Cut to the quick

[tfabris]

Any advice on quickly sealing up a fresh cut on the left middle finger tip? Specifically, so that I can successfully play the guitar at Norwescon this weekend. I'll be doing several hours' worth of playing over the next few days, and I really don't want to have to cancel because of a stupid little cut, regardless of how inconveniently it's positioned.

Hopefully there will be some other guitarists out there who have been through this and can offer good advice. If you've never played the guitar, you might be tempted to recommend I try playing with a band-aid, not realizing how utterly impossible this would be (might as well try it with boxing gloves).

One thing I'm curious to try is cyanoacrylate. Although I don't want to try it unless someone else can give me success stories about having used it in my specific situation. I don't want to take the chance it would make things worse.

Any other ideas?

UPDATE:
Okay, that newskin stuff IS THE AWESOME. Not only could I play just fine, I spent most of the evening joyously poking and prodding at the totally sealed, tough-yet-flexible, completely pain-free cut.

All sorted. Thanks for all the advice, everyone. :-)

Comments

[technoshaman.livejournal.com]

Actually, the "liquid skin" stuff you get at the drug store next to the Band-Aids is in fact medical-grade cynoacrylate.... I'm no guitar player, but I have used the stuff before (on the side of my finger where it's particulary difficult to bandage) and it seemed to work OK... Band-aids throw off typing, too; cut my word rate probably 25% or so, so while I don't play, I'm as close to grokking what you're talking about as I could without actually playing...

It's still gonna be *sore*... but with careful application you ought to have decent feel, particularly since (you hope) the cut is smaller than the part of the finger contacting the string, and you'll be sealing only the cut... but any other method I could think of would seriously impair your feel...

ouch! I hope things turn out OK...

[tfabris.livejournal.com]

Interesting. I'll see if we can scare up some of this kind of stuff before heading to the con today.

Crossing my fingers.

(Ouch)

[callibr8]

We have the Band-Aid(tm) version of Liquid Bandage in our medicien cabinet. I'll tuck it in my stuff to bring down to the con.

I've used that

[hvideo.livejournal.com]

I don't believe that is a cyanoacrylate. It is something much weaker (though flexible). It should certainly help - but be prepared to reapply several times if it is an area that gets wear such as fingertips. And hopefully you and people near you don't mind the smell of cloves. And it will sting a bit in a cut.

Of course, unlike superglue (surgical glue) it is designed to be easy to remove. Depending on the wear and tear you're going to give it you may wish you had the stronger stuff (and later, solvent to remove it). Superglues require what, acetone? Nail Polish Remover? New Skin rubs/peels off.

Re: I've used that

[vixyish.livejournal.com]

Well, whatever he wound up getting definitely smelled like superglue, not cloves. We were all getting high from it every time he put more on. :)

[trogula.livejournal.com]

The liquid skin stuff works. I've also used superglue, which works the best ('tis an old folk musician remedy), but I would only recommend this if the cut is small and not deep. YMMV.

[littlemystories.livejournal.com]

Agreed - I've used both super glue and Krazy glue for this purpose.

[figmo.livejournal.com]

I second what technoshaman says. I have played guitar wearing band-aids on my fingers, and while it's doable, it's HARD. You have to use the smallest bandage that works and position the pad just-so to make sure it covers the cut while not interfering with the other strings.

If the cyanoacrylate doesn't work:

[irgth.livejournal.com]

Option 1: capo, glass slide, open tunings.

Option 2: bleed profusely

Option 3: melt hard plastic over the tip of your finger, like Tony Iommi

[adularia.livejournal.com]

apropos of not-your-finger: I'm sorry I wasn't particularly pleasant when I ran into you last. Was really not having a good day.

glad NWC went well; this year I wished I'd gone, just to see everyone.

[tfabris.livejournal.com]

*HUGS*

No worries. I could kinda tell you weren't having a good day, which is why I came to say hi to you. Thought you might want to see a friendly face.

To be honest, you *were* perfectly pleasant *to me*, but I could tell things weren't going particularly well in other aspects of your life at that moment. I wasn't thrown off by this, and everything was fine.

Hope things are going better now?

[adularia.livejournal.com]

That's good, I'm glad. It *was* nice to see you.

I'm all right, work keeps me distracted, but I'm still working on that job search...