# Knife blister



## benway (May 24, 2009)

I started a new job this week and on my first day for whatever reason I left my knives in the car not knowing whether I'd need them. When we had a break I ran out and got them but in the meantime I was lent one. The knife was very dull and after an hour or so of having to muscle my way through vegetables with it I developed a blister on the bottom of my right index finger where the back of the knife met it.

Just wondering has anyone else ever had this injury? Any tips on treatment to keep it healing while I work?


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## bigbenny (Jun 4, 2009)

Yeah i remember those!!!!, just gotta grin and bear it until it heals..... a good solution for your own knives is to head to your local hardwear/auto supply store and get some wet dry sand paper and round the edge off the spine of the knife where your finger sits!!! works a treat!!!


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## blueicus (Mar 16, 2005)

Any cook who uses a knife with any regularity will have a knife callous at the bottom of their right (or left) index finger, provided you use the standard grip. Of course, you can't have a callous without a blister, so you're on your way. A sharp knife will help prevent it, but it will be inevitable, so you'll have to learn to live with it. Once the callous becomes established you shouldn't have any more problems.


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## titomike (May 20, 2009)

Harden up, bro'....wait you you start sticking your arms in da oven!


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## gunnar (Apr 3, 2008)

or start saute on a french top grill..man those things get hot. first grill I had to use a towel to grab anything.


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## kiwisizzler (Jan 6, 2009)

Rite of passage. I don't know a decent chef without a permanant callous in that spot! Don't worry tho...won't hurt for long.


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## just jim (Oct 18, 2007)

Yep, it's-a-gonna happen.
What's worse is after you develop a callous, sometimes it's splits.
To give you a buffer just wrap a bandage around it.
The little bit of padding on the blister/callous will get you through your day.


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## pete (Oct 7, 2001)

As stated above, you can't escape it. Luckily though it will eventually turn into a callous if you keep doing knife work and the pain will disappear. Even now, after 9 months of being out of the kitchen I still have some callous left. It will eventually disappear and when and if I get another job that requires lots of knife work I will have to start rebuilding my callous again. Can be kind of painful at first, but trust me it will eventually turn into a callous.


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## blueicus (Mar 16, 2005)

I like how the callous is sort of like the "secret mark" of a cook. Makes me feel "special"


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## just jim (Oct 18, 2007)

I've had more than one chef put out his hand at the beginning of an interview and when I put mine out to shake his, he flipped my hand over, palm up.
When I was a rookie i thought they were checking to see how clean mu hands were.
Now I know they were looking to see if I held my knife right, and for any extended period of time.


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## dc sunshine (Feb 26, 2007)

My brothers aren't cooks, but used to spend a lot of time playing steel string guitars. They would have much the same thing until their fingertips got calloused. What helped them was putting some vinegar on once they were done for the session and letting it dry.

Worked for them!

Keep it uncovered as much as possible when you're not working, let it dry.


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## benway (May 24, 2009)

Thanks for the responses. Sounds like everyone has had this before. I've done my fair share of knife work in the past but never ever hurt myself with a dull knife THIS way. Its not the pain I was worried about--I was just wondering how it was ever going to heal when I still chop and have salt rubbed in it everyday. Its already healed quite a bit it seems as if you all were right on.


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## [email protected] (2 mo ago)

kiwisizzler said:


> Rite of passage. I don't know a decent chef without a permanant callous in that spot! Don't worry tho...won't hurt for long.


Is there a way to build said callous from a a built blister that popped in the same day? [Thanksgiving prep, first time prepping for 1000]


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## [email protected] (2 mo ago)

pete said:


> As stated above, you can't escape it. Luckily though it will eventually turn into a callous if you keep doing knife work and the pain will disappear. Even now, after 9 months of being out of the kitchen I still have some callous left. It will eventually disappear and when and if I get another job that requires lots of knife work I will have to start rebuilding my callous again. Can be kind of painful at first, but trust me it will eventually turn into a callous.


Heard, was wondering about that


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## phatch (Mar 29, 2002)

You might also try crowning the spine of the knife to help with comfort generally. Most are square shouldered. Round over those square edges at and near the gripping point. Wet/dry sand paper is the simplest.


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## cheflayne (Aug 21, 2004)

get some aquarium pump tubing and split it lengthwise down one side and then slide it onto spine of knife


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## 106569 (Jul 7, 2020)

cheflayne said:


> get some aquarium pump tubing and split it lengthwise down one side and then slide it onto spine of knife


Can you not buy proper rubber seals to slide and sit over it?


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## 106569 (Jul 7, 2020)

benway said:


> I started a new job this week and on my first day for whatever reason I left my knives in the car not knowing whether I'd need them. When we had a break I ran out and got them but in the meantime I was lent one. The knife was very dull and after an hour or so of having to muscle my way through vegetables with it I developed a blister on the bottom of my right index finger where the back of the knife met it.
> 
> Just wondering has anyone else ever had this injury? Any tips on treatment to keep it healing while I work?


When you have an injury and you need to carry on doing what you whre doing what caused said injury in the first place; try taking "Ibuprofen tables" to reduce swelling


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## cheflayne (Aug 21, 2004)

burnt bager said:


> Can you not buy proper rubber seals to slide and sit over it?


Don't know if there is even such a thing. Never had the need for my hack. Never seen a product like that, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.


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