OT: How often do you guys cut yourselves?

[Jebadiah_Smith]

Not many cuts, but ive burned my fingerprints off before, and the skin on most of my knuckles has been ground off. It leaves smooth pink circles, without the creases, and makes people think I was born next to powerlines.

Great fun!

 

[Steely_Gunz]

Not many cuts, but ive burned my fingerprints off before, and the skin on most of my knuckles has been ground off. It leaves smooth pink circles, without the creases, and makes people think I was born next to powerlines.

Great fun!

Just tell people that you burned off your knuckle prints as that is how the aliens are tracking you. Then, in mid-sentence, look up and gasp, "They're here! How did they find me? My hat! Where's my foil hat?!?. Scan your eyes across the sky a few times in a darty manner. Then just skitter off looking in odd places for your hat while singing "I hear you knockin', but you can't come in." under your breath. Be sure to giggle and mutter something about "toe knuckles."
That's always good fun.....or so i'm told, I mean.

 

[Jebadiah_Smith]

That would never work, I ALWAYS have my foil hat.

 

[Steely_Gunz]

That's the beauty of it Jebadiah. I guess you could be wearing your foil hat the whole time

Jake

 

[Khukuri Monster]

tin or aluminum?

 

[Jebadiah_Smith]

Mu metal fool! Tin or aluminum wont stop them!

 

[Dave Rishar]

I'm getting some good chuckles out of this.

I cut myself constantly but not usually on knives. At work, I'm constantly dealing with firearms, hot brass, nails and staples protruding from targets and targetbacks, wood splinters, you name it. Unless it's a bleeder or a particularly long splinter I often don't notice. Yesterday evening I was doing a bit of work on the Rose, the AK Bowie and a CS tanto. One or more of them bit my left index finger numerous times; I didn't realize until the Ballistol reminded me.

Two weeks ago I got myself a good one. The gusting wind was tearing the targets up and we decided to try slitting the middles of them to release the air. Someone asked for a knife. I retrieved the 5" Voyager I keep with me, attempted to open it one-handed, slipped due to the rain, and got it open on the second try. A moment or two later, I noticed that my hand felt very slick and wet in a way unlike water. Oops! It was a bleeder. I'd neatly shaved the end of my thumb nearly off. We had a minimum number of line coaches available so I couldn't leave without ending the evolution; I slapped two bandaids over it and called it good. It bled through. I put a few more on. They bled through. I wound up with what must be a record-breaking ten bandaids wrapped around my thumb before I got it under control. At no time, then or after, did it ever hurt...guess that one's sharp enough.

Can't beat superglue for immediate first aid and New-Skin for continuing treatment. If I can't get it shut with superglue, light fishing line works fine for suturing.

 

[Yvsa]

About the only time I get a wound anymore is if I fall asleep with a knife in my hands, easier to do than you think when you get my age.
When I'm awake I'm always very careful and seldom cut myself anymore. I credit that to my age as well because of not being distracted by anything when I'm concentrating.

 

[namaarie]

I'm looking at a bandaid on my middle finger right now. It was a pretty good bleeder. Dripping down. Not from a knife, but it is always pretty cool to see dripping blood. (we're all sick here!)

Namaarie

 

[Nasty]

What do you do with scabs?

I like to keep mine in a bottle on my dresser...I figure someone may need some DNA someday.

I rarely get cut anymore...not sure why aside from good luck.

Satori - I used to be a Redhat (Small Arms Marksmanship Instructor) and those darn staples always caused bleeders. We always had a gluepot in those days full of homemade glue...lye and stuff mixed together. It would stop whatever bleeding we had...it's probably slowly been killing me since then.

 

[Dave Rishar]

Satori - I used to be a Redhat (Small Arms Marksmanship Instructor) and those darn staples always caused bleeders. We always had a gluepot in those days full of homemade glue...lye and stuff mixed together. It would stop whatever bleeding we had...it's probably slowly been killing me since then.

Sounds something like those stryptic sticks (sp?) or whatever they're called that they sell at the drugstore. I've never tried one but I hear that they work well.

On the ship and outdoors, the targetbacks are made of plywood. On our indoor range, we use cardboard. When I first arrived, I'd had the habit of holding the targetback from behind with my left hand while stapling with my right - perfectly safe for plywood but not a good idea with cardboard. My first day, I'm hanging targets for myself and wouldn't you know it...I stapled my hand to the targetback. Quite a way to kick off a tour at a new duty station. I could've used some of that glue then, everyone was pretty positive that I'd hit an artery. I summed it up as superior marksmanship. They summed it up as me being a knucklehead. (They're probably right.)

It should be obvious at this point that the Navy doesn't pull people out of Harvard to do jobs like mine. I won't even start on the times when the students stand under the radiant heaters for too long and turn into "screaming alphas." Two so far since the weather got cold, we're on a roll this year.

 

[Nasty]

LOL... We had a few funny things happen too...it seems to go with the job.

BTW, I remember what the glue was...just a 50 gallon garbage can full of water, plain old flour (1 or 2 5# bags) and the lye (bottled drain cleaner) all just stirred together. Worked great for paste-up targets...held in rain and wind, also served as stiffener so the target backers would last longer.