The head knife slipped. One moment Jake was cutting a smooth curve, the next he was staring at a deep gash across his palm. Fifteen stitches and a month of limited work followed.
"I'd made that cut a thousand times. The one-thousand-and-first time, the leather grabbed the blade differently. That's all it took."
The Recovery
A month of healing. Another month of rebuilding strength and confidence. Jake's cutting hand would never feel quite the same — scar tissue lacks the sensitivity of original skin.
"I lost something I can't get back. The scar works, but it doesn't feel like it used to. That affects my work."
Prevention Focus
Now Jake tapes his cutting hand before every session. Not because tape would have prevented that accident, but because it might prevent the next one. Any barrier between blade and skin matters.
"I got lucky — the cut missed tendons. I could have lost the use of my hand. Tape seems like a small price for reducing that risk."