Incan and spider bite

[NE450No2]

Here is a suprise, but if you think about it, perfectly normal.

Yesterday my wife got bit on the arm by a spider.

So I gave her a benydryl, and made her a paste of MSG to put on the bite site.

I checked it from time to time....

However after it got dark, ie no sunlight comming in the window I shined a flashlight on it.

First a G2L with low batteries. I could not really tell anything as the colors were not right and there seemed to be no depth perception, ie how big is the swelled up area???

So I reached in my pocket and pulled out my A2 Aviator, and with its LED's the results were the same.

However:

When I "pressed on" the incandescent bulb, I could immediately see the effected area, how red it was, and how much it was swollen up.

The difference was "night and day".

LED's have their place, but I do not think they can replace incandescent's, at least in the near future.

 

[WadeF]

Re: Incandescent vs LED

There are some high CRI LED's out there, like the one used in the McGizmo Sundrop. However most of the LED's on the market aren't as good as incan when it comes to the CRI.

 

[Search]

Re: Incandescent vs LED

LEDs are my hands down choice for a duty/work light. Strong, efficient, and bright.

When I'm not working though, I always have an incan in hand for this reason.

They might not be the most efficient, but they sure do look good.

 

[xeonsaga88]

Re: Incandescent vs LED

LEDs are my hands down choice for a duty/work light. Strong, efficient, and bright.

When I'm not working though, I always have an incan in hand for this reason.

They might not be the most efficient, but they sure do look good.

+1 And incans are easy on the eyes to me

 

[DM51]

I've changed the title of your thread - the original was likely to cause trouble. I don't think you intended it that way, but you hit on one of the most provocative titles you could have thought of.

I considered closing the thread, but it should survive well enough as long as there is no Incan vs. LED flaming. If that happens, the thread will close, with action taken against offenders.

 

[xenonk]

There are warmer tint LEDs and high CRI LEDs available that do a better job of showing reds/skin tones, but incans are blackbody radiators and colour rendition really is their strong suit. I keep a few and refuse to give them up for exactly this reason.

 

[JeffInChi]

Re: Incandescent vs LED

LEDs are my hands down choice for a duty/work light. Strong, efficient, and bright.

When I'm not working though, I always have an incan in hand for this reason.

They might not be the most efficient, but they sure do look good.

I love LED's but...

It is difficult to discern colors, specifically redish/orangish/pinkish colors, especially outdoors with a "bluer" tint.

 

[KiwiMark]

This is why you should have many torches of many kinds - the different types have different strengths.

I got incans, LEDs, AAA, AA, 14500, 16340, 18650, 26500, 32650, big ones, small ones, keychain lights, etc. I like my ROP low around the house and my smaller single cell LED lights for EDC (better pocketability).


I grab whatever seems right for the job in question.

 

[Outdoors Fanatic]

Re: Incandescent vs LED

There are some high CRI LED's out there, like the one used in the McGizmo Sundrop. However most of the LED's on the market aren't as good as incan when it comes to the CRI.

High CRI LEDs only reach 83 on the scale, incans are 100 on the CRI scale. BIG difference.

 

[NE450No2]

DM51

Thanks, :oops: I did not mean to cause [or continue] a Hatfield and Mccoy Feud.

I am new here at CPF, but I have been using lights for a long time.

I personally do not see the need for "Feuds bashing, flaming" etc. about Incandescent vs LED's.

I use and like both.

They each have their advantages, and they are different enough that each has its place.

 

[Larbo]

Each kind of light color temp has advantages and disadvantages, when checking the color using both leds and incans covers all bases. An example, at one of the building at work there are high pressure sodium lights...orange looks brown, dark green looks black etc. Hope she is ok as those can be nasty.

 

[R@ndom]

Re: Incandescent vs LED

High CRI LEDs only reach 83 on the scale, incans are 100 on the CRI scale. BIG difference.

Nichia 083 = 92 cri
Neutral SSC p4 = 93 cri

haven't tried the nichia but the P4 isn't as pleasant as an A2 or a hotwire.

 

[NE450No2]

Each kind of light color temp has advantages and disadvantages, when checking the color using both leds and incans covers all bases. An example, at one of the building at work there are high pressure sodium lights...orange looks brown, dark green looks black etc. Hope she is ok as those can be nasty.

Larbo

Thanks for your concern...

Her arm fell off, and I could not find it with an LED light...

It was luckly, as I had my A2 Aviator. With its Incandescent bulb I was able to find her arm [good color rendition], and with the aid of the loe light LED's, use the phone book and phone a call to the "ARM ATTACHING DOCTOR"....


WELL IF if did not happen THAT way it COULD have...

Actually her arm is just fine, thanks for asking.

 

[HarryN]

Back to the spider bite for a moment - there are certainly a wide range of spider bite "intensities" if you will.

I had a bite in the garage recently, and was spooked enough for my mind to start racing - what can I do.

It occurred to me, that there are two main things I needed to treat:
- kill any bacteria to reduce infection
- try to destry any (possible) venom

I am not saying this always works, but I soaked the spot with some 50/50 household blead / water and (in my particular case) it seemed to work. I held the solution there with a cotton cleaning rag.

The idea is that chlorine bleach is a pretty strong oxidizing agent, and as likely to destroy what is there as anything else. It was also the only thing I had around even close to a treatment. I have also learned that in most cases, straight out of the bottle household bleach can be applied to the skin, although I don't think the FDA will recommend this.

 

[Outdoors Fanatic]

Back to the spider bite for a moment - there are certainly a wide range of spider bite "intensities" if you will.

I had a bite in the garage recently, and was spooked enough for my mind to start racing - what can I do.

It occurred to me, that there are two main things I needed to treat:
- kill any bacteria to reduce infection
- try to destry any (possible) venom

I am not saying this always works, but I soaked the spot with some 50/50 household blead / water and (in my particular case) it seemed to work. I held the solution there with a cotton cleaning rag.

The idea is that chlorine bleach is a pretty strong oxidizing agent, and as likely to destroy what is there as anything else. It was also the only thing I had around even close to a treatment. I have also learned that in most cases, straight out of the bottle household bleach can be applied to the skin, although I don't think the FDA will recommend this.

That's completely absurd! The only thing you should apply on the bitten area is water and neutral soap. NO drugs of any kind and especially no cleaning products! Go see a doctor but NEVER try to use some "redneck cure" to bites.

 

[Bimmerboy]

Her arm fell off, and I could not find it with an LED light...

LOL!... possibly the funniest thing I've seen on CPF all summer. :thumbsup:

 

[NE450No2]

Actually most spiders bites are not that bad for humans.

The exception being, what part of the world you are in?

Around here the Brown Recluse, and the Black Widow are probably the most dangerous.

Other than them, a spider bite is like any other bite, it is a hole in your skin where venom might or might not have been injected.

Also since spiders eat bugs there is a chance of bacterial infection.

Iodine or Hydrogen Peroxide [H2O2] is good to clense the wound, but many spider, and other insect bites pretty much close up, so a little "squeezing" as you apply the above is not a bad idea. Remember I said a "little squeezing".

Also a benedryl pill is a good idea for most bites, as it reduces inflimation and itching.

Works especially good if you have a couple of hundred mosquito or chigger bites [ask me how I know].

MSG [ the incredient in ACCENT food seasoning] works on any insect bite, it seems to reduce swelling and redness.


Also we ALWAYS carried Household Ammonia with us when SCUBA diving, or swimming in the ocean, as it was just the thing to put on a Jellyfish/Porteguese MAN O' WAR, sting.

As to "regular" cuts and abrasions, you will be suprised how effective H2O2, and Iodine still are.

Especially if you are in 3rd or 4th World locations.

I did get a couple of spider bites in Africa one time, on my face, side of nose, and on my ankle, the last night I was there that did not swell up until after I had returned home.

They were nasty looking and fairly painful, but anitbiotics and pain pills helped me get through it.

 

[HarryN]

I don't claim intimate knowledge about spider bites, but I think that my chemical engineering background does raise my approach somewhat above "red kneck" cure. I suppose you could equally say that all home - remedies, from rain forest plant extracts (modern pharms) to soap and water are similarly "red-kneck" if they are not FDA approved, or first discovered by a PhD / Physician.

As far as types of spiders around here, we do have brown recluse, black widows, etc. While we try to manage this, there is nothing sold in this part of CA capable of killing spiders or preventing infestation, so the best I can do is drive away their food and mess up the webs.

I realize that you have a nice spider icon and reference to spiders in your description, but "doing nothing" is not an option if you believe you might have been bitten by a brown recluse. I have seen what these bites can do and have no interest in "letting nature take its course". Getting to a doctor at midnight because you "might have been bitten by spider X" is not always an option either. (ER - this nut case thinks he was bitten by a spider - doesn't know if it was dangerous - ok, just send him a bill)

Identification of spiders is easy for an expert, but if I am not wearing my glasses and in a dark area, this is not really that simple.

I could be wrong here, but I think many of the fluids from animals are organic acids and / or proteins that contain double bonds. It seems reasonable (from a chemical viewpoint) that countering these fluids with a mild oxidizing base could potentially neutralize the acidic side into a less harmfull salt, while the oxidizing characteristic could potentially alter the chemical makeup by attacking the double bonds. I originally did this thought process in the heat of the moment, so of course no "double blind" experiments were conducted first.

Conceptually, this is not so different than the use of NH3 based anti-itch medications which are widely sold for other insect bites, just slightly more potent.

Since you seem to have more access to spiders under controlled conditions, perhaps you would like to test out this method on some mice or something and then report back on the results more scientifically.

 

[xenonk]

Call me a redneck, but I don't hesitate to reach for alcohol to disinfect bites or superglue to suture cuts if I need to. It usually works and causes no lasting harm. I like to think I'm not quite that fragile...

 

[KiwiMark]

Call me a redneck, but I don't hesitate to reach for alcohol to disinfect bites or superglue to suture cuts if I need to. It usually works and causes no lasting harm. I like to think I'm not quite that fragile...

Ahhh, Alcohol - the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems.