Thread: First aid in the shop !!!

As some of you heard in chat last night I ended up in the ER getting stitches... Yes I am fine, just put a nice slice through the top of my thumb, down to the bone... BTW for what it's worth that damn razor was "TOO SHARP"
One half a second of inattention and bam it got me..

But anyway what I started the thread about was the fact I was almost not going to go in for the stitches because I had controlled the blood loss so good.... BTW if you have to go through all this "YOU NEED STITCHES"

In my hunting stuff I keep a fully stocked First Aid Kit when I am not hunting this stays in the house... I always have what are normally called Trauma Powders, or Blood Clotters, Homeostasis Powders etc: etc:

QuikClot is one of the brand names, these are available now to the common man, expensive but available...
They save blood and yer Butt if your Wife is like mine when it comes to dripping blood all over the house

Anyway they work fast, some burn like the dickens, but they will seal off wounds and give you time to apply a pressure bandage and get the bleeding under control so you can drive yourself the the ER like I had to LOL...
Not a bad idea to have some of at least the smaller packs, laying around...

Just Google "Blood Clotting Powder"

here is one link

Hemostasis LLC | Rapid Blood Clotting Products | Trauma, OTC, Surgical, Dental | BleedArrest™

I keep quicclot in my Bug out Bag first aid kit. Which goes everywhere with me. Drives the wife nuts.


Here is a supplier of hemostatic agents

Some do leave burns others do not. You have to decide what you want and how you are trying to survive.

Originally Posted by gssixgun

As some of you heard in chat last night I ended up in the ER getting stitches... Yes I am fine, just put a nice slice through the top of my thumb, down to the bone... BTW for what it's worth that damn razor was "TOO SHARP"

Glen, there are better ways to breadknife an edge.

Seriously though, glad you're relatively OK and you didn't loose a thumb.

While I have always found these interesting, I wonder if they could make the situation worse in some cases.

When I was a kid, I cut my left thumb down to the tendon, and around halfway to 3/4 of the way through the tendon. The ER docs would either just have stiched me up without stitching the tendon, or they would have had to open up that temporary scab...

Kent that was almost as bad as the ER Doc "Wow that is one clean cut" "Looks like a scalpel incision"

Originally Posted by SavantStrike

While I have always found these interesting, I wonder if they could make the situation worse in some cases.

When I was a kid, I cut my left thumb down to the tendon, and around halfway to 3/4 of the way through the tendon. The ER docs would either just have stiched me up without stitching the tendon, or they would have had to open up that temporary scab...

It took about one minute for the ER nurse with some 9% Sodium Chloride solution (I looked) and a gauze pad to clean away the QuickClot....

Oh BTW we talked about using CA, her statement was this...

"Make sure it is a new tube if you use it, make SURE to clean the wound very, very, well before you use it first, or you seal in dirt (BAD) and if you even think you are going to need stitches DON"T use CA"

Originally Posted by gssixgun

BTW for what it's worth that damn razor was "TOO SHARP"

I can't help but admire a man who has a question and then goes through every possible scenario until they find a rational answer.

Glad you're okay!

Whew, I'm glad everything worked out and you're OK, Glen. You need that thumb!

I try to make a point to use my kevlar gloves; completely cut proof. They're pretty thin and easy to hold things with. The only drawback is that you can't feel the heat of the blade when buffing or grinding. I feel much better with them on. Randy and I got a bunch of kevlar sleeves from an auction recently. They go from the wrist all the way up to upper arm. I haven't used any of those yet.

Chris L

Glen,

Glad to hear that you are ok! It sounds like a good idea to have some of that blood clotter powder on hand in the workshop.

It's a big temptation for me to become desensitized to the fact that I am working with extremely sharp pieces of metal when doing any restoration work. I'm very fortunate not to have sliced up a finger or two when sanding or polishing a blade.

Thanks for the reminder to respect the blade!!!

Glad you are okay.