Skinned Knuckles

I am 54 yrs. old and just wondering if if I will ever be smart enough to work on things Without knocking skin off my hands?Spent part of last week changing out differential on 4020 JD. I have been doing or around mechanic work since I was old enough to be outside by myself. Whenever dad got his tools out I was right there with him.I am afraid I won't ever grow out of it now. Does that ever happen to you?
Ron

Rather have hands that look like they#ve worn out two bodies than a face that looks that way :shock:

I've found the best way to avoid situations that can cause hand injury is to put on gloves. Nothing will ever happen until the time you leave them off.


Dave

I'm pushing 43 next month and started helping Dad as soon as I was old enough to know what a screw driver was. In fact they've got a pic of me some where sitting on the bench in diapers handing Dad a screwdriver. From there it went on to me repairing the neighbors mowers, tractors, etc, etc in my teens, and on to working for myself today. In other words I've been mechanicing all my life and wouldn't have it any other way.....I love what I do......As far as the skinned knuckles, when I got married my wife seemed to ask me everyday how I got this or that scrape or cut on my hands, wrists, arms, etc. It didn't take her but a few months to figure out that I was so used to things like happening to me that that unless it was a major injury I usually didn't even realize that the skint spot was there....

NCWayne.....my wife does the same thing. We will be married 5 years in June, and she is starting to not ask what happened here and there.....the more bigger burns and cuts she does....sometimes I know....sometimes I dont!

DAVE, LOVE your PEOPLE SKILLS.Was wondering if you wear gloves when handling PEOPLE LOL. I do agree a persons character can be noted by his hands. Maybe I should wear gloves all the time HMM? EVEN WHEN I"M POLISHING UP OLD UGLY AND BIG YELLOW/
Really Gloves do protect. Wear em even when it seems impossible to feel the wrench. I went through a lot of surgical cloves when cleaning and removing parts. LOU/

Yep,

You can always tell a mechanic.

They've got that quarter-sized thick callous on the lower part of both palms. :>)

Allan

No No you guys have it all wrong. Skin is allergic to grease and oil and automatically will remove itself at first contact. This is my theory. Its better than not learning to protect your hands after 45 years of loosing skin.

Id say anybody that doesnt have skinned knuckles hasnt twisted many wrenches. With age and experiecne a body has less of them simply by holding wrenches correctly...

Yall take care now n God Bless

John T

My neighbor went to a football game after he'd been wrenching on a combine. Lady beside him took a look at his hands and asked if he'd been in an accident. Jim

such is a workmans life ,lolOUCH! be it mechanix, or carpenterin,i got two black thumnails now , barrel lid fell on left , then week later while bolt in hitch back on a graindrill,sumthin got the rite thumb .wife is incredulous when i tell her i can't occassionaly recall how i got my bruises , bangs , and cuts ect ,., i just cuz it,sukit , and keep marchin,WATCH OUT FOR CUTS AND CHEMICALS !!!! whad ya have to fix on the 4020 deere ?,have one here since 1989 last yr the dealer put brakes on it, they were good to me in CORYDON IND , also, i am 54 <)

Guy that used to host the local noon farm show always said he didn't know why God ever put skin on farmers knuckles anyway.

I've finally learned to simply slow down and think about what my wrenches are trying to do, then apply force carefully.
For years I worked with reckless abandon and believed force conquered all; and paid the price.

I get far fewer scrapes and bruises noe. Too bad I had to turn 60 to figure this all out .

"Newlywed"!

I too, am 54!I now use a pliar/handle on punches,longer handles on wrenches/ratchets(I dont have to pull so hard).Still get my share of injurys....And welding burns.I now keep'medical supplys'in the shop.





























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Its universal- its the labor equivalent of the old saying that the only way to be sure you never fail is to never do anything.

There is actually a magazine on auto restoration called Skinned Knuckles.

In years past I always said if I didn't leave blood behind the job was never done right and most of the time it worked out for some reason to be true. Now days it seems that all I have to do is look at something and I loose some skin. Old age I guess and I'm only a tad bit older then you are by just a few hundred days 300 plus if you where born in this month. If not this month ten it could be around 400 days LOL.
Shoot just the other day I tried to open up a frozen chicken waterier and skined my knockle

I am only 38 and been truning wrenchs for years. Can not even to begin to think of how many punds of steel slivers and such I pulled from my hands of time. Also being a dairy farmer and raising calves really leaves its marks too. Nothing like holding a bottle for one calf and to have another bunt your knuckles with its razor blade teeth. Had one calf a month ago decide to decapitate the middle knuckle on my idex finger of my right hand. That was deep and nasty. Plus my left hand index finger has from teh knuckle out 17 scars you can count. I must hate that finger. My worst thing is I am loosing feeling in the backs of my hands now days. So I can get a pretty good ripe in teh skin and not even know it. I tend to wear gloves alot but still they do not always protect you.
Bob

Ever try mechanics gloves ? As I get older ,my shin gets thinner.

Old it doesn't get any better I am a few years older than both of you Will be 70 in April. If you don't have skined knuckles you havn't been working I can just look at a job and come away with skined knuckles. Seems like it gets worse as you get older. just hang in there they will heal in a few weeks.

I got a nasty splinter spliting wood about two months ago. It went under the middle knuckle skin but above the outside tendon.

Didn't think it was a big deal until my hand was twice its normal size four days later.

Upshot was that I got five anti-biotic IVs, x-rays, ultrasound, tetanus shot, cardiogram, drugs, blood tests, and the full operating room treatment which included a knockout dose and an overnight.

I had incorrectly assumed that my body would heal itself. Those doctors and hospitals know how to milk the system but I'm grateful that I still have my hand. Be careful.

I have one right now that doesn't want to heel. It is between my thumb and forefinger and every time I move my thumb it likes to open up and bleed and boy does it hurt. Been putting neaspoin (sp) on it an a band aid but bot is it one that just does not want to go away

Seems to me if one skins his knuckles twice he's bound to be more carefull next time,at least i am.
It seems a lot of you are hard learners.LOL

I never wear gloves(got no feel with these things on)not even when welding and have very few scrapes or cuts but it happens some times.
Comes with the job i guess.

Used to get white canvas gloves that had a real good feel. Not much protection, but kept some of the dirt out of the newly opened flesh. Dave

Was late on a friday evening and I was into the front of an old chevy motor taking the waterpump off. And off comes the wrench and skins my knuck... then got a better wrench and stance and tried again...and don't you know it slipped again right on the same bloody knuckle. My thoughts then were mad, thats it, I'm outa here. The mad did it, I raised up too quick and smacked the back of my head on the piece that runs across the top of the radiator....and then bit my tongue probably saying curse words. Go ahead and laugh, I'm over it but, it has set a new pace for my wrenching. ohfred

(quoted from post at 15:31:36 01/24/11) ..... Didn't think it was a big deal until my hand was twice its normal size four days later.

Upshot was that I got five anti-biotic IVs, x-rays, ultrasound, tetanus shot, cardiogram, drugs, blood tests, and the full operating room treatment which included a knockout dose and an overnight.

I had incorrectly assumed that my body would heal itself. [b:5683b62c0f]Those doctors and hospitals know how to milk the system [/b:5683b62c0f]but I'm grateful that I still have my hand. Be careful.

Click to expand...

Those doctors and hospitals may well have saved your life. And chances are they'd get sued if they didn't do every treatment or procedure in treating you. My SIL had a lot of pain all over just before xmas. Went to the ER Christmas morning. Immediately sent her to ICU. Diagnosis: sepsis. Massive antibiotics and about a dozen specialists saved her life but not without cost. Had spinal surgery for infection on the spine, was on the list for open heart surgery due to infection on her heart. Just the other day had to amputate a foot and half of other leg. But she's alive today, exactly one month after she "didn't feel good". Doctors said that she had less than 10% chance of surviving those first couple of days. All from an "infection".

Sorry for my rant but youre comment about "milking the system" hit a nerve. If anyone "milks the system", it's the patients and their ambulance-chasing lawyers who sue when the outcome was not 100% perfect. A close relative is the Risk Manager for a large urban hospital and they get sued EVERY DAY because someone didn't come out of the hospital 100% perfect. Doesn't matter if the doctors did all they could or that the doctors saved the patien'ts life or that the patient didn't follow the doctors orders or that medicine is not a perfect science. It's like hitting the LOTTO for most of them.

True story: Wife is a nurse in a clinic run by a hospital. Patient had been there before and had sued because of some BS reason. Hospital cut a check for a few thousand to get rid of the nuisance case. Patient came back and WANTED THE SAME THING DONE AGAIN because "the money had run out".

I still skin my knuckles but not as much. All my original tools where hand me downs,purchased at farms sales, or pawn shops.

I have slowly upgraded my tools over the years to a much higher quality. A worn tool will slip easier than one in good shape.

I also allow more time and patience for the penetrating oil to work.