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Tips/Techniques Using magnets for slivers.

Tips/Techniques
I never had any luck with magnets. Same with easy outs. If my calipers can't get them out I try tweezers, and if that won't do I dig them out with a scalpel, or pin. Ball cutting 3d surfaces in hardened steel generates a lot of tiny twisted triangular shaped chips that love to screw into your hands, and break off. They're fun.
 
I seem to get quite a few metal slivers and most of them either come out easy or eventually work their way out in fairly short order however I do have to go "operating"every now and then. I find MAGNIFICATION the most important component in limiting the pain by allowing precision. I have a decent desktop steroescope that work well other than it's very hard to hold the "patient" hand still and in focus while the other hand operates and adjusts focus. I also have a very cheap pair of those magnification glasses that have 3 different power lenses and they work surprisingly well for sliver extraction as it frees up both hands. The glasses are very poor otherwise because they have to be so bloody close to the object and depth of field is almost zilch.
Magnifying Glasses 8X 15X 23X Magnifier LED Headband Glass Eye Magnifying Repair Tool Watchmaking Coin Stamp Currency Book Errors Jewelry Necklace Magnifier Glasses Beading Biology Loupe Microscope https://a.co/d/4y7RjdT
 
I have one of those magnifying ring lights. It reaches the little South Bend and my little desk/work station. It's mostly used for minor surgeries of the diy nature.
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32 years ago I accidentally injured my left eye with flying metal shards , the tip of a pin punch to be exact . It was a shit show , my safety glasses were scratched and dirty , I couldn’t see what I was doing , like an idiot , I removed them and got back to work . I was trying to remove a rusted and seized U joint , trying to knock the retaining clips out , the tip of the punch fractured and a small fragment was propelled into my eye . I flushed the eye , made a half assed attempt to find and remove the foriegn object , gave up and got back to work . I finished the job , not knowing the severity of the injury , finished my shift and by that point , the eye was quite inflamed and very uncomfortable . I worked in Kananaskis at Nakiska ski resort , the closest medical clinic was in Canmore so I headed in that direction . It was dark , snowing pretty hard making visibility difficult . Once I got there a doctor had a look at it , poked around with a pick / scribe device , dicked around with a magnet and was able to remove a small piece of metal . He reeked of booze , it was Christmas Eve , he patched my eye and wrote me a prescription and I was out of there . What neither of us realized is that there was still some more metal left behind . After a day or two , the injury was not getting any better , lots of pain , inflammation and redness . I had not missed any work at this point but was going on days off , I got a ride into the city to Foothills hospital . I was lucky , there was an eye specialist on staff that day , once he had a look at it he said “ you are not going anywhere mr “ . I was there for five and a half days ! . He had to knock me out and cut open the eye to clean , remove the remaining fragments and rust . The healing process was slow and painful , missed a little bit of work . The eye healed 100% , I was lucky . The moral of the story is …… wear your effin safety glasses or any other PPE that may protect you from injury !!!.
 
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Had a sliver the size of a small fence post jammed 3/4 of an inch under a finger nail. o_O Went to local doc for removal, mother of christ did that hurt, even with some spray on freezing. Now i know why finger nail torture is so effective.
 
I have a variety of tools n' methods for sliver extraction , tweezers of various size , xacto knives , razor blades etc .

I don't often scuff myself up at work or in the home shop anymore , slivers are rare , any kind of wound is unusual .

However..............
I'm more likely to get a wood sliver when I'm wood butchering ( I'm not a carpenter ) , back in the day , when I worked heavy duty I bashed a few fingers , the up side is , I still have all of them .
 
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I have found, that a good! pair of tweezers is a must!

Dumont is my preferred brand, and I would recommend a set of #3 Dumont tweezers to anyone!
Expect to pay upwards of $50. Maybe more. But when you are pulling glass fibers out of yourself, you will be very glad to have them!

My worst experience? I bit a Burdock burr, to pull it off my sleeve. Spent a fair few minutes pulling VERY fine splinters from my tongue! 0 out of 5, do not recommend! Ever!
 
trevj said:
My worst experience? I bit a Burdock burr, to pull it off my sleeve. Spent a fair few minutes pulling VERY fine splinters from my tongue! 0 out of 5, do not recommend! Ever!
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Holy Crap! Why didn't you just try licking an angry porcupine?
 
Susquatch said:
Holy Crap! Why didn't you just try licking an angry porcupine?
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Not one of my finer moments, though a learning experience, for sure! I can recommend to anyone, now, in a similar situation, with their hands otherwise occupied, to put something down, to deal with it! :D

I was trying to avoid the hooks on the outside of the burr. When it split, it shed about a million or so little fibers onto my lips and tongue from inside the burr! The material surrounding the seeds IN the burr!

It was funny as hell. Afterwards. Most dumb things are like that! LOL! Call it, the price of an education!
 
Stereo zoom microscope and a fresh blade in an exacto knife. Sometimes they are small and painful or broken off and annoying... success depends on being able to see.

Another vote for the Dumont's. I've a ton of them for watchmaking and nothing is better. Still, they are too clumsy for the very tiny deep ones with nothing proud of skin to hold on to
 
Dan Dubeau said:
I never had any luck with magnets. If my calipers can't get them out I try tweezers, and if that won't do I dig them out with a scalpel, or pin. Ball cutting 3d surfaces in hardened steel generates a lot of tiny twisted triangular shaped chips that love to screw into your hands, and break off. They're fun.
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Oh... you nailed it when machining with a ball nose. 4 flute are worse than 2 flt, that's why I always choose a 2 flute lol.

Since I never wear boots anymore. I find getting them out of my socks and feet are the most fun. The body just doesn't want to bend and twist in that many ways. Even with glasses on these days, I still can't see them.
Standing while trying to balance is worse, even holding onto something at times lol. I suppose, that's why I ask my wife to get them out now.
She seems to have better equipment in her powder room than I have in the shop to get them out....
 
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I just don't like it when she wants to wash my feet in flea soap before she shaves them to hunt for slivers.

Ever notice how some fleas float and others sink? What is with that anyway?

Just for the record, I tried the magnet thing recently after reading it here. Zero joy.
 
Dan Dubeau said:
My wife loves when I come to her with a thorn in my paw. That's when I really get to find out what she thinks of me :D.
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Haha, that's why I started an evening rocket making hobby several years ago.;) I can fly out of the way quick when her paws 'n' claws come out...
I can hear it just like it was yesterday,, Now why didn't you just put your dam boots on... You see.. you never listen to me do ya..
I'm going to buy 2 Valentines day cards this year:rolleyes:
 
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