Metal splinters difficult to remove

[92220]

Hi Folks.

I am guessing there are few forum members who don't suffer from splinters that are difficult to remove!


My ex wife was a practice nurse at one of the local surgeries. She introduced me to a method of splinter removal, without all the hastle and painful digging. I have to admit I had completely forgotten about it, these last few years, until I came across an old first-aid box, up in the loft above the workshop. 


The method of removing splinters easily, and painlessly, is to use an ointment called Magnesium Sulphate Cream. It is available over the counter now, and is not expensive...but it is VERY effective. It is basically used for drawing pus from boils, and is used in exactly the same way. A small dab of ointment is put on the area of the splinter and covered with a plaster. If the splinter is new, and just below the surface of the skin, the Mag Sulph should draw it out within 24 hours. If it has been in for a little while, and the skin has reformed over it, then it may take a couple of days. 

I have had a steel splinter in a finger for 3 days and it was so small as to be almost impossible to see...but it hurt!! I treated it with Mag Sulph a couple of days ago, and when I took the plaster off, the black splinter was just resting on the surface of the skin and just washed off. Just one word of warning for anyone who might want to try it....cover the cream up with a plaster otherwise it will badly stain any clothing it comes in contact with.

Bob

[gwr7800]

Bob while reading your post that reminded me when I was a child, mum used to put a Kaolin poultice on troublesome boils! I can remember like it was yesterday the heat and the smell! However it worked!
From a boil free Chris

[Deleted]

My wife loves removing my splinters...I'm sure that she gets some joy from it...🤣

[Roger]

Oct 4, 2021 18:00:25 GMT 92220 said:

Hi Folks.

I am guessing there are few forum members who don't suffer from splinters that are difficult to remove!


My ex wife was a practice nurse at one of the local surgeries. She introduced me to a method of splinter removal, without all the hastle and painful digging. I have to admit I had completely forgotten about it, these last few years, until I came across an old first-aid box, up in the loft above the workshop. 


The method of removing splinters easily, and painlessly, is to use an ointment called Magnesium Sulphate Cream. It is available over the counter now, and is not expensive...but it is VERY effective. It is basically used for drawing pus from boils, and is used in exactly the same way. A small dab of ointment is put on the area of the splinter and covered with a plaster. If the splinter is new, and just below the surface of the skin, the Mag Sulph should draw it out within 24 hours. If it has been in for a little while, and the skin has reformed over it, then it may take a couple of days. 

I have had a steel splinter in a finger for 3 days and it was so small as to be almost impossible to see...but it hurt!! I treated it with Mag Sulph a couple of days ago, and when I took the plaster off, the black splinter was just resting on the surface of the skin and just washed off. Just one word of warning for anyone who might want to try it....cover the cream up with a plaster otherwise it will badly stain any clothing it comes in contact with.

Bob

Hi Bob,
I've not heard of that before, so I've just ordered some from eBay. It's mighty expensive, but I found that one what is more reasonable. I usually dig them out asap with a scalpel, but sometimes they're so fine that I just can't get them. Thanks for the tip, I'll definitely be trying this.

[robert51]

I've not had trouble from metal splinters, except for a brass one lodged in the white of my eye. A reminder for PPE. Lots of digging out berberis thorns with a propagating knife though. Several hundred cuttings but a better-than scalpel sharp knife.
Rob

[keith1500]

I usually find brass or aluminium splinters from fine milling are the worst.

I did end up in Moorfields eye hospital with steel splinter. That was from cutting a floor tile with a battery jigsaw. Some how it got under my safety goggles.
I thought it was just dust and gave it a day one so but soon realised it needed attention. The bit that amused me was not how quickly the doc got it out but the fact she wanted to clean off the rusty ring it had left behind!

[ettingtonliam]

Yes, its excellent as a drawing ointment. I usually keep a small tub of Magnesium Sulphate BP in the medicine cupboard, you can get it off the shelf in Boots or any other high street chemist. Its a while since I bought any, but I don't remember it being expensive.

[92220]

I've just bought my pot from Amazon (Prime) for £5.99.

Bob.

[jon38r80]

Growing up we always had a small pot of Lion ointment which was a drawing ointment for boils, spots, infected cuts and splinters. When that pot ran out a few years ago I tried to get some more, eventualy speaking to the manufacturer in Bucxkinghamsahire. Its not made and sold for Human use anymore as I presume they didnt sell enough of it ( my little pot was about 40 years old) but it is sold for vetinary use as cow teat treatment. Im not that particular about the fact the licence is no longer valid and the company was nice enough to send me a 1 litre "sample" gratis. It doesnt seem to go off, it has a pleasant sort of herby smell and its base is probably petroleum jelly from its consistency. Its marvelous stuff and Ive probably got enough for the next century!

[SteveW]

Guys,

Just did a little search... "The hydrous magnesium sulfate popularly known as Epsom salts, MgSO4·7H2O, is used as a laxative."

A laxative so best take great care with the stuff.

[ettingtonliam]

You are supposed to rub it on, not drink the stuff!

[92220]

Oct 4, 2021 23:05:39 GMT SteveW said:

Guys,

Just did a little search... "The hydrous magnesium sulfate popularly known as Epsom salts, MgSO4·7H2O, is used as a laxative."

A laxative so best take great care with the stuff.

 Like any other medical treatment, it should only ever be used for what it is prescribed/sold for.


The cream/ointment, for use on the skin, has other chemicals in it's make-up, which are not safe orally. Phenol is one of the items in my pot of mag suph, and that can cause severe corrosive injury to the mouth, throat and stomach. That's the main reason it should never be used anywhere near the mouth, or other soft tissue. That is why it works so well to draw out splinters and boils, and other skin infections. 
Bob.

[JonL]

I've been getting loads of these recently, but unusually from Mild Steel. I'm not used to the tiny wisps that come off a carbide 4 flute endmill at max rpm!

[Haymes]

I've found gently rubbing olive oil into the skin around the splinter usually helps to get them out.

Regards,
Carl

[cplmickey]

I still use good old fashioned Germolene ointment. It works for loads of things including splinters although not as dramatically as Bob's description above. Ian

[martyn1936]

The best way I know to get bits of brass out of your fingers is to gently run a wet razor over the area. That, for me, usually catches the brass splinter. Failing that it's Germoline and a plaster for 24 hours.

[JonL]

I never would have thought of that, but it makes perfect sense.

[tigermoth]

I have just acquired a small lathe/mill that had been stripped down for transport from Spain after the owner died and it was covered in brass splinters, I tried hovering them off and then washing in white spirit with a brush, there are still some knocking about, yes I did get one in my thumb, wish I had known about this thread last week, I had to dig it out, well dig round till it stopped hurting anyway.

I actually stripped the 3 jaw down just to clean the flipping things out, they were everywhere.

All I have to do now is rebuild the lathe and work out which bit goes where, and find out which key they lost when they stripped it down.

Suppose I should start a thread on rebuilding a small lathe/mill from a kit of parts and what wires go where as they never marked anything up.

Norman.

[philh1aa]

My favourite is a scalpel to clear away the boundary area followed by needle sharp tweezers. If that doesn't work I just wait a couple of days and the splinter seems to rise to the surface on its own and virtually falls out. I guess layers of skin wear away leaving the splinter where it is?

[tigermoth]

Oct 12, 2021 19:45:56 GMT philh1aa said:

My favourite is a scalpel to clear away the boundary area followed by needle sharp tweezers. If that doesn't work I just wait a couple of days and the splinter seems to rise to the surface on its own and virtually falls out. I guess layers of skin wear away leaving the splinter where it is?

Dont talk to me about scalpel's !!!!!! in 1957 I was working in a company called Falcon fibre glass car shells  and got a fibre glass splinter in my left index finger, went to the doctor who looked at it and said come back it two weeks.

Two weeks later it was like E.T's, a big red blob, throbing, with a blue line starting to go up my arm, anyway he sat me on the couch so I could not see what he was doing, and he lanced it with a bloody great scalpel, the puss actually did hit the ceiling and did it hurt, YES.

Norman.