bandage section of the store and bought some bandages impregnated with antiseptic. I had to reach around my back with my left hand to grab my wallet out of my right pocket at the express checkout lane. I strolled briskly to my car and bandaged myself inside. Then I calmly returned to the store to complete my shopping.

The most striking case of attempted coverup I can recall was when my cousins had an archery mishap. The twins were practising with their bow on a straw target. One went to pull out arrows when the other took a shot at the target. The result was a hand nailed to the target by a target point arrow. The boys were afraid of trouble with their mom so they tried to patch the wound by themselves. They left too much blood around and mom got wise. Gee, they got blistered for that one. As an added feature to this story, their dad was a doctor.

So how have you guys hidden your blood trails?


[This message has been edited by Jeff Clark (edited 03-05-2001).]
 
Great story!
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I've been guilty of this a time or ten. It's really embarrasing when you're known to be well acclimated to things sharp and you end up cutting yourself doing something dumb and careless. I damn near severed my thumb once when attempting to juggle a throwing knife before throwing it. A perfect aerial spin finished up with a fall to the floor, but not before the edge's passing by my thumb and screaming hello.

It happens. We live, learn, and still do the same dumb stuff. I think it takes a small degree of intestinal fortitude to admit it
wink.gif
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Professor.
 
Funny how these topics seem to come up at just the right time.

Just last week I was teaching my son's Cub Scout den about knives -- the different kinds, their uses and, especially, safe handling.

After teaching them how to use a sharpening stone, I gave each kid a bar of Ivory soap and a freshly sharpened knife for some whittling practice. While showing my own son how to hold the bar and cut away from the body, I ignored my own advice and cut right into my own thumb. I showed the kids all a few drops of blood to reinforce the safety lesson, then excused myself to my car where I keep my EMT kit.

On my way back into the building I ran into the Cub Scout leader, whose son is also in my den and happens to be a knife collector as well. He took one look at me and my bandaged thumb and starting laughing hysterically. Sheepishly, I returned to my lesson and managed to keep my fingers out of harm's way for the rest of the night.

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"I can't believe you stabbed me with this cheap piece of mail-order sh*t"
James Caan in 'Eraser'
 
...so there I was, recently married and at the mall with my wife. We stop in the new knife store (around 1985) to see the Spyderco serrated Worker. "Be careful, it's sharp." says the clerk. "Hah!" says I, the testosterone filled manly man that I am. Shortly after handling the blade, I give it back and we depart the store, me with my one hand firmly closed and shoved in my front pocket. We walk awhile and I realize my pocket is getting wet...of course my wife knew all along and enjoys telling that story to this day. Dave
 
I was meeting for lunch about 8 or 10 guys from the Benchmade forum, and I was handling a BM Ares (which came out of the box a little sharper than usual).
I felt a little sting as my thumb accidently grazed the edge. At first, I was going to hide it -- a little embarrassing getting cut in front of a bunch of knife nuts you just met -- but the thing just started bleeding too much. Luckily I always carry a few band-aids in my wallet.
 
I have opened a few packages wrong ;-) Usually tape, one time superglue(not recommended!) Mostly hold it together and grit teeth and act like nothing's wrong

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Peace

Paul
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Circle P Knives
 
What's funny I've had pocket knives since I was knee high to a grass hoper. About 4 1/2 years ago I got a new Kershaw Linerlock. This was only the second knife that I had with one hand opening. While trying to break it in, not paying attention, SLICE, should have went to get it stitched up(bled like a stuck hog!). I couldn't face the imbarisment. That was the first time in my life I had cut my self with a knife. I have had a few nicks since then, all one handers. I hope I've learned something! RKBA!
 
And all this time I thought I was the only one!

I've found that immediately putting extreme direct pressure on the wound with thumb or fingertip will staunch the flow long enough to make a nonchalant exit and quietly administer first aid while chanting...
"I can't BELIEVE I did that!"

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Tráceme no sin la razón, envoltura mi no sin honor
Usual Suspect
 
How about this one.

Well I was around a table with some friends, playing some cards. Anyway I was messing about with my Gerber Chamelion and while doing this I caught the serrations in the 'bad' way. I stood up went to the bathroom and got some toilet roll. I wrapped it tightly around the cut (VERY deep) started to get worried and returned. I sat there for a couple of mins and noticed the paper was soaked with blood...
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I returned to the toilet and got lots of paper. I returned and sat quitly for about an hour, pretending nothing had happened. No one noticed and I was a bit scared to say the least. I kept thinking stop bleeding! Well after an hour I had to see the damage and slowly under the table began to unwrap the paper. Needless to say it stared blleding again only not as bad.

Other time was when I did a spine whack with my new BM 855. Well It held and went into my palm, mussle and all. I started to panic, it went in about 2cm and blood pooled in my hand. I put water on it and rushed down stairs to get some plasters. When asked why I was getting plasters, I told my parents it was a *cough* paper cut*cough* I think they fell for it.

W.A.

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"To strive to seek to find and not to yield"
Tennyson
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A paper cut! Boy what a thin excuse! My folks would never have gone for that. My thinnest excuse was the time that I was screwing around flicking lit matches and accidently set my 3-foot-diameter hay archery target on fire. I ran and put it out with a garden hose. The last wisp of smoke had just faded out of sight when my mom came into sight. "Why are you watering your target?" she asked in bemusement. "Ahhhhhhhhh, duhhhhhh, I wassss just uhhhhhh, cleaning it." I replied lamely.

Either of my boys would have come up with a better story.
 
The most embarrassing wound I ever received was a few years back when the Meadowlands Custon Knife Show was still around. It was only the 2nd show I ever attended and I was careful to observe all related etiquitte when it came to makers tables and handling there knives. I was at Pat Crawfords table and I asked to handle a knife, a Shark I believe. I opened the knife and closed it a few times asking about the liner and material and such.....And then it happened. You know that the aisles can get pretty crowded, well, as I was closing the knife I was bumped from the side and WHAM!, I closed the blade right down on my pionter finger. I bled like a stuck pig. I bled on the knife in my hand, the knives on the table and even on Mr. Crawford as he helped me. I felt so bad for bleeding on his knives that I wasn't even concerned about my finger!
He said that it was OK and as long as I was alright it didn't matter.

I quickly went to the restroom after Mr. Crawford handed me some Band-Aids and sealed my wound. I returned a few minutes later and apologized profusely for again bleeding on his knives. Sorry to say I didn't buy a knife, but with that sort of embarrassment I much rather have left, never to be seen again.



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Ken
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"Don't interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties.
----Abraham Lincoln
 
I had finally convinced a friend of mine that he needed a knife, and he decided to order a Kershaw Blackout. The day that the knife arrived at his house, I was present. In a room with him and his parents, (who were reluctant about allowing him to purchase this knife)I, the neighborhood knife expert, cut himself rather deeply on the thumb while demonstrating proper opening! Somehow, no one noticed and I shoved my hand in my pocket, excused myself, and walked home. The large blood stain in that pair of shorts reminds me to be a little more careful in the future.

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"I'm out there Jerry, and I'm lovin' every minute of it!"--Kramer
 
I always keep Zout enzyme stain remover for those tell-tale blood stains. Remember to wash imediately with COLD water. If there's anything still visible when you get home say it's chocolate.
 
I haven't cut myself in public yet, but have any of you ever had your partner (or worse, your doctor) express concern over those bald patches on your otherwise hairy arms or legs, where you've been testing the edges of your knives?
 
My fingers are sufficiently trained that I do most of my blade testing with minimal hair removal. I now shave only small patches and my pelt is relatively whole. For really fine testing I shave my face. The hazard there is that I will develop a razor rash.
 
For those smaller mistakes we'd wish to hide, a quick fix is to sneak into the kitchen and get a small handful of flour.

Apply with pressure to the cut and it will seal up in a couple of minutes at the most. Best part is that it leaves almost no scarring at all if done neatly.

Of course, then you have to bake cookies to explain the flour, but what the heck, it's been a bad day you deserve a cookie.
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Tráceme no sin la razón, envoltura mi no sin honor
Usual Suspect
 
I've found there are only 2 types of knives that you can get cut with...those that you are familiar with and those with which you are unfamiliar.
smile.gif


Bout a year ago I took an hour or so ride to pick up a blade from another bforumite. Upon arrival I learned that he was tweakin out a proto of the then soon to be produced Gunting. Being ignorant of this new blade I proceeded to do a kinetic opening on my leg...seemed natural enough...NOT ! Anyway it cut thru the jeans right at the seam..nicked me on the way. Pretty stupid on my part...lucky I didn't open myself up good, just got enough of a 'sting' to let me know what I did. Pretty out of character cause though I have lots of potentially dangerous stuff around me I am pretty cautious and use due diligence. Only takes a moment to erase years of good records though. Safety is no accident.
 
Ken, An awful lot of the time I cut myself I'm already in the kitchen. What I worry about in that case is not letting the guests see me bleeding into the food I'm preparing.
 
I'm actually fairly lucky; I almost never get cut by any kind of blade unless I'm doing something mind-numbingly reckless (which has been known to happen,) or if I'm just having an unlucky week, which is where the cuts catch up.

In the last 2 weeks, I was cut twice:

I was at a fast food place having lunch with some friends, and I was opening a package. I was cutting away from myself EXCEPT for one tiny corner that I missed. When I got it, I sliced myself on the thumb in plain view of my 2 friends, set the package down, and went "Haha! I pay for my foolishness in blood this time!" Then grabbed a napkin, wrapped my thumb, and elevated it. When I get cut, I don't try so hard to hide it, I just say something weird and take care of it.

Also, the other day, I was sharpening up one of my swords with a file, holding the blade in one hand. Like I said, I'm seldom cut by blades, so what happened? I cut my knuckle on the corner of the file.
rolleyes.gif
Now THAT was a cut I tried to hide.


[oops, weird typo corrected in my quote]

[This message has been edited by fuchikoma (edited 03-07-2001).]
 
Fuchikoma, I still cringe when I remember the times that I was sharpening my favorite 17inch-bladed Enfield bayonet or my Collins machete with a file and ran my finger down the edge of the blade at the end of a file stroke. Wow, those filed edges hurt!
 
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