Splinters

[Glassman]

I've ended up with yet another glass (no, really?) splinter in my finger. Didn't really notice it too much until skin has started to harden over the top of the entry point.

Usually, I get a razor blade or single-edged blade and slice the hard skin off and try and squeeze the splinter out. Have also tried picking it out with a needle.

Some have suggested soaking for a while in a bath... but this fecker has been there for a couple of weeks now.

Best way to get splinters out?

[spikeyhead]

A scalpel, and a magnifying glass so I can see what I'm doing.

[Stang]

I have heard using a poultice. To try and "draw" it out???

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poultice

Probably no help there.

[Glassman]

spikeyhead said:

so I can see what I'm doing.

This a bit of the problem. As I slice off the hard skin, I'm hoping to reveal some of the splinter, enough to to pull out with tweasers.

[spikeyhead]

Glassman said:

spikeyhead said:

so I can see what I'm doing.

This a bit of the problem. As I slice off the hard skin, I'm hoping to reveal some of the splinter, enough to to pull out with tweasers.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=222690

One of these really helps

[jhfozzy]

I use "drawing ointment" Magnesium Sulphate paste on a plaster for a couple of days, usually brings the splinters out.

[Glassman]

spikeyhead said:

Glassman said:

spikeyhead said:

so I can see what I'm doing.

This a bit of the problem. As I slice off the hard skin, I'm hoping to reveal some of the splinter, enough to to pull out with tweasers.

http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=222690

One of these really helps

Bit pricey for my splinter. But, could be handy for other things...

[Big Al.]

Having worked in the glass industry for 6 years, glass is inert in the body doesn't rot so if it's in you have got to break the skin to get it out in my experience.

HTH

[Scraggles]

had this once, really sore, let it heal and then dug down with very fine needle. teased it out eventually

[Glassman]

Scraggles said:

had this once, really sore, let it heal and then dug down with very fine needle. teased it out eventually

Glass isn't as visible as wood, or a bit of swarf. Can hardly see the bd.

[singlecoil]

There is no better way of dealing with splinters than with the use of a jeweller's loupe. It's a magnifying glass, somewhere between 7 and 12x magnification. Screw it into the area around your eye, and it leaves both hands free, one to be operated on, and the other to do the operating. Especially good when the item is hard to see due to little difference between colour of foreign body, and flesh, blood etc

[Furyous]

I get wood splinters all the time, I find the best way for the invisible ones is to let the body start to attack the site, so it swells and softens,this helps to pinpoint the little bd, and then a hot needle is normally poked in and around the sore until you find the end of the splinter and can tweezer it out.

[singlecoil]

When I was building kitchens I used to get a lot of splinters too. Plus, as they were from birch plywood, were very difficult to see. Until I used my loupe, that was. After that it was so easy to see and remove them I used to get them out right away.

[Stu R]

Glassman said:

Scraggles said:

had this once, really sore, let it heal and then dug down with very fine needle. teased it out eventually

Glass isn't as visible as wood, or a bit of swarf. Can hardly see the bd.

Good argument for using tinting film if ever there was one.

Soak in as hot water as you can tolerate, see if that helps draw it out, if not get a blade on it while it's hot and the skin is fairly soft.

Or stick your finger in a furnace and see if the glass melts

[staceyb]

Soak your finger in hot water for as long as possible.

Then lather on some magnesium sulphate (ask at your pharmacy) and loosely cover with a cotton wool pad or dressing. The dressing is only there to stop the mag sulph getting where it shouldn't be.

Leave it on over night and it should draw the glass out. Use some tweesers, borrow your missus', to get the glass out.

[Uncle Fester]

With glass you have to feel for it using the razor blade.

The old trick my Mum always used on me was Hydrogen Peroxide. It sort of gets underneath and the bubbles seem to lift it out.

[gib6933]

I work with grp quite a lot (nearly every day) and glass splinters are part of the norm, not much you can do sorry just keep going at it, or try and forget it is there.

If i am going somewhere nice i like to keep away from the stuff for a few weeks in case i have to shake someone's hand. but it can be quite funny if you don't like the person, to see them scratching there fingers for the rest of the day.

Edited by gib6933 on Sunday 21st December 19:50

[gib6933]

sorry just seen your profile and where you work. Sorry I didn't realise I was telling you how to suck eggs.

[Ron Burgundy]

graphite is an absolute aswell, when i brok the shaft in m driver i pickd it up and had about 4 bits in my palm, so spent the rest of the round and anything else which involved using my hands in pain!

[wiz 1]

Get splinters quite a lot but the wood variety mostly. The worse are down behind the finger nail . Usually get them out straight away, can't stand the things being there annoying me all the time.
Use a Stanley knife or back edge of a chisel. If its well in have to resort to picking it out with a needle when i can find one. Heard some weird thing about putting banana over the wound to draw the object out but have not tried or proven this yet.