When do I drill a hole in my fingernail?
happyframer
| Posted in General Discussion on
So I’ve been framing for about 5 years. Of course I’ve hit my fingers with a hammer but today I really hit my finger with a hammer.
I’ve heard of people drilling holes in the nail to relieve the pressure. Oh boy is there pressure. It turned black and blue at the base almost immediately and it is throbbing like the dickens some 7 hours later.
Any thoughts are appreciated
Replies
I've heard of people doing it, but never done it myself.
Probably doesn't need saying, but if you decide to try it, just twist the bit back and forth with your fingers -- don't use a power drill.
BTDT
Dremel with a dental burr, slow speed, light taps. All of the sudden, splat. It'll come roaring out. Kind of like pulling a tooth as a kid. Your first reaction is oh man that hurts wait . . . no, wow, that feels better! Then bandaid it for a couple of days til the hole scabs over and toughens up a bit. That raw tissue under there is pretty sensitive.
I've heard you can use a hot needle to melt through the nail. That one made me squeamish enough that I used the dremel instead.
"Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, I am tempted to think -- there are no little things" - Bruce Barton
Do it as soon as possible. If you wait too long, the blood will clot, so the pressure won't be relieved.
During a time of no insurance, a doctor showed my SO an easy way. Unbend a large paper clip, heat it up in a flame and burn a hole through.
Good luck.
First reply...ouchsecond reply....ouchthird reply...ouch.None seem great. The latter seems the best but It's something I've never done and am not comfortable doing. Have you done it? ouch ouch ouch
Haven't done it myself. SO isn't here at the moment to ask. It was a while ago, but I think the doctor had him do it himself, while the doctor gave instructions. I don't know if he ever had to do it after that. I know he was really happy that the doctor told him how to do it.
oops...just read the rest of the posts...OK, sorry...lol.
Scanned them all and nobody has mentioed using a drill press, very easy that way, no drilling pain, only sudden relief from the pressure.
I've drilled my thumnbnail twice (first time 38 years ago), fingernail once, and toenail once.
About 4000 RPM on drill press with 1/16" dia regular point drill bit, slow feed, just the weight of the chuck and column, apply minimal or no quill pressure. You can see the chips come off the nail, there is a VERY SLIGHT quill drop when the nail breaks thru and there is a thin membrane under the nail that still holds the blood blister back. Very gently let the drill drop another 1/64th or so, and out come the blood, no more pressure. Often need to repeat the membran puncture the next morning as the membrane heals over.
LOL, I hace a vision of you putting your foot up three feet in air onto the dril press...I'm actually suprised at the number of guiys who use thedrill. I tried that once, but the vibration action and spinnig drill bit were quite a bit more painfull thah burning through, and the hot poker helps sterilize the hole
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
My stepdad told me about the old drill press trick but you need to center punch the nail first.
KD
and toenail once
You (probably) didn't mean to, but I just had the mental image of a person standing at a drill press with one foot in a drill clamp on the table, trying to reach across the leg to pull the handle down while balancing on the other leg . . .
Mind you, with a drill press handy, the better bit might be that barely-worn countersink reamer, the not-narrow approach angle wouls seem to make over penetration a slightly smaller worry . . . Occupational hazard of my occupation not being around (sorry Bubba)
Go to Barnes and Noble and get a copy of "Hand Surgery for Dummies," then it's off to HD for the proper tools.
Edited 9/15/2006 9:07 am ET by smslaw
lucie
Can't you just whack it again with a hammer to re-introduce the swelling????
LOL
Jeff :-D
You can heat a paper clip (larger one) till it is red hot and then gently push on the nail, it should go through quickly.
Yucky though...
good luck.
Do the red hot paper clip thing right now - instant, unbelieveable relief - the blood will quench the tip of the clip quickly, but don't just jamb it in - gently does it!
Forrest
Okay, you read my advice. Have you done it yet?
Forrest - jus' call me doctor
I don't know if I didn't go deep enough or soon enough. Now I have a hole in my fingernail where a red hot paperclip went through it and a throbbing finger.ouchMy wife says I should put the girls to bed to take my mind off the finger.ouch
Too late.
Get a coffee cup, ice & water. Put finger in cup and leave it there. Coffee cups are about the right height to rest your hand on.
Don't do that again.
Joe H
soak it in cider!
it helps!She said, "Tell me, are you a christion child?"
I Said, "Ma'am I am tonight" from, Walking in Memphis
November 18th, be the walker
cider???? and all these years I thought they meant........ in-side-her...doh! The pain goes away for my way also...at least for awhile. On a good night for hours!
was trying to ahve a little "cooth" so as not to get my hand slapped.She said, "Tell me, are you a christion child?"
I Said, "Ma'am I am tonight" from, Walking in Memphis
November 18th, be the walker
Cooth ...IS NOT MY STRONG SKILL!...getting hands slapped....well now we are talking about the high points of my skill set.
so now I have an ice cold finger-in ice water with a throbbing finger with a hole in the nail where the red hot paperclip went through it. I believe the best advice was, "don't do that again"ouchbtw I was nailing off a frieze (sp?) board with maze nails.anyone here use a finish nailer to put on cedar trim. I'm thinking like that sounds like a good idea. btw it took a long time to type this with onbe hand throbbing and freezing in a cup full of icewater
I did my left thumb while making pallets at a lumber yard. We were using 3-1/2" pallet nails (galvanized twist shank) and driving them home in three hits, but the 24oz ripper skipped off of the head and onto my thumb tip. Fortunately, it cracked the nail under the skin at the rear but it hurt like H-E-double hockey sticks. Immediately nauseous, cold sweat, throbbing, PO'd. I beat the crap out of that bunk of plywood with the hammer.Sterilized paperclip or small drill bit works and you need to push it in till it squirts or have someone else do it. My dad always told me that if I hit my thumb with a hammer, to hold the hammer with both hands.
"I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
Hummmmm. Maybe too late? Mine just squirt right out and stop hurting immediately. maybe it's in the wrist.
Forrest - guess I'll keep my day job . . .
Sometimes the paperclip doesn't go all the way through on the first try, especially if you're doing to yourself. It should squirt, at least clear fluid. Have your wife do it...
I've done it three times, first it was a doc who did it for me,second time a friend did it for me, third time I was alone and did it myself.A needle is too small. the blood will coagulate the hole too quick.A drill will agrvate it to death before the hole is ever drilled deep enough.A pair of pliers to hold the paper clip so you don't burn your self.
Heat red hot and immediately without hesitation place that red tip on the fingernail holding it on firmly. gentle don't get it. Firm doesn't hurt any worse than gentle and it goes a lot faster.The nail is going to melt so it will stink. Don't let up pressure until you have a geyser of steaming blood. It'll feel great, not quite as good as sex, but you'll be glad you did it.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
how long was the longest time you waited
when in pain, your perception of time is slightly altered...but I'd guess maybe ten to twenty seconds
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
Now that you have relieved the presssure put a little antibiotic ointment over the hole and cover with a bandaid for several days. Change this twice a day. This will help keep the hole open and from clotting up rapidly so if more blood is going to seep under the nail it will drain.
use hydrogen peroxide a lot too
NO on the Hydrogen peroxide. It kills the NEW CELLS.
Best is BLACK SALVE..
Peroxide is a bad thing on a wound, more than once.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
" If ya plan to face tomorrow, do it soon"
Yeah, I've heard that on the H2O2, but when I had the bone screws and pin sticking out of my arm for 6 weeks, I bathed the entry points every night, they healed up tight, and never got an infection. Seemed good to me.
Forrest
I got the news from my vet, about a severe punture wound on cat..so I followed the advise..your milage may vary.
My FIL used to GARGLE w/it, till his Dr. told him it could kill him..so, take it for what its worth.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
" If ya plan to face tomorrow, do it soon"
Yeah, peroxide is no longer advised as an antiseptic, because it kills (denatures) human tissue so effectively. Plain alcohol, or an OTC antiseptic are much safer/better.
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
I have "solved" many a hurt w/ plain alcohol, and caused quite a few more.
Topically applied, I am sure that, it is fine..
Ingested, it becomes a remover...it removes paint from trucks, wives from the bed, and lives in general..
Albeit a solvent in all shades, I prefer the old time pine tar and kerosene for superficial lacerations or in the event of the noxiousness onset, putrifications.
Whoops, I just gave away my secret to copperhead bite.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
" If ya plan to face tomorrow, do it soon"
Last time I tried drinking tar and kerosene I was sick for days!
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
my daughter drank a pint when she was young. called the doc and he said to have her drink some water and quit worrying about it.I wonder if that's what turned her hair blonde....
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
"I wonder if that's what turned her hair blonde...."
Lets hope it is a gene thing and not a result of peroxide, I think it causes dain bramage when applied to the noggin on a regular basis..
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
" If ya plan to face tomorrow, do it soon"
Black salve? Is that a brand name or something you concoct yourself?My personal favority is Bag Balm... Cures what ever ails you, and leaves your hands soft as cows tits... (sorry, obscenity filter - teats)
Drug store still carry it AFAIK, often referred to as "Drawing salve"...
Basic ingredients are, pine rosin, eucalytus oil, camphor and , damm..brain fade...in a vaseline type paste.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
" If ya plan to face tomorrow, do it soon"
I use a black salve drawing oinment called Icthamol (sp?)Pulls slivers, infections, wasp and bee stingers, ingrown hairs, etc.
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
I have a tube that must 30 yrs old or more..can't even read it.
It don't take much to do the job on any type of owwie...IIRC my Granda ma ( PA Dutch) made her own. I swear she put it on everthing 'cept the dinner rolls..LOL.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
" If ya plan to face tomorrow, do it soon"
" she put it on everthing 'cept the dinner rolls..LOL."Something to aid in childbirth, eh?
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
LOL...probably.
I remember Sunday mornings, I think she slicked my hair back with it too.
Heyyyyy..we mighta discovered something here..similarities and dain bramage,,Hmmm
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
" If ya plan to face tomorrow, do it soon"
How come no one's suggested Windex yet?
If Tyranny and Oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign enemy. --James Madison
Funny you should mention that. When I was installing a chimney support box ( copper that Grant made for me) I had my driver and screw inside the 14x14 SHARP edged box and the screw flipped offf the tip as I tried to start it.
My wrist slammed right into the edge of the box, left a NASTY gash, right to the bone. DW is freaking out, saying lets roll to the ER..I am saying, no way, gotta get this chimney in and fire up some heat.
So a quick glane around my shop and find the superglue and lay it on..heavy. Well, it wouldn't 'kick' fast enough to stop bleeding, and I misplaced my "zip-kicker", but, I DID spy a bottle of windex ( with ammonia no less) and spritzed it w/ that...
YEEEEEOOOOOWWWWW!!!! AHHHHH GEEEEEEZUS!
But it worked...LOL Not even a scar.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
" If ya plan to face tomorrow, do it soon"
In 1971 or thereabouts, Dr. glued my split earlobe with what smelled like my model airplane glue.
Only a faint white line now.
Forrest
Good old Duco -Cement or the more aromatic Testers? LOL
Who me? Never touched the stuff..(G)
C/A was used in 'nam for First Aide as a fast wound closer.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
" If ya plan to face tomorrow, do it soon"
That nice aromatic Testors - kinda' lemony; always reminds me of the smell of paper bags - why is that?
Forrest
On his head? You really wanna see what he's thinking?
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
take a peice of keel and draw a circle around the tip of the finger so u dont forget about it and get back to work.
Well, I did it again. The ice made the pounding greater. I did get quite a bit of blood. But it was a good steady stream for a few seconds. Now I have a cold, bloody finger with a hole in the nail that is still throbbing. I guess I'll have to not hit my finger with the hammer again.Thanks for all the help. I never thought I would be able to stick a red hot poker in through my nail. BTW It smells like hair when it burns
so your not such a happy framer huh? i always use a drill bit.first time chucked it in a drill,thought i could stop before it hit anything,wrong. from then on i take a 1/16 bit nice and sharp and twist it back and forth.goes through in abot 10 twists. if that thumb is really hurting the best way is to pick up hammer and hit the other one,yuo will forget about first one,plus now you know how to stick it with a red hot pc of iron.good luck drink a 6 pac and go to bed you'll feel better next wed. larryhand me the chainsaw, i need to trim the casing just a hair.
"BTW It smells like hair when it burns"They're made out of the same stuff. ;o)FYI, you sure you didn't smash bone? If you did, still not much you can do it about it, but it might warrant a splint of some sort. My old boss smashed the tip of his finger in a printing press and had to have it splint up for a while.
Oooh! Oooh! I know the answer to this one! The gentlest, most effective way to relieve the pressure and drain the blood is to use a dremel with a small (3/4" ish) cutoff wheel. The cutoff wheel will make a large enough opening for the blood to flow out without coagulating, and it takes NO pressure to slice the nail open, so it doesn't hurt to cut the nail. It's already tender enough. Slice the nail perpendicular to the length of the finger, so when the nail grows out ( if you don't lose it), you won't be dealing with a lengthwise slit that will keep catching on everything. I will use this method again in a SECOND if/when I smack my nail again. It's really quite painless, and you'll know when you grind deep enough when the blood comes flinging off the wheel.
David
only because no one else has mentioned it............. just simply smash another finger.
.
.
.Wer ist jetzt der Idiot
?
use a glowing red hot needle instead of a drill bit..
when the pressure builds and the colors go haywire..
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming
WOW!!! What a Ride!
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
use the smallest drillbit possible and use a tiny cordless drill or spin it with your fingers so you can control the pace. If you wait till tomorow the blood under there wont come out and the preasure will just have to fade away.
unfortunately i've had to do it several times. I use a straight pin, heat it upo with a lighter till the tip is red. I twist it into the nail untill the blood shoot out. instant relief. I usually have to doo it a couple of times throughout the first day.
my guess you did not go far enough the first time.
good luck
I've drilled my nail with a tiny drill in a pin vise- rotate by hand slowly till you
drill through the nail but don't start drilling into the nailbed underneath.
My friend who is a tool and die maker drilled his nail on a drill press using
a tiny wire drill. The key is controlled drilling so you don't go to deep.
"When do I dril a hole in my figernail?"
I'd say after 4 beers. If you go to 5 beers, you may drill to far and make matterrs worse. :>)
Good luck, sounds painful.
it took that 5th beer to get the courage to go again with the red hot poker.mmmmm....beer
haven't read any of the other resposes so if someone's already said this...then sorry.
I take a paper clip or pin. Heat it up and push it through my nail. It goes through like butter. Instant relief!
When I was a kid in my early twenties I lived down in Virginia and worked on a framing crew. The lead framer was a really big guy. One day he slams the pizz out of his fingernail. You could see this guy ready to cry. It was almost funny (not really). I went with our forman to take him to the hospital. I mean this big guy was in some serious pain. I just remember that they took a sterile pick of some kind and heated it then pushed it through his nail and he was instantly whistling while he worked an hour later.
I've used that trick several times over the years with nothing but success.
Use a drill press with a very small NEW drill bit. Lift the damaged nail softly in to the bit and watch out for the spit of blood. force yourself to be carm or you will snatch your finger away from the bit.
Since no one else has mentioned it, you should heat up a paper clip and push it into the fingernail.
Oh, and don't ever hit your thumb again.
Just call me doodyhead.
"Since no one else has mentioned it,"Huh?I think at least three of us preceded you with that one
Welcome to the Taunton University of Knowledge FHB Campus at Breaktime. where ... Excellence is its own reward!
What's the emoticon for kidding ?
Just call me doodyhead.
First year I was framing, I hit my thumb good with my framing hammer nailing in some hurricane clips with bit too much vigor. I was pacing back and forth on the floor deck trying not to cry like a baby, cause it hurt good.
My old timer partner espied my predicament, got down off his ladder and grabbed me, saying, "Come 'ere!" and led me to the truck, proceded to pull out the drill case, selected a small drill, placed it between his two fingers and said, "Gimme that finger!" to which I whinced and whined and he jerked the hand bearing the throbbing digit up to his face and commanded, "Shut up and hold still!" He then carefully placed the drill directly onto my fingernail which now had a nice blood spot forming and proceeded to slowly 'drill' into my fingernail.
Not wanting to be seen as a baby (yeah its a big issue with me) I took what I had coming, whinced some more and within seconds he squeezed gently and the aforementioned trapped blood oozed out of my fingernail. Pressure gone. Back to work.
It took about eight weeks to grow out the part of my fingernail that had the hole in it.
I've been meaning to ask you...What kind of girls do you build ?
Just call me doodyhead.
Why do you ask?
You want the plans?
You bet !!Plans, and maybe some materials too !!=0)
Just call me doodyhead.
materials-
sugar and spice, and everything nice
I throw in a tape and a few hammers -- so they measure up and can bang a few heads when necessary.
Oh you silly.Mean ones.
Ut oh...Hey, Gunner might become a good customer of yours if you happen to build mean russian ones...;o)
Just call me doodyhead.
lol
cause it hurt good.....
now that makes no sense...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
I think it was about a year ago my finger got infected and it was very sore swollen. I was working with a cedar fence and either got a splinter or a spider bite.I would continually bump the finger all day long and make things worse.I put off going to the doctor and then finally went in.He took a syringe and drained the "stuff". It was white puss and also a clear liquid.He inserted the needle of the syringe at the cuticle (where the skin meets the base of the fingernail.It felt a lot better after he drained it.He gave me some antibiotiocs and everything was fine in a day or two.Good luck.^^^^^^
S N A F U (Situation Normal: All Fouled Up)
"cause it hurt good.....now that makes no sense..."I think it just depends on the context. I'll leave the rest up to you.
the S&M route isn't my way of traveling...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
When you have a killer migraine, the pain of hitting your head on the wall is preferable to the pain of the migraine. That is when hitting your head on the wall "hurts real good"When you have had a toothache for a month, from a cavity that has gone right into the root, and is slowly eating through that... Pulling the tooth your own self with a pair of needlenose pliers can "hurt real good". The pain of pulling it is actually preferable to the pain you've been dealing with for a while. And like the fingernail, when the tooth actually lets go, you get instantaneous relief. The pain after that, is also less than the initial toothache. (Unless you let it get infected.)
Just call me doodyhead.
WTB.. not in this case..
and quit being a whimp and get back to work...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
In all my years of carpentry I never had to do it till this last year...and I had smashed two different fingers at two different times.
The first one I just lived with the pain and pressure, and that went on for days on end. The second time, I was having none of that so a friend told me how. Just take a new fine drill bit, maybe a 1/16", and start twisting the end lightly back and forth on your nail 'till the blood starts to gush out. Make sure the hole is really through the nail well so you can get all of the blood out. I ran it under very warm water to let things flow. The relief will be almost instantaneous. It's really the only way to go rather than have that throbbing pain keep you up at night.
I've done it - Ice the finger well. Don't use a drill bit (OUCH! I can't even think about it!) Use a new exacto knife blade, scrubbed with alcohol. (Use booze - then you can drink it after - )
Just rest the xacto on the nail, & twist it back & forth. Maybe twirl is a better word for the movement. Just enough pressure to keep it vertical. There will be no question of when to stop.
Good Luck!
the burn a hole with a paper clip or needle seems to be the least painfull...
oh but does it work...
Life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming<!----><!----><!---->
WOW!!! What a Ride!<!----><!---->
Forget the primal scream, just ROAR!!!
I dunno kate, an exacto knife seems worse than a drill. Fact is that the throbbing of the finger under the nail pretty much overwhelmed any other sensation from that area.And Imerc, yeah, it hurt good.
now
I may be a little late to the party but I literally did this this morning. I took a red hot paperclip and melted a hole thru the nail. Although I wanted too long and the blood has dried... So zero help for me.. Needs to be done shortly after smashing finger.
A lot of comments already but my advice,
...stick your thumb in ice till numb and take a small sewing needle and twist until through the nail and until there is a hole that relieves the blood pressure...take a shot of whiskey and go to bed...
This happened to me today! I dropped a piece of mdf on my big toe right at the nail, after the pain growing all day honestly I would have put my toe in a drillpress but it hurt way too much.
I opted for the 1/16 drill bit and do it like your a cave man making a fire option. Worked well.
Red hot paper clip, press and it's over. It won't hurt and it won't burn. But, you'll need to repeat it as each hole will skin over. Last time I hit my thumb I had 6 holes before I was done.
I've relieved the pressure by heating up a straightened paper clip over a stove, or with a torch, then punching through the nail with the heated paper clip. It works very well, and the relief is immediate. You don't need a lot of pressure to go through the nail, and the sooner the better after hitting yourself.
Oops. I should have looked at the date when this thread started.