Things you learn when working with knives...

I'm sure you have all been there. When you start working with knives whether it be cooking, sharpening, handling, or selling you learn things.

One of the first things I learned when I started my job at Korin was, "just because it doesn't hurt, doesn't mean you're not dripping blood everywhere." I have left trails of blood before noticing I cut myself. I have been rained on (with blood) from people shaking their hands without noticing their cuts too.

I was wondering if people would care to share relate-able knife stories.

Oh man the stealth cut. It's the worst when you get blood on food before you notice you're bleeding and have to chuck it. Course now my job requires cut gloves because some idiot almost cut his finger off. Blegh.

Learning how to hold the food properly when cutting is something you learn fast, too. Lessons in that are painful and embarassing. Friend of mine was teaching a brand new employee some knife skills, and showed him how to claw the food. He decided he didn't like it and was just going to full chop with his hand loosely on the food. Chopped his finger.

TheOneHawk said:

. . . . Chopped his finger.

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I can see already that -- interesting and instructive though this thread might be, especially to a home amateur such as myself -- my sensitive stomach may prompt me to forgo reading it. Likely to be as bloody as a chainsaw movie.

I was sipping a martini and wowing a new girlfriend with my wit and slicing a potato on a mandoline. As you may guess, I took a corner of my thumb off neat as you please, and bled everywhere. She was very impressed.

Will spare graphic details, but: watch where the pinky finger of your blade hand goes when you sharpen. Allow it to drift in front of the blade, and you may find yourself driving to the ER, towel wrapped around said finger.

Keith Neal said:

I was sipping a martini and wowing a new girlfriend with my wit and slicing a potato on a mandoline. As you may guess, I took a corner of my thumb off neat as you please, and bled everywhere. She was very impressed.

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Oh man... I did that too, because I thought I was above the finger guard...

larrybard said:

I can see already that -- interesting and instructive though this thread might be, especially to a home amateur such as myself -- my sensitive stomach may prompt me to forgo reading it. Likely to be as bloody as a chainsaw movie.

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I thought so too. SO many fingers getting cut off.

heldentenor said:

Will spare graphic details, but: watch where the pinky finger of your blade hand goes when you sharpen. Allow it to drift in front of the blade, and you may find yourself driving to the ER, towel wrapped around said finger.

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Will keep that in mind.... Holy geez.

Ugh today's sharpening lesson was "sharpening for too long will result in something worse than cutting yourself."

I don't know what you call this... But it's when you grind away your own skin on the stone after sharpening a knife for too long:

I call it "grinding away your own skin"

Be well,
Mikey

Heh....I did this once...there was blood involved.

Zwiefel said:

Heh....I did this once...there was blood involved.

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You really don't realize it until its too late.

Ok, I have an easy solution for ya: use dull knives! This way I'd know about cut even before you finish cutting move

Another day, another band-aid...

Sharp knives cuts heal instantly.

Not sure how helpful what I would have to say on it is in regards to kitchen knives specifically...But, I have noticed the first time someone picks up some dead steel or a waster that there is a persistent problem across most newb combatants. Even experienced fighters often tend to have a problem with this. That being tip awareness. I have seen people turn around and take out a tool stand, or raise their blade to show their over head striking form, and end up punching out a porch light bulb (raising a blade so high as to put a blade, for the majority, out of your field of view, is rarely if ever necessary anyway).

So, this is something that I stress. If you don't know where the tip is at all times; If it is not in your field of view; You are creating a problem and acting dangerously. Again though, I don't know how useful that is when applied to kitchen knives. But, I'd wager most of the time, just before someone cuts themselves with a kitchen knife. That there is some small thing they are consistently doing wrong. That there is something they should know better than. But, for whatever reason a mental lapse occurs and it creates the possibility to do harm to ones self. And, that if they can figure out what that is and make a strong point of correcting that flaw in their technique or loss of awareness. They will cut themselves a lot less.

abrading off skin on the 'stones really sucks. BTDT, have the JKS t-shirt.

Trimming the filet on valentines day...ouch, not one cut but two cuts...moral of the story...relax take a deep breath, don't hurry because there is an incentive to get other things done...do it right stop screwing around and focus.

Cutting crutons with serrated knife...sliced through the nail...it hurt, it bled and I have big thumbs. This happened many years ago. No matter how much better it might feel with an object of food to not arch the fingers, always do it out of habit, or else you get cut good.

I tried explaining that to a new guy at work and he tried for about thirty seconds then resumed the flat hand on object. He'll learn soon enough.

heldentenor said:

Will spare graphic details, but: watch where the pinky finger of your blade hand goes when you sharpen. Allow it to drift in front of the blade, and you may find yourself driving to the ER, towel wrapped around said finger.

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Yep, I've been there, towel around finger and fingertip in baggy. I'll spare you the photos. As an addendum, don't sharpen where someone can walk up behind you and spook you (or with someone who is liable to do so).

Korin_Mari said:

Will keep that in mind.... Holy geez.

Ugh today's sharpening lesson was "sharpening for too long will result in something worse than cutting yourself."

I don't know what you call this... But it's when you grind away your own skin on the stone after sharpening a knife for too long:

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This too. I'd never realize until there's blood in the swarf. I'm surprised I have any fingerprints at all on my index and middle fingers. Way worse than a cut too, since they don't close up, instead just weeping blood all over the place.

"just because it doesn't hurt, doesn't mean you're not dripping blood everywhere." +1 :eek2:

i had a good one the other night i was on the subway back from work after a brutal 15 hour shift and opened my knife bag to get some menu notes out.After a while i noticed the other passengers staring at me in disgust.Looked in the window saw my reflection and my face was smeared with blood.I had cut my finger (propably on my shig petty ) whilest taking out the notes not noticed it and then rubbed my face cause i was so tired.it was saturday night and i had another 8 stops to go.Somehow these days when i cut myself it is always cleaning or packing /unpacking knives, i need some sayas urgently.

Juuuust gonna go ahead and put this here.....


[video=youtube;Gebk5W8YJc8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gebk5W8YJc8[/video]

Wow, the dude like, just kept going. Now that's how you put blood and sweat into your work.

I wonder if blood gives a synthetic stone that natural breakdown JNat action? I may have to pick up some animal blood from the butcher.

ThEoRy said:

Juuuust gonna go ahead and put this here.....


[video=youtube;Gebk5W8YJc8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gebk5W8YJc8[/video]

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I had forgot about this one.....thanks Rick.

You see the screen capture image and yet you click the play button anyway.

What is seen above cannot be unseen... Almost lost my appetite to eat.

Talking about abrading skin on stones, yes, I've done that also before, was trying to use my thumb as an angle-guide on the silicon carbide stone. I notice a sharp pain after a long time, pause to check out my thumb, blood was seen flowing out.

Don't try to pry out chunks from a solid chocolate Santa Claus with the tip of a non-locking Swiss Army Knife ... my first ever knife scar, when I was around 9 or 10 or so ... it is still there on the back of my right middle finger 30 years later.

Oh and another thing I have learned: Never ever give a nice knife that you value to somebody else to work with unless you are sure he knows what he is doing. The chances of getting it back damaged/badly chipped/blunted are almost 100%. It is astounding really.

Worst cut I ever got in a kitchen was from a dull peeler. Almost took the tip of my finger clean off.

ThEoRy said:

Juuuust gonna go ahead and put this here.....


[video=youtube;Gebk5W8YJc8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gebk5W8YJc8[/video]

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omg... Cannot be unseen. :scared4:

Dave Kinogie said:

Worst cut I ever got in a kitchen was from a dull peeler. Almost took the tip of my finger clean off.

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Ouch. ::squirms::