they didn't put the metal in his fingers... only his major bones are soaked in it.
Also in Ultimate Xmen they finially decided on his official name, James Howllett aka Lucky Jim. Canadian infantry at Dday, everone called him lucky jim because he'd get shot and stand strait back up. He is probably the first known mutant in exsistance in 616
in 616 he's been around for about 1-2 hundred years already I think (wolverine origins has him as a a boy running around with an aumishish family). From what I can tell other than Apokolypse, Namor(maybe) and possible sinister (who I don't know much about) he's the oldest known mutant