Stephen Stumbo Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 (edited) First off, don't worry, I'm not in the hospital or anything, just a little burn. When wrestling with 30 pounds of wrought iron chain, with two links hot, I managed to give myself a burn on the arm, nothing bad, but it made me wonder, what is the shop first aid for ya'll when it comes to burns? I typically (assuming it's not a bad burn). stick the burn in my slack tub (if it's still cool water) as soon as possible, to make it feel better, then clean it when I get inside and ignore it till it heals, Although I think burns have to be more annoying than cuts most of the time. Just wondering, Stephen. Edited April 28, 2011 by Stephen Stumbo Eagleeyeforge.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew C. Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Aloe. Best stuff in the world. Get a plant or buy a bottle of the stuff to keep near your forge. I was welding a strap hinge at a class run by Jymm Hoffman, and at one point the wire brush slipped off the metal and two of my knuckles went straight into the steel (which was at welding heat...). I dipped it in the slack tub + snow numerous times, but it nonetheless hurt like billy-oh for the rest of the evening. I put aloe on it as soon as I got home, and that helped A LOT. It will seriously speed up your recovery time. He that will a good edge win must forge thick, and grind thin. -Colin Sampson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Stumbo Posted April 28, 2011 Author Share Posted April 28, 2011 Aloe. Best stuff in the world. Get a plant or buy a bottle of the stuff to keep near your forge. You know, my mom used to have an aloe plant, died about a half year before I got started in blacksmithing. Is that forboding or what? Eagleeyeforge.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Bower Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 (edited) That's about it. Get it under cool/cold water ASAP, and keep it there a long time -- longer than you probably think you need to. If you're quick, you can limit the damage and help it heal faster. All I'd add is to that if it's bad enough to cause you to lose some skin, apply antibiotic ointment and cover the wound with a bandage. Least that's what I do. You'll probably get away with ignoring it, but why take chancges if you don't have to? Edited April 29, 2011 by Matt Bower Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg H. Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 While I don't do as much foundry as I used to ( I still cook quite a bit and stoves/ovens can be almost as hot ), I have found that doing anything to remove the heat from the point of injury as fast as possible is the first thing - this generally means that the colder the better as the cold also helps numb the spot. The second thing I do is take a large dose of ibuprofen, which like aspirin is an anti-inflammatory, and it's it's one thing a burn is, is inflamed. Aloe works fairly well until the ibuprofen kicks in, but I have found that a decent quality of moisturizing ( with aloe ) hand gel that has menthol in it ( I get it at Walgreen's - Walgreens Aloe Vera Cooling Gel Menthol ) works about as good and in some cases better than just aloe, since menthol not only has a cooling feel to it, the menthol actually causes a reaction in which for a while the brain ignores those nerves that have been exposed to it. Once you can accept the universe as matter expanding into nothing that is something, wearing stripes with plaid comes easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin KC Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 10 minutes + under cold running water ('course, I'm great at dishing out advice, not so good at following it meself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Clark Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 I keep two aloe plants in the shop, they do get used. I also like that aloe gel skin moisturizer stuff from Walgreen's, and Ibuprofen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Blue Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 I have two things to add. Aloe makes sense and works. 1. A homeopath taught me to run the burned part under hot water. Not blazing hot water, just hot tap water. I can say that I think this one works, there was a lot less blistering than I expected. I have done this for simple kitchen burns and some salt pot splashes and forge flashes. Yes, it's completely backwards to commonly accepted advice. It was no xxxx xxxx painful too, but the pain abated fairly quickly after my eyeballs stopped spinning around. But, I'm crazy, so there. 2. The next one does not involve contrary thinking. I just learned about this one a month ago. I think this makes more sense for kitchen burns or for fingers/toes/elbows maybe. Keep a small tub of flour in the refrigerator. Ordinary baking flour. I don't think white or whole wheat makes any difference. Okay: burn finger, plunge into cold flour. I am given to understand that if cold flour is not available, ordinary room temperature flour will work just as well. There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves. Will Rogers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Mulkey Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 All good advice. Try to get the heat out of the area as soon as possible. If you don't have aloe vera, ordinary butter will help with the healing. And try not to beat yourself up too much for a dumb mistake. We've all been there. Gary ABS,CKCA,ABKA,KGA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lee Sauder Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Here's another remedy that's easy to keep in the shop- soy sauce. I first heard this one on People's Pharmacy, and it works. After the cooling quench, just soak the hell out of it with soy sauce (it's Kikkoman in my shop). Sounds crazy, but the relief is incredible, and somehow seems to reduce the blistering too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithlen Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Keep it moist burns heal inside out, if it is a third degree burn. If you have muscular tissue showing. If it is just blistered then aloe will do the trick. The best stuff is silver sulfadiazine, you'll need a doctor to call a script in for it though. Keith. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMason Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 After the cooling quench, just soak the hell out of it with soy sauce (it's Kikkoman in my shop). Sounds crazy, but the relief is incredible, and somehow seems to reduce the blistering too. Stir friend fingers on the menu, Lee? I'll have to give this one a shot next time I manage to flash fry some portion of my anatomy Tim Experience is the best teacher, especially when it's someone else's experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Longmire Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 All good advice, although I'm not sure I'm ready to try Mike's homeopathic hot water treatment... I have a bag of frozen peas and an old T-shirt in the shop freezer for such occasions. Put a single layer of thin cloth between you and the peas, and hold 'em there until you're totally numb, then wait some more. The sooner applied the better. The cloth is optional, but prevents freezerburn. The sooner you stop the cooking the less pain you'll feel later. If it's still painful later, then aloe goes on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg H. Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 All good advice, although I'm not sure I'm ready to try Mike's homeopathic hot water treatment... I have a bag of frozen peas and an old T-shirt in the shop freezer for such occasions. Put a single layer of thin cloth between you and the peas, and hold 'em there until you're totally numb, then wait some more. The sooner applied the better. The cloth is optional, but prevents freezerburn. The sooner you stop the cooking the less pain you'll feel later. If it's still painful later, then aloe goes on. I find that a lot of my burns are on the inside of fingers or on the palm, where it's awkward to apply ice, so I took an empty soda can, and filled it 2/3rds full of water, and then placed it in the freezer - it stays there and when I get a burn on the palm or inside of the fingers I grab and hold on to the can - the aluminum conducts heat real well and the can keeps the ice from dripping all over the place. Once you can accept the universe as matter expanding into nothing that is something, wearing stripes with plaid comes easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc blues Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 I don't want to sound like a know it all , but I have treated many burn victims over the last 25 years. First , cold water or somthing cold for 5 or 10 min. or longer . Depends on size and severity of burns. Then gently clean with water or mild soap and water . Do not scrub. Just clean. If wound is charred go to er now! Then put some kind of sterile dressing on the burn to prevent infection. Aloe is not magic but it is sterile and it sticks. Vasoline is cheap and works great. Butter not so good. Has salt falls off dog licks it off. The burn heals because God built us to heal. And you cleaned the injury. To get a good weld need clean surface . To make mom not yell need clean plate. Clean is good. Hey Gary , we met at Steve's in Topeka. Forging time is here! Doc Blues Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Mulkey Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Hey Gary , we met at Steve's in Topeka. Forging time is here! Doc Blues/quote] Steve's an outstanding host & a great gathering of talent. I hope to do it again. Gary ABS,CKCA,ABKA,KGA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.Arthur Loose Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 I've had good luck with straight vitamin E oil, as strong as you can get it. Next burn I'm trying honey. (You know there will be a "next burn," as well as I do...) I have noticed that no matter what, having been burned so many times, my body seems to heal better and faster simply by experience... jloose.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Stumbo Posted April 29, 2011 Author Share Posted April 29, 2011 I have noticed that no matter what, having been burned so many times, my body seems to heal better and faster simply by experience... Practice makes perfect Eagleeyeforge.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc blues Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Honey is good to, but its better on hot biscuts. Seriously, burns are no fun .Do yourself a favor and skip the folk cures. Cold , clesn and cover. Allow to heal. Keep forging ahead. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.Thompson Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Cold water to stop the burn and then I use silver sulfadiazine. I got the doc to write a presription for a big tub of it. Works like a charm. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Mulkey Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 (edited) (You know there will be a "next burn," as well as I do...) I have noticed that no matter what, having been burned so many times, my body seems to heal better and faster simply by experience... It seems that the hot scale will find you just when you can't stop what you're doing. You know that it's going to burn but sometimes just have to say, "Oh well". Edited April 29, 2011 by Gary Mulkey Gary ABS,CKCA,ABKA,KGA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.Arthur Loose Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Honey is good to, but its better on hot biscuts. Seriously, burns are no fun .Do yourself a favor and skip the folk cures. Cold , clesn and cover. Allow to heal. Keep forging ahead. I'm not speaking for anyone else, but I pretty universally trust the folk cures much more than the pharmaceutical variety. Hundreds, in many cases thousands of years of lore tend to speak great truths. Modern medical science is often too myopic, and increasingly too compromised by profit motives. There does seem to be a body of modern support for honey on burns, for what it's worth. I'd guess that there's not enough money to be made off of it to create real support in the American medical industry. When looking to other, more traditionally minded cultures, I do see more support within their medical communities, as plenty of Google search results reveal. ...But that's just me and I have peculiar views on the world at large. jloose.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greg H. Posted April 29, 2011 Share Posted April 29, 2011 Cold water to stop the burn and then I use silver sulfadiazine. I got the doc to write a presription for a big tub of it. Works like a charm. John I can attest to the silver sulfadiazine - many years ago, as a boy scout, I went to Lake Powell, and sunburned the tops of my feet so bad that they were cracked and bleeding to the point that by the time I made it home, I had to soak my shoes and socks off - the docs gave me some silver sulfadizine, and 2 weeks later my feet were all but totally healed ( all because the owner of the boat didn't want socks on board ). Once you can accept the universe as matter expanding into nothing that is something, wearing stripes with plaid comes easy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Blue Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 I don't want to sound like a know it all , but I have treated many burn victims over the last 25 years. ... Yeah, me too. But despite working inside the wards, I like collecting a lot of different ways of knowing things. You never know when you won't have what you're used to having and need an alternative. I've been in this business long enough to remember packing wounds with pure sugar to help them heal and kill infections. There was a study questions the usefulness of silver sulfadiazine. See here: http://clinicalevidence.bmj.com/ceweb/conditions/wnd/1903/1903_I7.jsp The retardation of wound healing by the silver compound, was interestingly counteracted by nystatin and aloe vera. There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence for themselves. Will Rogers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doc blues Posted April 30, 2011 Share Posted April 30, 2011 Like I said at first, not trying to be aknow it all , just hate seeing people get hurt. Nothing wrong with honey or aloe. I agree that silvadine is not perfect either. Like I suggested in my first post, cold to stop the process of burning then clean the wound then let it heal . Just my two cents . Peter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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