Removing wedding ring without cutting it

Hi all,

found this on a blog:

"When prepping a patient for open heart surgery, it is important
that you remove any rings from thseir fingers. Fingers will swell
while a patient is on a heart-lung bypass machine, and a forgotten
ring can cut off the circulation.

Some patients have had their wedding rings on for 30 or more years,
and this, combined with swelling from heart failure, makes them very
difficult to get off. To avoid cutting (and thus destroying) them,
take a piece of suture or thick string, and starting from the top of
the finger, wrap very tightly down to the ring, compressing the
tissue. Pass the end of the suture under the ring, then pull up
slowly, working the ring up over the suture. The suture will push
enough fluid out of the finger that you can usually remove it
intact. benchnews.com

Believe this or not but I had a customer tell me they used W-D-40 to
remove a ring that I measured at 2 sizes too small Don in Idaho
almost like summer today.

Believe this or not but I had a customer tell me they used W- D-40
to remove a ring that I measured at 2 sizes too small Don in Idaho
almost like summer today. 

Best ring remover I know is Windex. I has a slipping agent in it.
Works every time like magic, and doesn’t smell as bad as WD40 which
also works. :slight_smile:

Lisa, (always wondered why anyone would try to shove a ring on that
was too small. Shoes too. What is that?) Topanga, CA USA

Windex - spray it on the finger and slide the ring off.

Lisa,

“Good on yer”, as the Aussies would say. We have never been without
windex in our shop and, it is the best lubricant for ring
removal…and for putting rings on arthritic fingers! More
importantly, I laud you for your recent letter citing the fact that
you have never had a voyante foresee his imminent arrest as part of
his or her reading of your feature…what better method of fraud
debunking could there be ? I referred your latter to a psychiatrist
friend today and he cracked up over it ! Well done ! It certainly
coincides with the fact that horoscopes never coincide; they are
fabrications of individuals who have mastered the arcane art of
making generalizations that seem speciific yet might be applicable to
just about anybody. I admire the craft, but I eschew the
motivations…deception, manipulation and social engineering are
certainly not the path to enlightenment. ( Are we not also talking
about astrology wherein gullible people would like to believe that we
are victims or subjects of extraterrestrial forces. This is analogous
to ants believing that ants getting stepped on constitute the hand of
god…yeah, sure ! )

Ron Mills, Mills Gem Co., Los Osos, Ca.

Ditto Lisa’s Windex magic for removing rings.

It’s funny, in the retail store, all you have to do is bring it out
and approach the customer. The ring magically comes off the finger, I
guess they’re so freaked that I’m actually going to spray Windex on
their hand! Seriously, I have actually used it and it works like a
charm.

-a.
Amery Carriere Designs
www.amerycarriere.com

Windex definitely works. I keep it very handy.

Carol Ackerman

You know, I’m sure Windex works fine for ring removal but a little
bit of hand cream works fine too, and is a whole lot more skin
friendly than spraying Windex all over someone.

Daniel R. Spirer, G.G.
Daniel R. Spirer Jewelers, LLC
1780 Massachusetts Ave.
Cambridge, MA 02140
617-234-4392

Using suture (or fine fishing line) wound around the finger is a
great idea, if only I knew about it earlier. Last year a doctor
phoned from the emergency wanting a jewelers opinion on how to remove
a heavy stainless steel wedding ring from a patient. The ring had not
been crushed but the finger was swollen due to some mishap. The
hardness of the steel had defeated the doctor’s ring cutter and all
attempts at using lubricants had failed. The best I could advise was
to try to slip a steel shim under the ring to protect the finger, and
then use a large bolt cutter, or an abrasive disc cutter combined
with water cooling. I also addressed the problem of expanding the
ring after it was cut. I don’t know the final result; the doctor
would have consulted other departments and experts and must have
removed the ring one way or another. The suture method may have done
an elegant job in this situation. If the ring is crushed or crimped
on to the finger then there is no alternative but to cut the ring off
quickly.

Alastair

There are few things more disgusting than the customer who has
trouble removing a ring, then promptly sticks their finger in their
mouth to provide the lubrication necessary to get the job done. The
moment I see a customer having the slightest difficulty, I
immediately reach for the pump bottle of Purell hand sanitizer I keep
at the counter. Not only does it make their finger slippery, it’s
very handy for me, as well.

After being required to attend a two-day lecture about Universal
Precautions and The Bloodborne Pathogens Rule regarding the tattoo
industry, I developed a slight phobia about handling people’s
personal adornments, especially those worn on or near the hands. At
the start of the program, we were asked to “wash” our hands with a
liquid in which a fluorescent pigment was suspended, then wash as
thoroughly as possible with soap, water and a surgical scrub brush.
Afterwards, we put our hands under longwave UV light. Every person
had residual pigment left after scrubbing. Some had more, others had
less, but all had enough to make them think very seriously about how
disgustingly germ-ridden everyone’s hands are at any given time,
even after a thorough scrubbing.

So now, I keep the hand sanitizer close by. After louping people’s
rings, bracelets, watches (I do LOTS of battery and bracelet
replacements), etc., and seeing the nasty funk that accumulates
there, I can’t live without the sanitizer. Some jewelry is so funky
that, after an hour in the ultrasonic, the steamer can still release
the scent of their perfume and hand lotions that are still stuck to
it. I use it after handling any customer’s jewelry. If I can get the
sanitizer on their finger before they hand me their ring, so much the
better.

James S. Duncan, G.G.
James in SoFL

My technique is to have the person turn his (for some reason women
don’t have this situation) hand palm side up. I give the person a
small paper towel. I put as little as two drops next to the ring and
have the person rotate the ring to get some of the Windex under the
metal. It works quickly every time. A lot cleaner I think than creme.
He uses the towel to wipe off the residue et voilE1. Spraying need
not be involved.

K Kelly

always wondered why anyone would try to shove a ring on that was
too small. Shoes too. What is that? 

There are way many conditions and injuries that will make a finger,
especially the knuckles, swell over the course of a day.

The trick that I learned from my cousin the EMT, was to slip a bit
of string under the ring, leaving enough sticking out to get a good
grip on, then tightly wrap the rest of the string down to the tip of
the finger. A bit of lubricant (anything from lotion to soapy water)
is applied, then you unwrap the string from above the ring, using the
piece you left sticking out. This will unwind the ring right down the
finger, without damage. He seldom had to resort to his ringcutter
tool.

Ron Charlotte – Gainesville, FL

Sometimes you have to cut it, and sometimes its an ordeal, and
sometimes you’re better off not getting involved, despite your kind
hearted nature. I was called upon to visit a hospice to remove a
ring. Imagine my dismay when I find a patient already in severe pain
despite the medication. And I am faced with a HUGE class ring that
must have weighed near an ounce and a finger very swollen. It had to
come off Now. And the doctors were not equipped. It took about forty
minutes to make two saw cuts, with two nurses in attendance, the
patient extremely uncomfortable. I was exhausted at the end of it. As
much from anguish as from repeated twisting of the saw crank. All
the while feeling like I am one slip away from a liability suit.

My advice would be to appraise your situation very carefully. And
check your insurance beforehand. Discretion is the better part of
valor.

My war story of the day.

Some jewelry is so funky that, after an hour in the ultrasonic, the
steamer can still release the scent of their perfume and hand
lotions that are still stuck to it. I use it after handling any
customer's jewelry. 

This reminds me of one of my all time pet peeves: TV “chefs” who
make food while wearing their rings! It so turns my stomach I can
hardly watch the Food Network. Watching them knead dough…Yuk, or
worse, handle salad; I mean that stuff isn’t even going to get
cooked.

Rant over.
Larry

Dan makes some good points about windex vs. hand cream in removing
rings, but…ring removal is usually done over the glass counter
top so you have the benefit of doing a little glass cleaning in the
process as opposed to getting a gooey glop on the counter.
Furthermore, skin creams almost always have oils in them and oils
have an affinity for diamonds so that in the process of getting the
ring off, the diamonds or other stones get nastied and dull. Windex
is really quite harmless unless you have a prior skin sensitivity; I
certainly don’t know of anyone who feels compelled to use protective
gloves when using windex. Most of my customers admit to using hand
lotion to get their rings off at home, but when I put out how that
practice leaves a noxious residue on the bottom of their stones they
opt for the windex.

Ron MIlls, Mills Gem Co., Los Osos, Ca.

The suture method may have done an elegant job in this situation 

Dental floss is more readily available than suture, and I have used
it successfully-- but it takes a lot of it, wound very close
together to keep the flesh from just bulging between the strands. I
think probably dental floss and lubricant would be best.

Noel

The trick that I learned from my cousin the EMT, was to slip a bit
of string under the ring, leaving enough sticking out to get a good
grip on, then tightly wrap the rest of the string down to the tip
of the finger." 

If you wrap from the ring to the tip, all the fluid is pushed to the
tip of the finger. Start at the tip and wrap to the ring. I believe
that was posted earlier using suture in an emergency room.

V.

My technique is to have the person turn his (for some reason women
don't have this situation) hand palm side up. I give the person a
small paper towel. I put as little as two drops next to the ring
and have the person rotate the ring to get some of the Windex under
the metal. It works quickly every time. A lot cleaner I think than
creme. He uses the towel to wipe off the residue et voilE1.
Spraying need not be involved. 

I am forced to cut off at least 1 ring per week, on average. Of the
customers that come to us for this sevice, less than 10% are
removable by windex alone or “finger wrapping” with floss. The
remaining 90+% break down pretty close to:

30% who have not removed their ring(s) for years and have gained a
lot of weight since they put them on. 40% who have damaged thier
finger and it has swelled up 3 to 5 sizes with fluid and inflamation.
25% who have developed arthritis in the knuckles and need the
ring(s) off for a medical procedure.

and

5% who were goofing around and forced on a friend or relatives ring
to “see how it would look”, usually without permission.

I would certainly think twice about using the “finger wrapping”
method unless the “patient” signed a waiver holding you harmless for
any consequences, such as the possibility of nerve damage causing
permanent tingling, pain, or a sensation of cold, such as Raynaud’s
Syndrome or other circulatory problems. Even WITH a waiver, a
sympathetic jury could award a sizeable sum if they thoiught that you
were negligent in your actions.

Lee Cornelius
Vegas Jewelers

WOW !,

This is one of those scenarios where the problem is so obvious that
you overlook it ! If a tungsten carbide or titanium ring has to be
cut off in a hurry, due to swelling and restriction of circulation or
due to injuries to the end on the finger, the use of conventional
means ( using a steel saw ) is not going to solve the problem. Maybe
the titanium ring can be cut, but then how do you bend the cut ring
away from the finger ? I have always used a couple of pairs of needle
nosed pliers and, even then, a gold ring, especially a white gold
ring, requires a great deal of strength to bend away from the finger.
In the case of tungsten carbide I would suggest that their sale be
prohibited…the only thing that is going to get it off is a
diamond saw !

Ron Mills. Mills gem Co. Los Osos, Ca. ( From now on I am going to reply
to inquiries regarding the use of these rings that they not be used at
all !)

Dental floss and lube works best to remove bands, but not so well on
a ring with a fairly large head such as a cluster. In order to work
well, the floss should ‘ride’ along the inside of the band, in
effect ‘unscrewing’ the ring from the finger. If there is a large
head or other obstruction like a notch or groove that ‘locks’ one
ring from a set to the other, it may not work so well.

aurumdog just an old dog digging up the facts on gold. ( not too old
to learn a new trick)