UPDATED:The First Thing I Thought of When Someone Lost a Thumb or the Littlest Captain Hook

NOW WITH BETTER PICTURES!!!! YAY!!! WOOHHOO!! YIPEEE!
(they're still not great, but I need a better camera, and/or more lighting)

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In a truly sad, and yet somehow hilarious, misadventure my boss lost the top portion of his thumb to the hungry jaws of a steel-framed glass door. You would be right to feel bad for this unfortunate occurrence, but do bear in mind that he has an extensive collection of photos that begin shortly after the incident all the way up stitching and wrapping, as well as many, many "after" pics.

If you have seen any of my other instructables, you are probably well aware that I like pirates. A simple fact, yet a true one.

Anyway, upon loss of digit the first idea I had was to create a thumb-sized hook prosthetic. Probably not as useful a a hook hand, the hook thumb was a huge hit among the Dr.'s where my boss was getting his new nub checked out.

Pretty simple, but here we go..

Step 1: Materials and Tools.

So I still have many of the materials I used for my Airship Goggles, and figured they would be perfect for this.

Materials:
piece of reclaimed leather
waxed sinew thread
small brass hook (screw in)
small brass washer (decorative)
small piece of found wood
little buckle from an old shoe

Tools:
curved needle
glue

Step 2: Basic Structure

I started by wrapping a scrap of leather around my own thumb, keeping even just about at the first knuckle. I knew that I wanted it to go lower than that, but i have a whole thumb and he does not, so I guessed at the length.

Then I stitched up the seam along the side and gathered the top into the smallest point I could, knowing that it would be hidden by the washer at the base of the hook.

I put a couple of stitches to hold the top together but not so much as to create extra bulk.

Next I inserted a wooden button in the tip with a small amount of glue to keep it in place.

Step 3: The Hook Itself

The hook itself is put through the washer and screwed into the wooden button.

easy step , huh?

Step 4: Padding

I folded up a couple of layers of leather and pushed it up into the end, one for padding, and two to protect the nub from the end of the screw.

wow, another quick one.