How far from Morehead, Ky. is your hunt? I'm about 50 miles from there. Anyway, as for your mishap, I was tinkering with my 1952 5 HP outboard this spring, turned the damned thing over on my right middle 'flippin' finger and dang near cut it off. When the motor flopped over on it, I thought 'oh shit' but when I got it out from under and saw that it was almost cut off, I couldn't believe it. At this time, there was hardly any pain, but it bled like a stuck hog.

I wrapped it up, hopped in the Dodge and headed for the horsepistol. Those idiots made me wait for 3 hours before they went to work on it. This tiny little thing (a physicians assitant) who looked to be all of 15, said, "you may lose your finger tip." I said, No damned wonder! Had you worked on it before it turned blue from lack of circulation perhaps things would be different." GRRRRR! Anyway, she does a local block on it and that hurt like living hell. Then, she very deftly sowed it all back together and it turned pink in an hour. The tip is still numb, probably always will be, but it didn't fall off! Whacking off parts of your anatomy isn't a party to be invited to.

I had a left pinky find its way into a motorcycle chain and rear sprocket in a motocross wipeout,,,,finger is still there and works well 15 years later but is numb as a board for the last inch and has been frost bitten twice,,,,,but it works, and hey the frostbite did not hurt :^)