Shop Tip - Hidden Metal Splinters

ddavelarsen

ddavelarsen

Joined
Dec 7, 2000
Messages
5,179
Ever get one of those tiny metal splinters you can't get out with your fingernails or your teeth? And that just keep rubbing the wrong way? And you're too busy to go find tweezers?

Duct tape.

:D
 
I know. I hate when that happens. They are every where, hidden within the dust and the etc., etc., etc.. I get'em stuck in me mostly off the horizontal edge grinder table for some reason. Seems like i'd get'em in my feet more since I work bare foot (WV ya know ;) ). I really do work bare foot in the shop (often much less than just bare footed). It's carpeted!! Don't look like it anymore but underneith a few mil of knife stuff is real carpet.

RL
 
rlinger said:
I know. I hate when that happens. They are every where, hidden within the dust and the etc., etc., etc.. I get'em stuck in me mostly off the horizontal edge grinder table for some reason. Seems like i'd get'em in my feet more since I work bare foot (WV ya know ;) ). I really do work bare foot in the shop (often much less than just bare footed). It's carpeted!! Don't look like it anymore but underneith a few mil of knife stuff is real carpet.

RL
Click to expand...
Boy you better put some shoes on! :eek: Go to the Dollar General and get yourself some shoes and socks. And Dave that is a good idea about the duct tape, we have to do "surgery" here sometimes too and a good strong magnet works well in the steel in your eye department.
 
A small sharply pointed knife, a sharply pointed twizzer, a 10x magnifier. The worst problem I had was using a Dremel tool with a new carbide cutter I wanted to try.It worked fine for the gunsmithing job but I didn't realize that it produced chips that were tiny needles.They easily entered the skin, were too small to see for the most part even with magnifier so it was itch, itch for days.
 
I use a very sharp knife and hold it at right angles to your finger and drag it across where the splinter is kinda scrape the splinter out. The sharp edge will catch it and remove. Gib
 
I use one of those 5" slim magnets that I use to hold the tang when tapering. It's extremely powerful, and if you have one deeply embedded, it will lift the skin a bit before the splinter lets loose.!:eek:


I use duct tape too, especially for the glass fibre like stickers that grow on a certain type of weed here. The cats brush them, and you pet the cat and end up with the things in you hand and arms. They are very irritating, and almost invisible. The combo of duct tape, and 10x mag/tweezer does the job.
 
I get bajillions of 'em when I'm using a dremel burr on bronze...Magnets are no help there. I've found that "wiping" the area with a piece of Scotch-Brite sometimes works even better than duct tape.
 
rlinger said:
I know. I hate when that happens. They are every where, hidden within the dust and the etc., etc., etc.. I get'em stuck in me mostly off the horizontal edge grinder table for some reason. Seems like i'd get'em in my feet more since I work bare foot (WV ya know ;) ). I really do work bare foot in the shop (often much less than just bare footed). It's carpeted!! Don't look like it anymore but underneith a few mil of knife stuff is real carpet.

RL
Click to expand...

No shame in bare feet, I'm with you. As soon as weather permits in the spring my shoes come off and I stay bare footed (sometimes flip flops) until late fall. My feet are the thermostats for my entire body. I have even been known to forge bare-footed (kids don't try this at home - I'm a professional ;) ) I do always put shoes on for forge welding, however (I'm not crazy).

Anyhow, it is a nightly ritual for me to sit down with tweezers and extract the dozens of metal slivers from my feet, before I can go to bed (blankets will really let you know you have metal slivers :eek: ) I will try the duct tape idea. Here is my tip for finding the little buggers, since you can often feel them but not see exactly were they are. I take cotton balls and drag lightly over the entire bottoms of my feet. If there is any metal it will leave little cotton stringers giving away its exact location.
 
Good ideas on the cotton balls and duct tape!

I'm no knife maker... but those little slivers are everywhere in garages and basements... :D
 
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