Splinter Removal Tricks?

[Jacob Reverb]

OK, I got a small splinter of cherry in my finger yesterday. After a couple of hours it started hurting so I decided it was time to go.

Dug and dug with a sewing needle, good tweezers and hemostats, nail clippers, etc., to remove the overlying skin and finally dug something out. It was TINY but I thought I had it licked.

But this morning it still hurts so I know there's more where that came from. Problem is, I can't SEE anything!

Should I just excavate until I have a hole deep enough that I know there couldn't be anything deeper? What do you all do in similar situations?

[Jeff Monson]

I got a set of tweezers from Grizzley tools that has a magnifying glass attached to it. Stupid as it sounds it does work
wonders when removing splinters.

[Myk Rian]

http://www.amazon.com/SE-Tweezers-Ma.../dp/B0019N9ZGW

319wxaMCfYL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

[Joe Kieve]

Make sure whatever you use is sterile! I got a splinter at work awhile back, used a needle that I thought was sterile and woke up the next morning with a red streak running up my arm. , Went to the company nurse who immediately sent me to the doctor for antibiotics to get rid of a blood infection.
Bottom line.....sterile.

Joe

[Sam Murdoch]

Less gruesome technique for small and inline splinters such as cactus spines, is too smear a layer of yellow glue over the area. When the glue is dry peel off the glue layer and the splinter will come out with it . Also (occasionally) just letting it fester a day or two will allow it to pop out without much effort. When all else fails or if you just like using tools - I highly recommend Uncle Billy's http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/200...-Tweezers.aspx

[Myk Rian]

When all else fails or if you just like using tools - I highly recommend Uncle Billy's http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/200...-Tweezers.aspx

I keep one of those on my key ring. Found it in a Dollar store.

[Cary Falk]

I cut mine out with this.
http://www.drugstore.com/products/pr...d-388b76696b6e

[Gary Kman]

I have a Harbor Freight magnifier clipped onto a really bright light then use all of the above. Have heard that Dr's have some kind of dye that makes splinters show up better. I sure wouldn't want "...streaks running up my arm...." but the most painful and difficult splinters to remove have been those that wouldn't get infected.

[John Coloccia]

These rock.

http://www.medipoint.com/html/splinter_out.html

I had one in my pinky, though, that I eventually had to go to the ER for. It took the doctor a good 1/2 hour to dig it out with scalpels and things like that. I would have never gotten it. Splinters are nothing to fool around with. I would never leave one overnight on purpose unless you look forward to infections and anti-biotics.

[Jerome Stanek]

You could cut the finger off that would get rid of it. some times soaking it will help.

[Ted Calver]

I keep a small bottle of old fashioned iodine on hand. A small dab with a cotton ball is usually enough to color the splinter so i can see it better...assuming it's wood.

[curtis rosche]

a big sharp knife, a bottle of whiskey, and something to bite down on.

or a sturdy chair, a few belts, a good friend and a knife

[Brian Kent]

Not to be an alarmist, but watch closely for any secondary swelling (or streaks). A friend of mine lost a thumb to a splinter.

[Kent A Bathurst]

As unwise as this sounds.........If I can get it out with my teeth, fine. If not, I try some tweezers I have in the shop. If that gets it out, fine.

If it is still in there, I just ignore it. Within a couple days, the attack mechanism has gone after it, very slight localized swelling-slash-infection, and ...yuuuuck... a little pus forms around it. Everything is all softened up at that point, and it squeezes right out, and everything is back to normal in another couple days.

Two of these from RO in the past ten days - that stuff is very "splintery".

Of course, this is from the guy who is standing there when LOML walks in, looks at me, and says "How did you cut yourself?" Me: "Huh? What? Where?" Her: "Well, that blood on your arm." This happens all too often. Either that, or the piece of wood I am working suddenly has a red smear on it, and I have to start a search to find where the cut is.

[Bill Edwards(2)]

a big sharp knife, a bottle of whiskey, and something to bite down on.

or a sturdy chair, a few belts, a good friend and a knife

a good friend

Who doesn't care about your pain.