Annoying slivers

[loose nut]

I would guess that most of us people that work with their hands get slivers but metal workers, especially those that do milling, get the really small metal slivers in our fingers. Any idea what is a good way to get them out especially the ones that are so small that you can't see them (noseeum slivers) but you can sure feel them. I usually dig them out with a needle but some times that doesn't work and I don't know anyone with a very strong electromagnet that might rip them out. I doubt that the hospital is going to let me stick my fingers in their MRI.

[nickel-city-fab]

Really fine tweezers and magnification. Sometimes just washing your hands with scouring powder will do it. Or if its gonna be a bad day, wait a couple days till it gets infected and swollen, then dig it out. At least then you'll be able to find it and get a grip on it like a pimple.

[tech610]

Try grey original duck tape, but don't wait until they move deeper. Works for me about 60% of the time. I keep a couple pieces of gray duck tape ready just for that.

[Arcane]

Sometimes when I have a small noseeum sliver in a finger I'll just very carefully touch it to the (running) bench grinder wheel. Other times I've had good luck just dragging an ordinary safety shaver over the offending sliver.

[BCRider]

For the jobs were the swarf is like that I keep a single left hand (I'm right handed) work glove in the drawer for handing the parts. I also brush the vise and part down first to limit it.

Otherwise you're right. The little sharp ones are like tiny micro snakes with really bad attitude.

For seeing them to get out the ones that get past and into me I have an old 50mm camera lens on an articulated work light that provides really great and very clear magnification. The only downside to it is that I've only got about a 1" working distance. But with a bit of fumbling around it works nicely.

[dian]

i have had good luck with calipers to get them out. even when i cant see them. if they dont come out, i put a drop of dmso on the area to prevent infection and somehow they disappear after a day or so.

[paul463]

For the invisible ones I've had some luck just taking a piece of 80 grit off of a roll and dragging it across the area a few times. If you get the direction of travel right it'll pull them out.

[BCRider]

For the invisible ones I've had some luck just taking a piece of 80 grit off of a roll and dragging it across the area a few times. If you get the direction of travel right it'll pull them out.

And if you don't get the direction right it'll make your eyes water I bet. 😖 I've had the odd "noseeum" that was like that. I could feel it and if I stroked over it so it dug in further it was like a direct nerve spike....

[Cuttings]

I have spent a lot of time dealing with these micro slivers. Before I started machining I spent a lot of years rebuilding heavy equipment power train components. If you get a bad failure or even one component rubbing on another where it's not supposed to you get a lot of those almost invisible slivers. The best method we found and the one most always used by our first aid attendants was to use a sharp blade, hold it's sharp edge vertical against the skin, press down a little and drag it sideways across the area where the sliver is. Make passes in all four directions and most of the time it will catch the sliver and pull it out.

[Mcgyver]

Stereo zoom microscope with a sharp exacto knife and dumount fine tip watchmakers tweezers. Its so good, makes me want to ad surgery to the list of hobbies

[mattthemuppet]

better to stop them getting in your skin in the first place - I wear purple nitrile gloves whenever I'm machining, working on the bike or the car. They rip very easily, but keep metal out of your skin and oil/ grime off of it. Very occasionally I do get one, usually I can tell by feel (as in "ow"), then I hold the area up against a bright light and rotate my finger until I can see it. Then I just use a pair of tweezers to pull it out, works every time.

[George Bulliss]

I use a jewler's loupe to find the bastards and these tweezers to pluck them out: http://www.pocketweez.com/

Nice sharp points that allow a little digging.

[old mart]

I got a couple of these on ebay, one for home, and the other for the museum workshop:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tweezer-With-LED-Light-Hair-Removal-Clip-For-Eyebrow-Eyelashes-Pointed-Plucker-D/132981579679?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

[Willy]

Like Arcane and paul463, I've had good luck with abrasives. The good grip they add to the procedure helps drag those nasty little suckers out when fine tipped tweezers won't.
Mind you there's a bit of technique involved that consists mainly of a bit of pressure while dragging your finger across the abrasive. Oh, and don't change direction while doing so.LOL
Speed of the drag should obviously also be kept down, 3,600 rpm on the grinder is verboten.

[loose nut]

Well I had two deep in my hand from yesterday, dug one out with a needle the other is still in there can't see it for the blood but I still feel it.