# I am an idiot in stitches



## CutFingers (Aug 10, 2014)

I feel so ashamed. I was cleaning my knife at work and scrubbed forward and the tip hit my palm really good. We all make mistakes but this one is really dumb and I feel like such an ass. With no insurance I had to use the bosses comp insurance. It breaks my heart knowing it's going to cost but I can't do much. 

The moral of the story is don't scrub like a moron. A single lapse in good judgement can be a danger to yourself and others. I don't ask for sympathy but please remember to be more careful than I was tonight.


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## Matus (Aug 10, 2014)

I know how you feel but we all do things that afterwards are hard to explain why we did them that way the way we did. I hope your hand will heel soon.


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## knyfeknerd (Aug 10, 2014)

This thread is useless without pics!
AKA Pics or it didn't happen!


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## larrybard (Aug 10, 2014)

Sorry to hear. Good luck with quick healing. I'm not sure I've ever heard of a professional chef who has never had a significant knife injury -- but that's scant comfort.


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## CoqaVin (Aug 10, 2014)

I always seem to cut myself at the most inopportune times, if it does happen, I do feel like such an idiot that I did cut myself, I feel like a rookie


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## Adirondack (Aug 10, 2014)

Matus said:


> I know how you feel but we all do things that afterwards are hard to explain why we did them that way the way we did. I hope your hand will heel soon.



That's for sure. When I got my first car at 21 (1970 Opel Manta) I wondered how fast it could go, so on a really foggy night on a country 2 lane highway I got it up to 90 mph, thinking that in the pea soup thick fog no one could see me speeding. That couldn't have ended badly at all. 

Heal up quickly.


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## Mrmnms (Aug 10, 2014)

Raise your hand if you've never ever cut yourself while cooking or sharpening... well... I thought so. Like Chris said, pix?


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## Zwiefel (Aug 10, 2014)

+1 on the pics! 

When I clean my knives I only scrub from heel to tip (and spine to edge), then lift up and come back....much harder to have a owie that way. 

I guess the means I'm edge-trailing for cleaning!


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## daveb (Aug 10, 2014)

Another day, another band-aid. :cool2:


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## Matus (Aug 10, 2014)

Adirondack said:


> That's for sure. When I got my first car at 21 (1970 Opel Manta) I wondered how fast it could go, so on a really foggy night on a country 2 lane highway I got it up to 90 mph, thinking that in the pea soup thick fog no one could see me speeding. That couldn't have ended badly at all.
> 
> Heal up quickly.



I am glad you did not have more money at the time. Think how things could have ended with something like Corvette.


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## Mrmnms (Aug 10, 2014)

2 invaluable lessons : don't drink and drive, and don't drink and work with knives. You may spill your drink or screw up a perfectly good knife


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## CutFingers (Aug 10, 2014)

https://imageshack.com/i/ipUYqsStj

Hopefully the link works. Although there are few stitches I did hit a nerve..right near the top where you see most blood. The tip of the knife did chip so whatever stupid mistake I made, I hit pretty hard.


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## CutFingers (Aug 10, 2014)

Man those old Opal cars were really cool...My old man managed to flip over in a Ford Pinto and survive.


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## JDA_NC (Aug 10, 2014)

You chipped the knife on your hand?!

That's a tough break man. Working is not going to be fun for you until that sucker heals up. Best of luck.


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## knyfeknerd (Aug 11, 2014)

Wow! That looks pretty gnarly! 
Sometimes the kitchen Gods (or kitchen knife Gods) demand a blood sacrifice. ....
Around here we also say that it means you truly own it (the knife) after it makes you bleed. 
Heal quick!


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## jared08 (Aug 11, 2014)

Does anyone else see the irony in this thread and the OP's username? 
Good luck to a speedy recovery.


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## daveb (Aug 11, 2014)

Yep. First thing I noticed but did not want to seem like a sicko. Also not lost on me that he also has a new knife that has a really nice edge but the KU finish scrubbed off with a greenie. Prob a coincidence....

I need to get out more.


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## Boondocker (Aug 11, 2014)

I have at least 5 large incidents that are now mostly healed (that I probably should have gone to the ER for, but last time it was 1 stitch, a lecture from the doctor for finishing prep then working through service before coming in, and four hours of my life wasted).

I learned (again) to not polish my mandoline blade making sauerkraut a couple weeks ago.


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## larrybard (Aug 11, 2014)

I'm willing to bet there more mandoline injuries than knife injuries (per hour of use).


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## Dardeau (Aug 11, 2014)

Definitely. I've cut myself worse and more often on a mandolin.


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## panda (Aug 11, 2014)

Stabbed finger to the bone on paring knife while scrubbing clean with a brush, dumb.accidents just happen..
I've even stabbed myself in the knee cap while kneeling down to grab a steel out of knife roll and used it in same position instead.of standing.


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## rami_m (Aug 11, 2014)

Ouch


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## daveb (Aug 12, 2014)

Mandolins are thirsty.


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## 29palms (Aug 12, 2014)

Thank God for Bacitracin, brown paper and electrical tape.


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## CutFingers (Aug 14, 2014)

The boss called and said I could come back to work ten minutes ago  He also scared the crap out of me. He said don't bring your knives. I said "okay." I mean I was sad. Then he said "bring them but be more careful." I mean I can tell you all if I had to use his stamped steel dexters that the dull rolled edges would have me back in stitches in days.


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## panda (Aug 15, 2014)

those stamped dexters can still get really sharp, just need to thin the hell out of them with very aggressive extra coarse stones. i only take it to 600 grit.


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## CutFingers (Aug 17, 2014)

Panda are you telling me I wasted good money on fancy Gyutos?


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## panda (Aug 18, 2014)

hell no, it's so much nicer using a quality knife, but to keep things in perspective sharpening/thinning ability is the most important part.


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## CutFingers (Aug 18, 2014)

That didn't answer my question  Do you think a thinned Dexter could outperform a carbon gyuto or cheap Tojiro VG10...I did notice Tojiro has made some low cost high carbon stainless knives. I wonder if the blade is thinner.


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