Along with blue tape and paper towels, so-called “super glues” are often cited as a way to treat relatively minor cuts in the workshop. But the cyanoacrylates that are meant to glue wood, porcelain and plastics (and hardhats to I-beams – if you’re old enough to remember that Krazy Glue commercial) are actually harmful to your skin. Dr. Jeffrey Hill, author of “Workshop Wound Care” (who is an emergency room physician and a woodworker), explains the difference.
Find out what else you should have on hand in you shop’s first aid kit – and how to use it – in “Workshop Wound Care.”
I really appreciate this info. This is a classic case whereby I take a grain of knowledge and misapply it, like my regular use of crazy glue to close cracks in my fingers in the dry winter months thinking, this stuff is fine for my skin, it was invented to do fast wound closures for our soldiers in Vietnam. I’ve ordered the Vet glue. Which I assume is short for veterinarian although I may conflate that to veteran. My creative use of information has let me down many roads!
Thank you.
…also remembering that one time that I misused (per the label) “Second Skin” brand superglue for wounds…I tore a callus completely off, then, thinking, “This must create a literal second skin” I applied it directly to the raw wound. It was…hands down…the most pain in a concentrated few minutes that I’ve ever felt. My dog found my machinations quite hilarious, though, and began barking and jumping around with me. And, I admit it was the most excitement she’d had with me in the shop in years.
Because woodworking (and every other art form I am involved in) is essentially problem solving, my ego makes me think that my intellect is infallible. I’m ordering some of the vet glue right now!
One remedy that I found here on LAP for treating cuts, was for “Wound Seal” topical powder. I have used this powder product a couple of times in the shop for minor cuts; and found it effective at limiting bleeding, but only until more conventional aid can be applied. The powder stings moderately and leaves a bloody crust on the wound. Conventional antibiotic salve and a band-aid are a better approach, in my opinion.
Just FYI…that’s one of the things that, thanks to Dr. Jeffy’s First Aid Kit contents recommendations, we no longer use. Also…I watched too much of it get picked out of a wound before a proper dressing was applied. It was unpleasant to watch; can’t imagine how unpleasant that must have felt!
I’m glad to hear you are upping your wound care game. You won’t always have a trauma nurse in the class. I was fortunate that day in Peter’s class.
To stop bleeding IMMEDIATELY put a piece of unglazed paper on the cut then wrap it with tape. Paper from a grocery bag. Works every time
One old remedy is to smear hide glue on paper. Then apply the paper with dried glue to the wound.
If you put it on a cut, you’ll do the St Vitus dance. Don’t ask me how I know.
Unglazed paper works for me every time
Would it be possible to buy a PDF+video without a physical book?
I second that, since I am not in the US and LAP would not send me a hard copy anyway.
The video is also free for the first 30 days with the PDF download (though it’s about 25 days now)
They sell ‘flexible’ superglue, which I assumed was the same cyanoacrylate as the non flexible one, plus some other chems. Now I feel I need to go check what it is exactly, in case it meets the requirements.
Bought the “Workshop Wound Care” PDF last week and used it yesterday – out gardening and got a splinter + dirt under a fingernail when shifting an old piece of wood.
Good to know the best procedure to follow.
And the best procedure is???
Hi Chris, wondering if it’s possible to buy a pdf version of Wound Care? I’m in the UK, was at the Harrogate show last weekend and talking with the appropriate people at The Classic Hand Tools stand and they didn’t know anything about this book let alone placed orders for it, so it might be some time before it’s over here.
Cheers
Andy
Ignore that! Just read some of the other comments and I can see that there is a pdf version available. Doh!! Sorry, my bad
We used vetbond superglue in our climbing first aid kit ( it pretty much WAS the kit) to close flappers so we could keep climbing. It worked pretty well..