Blood, sweat and X-acto knives: cutting edge design

[Broacher]

Owie.

Every decade or so, it seems-- I lose my attention for that critical fractional second while cutting with a sharp knife. Yesterday I said goodbye to a little section on the top right corner of my right thumb. Trimming out proofs with the X-acto, and a steel edge. Something I've only done about two bajillion times. It's the exceptions that always make us feel stupid.

Anyhoo.... after much spilling of blood in the laser/copy room, I managed to apply enough pressure to stop things. It wasn't stitchable so I just gauzed and wrapped after consulting with my fellow designer (who happens to be a former x-ray tech).

This morning, I tried changing the dressing, figuring it had 'healed over', but instead succeeded mostly in redecorating my desktop. That's when I decided it was time to visit the ER and now, a couple hours later-- I'm back. Cleaned, dried, and still wearing a hospital ID bracelet. It doesn't really hurt or impair my work (except for a weird spac e key error or two). It's going to leave a little scar, but the main concern is keeping things dry and clean.

Anyhow, it made me think a little more about how sometimes just the tiniest distraction on what you're doing can have major impact on your day and life. All in all, I feel lucky. Another eigth inch in and it would have been a different story.

Oh, and I'm buying a new straightedge tomorrow. The one we have at work is too flimsy and slippy. (Did I ever mention this? Yes, yes!)

So now I'm thinking of creating a giant sculpture of a No. 11 slicing through a finger tip with a name plaque below of all the designers who have spilled blood for this trade.

So, let's hear your blood and gore designer tale. What's the most of the red stuff you've ever spilled while on active duty? Let's hear the bloody details about why you should be included on my statue's list. And I'm open to suggestions for a statue title. Poetry? I'd say it's time we recognize these little sacrifices in a bigger way.

[Patrick Shannon]

I've done that, years ago I made a slip with the blade and ended up cutting straight down my pinkie finger. As I was rushing around the bathroom looking for a paper towel to stop the bleeding, my old printer (oblivious to what just happened) was talking in detail about how he saw two girls at a bar making out. Finally he noticed I was bleeding and fetched me a bunch of band-aids.

Fortunately it healed on it's own and I didn't need stitches.

[PrintDriver]

The last slice with an Xacto? It involved removing a corner of my thumb but not much blood.

I think the best one was grabbing a wad of tape off a table and crushing it in my hand only to discover someone had wrapped the tape around an Xacto blade. That was an exciting bloody mess.

[Navian]

I sliced my middle finger trimming up foamcore. It was kinda funny too, because I had something to show people..

Wanna see what I did? *shows middle finger* :p

[cjoe]

i've got this cool triangular shaped scar on the pad of my ring finger, if i ever commit a crime, they'll find this weird triangle shape in the middle of the finger print.

[Kool]

I've never managed to maim myself in a prepress incident. Does sticking your hand into a running printing press count?

[cjoe]

I've never managed to maim myself in a prepress incident. Does sticking your hand into a running printing press count?

um, yes?

[cornfed]

I managed to get a papercut from a thick piece of cardboard several years back. No stitches necessary, but it was disguisting and hurt way worse than a papercut.

While we're on the subject of maiming ourselves, I had a close call last week edging the yard. Didn't realize while removing mud from the edger that my finger was on the trigger. Almost lost a digit in that one. I plan to be completely sober next time it's time to edge.

[nyc_skater]

One time in wood shop class my thumb got lodged inbetween the benchtop disc sander and the small opening on the metal table where the half disc sticks out of. By the time I realized what happened and ripped my thumb out, i had barely any nail left and a ton of blood spurting out from where my nail once was...

[Red Kittie Kat]

Oh I have sliced and diced myself plenty of times with the old X-acto! .... More like X marks the spot for me :D

One of the worst cuts I ever received though didn't involve design or crafts .... I was working in a store and slicing meat in the deli on that big circular slicer...............


You guessed it ...... sliced off the top of my thumb .... I never saw so much blood in my life..... now being one to not panic during an emergency ..... I simply picked up the piece of thumb that was stuck to the slicer..... walked to the sink....... washed off my thumb and the little piece and stuck it to my finger and wrapped a towel around it ..... went to the ER ... I nearly passed out on the ride there from reliving the experience in my head and feeling the throbbing in my thumb ...... they couldn't stitch it but they had me leave the piece on to have something for my finger to heal to ..... after about a month it dried up and fell off .... I now have a little oval bubble like scar on the top of my thumb :p



gross huh? :D


Oh and of course with any injury ...... I managed to hit my thumb on anything I came in contact with for the first week .... that was such a special time for me :D

[TheBluePanda]

My only significant scar came earlier this year. I was on the ground trying to reach for one of my cats under the bed, and my arm got sliced by an edge of the bedframe. It cut right through the skin about 3 inches. Didnt bleed too much, but it did leave a 1inch scar.

[Ovaltine]

Aside from minor paper cuts, i've been very lucky not to harm any part of me while using blades. In fact, the only time I remember cutting myself badly, was when I was five. I came home from church and for whatever reason decided to pull my stockings down to my ankles (5 year olds don't think things through well) then RAN through the linoleum kitchen, carpeted hallway into my hardwood bedroom.....where I slipped and planted my face into the side of the bed. The bed frame sliced a half inch gash into my eyelid just below my eyebrow and my parents had to rush me to the ER where I remember a very bright light shining in my face while the doctor stitched the wound. I have the scar still to remind me...NEVER run with your hose at your ankles!

Edit: almost forgot, my mom DID get me with an X-acto once. We were making name tags or something for VBS. She had the knife in her right hand and was sitting to my left. We were working assymbly-line style, she'd cut the thing, then hand it to me (I think I was adding string?) well, we got to going pretty fast, and she passed at the same time I went to take, and the blade ended up rammed into my forearm. NOT pleasent! The cut was deep and probably should have had stitches, but we were supposed to be teaching in a half an hour, so we peroxided it thouroughly, dried it, and I held the skin together while my dad superglued it shut. Yes I did say superglue. It worked quite well, and the glue stayed on my arm for a week before it flaked off, by then the cut was mostly healed, and just scabbed over a bit. The scar is tiny, and would probably be non-existant if I had continued to put Vitamine E oil (from the gel capsules) on it.

[Red Kittie Kat]

superglue is da bomb :D I use it when I get chapped hands and they crack open in winter ... makes em feel better in no time.

[Zendada]

I really really hope I don’t jinx myself here...

Years ago, I’m talking 10 years ago when I was working as a stripper for a web press (back when we had stock line screens to mix the CMYK values and had to register 4 color scans) I was cutting something with a razor blade, except I had it upside down. It wasn’t cutting so I kept bearing down pressure on it with my index finger until... split!

Luckily my reaction time was really fast and I let off as soon as I felt that warm steel-through-flesh feeling. In some ways it was invigorating, like if you’ve had a piercing.

I’ve heard plenty of stories though. A good colleague of mine cut her finger making a comp recently and all she could think about was if the comp was ok!

[Red Kittie Kat]

I was working as a stripper




Did you make good tips??




:D ......... bahhhhahhhaa ..... I crack myself up :D