I Hate Splinters

[imashooter2]

When I was a lad, I was playing monkey in the middle indoors in the local church basement. I fell and put a nice triangular 4 inch spike of hardwood into the meat of my palm. We pulled it out, bandaged it up and went on with life as folks did in those days.

4 or 5 days later it was swollen and red streaks were running up my arm so Mom decided that maybe a trip to the doc was in order. Doc took a look, set me on the table with my hand palm up on my thigh. He set his thumb on my arm just above the red streaks, lanced the scab with a scalpel, pressed hard and ran his thumb down to my palm.

My hand was suddenly filled with about a 1/4 cup of stinking brown puss and a short chunk of hardwood. Next thing I knew I woke up coughing from the ammonia inhalant.

Worst infection I ever had.

[country gent]

Last summer ran a pine splinter into ball of my right hand. I got lucky as it didnt break off and pulled right out. But I bleed out hard for few minutes. Actually I think this is good for the cleaning and flushing of the wound.

The worst slivers were when I was hand fitting those fine small scrapper chips were almost invisible and impossible to pull

[Markopolo]

with lumber prices the way they are, you might wanna hang on to them splinters.. prolly worth 30 bucks!!

[panhed65]

at 72, I am still pulling out splinters, mostly from handling my firewood now, but as a kid, I really got into it. we had built a ladder out of rough cut crates from the tombstone dealer in town. on going up the ladder, a rung broke, I slid to the bottom with both hands on the ladder trying to stop the fall. anyhow I ended up with splinters completely thru all of my fingers. some were massive and easy. my friends sister got most of them out, but I was still getting rid of some months later, when I would squeeze the wounds and pull out a stub. some of them were the entire width of the finger. this was quite painful, as you know lots of nerve ends in the fingertips. still have all those scars too.
Barry

[Shawlerbrook]

Agreed on the evil metal splinters. If you can’t dig them out, try the age, old method of icthamol salve. Looks and smells like tar, but draws out slivers, pus and anything else you want out.

[WheelgunConvert]

Keep Uncle Bills Sliver Gripper on your keychain. I buy them in bulk and hand them out as happies.

[country gent]

best I found for those fine scraper slivers was 600 grit sand paper, if you can see direction they went in.

[Bobbers]

Splinters are annoying. Splinters from treated lumber even worse. Feel you pain.

[David2011]

I hate metal slivers even more. Amazing how something practically invisible to the human eye can cause so much pain!

This! When I had my lathe and mill I constantly got steel slivers that were invisible but anything that brushed across them was painful. I sold the machines when I moved but sure do miss them.

Another of my vices is dabbling in woodworking and the import birch veneered plywood has needle-like splinters. I think the worst splinter I’ve ever had, though, was from a hardwood floor. I was barefoot and picked up a splinter while walking across the floor in full stride. It was about 1-1/2” long and 1/4” wide at the big end. Coming out was much worse than going in and going in wasn’t pleasant.

[robg]

When I am working with any kind of wood I wear Leather gloves, for metal work I have heavier welding gloves

older and wiser now i do the same

[BigAlofPa.]

My wife had one in her heal the other day. Just a little one. It was hard to get out. She said it was there a few days. I told her next time don't wait so long.