Thread: Cut from an antique razor

Are you starting to have flashbacks of places you have never been? Deja Vu?!?!?!?

Originally Posted by Slartibartfast

Are you starting to have flashbacks of places you have never been? Deja Vu?!?!?!?

uhm, no. why do you ask?

Just pulling your chain a little :-)

Originally Posted by salisbury

Haha.

Thanks for the info guys.

The blade is free of any rust, as far as I can tell.

And my last tetanus shot would have been within the 10 year mark, hopefully. Don't recall when exactly I got it.

Tetanus has nothing to do with rust on any level. That's an old wive's tail that started because tetanus is most common with puncture wounds, so somebody get's tetanus after stepping on a rusty nail, and they think it was the rust, rather than the type of wound.


Personally, I wouldn't be concerned. However, I know when my last tetanus shot was. When in doubt, go see a doctor. Even without insurance, a tetanus shot isn't that expensive, and tetanus is one of the more unpleasant ways to die....

I wouldn't worry about it. The only blood borne virus I know of which lasts 7 days dried on an environmental surface is Hepatitis B. If your razor had not been used for longer than a week, it is very unlikely that you could contract any virus, and as was pointed out earlier, non spore forming bacteria die within hours on environmental surfaces or hands. A used vintage shaving brush, on the other hand, I would be more afraid of. The original box on some vintage brushes guarantees that they are "free from anthrax"! Now there is a thought to give you pause...I just bought a vintage badger brush at an antique store today. It is going to get a very thorough cleaning before I use it, you can be sure! Anthrax does form spores, and is resident in some domestic animals. Not badgers, hopefully, but why take a chance. I just finished teaching a seminar in infection control for nurses, today.

Originally Posted by Croaker

The original box on some vintage brushes guarantees that they are "free from anthrax"! Now there is a thought to give you pause...

As far as I know we are in contact with anthrax on a daily basis, the only difference is our immune systems can handle "normal" anthrax strains or with the help of a few antibiotics, its only the "weaponized/agressive" strains that should be a concern, unless your breathing in the bacteria spores lol.

I had contact with Anthrax earlier

I usually don't like metal, but needed some workout music.

you and my 4yo should get together
she runs her finger down the sharpened section too
(I take some getting used too )

The only germs on that blade would be from people that had handled it recently, including the guy that cut himself on it the day before doing the exact same thing.

Edit: They used to say tetanus shots should be every ten years. I believe that they have changed it to five now. But there is good news.... I used to have nasty, nasty reactions to tetanus shots. The site would swell up *huge* and stay that way for a week. I guess this was pretty common, and that even people that didn't have nasty reactions thought tetanus shots sucked worse than your average injection. I had a tetanus booster last year, and they have changed the "formula". The nurse said it was highly unlikely that I would have any more of a reaction than what I got from flu shots, so basically none. The shot was not painful and I never even got a welt from it.

I appreciate the ribbing.

Just to put your mind at ease. If I recall correctly (it happens sometimes) there is only something like a 10% chance of catching something if you receive a puncture wound from a contaminated needle. A cut or scratch is even less.
I think you will live.