OT - superglue and dead fingernail

They make medical grade superglue. Doesn't have the wood alky in it which is poisonous to your body.

Having said that, I've superglued a cut together and lived.

Wes

Same here.

Can't recall where I heard/read/saw it , but the crazy/super glues were the result of research for alternatives to stitches after surgery . I've glued my share of slices - broken/torn HP laminates (formica) has wicked sharp edges , jagged too .

I would get rid of the "old" nail. Clip it extra short & work it off little by little, separating the nail & underlying skin. It wasn't meant to be glued back together.

Bob

mattathayde had written this in response to

:

------------------------------------- Spehro Pefhany wrote:

fun fun, if it was me i would probably pull the old nail if it was lose, if not i might try and glue it a bit but would for sure wrap it up good, ya having bandages on sucks but with that i wouldnt risk it dont want to deal with the pain, infection, extra wound if i can avoid it ;)

-matt

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What's that Lassie? You say that Spehro Pefhany fell down the old rec.crafts.metalworking mine and will die if we don't mount a rescue by Sat, 05 Sep 2009 16:22:11 -0400:

I've done it on a badly torn nail. I used some plain paper as reinforcement. Glue, paper, dry, more glue, more dry, more glue, final dry.

Shape and smooth with fine sandpaper.

Not sure if it'll hold, but don't see anything wrong with trying it. Even if it does curl up the new nail growing out, that will eventually grow out and be trimmed off.

Unless... you damaged things back where the nail is formed. I managed to impale my thumb on a razor sharp lathe bit once, apparently right where the nail forms. Now I have 3 thumbnails, the left thumbnail has a narrow strip on the right side that is separate from the main nail. Grows at the same rate, but I can move it separately.

Jon

I was not aware that there was a toxin in regular super glue. You got a reference? Not arguing, just asking.

I've done this very thing, worked a treat. Had to re-glue it every two weeks or so. It took about 6 months for things to grow out to the point the old nail was ready to detach from the end of my finger.

That being said I lost a toe nail completely one time and the new one grew out with no problems so in your case leaving the old nail in place may only be of benefit from the "ouch" factor.

H.

Got pictures?

I cannot visualize the nail detaching itself "backwards" although I suppose it is possible. IMHO that nail is gone whatever you do. At least the nail bed is not damaged enough to prevent growth of the replacement. Normally I would say get rid of the old nail but if it is still attached to flesh it might be tad painful.

BTW the most common use of CA glue in my workshop is first aid. I consider it better than Band Aids. And cheaper.

I think it would be best to lose the old nail as soon as possible.

Option 1: pull on it to or slightly beyond the threshold of pain a few times a day. It'll come off pretty quick.

Option 2: Take three ounces of Knob Creek orally. Superglue a stout string onto the nail. Find a bullet to bite. Hint: the brass thingies aren't bullets and it's unwise to bite them. Hand the string to your wife and tell her you think she's obviously gaining weight.

I've never heard of there being wood alcohol in superglue. The problem is in the regular superglues some people are sensitive and have reactions to the plastics used in the glue. The medical superglues are using a hypoallergenic plastic. If your afraid of the regular superglue just go buy the medical grade at your pharmacy. I think Band Aid makes a version. Personally I usually just trim it away bit by bit as it comes lose. Sometimes putting masking tape over the catchpoint to prevent snagging.

I was going from memory. Googling around finds papers that need an account to read. The wikipedia article talks about three different types of superglue, one of which is the recommended one for medical use.

Toxicity is a sliding scale. Fixing a cut is not getting you anywhere close to LD50.

A few years ago, lady at work, cut her palm open while running some forged steel parts on a lathe. She asked me if I had superglue, I'm a maint tech so she figured I might, she ran a bead right down the cut and pressed it together with her other hand. That had to hurt.

She didn't die, hand didn't fall off, just wasn't the best glue for the application.

Gunner would love her, 6' 1", biker girl with a bod. Nice lady to people that treated her decent, I'd hate to cross her though.

That is the best link I have atm. Wes

Reasonable, but is it better to have it off before the new has grown in?

Youch! I'm not sure the resulting 0.5" x 0.25" of raw & bloody nerve endings would be a good alternative. Plus, she'd still be p*ssed at me unless there was a LOT of blood.

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

Don't you have gov't run medical insurance/services where you live?

I'd let a doctor take a look at it to minimize possible future complications.

I don't know about you, but I've only got eight fingers and I don't want to lose the use of any of them.

Sure.

I made the executive decision it wasn't worth the 3 minute drive and

15-20 minute wait to see a doc. If it had gotten infected I would have been there in a heartbeat. I was actually at little worried before I went down to Arizona soon after it happened that it might worsen and not be covered by travel insurance as a non-stable pre-existing condition, in which case going to the doc might not have worked in my favor.

Thanks, but it's just a finger nail. The finger itself is fine.

Best regards, Spehro Pefhany

Supper glue was invented as a quick life saver in War time. It then found lots of uses. There are many thicknesses and speeds.

It is better to have medical type, but in a pinch - use what is on hand. It can keep someone from bleeding down.

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I keep a bottle in my pocket. Sometimes I hold a polyethlene bag (ziplock) on it till it cures to make a smooth surface. Seems to speed up the cure and I don't end up glueing other objects to the wound by accident. Karl

"The Journey is the reward"

I first lost toenails and fingernails when I was 5, I was shall we say an active little boy and have never even thought about going to a Dr. when I smashed one. Both of my big toenails have blood spots growing out of them right now. So I guess I haven't slowed down. Karl