Thank you for the reminder and hopefully your hand recovers fully and quickly @John_P!
Surely you aren’t saying that you finished doing the graft when you cut yourself? That would be impressive commitment!
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@MikeC I checked the link I provided and it’s the correct glove. Note they come in several sizes so make sure you get the right size if you decide to buy a pair.
You can check this on the linked page. You will see the ANSI cut rating is in the second entry down in the second column. The gloves are ANSI/ISEA Cut Level A4.
Here is a link that explains the ANSI rating system.
The gloves provide quite bit of protection but they don’t make you invincible. I think wearing them gives you a good level of protection. I would caution anyone to make sure you get gloves that are rated by the ANSI or En388 rating systems- being labelled “cut resistant” doesn’t mean much. When I was searching for gloves generally increased rating = increased price. I. E. you get what you pay for generally.
I would also look at grafting jigs. I purchased one but I think a handy person could easily make one. They reduce the risk of injury considerably, With mine you don’t use a knife to make cuts instead you use a wood chisel and the wood chisel moves away from your body when performing the cut. The jig is for whip and tongue grafting.
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Thank you so much for all your responses and new tips I really appreciate it.
Yeah that is so true , if you do something so many times you’ll end up hurting yourself. But this wound came from new graft technique that I never tried.
@swincher yeah that was my mistake. I should have stopped what I was doing, i think i made the wound bigger because i finished the graft first before tending myself
Wound down below.
Left thumb wound took 2 weeks to heal trying chip budding for the first time.
2nd finger with not so deep cut but bleeds with pressure.
4th finger is so deep I can see the joint when i flex my finger.
I will start using gloves after this incident, the wound is 8 inches away from the radial artery which is still possible to injure yourself.
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Ugh… That made me cringe. So sorry this happened to you, John.
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As a retired RN, I have to point out your index finger (with white covering) looks very swollen. I am concerned that you might have an infection in it.
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Easy not to cut yourself while grafting. Don’t point the knife to a place if you slipped you would cut yourself.
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I did something similar in 2015. It was the first time I had rootstock, and I tried cutting a cleft in one. The carpet/utility blade went through and put a nice cut across my ring finger knuckle. It is just a small scar now, but took four stitches to close it then.
Glad your healing, and it wasnt worse.
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OMG, such a serious cut. Hope you have a speedy recovery ! It is good that you shared it with rest of us here. I hope most of us will take necessary precaution and avoid accident during the grafting
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What’s the difference between a sharp knife and a super sharp knives. One of the more important Reason, the veins needs to be sheared off very clean. Veins should not be compressed shut.
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I feel that is easier said than done, especially when certain grafting methods are most efficient and effective when holding the knife very close to your hands. Add a learning curve and it’s easy to make a mistake.
I usually only have time for grafting at night once I’m already exhausted from a long day at work, so safety and methodical cuts are needed, even using a v-cut tool.
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Hit some soft wood once on a rootstock pear tree it cut like butter clipped 3 fingers. Would post pictures, but it might turn some stomachs. Like i said, things happen if you do hundreds of field grafts, your odds of nicking yourself increase. It can happen if i dont feel good or if i get distracted. In theory, that never should happen, but i dont have all good days. The first cuts and last cuts of the day i watch myself.
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I have a scar I have been looking at since I was 10 years old(68 now) and cut my thumb right thru the nail with a pocket knife and 7 stitches. I usually like to tee bud and have done it 1,000 times with no cuts. Have been whip/tongue in last few years on persimmon. I carefully rock the knife back and forth while cutting tongue.
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That’s a more succinct version of what I tried to say.
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What sorts of grafts are you thinking about?
I always hold the knife very close to my hands. I consider that necessary for control. It sounds like there’s some miscommunication or misapprehension going on.
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Painful lessons are the most meaningful lessons
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I’m reading this as I’m grabbing some budwood and about to start a grafting session at 8pm after a long work day and exhausting effort to get a toddler to bed, so I can very much relate to this.
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Good to see another RN here that loves fruits. I’m an RN too and works in a hospital. Thanks for your concern. My index finger is doing okay, it does look swollen in the picture.
@clarkinks You hit the spot. I was grafting a pear tree’s trunk and when i was cutting it, it cut through like butter and cut me.
@swincher That’s funny because I was rushing because of my toddler too and another factor I made a mistake.
Thanks again everyone for your response. My finger is doing okay. I already went back to grafting but I do cover my hands now and only do the one I’m comfortable at which is Whip and Tongue.
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Worth repeating.
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FWIW, when cutting a cleft in the field I generally use an old kitchen knife and a mallet to split the rootstock: hold the handle of the knife in left hand, tap the blade in with the mallet, and leave the knife in place while prepping the scion. Grasp scion in left hand, place blade of grafting knife below the fingers of you left hand, and then slice. Flip scion and repeat. Use the old kitchen knife or a small screwdriver to hold the cleft open while you insert the scion.
Small, flexible scions can be really hard to trim well for me.
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Thank you for double checking this and also the link to explain these things. Excellent!
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