I'm not sure if it's Doug Fir or Hemlock that's in there, but I've got a splinter that's really putting out the puss. And the thing is, I thought I got the whole thing out. Are there certain species that are more splinterific than others?
JP
*********************************************** I'm breaking out the scratch awl next.
Oh, my, yes. Douglas fir and redwood are just *awful*.
And you REALLY don't need a staph infection, so it might be worth a trip to the Dr. to make SURE it's all out and maybe get some antibiotics.
As to why the splinter is vigorously ejecting the cat - well, I really couldn't say. ;)
JLarsson
Wow. It's just a white bump on the side of my index finger, but it doesn't really seem to be getting better. I've drained it with a needle, but it sorta comes right back the next day. Man, maybe I really will see the doc tomorrow. Thanks.
JP
I have a friend that worked in a lumber mill for 15 years feeding lumber into various machings and he says that Douglas Fir has the worst splinters of all wood
Gary.
Redwood. Ouch.
-Zz
part of the function of puss in a splinter type wound is to surround the foreign material with something goopy and slippery to help with flushing it out. so when you drain the puss go ahead and dig for the splinter at the same time- often you can squeeze the whole mess out of there at once. then clean it out well with peroxide...
I've had my share of D.Fir splinters that start the pus faucet. Painful as it may be to do, try squeezing the area like a pimple - I've had pretty good success with the now softened splinter squirting right out.
I get some from time-to-time that I cannot remove or cannot remove completely. They will fester and as someone mentions above, your body will respond by sending an army of white cells to fight the foreign body. Going to the doc is not always my first approach. I'll rip it open fairly well, let it drain and then put on a bandage with lots of Neosporin. If it is small enough , your bodys response will disolve it over time. I only go to the doc if I see a red line moving from the site up my arm. Going to the doc will mean hours of waiting, an ultrasound to locate it, etc. If it is very small the US may not pick it up. In that case they will send you home to wait and see.
JMO - keep an eye on it for sure.
J
Maybe he's put out about the smell--cats have sensitive noses.
I read in a book about the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars that the British did some research in this area and decided to built their warships in Britain out of oak and pine rather than teak, even though structurally the teak was superior, because they found that splinter wounds from teak ("splinter" in this case is the aftermath of a cannonball going through the side of the ship and we might think of it today as "wooden shrapnel") almost invariably turned septic but oak and pine usually did not.
So, yes, some species are more splinterific than others.
I should point out that the cannon ball did not have to penetrate the hull to produce splinters or wooden shrapnel. You hit wood hard enough on the outside, it will throw off splinters on the inside.
I don't think any of us are that strong. But a cannon ball will do the trick. Particularly if shot from point blank range and a direct hit is accomplished.
DF has given me some nasty splinters. As soon as I get one, I make every effort to remove it before it get locked in. It sometimes calls for a little self-administered surgery. A very sharp pocket knife has served me well a number of times. Dr. Dave says, clean well with alcohol, cut it open, remove the intruder, apply antibiotic, bandage or super glue and move on. But then again, anyone who takes medical advise from the wreck needs to see a doctor anyway!
Dave
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Of course they never were sophisticated enough to realize that a cannonball would -most often- bounce off of a teak hull.
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As someone else already noted, the process of bouncing off can (and often did) create "splinters" on the other side--essentially the equivalent of spalling in concrete. Whatever they were, the British Navy was not unsophisticated in relation to the state of the art at the time...
Do it. Buddy of mine, 100Kg of pure healthy muscle, nearly died of septicemia (liver failure) after ignoring a cut on his toe from a rusty nail. No point being too macho about it.
Yeah - my cats seem not to like it when I catch 'em in the nose with my foot. ;)
Kidding aside, Jim Corbett, who had more to do with man-eating tigers and leopards than anybody else I can think of, was convinced that neither one had that great a sense of smell. And I believe lions are pretty fond of meat so rotten it would give a medical examiner the gags. I guess that doesn't mean they can't smell it though, does it. Maybe they just like the smell. 8^X
JLarsson
I read it - the poster is incorrect
The history of Teak wood
First, a little history lesson:
It is not a well known fact, but is has been written that the Chinese have been renowned sailors for generations. Many of their ships were built and designed to not only sail in the oceans, but also to move up river. Much of the trade then, was done several thousand miles up river and not out in the ocean. These ships needed to be versatile, durable, and tough.
The wood used to build these early Chinese ships was Teak. It is also said that the Chinese shipbuilders would bury the wood logs in moist soil for years prior to building their ships. This made the wood much stronger and impervious to anything that could be encountered on the high seas,including enemies. Why was this important? It was important because approx. 600 years ago the Chinese were set out on a task by the Ming dynasty to sail to the edge of the world. Apparently they circumnavigated the world several times. But this is going off to another subject. Let?s get back to the subject at hand (I'll bet you didn't know that you would actually be learning something too?).
Later in years, British naval ships were made from Oak, also a very hard and durable wood. The British encountered two problems with oak: Wood Worms and a lack of Oak trees. Woodworms were destroying the ships in the British Naval Fleet. Woodworms were the scourge of wooden ships throughout history. It could take 850 oak logs to repair one ship. It took a little over 2000 oak logs just to build one ship. The British needed ships as they continued for some time to have maritime issues with the French and to be able to go on to conquer and take control of British colonies. The British naval fleet was their primary means to accomplish this.
The Oak supply in Europe was being quickly depleted. They knew about the Teak wood used on the Chinese ships and how rugged they were after having run into them, literally in the shipping lanes. The British had learned how impervious these ships were to all of the elements at sea: Saltwater, ocean wind, and the blistering sun. It was also learned then that Teak was found to not to splinter when hit by gunfire or artillery fire. This was a very important issue as splintering wood was the chief cause of casualties among naval warfare in the eighteenth century.
Britain was very interested to grow and produce this wood. The British quickly realized they did not need to grow Teak Wood as they could annex those countries where the Teak wood was grown and have a plentiful supply. India, Thailand and Burma were quickly annexed into the British empire. It is not to say this is why the British took over these areas, but it certainly helped to give reason. Myanmar (formerly Burma), which is just south of India, and Yangoon became the first places where Teak was being harvested for British ships. Calcutta was set up as another British shipbuilding site. All of the British merchant ships built in Calcutta were built with Myanmar Teak logs which were said to be the best. Once the wood was depleted from India, logs were harvested from Thailand and Burma.
Teak forests were quickly being depleted. Teak was now the preferred wood used for building ships, Yachts, Ocean liners and furniture. Under ocean conditions, the wood had very little shrinkage or warpage. This meant little maintenance. The wood was also impervious to wood rot and insects, like the mighty woodworm. The famous Ocean liner ?Queen Mary? used no less than 1000 tons of teak when built. The British quickly realized the depletion that was taking place and developed a re-forestation plan. They appointed a leader to head this new bureau and began replanting Teak trees on what are now called Teak ?plantations?. A set of very strict laws were enacted regarding who can cut Teak Wood and who can purchase it. Once these laws were set in place, one needed to have permission from the British Government to be able to cut a Teak Tree down and or export it.
Teak was also being used by the locals for huts, fence posts, and furniture. India is the third largest importer of Teak today, behind China and Japan. As much as 80% of India?s timber consumption is Teak. The wood is used in India today for local consumption; building homes, furniture, fencing, etc. It is the one wood that can withstand the monsoons, the blistering heat and the humidity. It is the wood that all other timber species are compared to.
Teak Wood contains natural oil and Silica (sand) which makes it impervious to insects, and wood rot. These substances also help it to maintain it luster for many, many years, but make it a little more difficult for the manufactures as their blades tend to dull sooner.
When many of the English ships of WWII were taken apart for salvage, the Teak Wood decks were re-manufactured into outdoor furniture like park benches. Even today they can be seen in many parts of Europe still functioning.
Demand for Teak wood
Most of the Teak grown today is grown on Plantations that are governed by the local governments. The demand for Teak is growing at an estimated 10% per year. Teak is a heavily regulated (and rightfully so) commodity, and is sold through the auction process. Teak is not very easy to get. There are regulatory permits that must be purchased and other expenses that go along with regulation. For example, once purchased, it is usually the purchasing companies? responsibility to provide transportation if the wood is to be exported and certain countries have regulations on how many logs can be exported. Currently, Java, Indonesia is the largest exporter of Teak. There are several companies that are located in Java that will process and fashion the Teak into furniture, or planks for flooring or siding, and then export the finished item or semi finished item to countries around the world.
Teak grows very rapidly but still takes approx. 50 years to mature. Many countries are reviewing the possible rotation after 30 or 40 years. This is mainly due to the large demand for Teak. The consensus with this rotation is that the wood will not be inferior at that rate. There are some countries that are trying tree rotation after only 25 years. The results are timber that is smaller in diameter, color, and grain.
So, when add it all up, you get a much better understanding not only of what the hype about Teak Wood is all about, but the numerous qualities of Teak Wood and the supply and demand side of Teak Wood.
Many people for generations have been enjoying the warm benefits of owning Teak Wood products. Outdoor Teak Wood furniture is a Standard for many families and in many gardens, terraces, patios, verandas, ships, and yachts around the world. If you are investing in outdoor furniture, you really owe it to yourself to step into the world of Teak.
By: Michael Ochoa
Michael Ochoa operates Macs Teak Furniture website at
Article Source:
Teamcasa wrote: [snipperified for brevity]
You crack me up, Dave.....too funny.
I ran my hand once along a freshly sanded 8-foot strip of oak and proceeded to accordion a sliver into my index-finger bone. Open finger surgery didn't even get all of the oak out. That forced me to cancel several gigs as I couldn't even hang onto a pick, much less play my guitar. Quite a few people were very appreciative of that misfortune.
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