# Removing a ring from finger.



## The_Apprentice (Feb 9, 2018)

Alright, here's a problem I couldn't quite solve over a week ago.

I took my ring off on my right hand, but I couldn't get the one on my index finger off on my left. Realizing tugging with soap was only making it swell worse, I left it for now.

However, as I want to start to use my lathe on a daily basis now... this is going to be a priority issue for me.

I am going to attempt to swap out soap for some of our water-based sexual lubricant next, as I figure THAT is made for slickness. And if THAT doesn't work, I'll make a trip to the local Love Shop for Silicone based (or other). And if THAT doesn't work, I guess I can always go down to the local hospital and have them use a standard ring-cutter... though I'd rather avoid that if possible. Of course, it is better to have them cut it off BEFORE an accident, and not AFTER.

Since I know this is a common practice/problem with tenured machinists, is there any other tricks at the moment? Only other thing that comes to mind is an old wive's tale about soaking a finger/hand into ice-water for a bit before trying to slide a ring off...   

Suggestions from many of those who've had experience in this endeavor? Thanks in advance.


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## Ray C (Feb 9, 2018)

Have not been thru this myself but....    Within sensible limits, cut way back on fluid intake for a day or so.   Without fluids, a body starts puckering-up pretty fast and changes in ring size will be among the first places you'll notice a difference.   If needed, reduce your calorie intake and try to lose a couple pounds over a week or so -of course, within sensible/medical limits.

Ray


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## ebolton (Feb 9, 2018)

The ice water thing is valid. Another thing to do, if your health is OK for it, is restrict your fluid intake for a day or two. If you do need the last resort, I wouldn't go to a hospital for it (expensive!) If you can wedge a tongue depressor of something similar between it and your finger to protect the skin, you could use a cutoff wheel in a dremel.


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## Hukshawn (Feb 9, 2018)

Supposedly this works


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## The_Apprentice (Feb 9, 2018)

I was debating on fluids too. Possibly drinking too much soda during these winter months while indoors is causing my fingers to swell more than normal. In any case, I tried to use the water-based lube, while elevating my index finger above shoulder height for a while, unfortunately, there is no way this is going to do the trick.

Will stop drinking soda over the next few days, then try a better lubricant with a COLD finger as well as the finger elevation trick, and see how that goes.

BTW, in Canada hospital visits are free, part of the benefits of living here and paying taxes, so I'm not too worried of visits. But don't want to ruin this ring if I don't have to. It's not some cheap import from China. LOL


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## Hukshawn (Feb 9, 2018)




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## chris.trotter (Feb 9, 2018)

The dental floss thing looked painful - saw that a few months back when my 5 year-old got a "ring" jammed on his finger (a charm/pendant thing).  Of course I saw it after I hacksawed it off his finger - an act that required great patience, lol.  Used a hacksaw blade without the saw, needle-nose vise grip holding it.  Took 45 min.     Good luck!!

Protip - a hacksaw won't cut through diamond/cubic zirconia.


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## brino (Feb 9, 2018)

chris.trotter said:


> my 5 year-old got a "ring" jammed on his finger (a charm/pendant thing). I hacksawed it off his finger - an act that required great patience, lol. ...... Took 45 min



How do you get a worried 5 year old to stay still for 45 mins? Was he asleep or did you get his hand in a vise?


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## chris.trotter (Feb 9, 2018)

brino said:


> How do you get a worried 5 year old to stay still for 45 mins? Was he asleep or did you get his hand in a vise?



By making him not worried, of course!    I think my wife told him stories of her childhood - that kinda thing always seems to captivate them.


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## Alittlerusty (Feb 9, 2018)

Windex glass cleaner is the solution. Should easily get it off. Call a jeweler and mention it they will confirm.


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## Tony Wells (Feb 9, 2018)

Morticians use the string trick. My dad was wearing his wedding band, as he had always done since being married. Never one time removed it. But Mom wanted it and saw no need to bury it with him, so the funeral director assured her they would retrieve it before closing the casket the last time. I asked later how, and that is what they told me. Must be pretty quick and discreet, as they did it right in front of everyone.


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## Hukshawn (Feb 9, 2018)

Alittlerusty said:


> Windex glass cleaner is the solution. Should easily get it off. Call a jeweler and mention it they will confirm.


Yes. Jewelers use Windex.


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## Tony Wells (Feb 9, 2018)

Reminds me of a couple of peddlers that came into my shop one summer afternoon. Forget what they were selling, but I ended up giving away an old CRT television I had stored away, and noticed one of the guys had a stuck ring. Had been stuck a few days and was looking kind of bad. He was in some pain and it looked dangerous to me. His circulation wasn't good in that finger. So I offered to cut it off (not the finger! Well, I did joke about that). It was a nice ring, fairly, so I didn't want to just get my end nippers or carbide tile nippers and mutilate it (the ring), so I had him lay his hand across a mill vice and after clamping the ring gently, took a jewelers saw and split  it at about 45°. The kerf was thin, and could be easily soldered back together so he could get it resized. Nothing to it. 

Now, you can buy some pretty fancy carbide rings, so the EMT's (you guys feel free to chime in) had to adapt methods to crack them, unlike the standard ring cutters they usually carried. I always thought a pair of vise-grips properly adjusted would do the job with low risk to the finger, but what do I know?. I don't wear jewelry any more. Sometimes a wristwatch, but even that has a stretch band instead of a clasp, and never while working the machines. It lays on the desk.


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## Dredb (Feb 9, 2018)

chris.trotter said:


> The dental floss thing looked painful - saw that a few months back when my 5 year-old got a "ring" jammed on his finger (a charm/pendant thing).  Of course I saw it after I hacksawed it off his finger - an act that required great patience, lol.  Used a hacksaw blade without the saw, needle-nose vise grip holding it.  Took 45 min.     Good luck!!



I had to read this twice, the first time I got 'after I hacksawed off his finger' URGH!!!
I removed a ring for my young daughter a long time ago, I used compound side cutters to cut the ring with a feeler guage between the ring and finger.


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## The_Apprentice (Feb 9, 2018)

You guys are scaring me, LOL.

Will hit the dental-floss trick in a few days, and combine it with Windex.


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## KMoffett (Feb 9, 2018)

I had a surgeon demand that the anesthesiologist remove my wedding ring from my left hand before he would operate on my right shoulder.  The guy used the dental floss trick.  Was never able to get the ring on again. 

Ken


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## Richard King 2 (Feb 9, 2018)

It sounded like that guy was in pain didn't it...lol but it worked...   Reminds me of the time the wife wanted me to wax my hairy back as we were going on a cruise.   She ordered some wax from a TV commercial and on their instruction video there was this guy and as she ripped off the cloth he smiled. When she started to do my back  It was one of the most painful experiences I had ever felt....lol  I was hurting and laughing as i was thinking of that big guy smiling.  He had to have been stoned out of his mind.   LOL   Scroll through the first part toominute 3...to 5 min mark...lol....of this and watch the guy squirm when  she starts to pull off the hair....  



  there are several guys on You tube who regretted getting there back waxed....LOL


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## gi_984 (Feb 9, 2018)

I've had to cut quite a few rings off in the medical field.  Mostly due to acute injuries and we need to get it off right now.  If there is no hurry, restrict your SALT intake for a few days along with less fluids as already mentioned.  Any light lubricant along with the string trick usually works.  Most jewelers also have ring cutters.  Easy to go in and have it removed and repaired in one trip.
The only issue I've seen is the increased popularity of the tungsten based rings.  Most ring cutters won't work on them.  We wind up shattering them with a pair of double jointed shears used in ortho surgery.


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## Aaron_W (Feb 9, 2018)

Hukshawn said:


> Supposedly this works
> View attachment 257325




This works well, my wife has done it several times when her hand has swollen and she can't get her ring off. 

You may also want to look into having the ring resized if you want to be able to easily put it on and take it off. That is what my wife did after acknowledging that her fingers were just bigger than when she was in her 20s.

I physically can't wear a ring, it would drive me crazy. Luckily my wife grew up around ranchers and others who work with equipment, so a guy not wearing a wedding ring was pretty normal to her, and not seen as an attempt to sneak around behind her back.


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## ttabbal (Feb 9, 2018)

I've helped people with the string/floss trick. Worked well and they said it didn't hurt. I've also seen a jeweler use a ring cutter to remove one and they were able to resize and fix it without issues. I imagine that wouldn't work on tungsten or titanium though. I like mine just tight enough to not fall off, so I can easily remove it. I work on a lot of things that would cause issues if it were to catch, and my wife grew up on a farm so isn't bothered by it. 

I wouldn't go to a hospital for it, they would probably charge you enough to buy a new mill just to cut it off.


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## 4GSR (Feb 9, 2018)

This brings back the memory when my son was around 5 or 6 years old.  The kids had a musical toy that had pieces that you put together to make a couple of instruments like a sax or clarinet.  Well one of the elbows to this contraction, my son get his thumb stuck in it.  We tried the water soap solution, that didn't help.  Got the Dremel out and proceeded to cut it off.  I inserted something up into the bore, don't remember if it was a popsicle stick or what. Couldn't get around the bend, so I just had to be careful.  Finally got enough of it cut that I pried the rest of it open to get his finger out.  We still have that musical instrument here somewhere.


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## 4GSR (Feb 9, 2018)

Sometimes holding your hand up in the air above your head will work, too.


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## Sensory_Labs (Feb 9, 2018)

Hukshawn said:


> Supposedly this works
> View attachment 257325


As an EMT , I can say this works


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## mattthemuppet2 (Feb 9, 2018)

time of year is an issue too - most people retain more fluids in winter when it's cold.

Once you get it off, I would suggest going to a jewellers and getting it stretched up a size.


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## kvt (Feb 9, 2018)

Have seen the string one time.   also cut off with cutters and a feeler gauge under it.   Not fun.   Do not wear rings, watch or chains any more except for special occasions and not anywhere near equipment.   Wife said she would rater have me in one piece for leave it off,  She saw the results after wedding band got welded to a car while still on my hand.  
Have also seen where a person had not taken it off in years, then had to have it cut off because arthritis in the joint had caused it to grow to where it would not fit over it.


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## Hukshawn (Feb 9, 2018)

mattthemuppet2 said:


> time of year is an issue too - most people retain more fluids in winter when it's cold.
> 
> Once you get it off, I would suggest going to a jewellers and getting it stretched up a size.


I'm the opposite. I shrink up in the winter. My ring often nearly falls off. But in the summer my hands swell up and my ring compresses my finger. Drastic difference!


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## The_Apprentice (Feb 9, 2018)

The last few months I've felt myself swell up huge. I can tell when putting my pants & belt on. I suspect because I am no longer going out for walks and exercise. It is too cold and snow sucks, and I probably am drinking more soda than I should.

Hope this Windex trick works! I can't believe that more machinists haven't run into these problems 'personally'. I guess there's a good reason for that though!

When ever I've seen old-timers with missing digits on their hands in those you-tube machine-shop videos... generally it does seem to be their ring-fingers missing the most when I think about it...


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## shootur44 (Feb 9, 2018)

Ray C said:


> Have not been thru this myself but....    Within sensible limits, cut way back on fluid intake for a day or so.   Without fluids, a body starts puckering-up pretty fast and changes in ring size will be among the first places you'll notice a difference.   If needed, reduce your calorie intake and try to lose a couple pounds over a week or so -of course, within sensible/medical limits.
> 
> Ray


Hello Ray. I’m Mike and go by shootur44  I have a dumb question that probably has been answered previously but I must have missed it. Now for some time there are lots of pictures that are not visual or for some reason I can’t manage to get them were I can see them. I saw were there was some kind of update and I have my stuff updated to best of my knowledge. Can you PLEASE EXPLAIN HOW TO UPDATE MY PROGRAM OR WHATEVER I NEED TO DO. 
I AM USING A IPHONE 7 PLUS IF THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE. 
THANK YOU 
MIKE


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## NortonDommi (Feb 9, 2018)

Having seen two fingers ripped off and a hand permanently ruined when a SS watch band fused between a 24 V battery and the chassis of a truck I am glad to hear you want to remove jewelry. With the string method if you pull back on the skin behind the ring while someone else winds the dental floss on and apply some lube you shouldn't have any problems.


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## brav65 (Feb 10, 2018)

Hukshawn said:


> Supposedly this works
> View attachment 257325


This is the ticket, I have used the technique personally!


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## middle.road (Feb 10, 2018)

I own only two rings, both are very loose fitting, rather lose the ring than damage a digit.
When I had a wedding ring it came off before I went anywhere near manufacturing equipment and onto a clip with my keys.
No jewelery of any kind around the machines. Yet I'm a hypocrite cause I wear long sleeves all the time. 
Another 'back when I was younger' story, old timers advice - lose the tie, lose the gold necklace (it was the '70s), and no rings, they seem to snag at the strangest times.

If not too badly swollen, hand above head for 5-10 minutes, cisco or coconut type oil and the waxed floss should do it.
Also remember 'diet' soda can cause a lot of swelling.


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## Z2V (Feb 10, 2018)

I can remember back when I was about 5 yrs old my mother broke a mercury thermometer. She picked up the mercury and rolled it around in the palm of her hand and within a few minutes her wedding rings fell to the floor.  She got a new wedding set, that I do remember


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## Ed. (Feb 11, 2018)

There is another thing that you can try and provided that your finger hasn't swollen up because of all your attempts at removing the ring, you will need another person to help, 1)  chill down your hand, 2) use some lube and then 3) get your helper to pull your finger skin from the ring back towards your hand whilst you hold your finger straight and then try to twist the ring whist pulling it off.

Usually when you try to remove a ring it sort of bunches up the skin over your knuckle making it thicker and so much harder to remove so this method helps to reduce the bunching up.


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## magicniner (Feb 11, 2018)

If you need to cut it those "multi-tools" which work like the saw used for removal of plaster casts will cut hard materials which are held still whilst just wobbling skin back and forth where they contact it.


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## GK1918 (Feb 11, 2018)

Just do not jump off the dump truck!  So I did back in the 70's wedding ring stuck on the spill board now its like 6 feet to
the ground.  First time I see stars.  Inbetween being dizzy I staggared to the shop and hacksawed the ring on a blood 
drenched vise.  I rolled skin back over finger joint little masking tape and somehow drove the truck with my right hand
home truck was no toy all that steering shifting one hand red paints and steering wheel.  Got home. Poured a glass of
my fathers whiskey, stuck my finger in there talk about burning I fixed the burning I drank the rest of the whiskey. Yum
yum feel good then.  Now the bonus;   It was a week and my cousin a girl did the same dump truck thing,  only she went
to the hospitol for stitches.  That one week period of my whiskey all healded up,,,,took her about 3 weeks, then they took the stitches out.  There ya go.  You learn from the ole man - cuts  bruses whiskey or lacqure thinner bee stings dirt and
diesel fuel.  reminds me the ole man on a ladder got stung by nasty yellow jackets refused the ambulance his face was red as fire by a 100 stings,  whats he do   clay and enamal reducer rub it on real good.  Kid next door got bed bugs on him his
father dunked him in kersene head and all:  cause you call the town dr. would be 5 bucks and kerosene was 10 cents a gal.
Man up modern people that go runnin to the get rich doctors.  Here is a good one.  Old former boss just about cut his
leg of with chain saw - rushed to hospitol they want to cut his leg off somehow he just got up and left.  He then soaked
mangaled leg with milk and bread and kept on doing that.  Pretty quick he went back to that dr and said go back to school son....   all true stories.


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## Firestopper (Feb 11, 2018)

We carry ring cutters on every rig, Try you local fire department. Hopefully your ring is not made of Ti.


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## Bob Korves (Feb 11, 2018)

middle.road said:


> Yet I'm a hypocrite cause I wear long sleeves all the time.


Nothing the matter with long sleeves.  Just roll them up past the elbows, please.


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## MattM (Feb 11, 2018)

When I was doing a lot of offshore sailing we kept a ring cutter in the medical chest.  As I recall it was a small inexpensive instrument, never used it.

I would think any jewelry store would cut it off and resize it for a small fee.


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## Richard King 2 (Feb 11, 2018)

I hired a young man years back and he had a bald spot above his forehead.   After he was there a while one of the other guys  asked him what happened and he said he used to work at a shop running a cylindrical grinder and one day while he was grinding a part he looked down at the shaft turning and his long hair got wrapped around the drive dog and pulled his head down and he pulled his head back and ripped the hair out of his scalp.  I heard about a guy who wore a nylon wind breaker inside the shop because the shop owner had the thermometer set at 55.   

One day as he was running a HBM (Horizontal boring machine)  that was using a boring bar that ran through a 20" holed casting and the other end was in the end rest.   They were single pointing the big hole.  This guy looked into the hole and the tool in the boring bar caught his jacket armand pulled him into the machine.  A co worker was there bsing with him and when this guy  screamed HELP..he was able to hit the emergency stop button, but not before the guy was flipped over and lost his arm at the elbow and part of his leg at the knee as he wound around the boring bar.   There was a old army medic working there and they were able to stop the bleeding until the EMT's got there.   Such a sad deal and the shop owner took it in the shorts for trying to save heat.  Bottom line is no long hair, no wedding rings, no long sleeve anything, safety glasses, etc.   when working in a shop.  Poor guy ..... :-(


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## Dinosaur Engineer (Feb 11, 2018)

I had a wedding ring removed by a surgeon who used a commercial hand operated rotary cutter. I think his fingers were quite sore after he lfinally cut through the bulky ring


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## The_Apprentice (Feb 12, 2018)

> a hand permanently ruined when a SS watch band fused between a 24 V battery and the chassis of a truck I



Eeeeeeek! I didn't even know that was possible!

In any case, we have a SUCCESS. Went to Walmart yesterday morning to pick up Windex... and a trick of rotating the ring instead of simply pulling worked. Now I have a permanent looking deformity on my finger, that maybe in a month will heal to normal again.

No more worrying about getting my ring caught into a CHUCK. I know from first hand experience this is MUCH more easy to happen than it would seem in theory. Once as a university student I had a small ring on that SOMEHOW got caught on the flat handle of a door I pushed open. I still to this day can not understand how the hell it got caught on the handle when there was NOTHING possible for it to caught onto. Damn thing almost pulled my finger off (I was walking a little fast I suppose). At least it was a cheap ring and the mental bent enough that the ring twisted a little and released... though it had to be scrapped after.

Don't want to take chances with a chuck... that's for sure. Even if it's only single-phase at 120 v.


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## Ray C (Feb 12, 2018)

The_Apprentice said:


> Eeeeeeek! I didn't even know that was possible!
> 
> In any case, we have a SUCCESS. Went to Walmart yesterday morning to pick up Windex... and a trick of rotating the ring instead of simply pulling worked. Now I have a permanent looking deformity on my finger, that maybe in a month will heal to normal again.
> 
> ...



Glad you got it off.  Interestingly enough, I had the same experience getting my finger snagged on a door in the 1980's.   The damage/injury was significant but eventually healed.  Was entering a department store (Neiman Marcus, Michigan Ave in Chicago) and the locking bolt of the front door snagged my ring.  It dislocated the finger which was painful for weeks and gave me background grief for a year or more.

All it takes is one close call and a half-a-wit to realize you don't play games -even in a home/hobby shop. 

Ray


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## Richard King 2 (Feb 12, 2018)

I never ware my ring at work or all the time because I had heard to many horror stories of guys loosing a finger or mangalling it some how.   Years ago I would put it on when the wife and I went somewhere at night.  I made the mistake of forgetting to take it off and the next day at work I was washing some parts in a customers parts washer and he had some sort of custic solution in it and back then we didn't have such a great selection of rubber gloves as they do now. Well as I washed the part some of it got under my ring and it must have had some sort of chemical reaction with the gold and my finger was on fire so to speak, by the time I washed my hands with soap and water pulling my ring off, I got a chemical burn around my finger.  That discoloration on my finger seemed to last for years.   I stopped wearing my ring after that accept when we were on vacation.

I did get "The Look" from my wife after I took it off.....lol....


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## KBeitz (Sep 11, 2018)

I jumped off a dumpster... You know the rest of the story.
Now I only were silicone rings.


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## dlane (Sep 11, 2018)

I would think the sex lubricant stuff would make things bigger ,


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## BaronJ (Sep 11, 2018)

Hi Guys,

Yes !  It is a very old technique for removing rings from fingers.  A morticians trick.


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