Luthiery Laboratories

A woodshop is a dangerous place, sometimes your tools turn on you. For a nice clean cut, Crazy Glue is perfect, I use it all the time. Think of it as an artificial scab. When it comes off, make a new one, as long as you need to. Crazy Glue is extremely acidic and probably has a sterilizing effect as well. I have sealed up cuts and gone swimming when otherwise wetness would have been a problem for weeks. Crazy Glued cuts also heal much faster, with much less scarring.

Push the edges of the cut together before you apply the glue, and then apply it over the top only, not inside. Fixing the two sides of the cut against each other will help them knit back together and speed healing. I have seen minor cuts heal up in just days.

I actually don't like Band-Aids anymore, I think they are a good place for all sorts of bad stuff to breed. For your fingertip, I would make a removable little cast from paper towel and masking tape and wear it over the Crazy Glue for protection against bumps. If it gets wet or dirty, throw it away and make a new one.

Doctors use "medical grade" Crazy Glue inside you. I think the practice actually started with field medics in Vietnam. For use on the outside, I wouldn't worry about the grade, the greatest problem is infection, and liquid Crazy Glue is nasty stuff that no bug could live in, and when it is dry, it is impervious to everything. I have read that wounds should be kept moist for best healing. That may be true for gunshots, but my experience is that a small cut like yours will heal faster if it is kept clean and dry, which is exactly what Crazy Glue will do.

I have Crazy Glued a lot worse than that, with 100% success. To Crazy Glue a wound, it must not be bleeding, otherwise the glue reacts with the blood and you end up with a big mess instead of a nice neat cap. Let the wound bleed a bit to sweep out anything that might have gotten in, then put pressure on it with a clean bandage or paper towel until the bleeding stops. Hydrogen peroxide stings like hell and is pretty useless, but you can apply some real antibacterial if you have it.

It is best to seal a wound up completely against the outside world. If necessary, I have left a 'weep hole' to prevent fluid from building up. As long as a little fluid is seeping out, nothing is getting in, you hope. Crazy Glue is only good for clean cuts. If the wound is jagged or has gotten contaminated, don't try it.

Playing with that finger is going to rub the Crazy Glue off pretty fast, you might want to use a pick for a while.

Disclaimer:

I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV. Unfortunately, I do have a good deal of experience Crazy Gluing cuts. If a wound is anything but superficial, seek medical care. Also, watch for signs of infection: swelling, throbbing, anything but clear seepage or blood, color, smell. At the first sign of infection see your doctor, unless you don't like that finger and don't expect to be needing it in the future.

I Crazy Glued one very bad cut that I could just as well have had stitched up in the ER, and it worked out actually better than if I had done that. But that was taking a chance that I would not recommend for anyone. I watched that like a hawk for a week before I relaxed. It would have been longer with stitches.