Hand Care

[thostorey]

What, if anything, do you do to protect your hands from the exotic wood oils and dust, the various finishes and sandpaper grit? My hands are a mess, chapped and irritated from the above.

I was going to post this question before dinner but I decided to do a little research first. So, as a test, I put on some latex gloves and turned a pen.

All was going just great, I was just finishing sanding with the final grit when some part of my gloved right hand touched the knurled mandrel nut. What happened next will take much longer to tell than the event itself!

My hand was yanked into the mandrel, the glove tore with a snap and wrapped itself tightly and loudly around the work-piece and I nearly dropped a load. My attention had been gained!

So, now I’ll ask the question. What do you do to protect your hands? And don’t tell me you wear latex gloves[:I].

 

[Scottydont]

Originally posted by thostorey


So, now I’ll ask the question. What do you do to protect your hands? And don’t tell me you wear latex gloves[:I].

OK, I use nitrile gloves! [] Any little catch I have had results in a small part of the nitrile glove being torn way. Wow that's a scare.

 

[pen-turners]

I usually have my hands covered with so much CA glue that the wood does not bother them......... []

Just kidding.... I don't use any gloves at all and nothing has ever seemed to bother my hands at all.

Chris

 

[Gary Max]

I just started useing Nitrile gloves. I ain't wearing them all day-- just when they are needed and then only one glove. Heck they will last longer that way. So far I am very happy with them. I think I paid $1.85 for 12 gloves at Lowes. They are blue which makes them a lot easier to find on my work bench.

 

[Gregory Huey]

Their are the creams that you rub on your hands and they dry into a kind of glove. Auto Mech. use it a lot. Not sure where to get it and don't think it would hold up to CA but should work fine for oils and dust. I think I have seen it in paint stores to.

 

[Guest]

Sorry I do so much CA finishing I have enough CA on my hands to keep onything else off them.
Down side is it makes it tough to hold on to the small pieces when assembling the pens.
I am forever dropping stuff.
My wife a daughter are good at finding the parts I can't see.
I will occaisionally use a brown cloth glove when I do a friction finish but not often.

 

[tipusnr]

I don't use anything but have a shop cleaning soap (like GoJo) that has lanolin in it for cleaning my hands whenever I have to go upstairs. I have purchased the nitrile gloves with the intent to use them during glue ups but haven't yet.

I don't do CA finishes so can't tell you anything about that. I do, however, have a cutproof glove for handling knives and tools during the final phase of sharpening (even if MY edges don't warrant it).

 

[Fred in NC]

Sometimes I use a glove for glue-up. That is about it.

 

[dougle40]

I'm like the majority above , I don't use anything at all , not even when doing glue-ups and I've not had any problems at all .

 

[woodspinner]

Tom
I am like the above, no usage, but I do have a skin condition on my right hand. I have found that if I put Bag Baum on and rub it in that it does wonders. Bag Baum is found at the farm or dairy supply and yes it is for cows.

Good turning and be safe
Bill

 

[Fred in NC]

Bag Balm is good. Udder Cream, and other names for the same product, can be found at most drugstores, including WalMart.

 

[Fingerworks]

I had a really nasty reaction to wood dust that required a cortisone injection from my doctor to get it under control. Not fun.

I now use latex surgical gloves when ever I'm handling unfinished exotic wood. In addition I'm serious about dust control and making sure I keep the dust and shavings from making contact with my skin. Thankfully, the approach I'm using is working, i.e. no additional reactions and lots of completed pens.

 

[Travlr7]

While I don't believe that I have much of a problem with alergies, I do have a problem with my skin drying out and cracking in the winter. I have solved the problem by using Shea Butter in the morning. It seems to hold the moisture in and keep the oils, etc. off my hands all day. It's worth a try, if you haven't already.

Bruce[]

 

[William Young]

I dont use anything on my hands for small stuff like pens but for bowls I use a pair of leather work gloves ever since I got a catch in a deep bowl that bent my gouge and pulled my hand into places it shouldn't have been and got the blood flowing followed by a swelled hand. Good outcome though . No broken bones and a lesson learned.

Tom;
I was just thinking (yes, that's dangerous) . I wonder if it has anything to do with that home made concoction you are finishing your pens with?
Just a thought.
W.Y.