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Blister on fretting hand pinky - options?
- Thread starter Ondoval
- Start date
In similar situations I have popped the blister and squirted a little super glue inside so I still had the skin layer on the outside. Neither tape nor an outer layer of super glue will FEEL right. Gross? Yes. Get you through the gig? Also yes.
You pop the blister and put super glue on to the raw flesh beneath?! What are you, Rambo??
I’m not Rambo, just a jeweler… I get stabbed and burned and wheel-ground so much on a daily basis that a little CA glue on the dermis isn’t so bad… besides, the stuff was invented to replace stitches in the first place!
Indeed it was. I once 'received' a cut to my forehead playing squash and it was fixed courtside with what amounted to superglue.
Super glue got me through mid terms & finals more than once.
I came here to tell you the same. Superglue. It's the only thing that has ever worked for me in a pinch. Bring some with you to the gig as well.
Go easy on the amount.....a little goes a long way.
Go easy on the amount.....a little goes a long way.
Wow. I really didnt see this coming.. I will admit Im hesitant to put superglue on an open wound.
I have an audiotion on monday next week. The blister is quite small (5mm across) so I will leave it for three days. Will practice the picking technique on my right hand and use other fretting fingers. If its not healed this weekend I guess Im shopping for super glue :-D
Thanks or answering, all you crazy bastards!
I have an audiotion on monday next week. The blister is quite small (5mm across) so I will leave it for three days. Will practice the picking technique on my right hand and use other fretting fingers. If its not healed this weekend I guess Im shopping for super glue :-D
Thanks or answering, all you crazy bastards!
As crazy as it sounds, it is better for infection protection and leads to a cleaner heal if you do it sooner.
You should NOT pop the blister if it hasn't popped on its own. A small blister should heal in three days. If all else fails you just have to work around it, I've definitely done gigs where I couldn't use a finger. It's not uncommon on upright.
I have a tube of Super Glue in every bass case. It's a musicians friend! Not just for me but anyone in the band. It's saved the day a bunch.
I wouldn't pop the blister but if it did pop by itself I would find some liquid bandage to use on it; the likelihood is that throughout a gig it will mostly rub off and you'll have a bit of a wound to deal with afterward, but you will get through the gig. The Superglue option is more for lacerations as it adheres two bits of skin together rather than being a protective seal (like the liquid skin). Also, there are various grades of super glue and veterinary grade is available on Amazon in most places.
FullumMusic
Commercial User
- Oct 13, 2022
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- Audio/Music software developer, contracted with a company you've heard of and deving my own stuff.
Rock Climbing Finger Tape.
Superglue was first developed during WW2 to try to incorporate plastic into guns, with a quick strong way to bond parts together.
In the Vietnam War, medics realized it was one of the fastest and most effective way to close wounds and used it regularly. It then made its way into wider medical use. So don't be afraid of using it if you need to. If the blister is that bad, you gotta do what you gotta do to keep working.
Rock climbing is the only thing i've ever done that's more finger-skin-intensive than playing bass. Rock climbing tape is strong enough to withstand the abrasive surfaces of rocks and gritty indoor climbing holds with your entire body weight on your fingers. It's durable and flexible. Also, the brand i linked to doesn't stick to your skin as much as it sticks to itself, so pulling it off doesn't rip off your blisters or calluses or skin flappers. (Other brands will stick to your skin.)
Super glue your finger shut if it's that bad. Then run a strip of Climbing Tape longways, along the bottom of your finger, around the tip, and along the top. (Make sure you can still bend your finger.) Then wrap around your finger a few times in between each knuckle. Sometimes i'll put a bandaid on first, then wrap with tape. It just depends on what i'm trying to protect. The superglue will hold the skin together. The tape will prevent further abrasion.
Starting at 4:57:
I do it slightly different from the video. I do separate wraps before and after the knuckle just to hold the center strip down, but lets the knuckle bend more freely. Mostly included the video so you can see what i'm trying to describe, but poorly describing it.
Hope it heals up soon!
Superglue was first developed during WW2 to try to incorporate plastic into guns, with a quick strong way to bond parts together.
In the Vietnam War, medics realized it was one of the fastest and most effective way to close wounds and used it regularly. It then made its way into wider medical use. So don't be afraid of using it if you need to. If the blister is that bad, you gotta do what you gotta do to keep working.
Rock climbing is the only thing i've ever done that's more finger-skin-intensive than playing bass. Rock climbing tape is strong enough to withstand the abrasive surfaces of rocks and gritty indoor climbing holds with your entire body weight on your fingers. It's durable and flexible. Also, the brand i linked to doesn't stick to your skin as much as it sticks to itself, so pulling it off doesn't rip off your blisters or calluses or skin flappers. (Other brands will stick to your skin.)
Super glue your finger shut if it's that bad. Then run a strip of Climbing Tape longways, along the bottom of your finger, around the tip, and along the top. (Make sure you can still bend your finger.) Then wrap around your finger a few times in between each knuckle. Sometimes i'll put a bandaid on first, then wrap with tape. It just depends on what i'm trying to protect. The superglue will hold the skin together. The tape will prevent further abrasion.
Starting at 4:57:
I do it slightly different from the video. I do separate wraps before and after the knuckle just to hold the center strip down, but lets the knuckle bend more freely. Mostly included the video so you can see what i'm trying to describe, but poorly describing it.
Hope it heals up soon!
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A week is a long time, leave it alone for a few days. And yes there is medical grade superglue (called dermabond). I've used superglue in a pinch and it works.
+1 Super Glue. Or try second skin tattooing adhesive. Combine the two perhaps.
I narfed my left index fingertip on a tongue & groove router bit and my first thought was about playing. I found a way to put the bandaids on and waited a few days, but used all of my other fingers, which was actually helpful because it's like playing in different positions. Eventually, I started fretting with the finger, but not on the tip before finding that using the tip wasn't terribly painful. If I had a blister, I would pop it, see how it goes and wrap it, if necessary. Then, I would let it heal for a couple of days and start to let it dry.
Avoiding the use of a finger isn't the worst thing someone could do- it makes playing in various positions easier, in the long run.
Avoiding the use of a finger isn't the worst thing someone could do- it makes playing in various positions easier, in the long run.
I would try to force the blister to dry using denatured alcohol and air. For 3 days.
You said 5 mil, yeah, just dry it up and toughen the raw skin.
Maybe look for latex or vinyl finger gloves and a bit of padding to see if it holds through practice???
At least it’s not your plucking fingers.
You said 5 mil, yeah, just dry it up and toughen the raw skin.
Maybe look for latex or vinyl finger gloves and a bit of padding to see if it holds through practice???
At least it’s not your plucking fingers.
Medical professional here! we have products called endermill(sp), exofin, and dermabond all are some form of CA glue is just sterile. We close skin layers with it on various major surgeries: joint replacements, major abdominal, and even brain surgeries...
Have spent my entire life dealing with a medical condition that results in blistering.
In my case, primarily on my feet. Years ago my doctor turned me on to a product called Kerodex. Its sold to electricians to keep their hands dry for safety on the job.
It also drys open blisters and speeds healing. Sold in drugstores.
In my case, primarily on my feet. Years ago my doctor turned me on to a product called Kerodex. Its sold to electricians to keep their hands dry for safety on the job.
It also drys open blisters and speeds healing. Sold in drugstores.
