Random tip for metal splinters - use your calipers.

52 Ford · Nov 2, 2021

I saw a guy get a big splinter from a piece of metal on the lathe. He immediately whipped out his calipers and use those as tweezers. Worked really well from what I could tell.

I wish I had known that trick sooner.

Another "caliper tip" - they work really well for popping the top on a bottle when you don't have a bottle opener. (prolly not good for the calipers, though.) :cheers:

dgfoster · Nov 3, 2021

Never tried the caliper trick. Sounds like a good one.

Over the years I have removed a lot of slivers both at home and at my clinic. The average tweezer purchased from the drug store usually has daylight showing at the gripping edge as they are mass produced to low standards. They can be greatly improved with just one or two minutes of lapping. Sound complicated? It’s not. Just grip a strip of about 220 Si-C (“wet or dry”) paper between the tips. As you put moderate squeeze on the jaws, pull the strip thought the jaws. Do this several times cutting first one jaw and then flip the paper and do the same for the other jaw. Now hold them up and confirm there is no daylight. Finish the job squeezing the empty jaws together and use the paper to grind any “overbite” of one jaw on the other so that they meet neatly. Now they are ready to deftly snatch that very annoying, barely visible, fine, super-sharp needle your end mill made. I like to use a 5 diopter Opt-Visor to make seeing those tiny devils easier.

Denis

Mark P. · Nov 3, 2021

Wife's dad was a Goodyear maintenance man. He always told to me use sandpaper for splinters. Never did get it to work. My go to is a sewing needle (with thread in it so I didn't lose it) and a very good pair of tweezers that I found at a local drugstore.

Booze Daily · Nov 3, 2021

Been using calipers for years. If they won't get it, then I dig it out with an x-acto knife.

MilGunsmith · Nov 3, 2021

I keep a nail clipper in my pocket. Works for most of them, just use the corner. Also good for the torn finger nails we get.

Peter from Holland · Nov 3, 2021

Been using calipers for splinters for years also

Peter

TeachMePlease · Nov 3, 2021

Am I the only sociopath who whips out my pocket knife and cuts 'em out under 6x magnification?

dgfoster · Nov 3, 2021

TeachMePlease said:
Am I the only sociopath who whips out my pocket knife and cuts 'em out under 6x magnification?

Probably not. But, using a sharp needle to "lift" the skin off the splinter is less uncomfortable and leaves a smaller divit. Just use magnification and keep picking skin off until the end is exposed enough to grab with a tuned-up tweezer or similar. The top layer of skin has little sensation and picks off with little or no pain. Now the tip of that cussed splinter just pushing against a nerve each time you grab something---that can really hurt and it is amazing just how small the sliver can be and still manage to penetrate the skin down to the nerve level.

Denis

WizardOfBoz · Nov 3, 2021

For me, if the thing is sticking out at all I use a scalpel blade (Bard-Parker 10a works fine) under the splinter and put my thumb on top and pull it out.

TeachMePlease, you're probably too young to know about The Whole Earth Catalog but your technique reminds me of their recommended solution for warts: Voodoo and a Swiss Army knife.

Which also relates to the cure for crabs I once heard. You need a shaving razor, shaving cream, a lighter, and an ice pick. You shave half your pubic hair, light the other half with the lighter, and as the little bugs try to escape from ... the burning bush, so to speak - you stab em with the ice pick....

AARONT · Nov 3, 2021

TeachMePlease said:
Am I the only sociopath who whips out my pocket knife and cuts 'em out under 6x magnification?

Nope. If my Calipers don't get em out or I don't have em. I grab my utility knife and start digging.

John Garner · Nov 3, 2021

A splinter-grabber that's even better than the fingernail clipper is the clipper's first cousin, the cuticle nipper.

Cuticle nippers are getting harder to find in the drugstores (usually hiding in the Sally Hansen / La Crosse section of the manicure tools), but can be found on Azimon.

Edited to add link to show the increasingly rare type of cuticle clipper I use: Amazon.com : DNHCLL 2 PCS Metal Slanted Edge Nail Cutting Clippers Pedicure Manicure Tool Slanted Tip Cuticle Nail Clipper Cutter Nail Clipper Cutter Pedicure Manicure Tool : Beauty & Personal Care

52 Ford · Nov 4, 2021

TeachMePlease said:
Am I the only sociopath who whips out my pocket knife and cuts 'em out under 6x magnification?

PHA! When I was doing residential framing and got a splinter, first thing I'd do is whip out a razor and cut out the splinter. Let me know if you want me to elaborate. I deleted that part.,,, I'm not that old and it wasn't that long ago. I quit. Worked my ass off and make about minimum wage - actually less.

52 Ford · Nov 4, 2021

I'll also say, not that this applies to a lot of people (since I have a forge), maybe with an oxy-fuel torch, I have a couple pair of pliers that I re-forged to have VERY close matching jaws. I use those to pull splinters more than I use tweezers. My usual go to for re-forging is a pair of small 45 degree needle nose. I forge the jaws to fit VERY tight, then re-grind the edges of the jaws to fit very close.

52 Ford · Nov 4, 2021

bosleyjr said:
Which also relates to the cure for crabs I once heard. You need a shaving razor, shaving cream, a lighter, and an ice pick. You shave half your pubic hair, light the other half with the lighter, and as the little bugs try to escape from ... the burning bush, so to speak - you stab em with the ice pick....

Pretty sure I've heard that before but, still.... LOL!

Demon69 · Nov 4, 2021

If wiping with a rag doesnt lift them out, I use a nail clipper and 10x loupe to watch the flesh (and splinter) leave my digits.
Satisfying

Strostkovy · Nov 4, 2021

I have some okay tweezers that get slivers out 90% of the time. 5% of the time I use flush cutters to make two v shaped cuts in the skin and lift out a pyramid shape of skin with the splinter in it. The other 5% of the time I lose where it actually went and a week later it's a bump and a few weeks after that it shows up at the surface of my skin in a sort of callousy kernel that can be picked off.

rons · Nov 4, 2021

Strostkovy said:
The other 5% of the time I lose where it actually went and a week later it's a bump and a few weeks after that it shows up at the surface of my skin in a sort of callousy kernel that can be picked off.

When the caliper and tweezers fail. Xacto .....

Got a few nice Swiss tweezers that are sharp and the points meet perfectly.
How to store them? Stick the points in some cork? Should I have to buy a bottle of wine just to get some cork?

John Garner · Nov 4, 2021

Surely you can find some use for the wine. For this time of the year, I'm inclined to use mine in boeuf bourguignon . . . but there must be other uses.

rons · Nov 4, 2021

Only medicinal topical purposes.

I've heard/read about a statistic that the alcohol consumption in the US is 25% more since the lock downs.

Everybody needs somebody sometime ..... :drink:

boslab · Nov 4, 2021

Try gorilla tape too, warm is better, apply to splinter area and peel, useless for buried but if there’s any shank as it were it tugs them out, works for glass fibre and mineral wool too inc celotex rigid board fibre stuck in your skin.
Neodymium magnet for eye crap
Wood splinters apparently respond to a soak in Epsom salts and hot water I’m told,
You get more resourceful as you get old I’ve found,
Mark

Random tip for metal splinters - use your calipers.

Stainless

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