Gloves on for cleaning chainsaws

[gwiley]

I use the latex disposables when I am greasing equipment or dealing with diesel - usually done before they disintegrate. Nitrile is better if you are handling gasoline.

I would rely on skin (with quick srub using orange hand cleaner) but the missus doesn't appreciate the smell of petrol later in the evening - that is more important to me than looking macho :greenchainsaw:

 

[andrethegiant70]

My favs are also the nitrile as they seem to hold up better with chemicals. I've had pretty good luck with latex, but some brands are extremely thin and tear easily. I find vinyl turns to jell-o (almost immediately) in the presence of carb cleaner, so I don't buy them anymore. On the other hand, they are excellent for everything else.

 

[David Y.]

I use nitrile gloves from COSTCO. I hate trying to clean up grease and oil. I also use a pair of kitchen gloves for gas etc.

Slightly off topic, but I found a good trick for the Nitrile gloves caulking last fall. I like to use my finger/thumb to smooth the caulk, but I also like using Vulkem caulk which is pretty toxic and murder to get off anything. I was using the nitriles, but it got to be a bit of a pain in the but. They are hard to put on once your hands start to sweat. So what I did was put on 5-6 at a time. When the glove got too grundgy or tore, I would just peel the outer one off and keep working.

 

[WesternSaw]

Great Response!

I never thought I would get so many responses on this topic.Thanks to everyone of you that put up a reply!As far as my hand is concerned it is healing up fine.I used Aveeno Active Naturals lotion it's kinda pricey up here in Canada at $16.00 for the 532mil size.I used two different types,one was the daily moisturizing lotion the other was the skin relief moisturizing lotion.I also tried another as well called Glysomed.Sorry not trying to turn this into a beauty bar thread,just thought it might help someone out with the same problem.
Thanks Again
Lawrence

 

[matt9923]

Gloves? WTF!! LOL

Never use em, cant feel what i'm doing, get in the way, tear, my hands get all sweaty. I wouldn't trust my engine work with them things, would drop a clip in the engine.

Ill regret it when i'm older, i get bad stuff on my hands to where my skin gets slimy and is dissolving.... cant do it any other way, even in winter i hate gloves, until i cant feel my fingers.. They get in the way. Got a 2 gallon tub of gojo hand cleaner under the sink when the hands get dirty.

 

[Jacob J.]

You guys need to wear gloves when handling chemicals. I damaged the skin on the backs of both of my hands in my early 20's when I worked for the Forest Service. We mixed a lot of napalm manually as well as handling various types of petroleum-based chemicals. Now, my hands can't take any type of cold weather, even for a few seconds. The skin on the back of my hands continually sloughs off like I have a bad sunburn. I've seen a dermatologist about it but he basically said I'm stuck with this. He also said this condition makes me extremely susceptible to cancer.

Not to mention, your liver has to filter all the #### that your skin absorbs while you're handling these chemicals.

Seriously, wear gloves.

 

[Justsaws]

You guys need to wear gloves when handling chemicals. I damaged the skin on the backs of both of my hands in my early 20's when I worked for the Forest Service. We mixed a lot of napalm manually as well as handling various types of petroleum-based chemicals. Now, my hands can't take any type of cold weather, even for a few seconds. The skin on the back of my hands continually sloughs off like I have a bad sunburn. I've seen a dermatologist about it but he basically said I'm stuck with this. He also said this condition makes me extremely susceptible to cancer.

Not to mention, your liver has to filter all the #### that your skin absorbs while you're handling these chemicals.

Seriously, wear gloves.

Well said. Gloves are just another tool. Buy them, use them and enjoy the benefits of having a well equipped tool box.

Nothing ruins the day like having the skin on your hands slough off, crack open and bleed all over everything that you touch. It is a completely avoidable PITA and a permanent reminder of my younger dumber years.

 

[little possum]

I picked up some cheap latex gloves a while back. I just like to keep my hands from gettin exposed to the things out in the shop. Carb cleaners, simple green, acid, all kinds of stuff out there.

Well said JJ and Justsaws.

 

[TommySaw]

I never thought I would get so many responses on this topic.Thanks to everyone of you that put up a reply!As far as my hand is concerned it is healing up fine.I used Aveeno Active Naturals lotion it's kinda pricey up here in Canada at $16.00 for the 532mil size.I used two different types,one was the daily moisturizing lotion the other was the skin relief moisturizing lotion.I also tried another as well called Glysomed.Sorry not trying to turn this into a beauty bar thread,just thought it might help someone out with the same problem.
Thanks Again
Lawrence

If you can find some pure Aloe Vera lotion(better yet an actual Aloe Vera plant) and put it on your hand you would be amazed how it heals skin problems. I have a couple plants in the house just in case I need some.

 

[Evan]

my hands are desenceitized from turning wrenches, welding, and pouring concrete. concrete has been the hardest thing on my hands.

welding gloves are killer on your hands i think ive been burned worse wearing gloves then if i dont they hold so much heat and ill keep a good weld going even after the pain starts. i have alot of burns on my hands that scared up pretty good.

no i dont wear gloves

 

[Fastcast]

You guys need to wear gloves when handling chemicals. I damaged the skin on the backs of both of my hands in my early 20's when I worked for the Forest Service. We mixed a lot of napalm manually as well as handling various types of petroleum-based chemicals. Now, my hands can't take any type of cold weather, even for a few seconds. The skin on the back of my hands continually sloughs off like I have a bad sunburn. I've seen a dermatologist about it but he basically said I'm stuck with this. He also said this condition makes me extremely susceptible to cancer.

Not to mention, your liver has to filter all the #### that your skin absorbs while you're handling these chemicals.

Seriously, wear gloves.

:agree2:

To the ones who claim real men don't wear gloves, they obviously don't have their hands in chemicals and/paint everyday. If they did, they would put their pride in their back pocket and put the gloves on or most likely live a short life.

Reminds me of some of the auto painters back in the old days, that laughed at respirators. Well, many of those guys died young 40-50 riddled with cancer.

With that said....I think Steve H. has it right. You need to get the heavy duty 8mill nitrile gloves, not the thin 4mil.....I use to get them at Horror Freight. Theirs use to be the HD ones but apparently they've went to those thin ones (same price though....lol) and they're junk. If you get the 8mil they hold up very well to most chemicals, for quite awhile. When they eventually start to tear, just put a new pair on.

 

[chemist]

what kind of sprays do you use to clean your saws with.. I know my husky has quite a bit of plastic on it as most saws do so I use a dry brush with stiff bristles and shop towel but there are some stuff and some areas I just cant get clean or to break loose from the saw..I afraid to use carb cleaner as it may crack the plastic... thanks..

The safest solvent to use near typical plastics is ethanol. Acetone will soften the plastic, carb cleaner etc. will etch and discolor it.

 

[chemist]

:agree2:

To the ones who claim real men don't wear gloves, they obviously don't have their hands in chemicals and/paint everyday. If they did, they would put their pride in their back pocket and put the gloves on or most likely live a short life.

Reminds me of some of the auto painters back in the old days, that laughed at respirators. Well, many of those guys died young 40-50 riddled with cancer.

With that said....I think Steve H. has it right. You need to get the heavy duty 8mill nitrile gloves, not the thin 4mil.....I use to get them at Horror Freight. Theirs use to be the HD ones but apparently they've went to those thin ones (same price though....lol) and they're junk. If you get the 8mil they hold up very well to most chemicals, for quite awhile. When they eventually start to tear, just put a new pair on.

I think it there are smart choices to be made. I'm a full time chemist, so you would expect that I would be an advocate of gloves all the time, but I'm not.

I have found that people who wear gloves for everything lose their awareness of what they are working with. They develop a strong false sense of security from having the gloves on. They become less 'careful' with the things they should be very careful with regardless of whether or not they are wearing gloves.

Also, if you are doing a delicate task, sometimes gloves can put you at a greater risk of making an even larger mess or disaster from the loss of dexterity.

Awareness is key. Give a quick look in the MSDS database for the chemical you are using and know the risks.

http://ccinfoweb.ccohs.ca/msds/search.html

I think it is more about being conscious of the risks, and making smart choices. If gloves are needed, then wear them. If gloves aren't then don't.

 

[Fastcast]

I think it there are smart choices to be made. I'm a full time chemist, so you would expect that I would be an advocate of gloves all the time, but I'm not.

I have found that people who wear gloves for everything lose their awareness of what they are working with. They develop a strong false sense of security from having the gloves on. They become less 'careful' with the things they should be very careful with regardless of whether or not they are wearing gloves.

Also, if you are doing a delicate task, sometimes gloves can put you at a greater risk of making an even larger mess or disaster from the loss of dexterity.

Awareness is key. Give a quick look in the MSDS database for the chemical you are using and know the risks.

http://ccinfoweb.ccohs.ca/msds/search.html

I think it is more about being conscious of the risks, and making smart choices. If gloves are needed, then wear them. If gloves aren't then don't.

:agree2:

With that said though.....I thought we were talking about typical shop type solvents for cleanup, not laboratory chemicals, where dexterity would be more crucial.

For the record, I don't always wear cloves. Of course, if they hinder my dexterity on an intricate job, they're gone but If you're just washing some parts down, like the OP is talking about, why wouldn't you want them?.....Cleaning saws/parts is not brain surgery.

Like with all things, common sense rules the day.

 

[bitzer]

I think it there are smart choices to be made. I'm a full time chemist, so you would expect that I would be an advocate of gloves all the time, but I'm not.

I have found that people who wear gloves for everything lose their awareness of what they are working with. They develop a strong false sense of security from having the gloves on. They become less 'careful' with the things they should be very careful with regardless of whether or not they are wearing gloves.

Also, if you are doing a delicate task, sometimes gloves can put you at a greater risk of making an even larger mess or disaster from the loss of dexterity.

Awareness is key. Give a quick look in the MSDS database for the chemical you are using and know the risks.

http://ccinfoweb.ccohs.ca/msds/search.html

I think it is more about being conscious of the risks, and making smart choices. If gloves are needed, then wear them. If gloves aren't then don't.

Great post! I am not full time yet, but I have spent a lot of time in Chem labs with many chemicals, measuring powders to three decimal places and handling all molarities of acids and bases. Precision and a steady hand are necessary. Its all about judgement. I generally trust my bare hands because you need to feel what you are doing and it makes me much more careful. I am also not worried about looking tough, I work by myself 99% of the time at the shop. Its about knowing what you're working with and discretion. A little gas or diesel or oil won't hurt, unless your elbow deep in it all day every day. Keep gojo and paper towels handy. Positioning a circlip with gloves on could be fun to watch.


I'm also with Evan on the scarred and beat hands. Welding, diesel and other engine repairs, carpentry, masonry. Depending on the season and circumstances I have those tasks and more that go along with my job. All apart from running and maintaining saws and playing with trees for the rest of the time. Just use good judgement.

 

[Meadow Beaver]

You guys need to wear gloves when handling chemicals. I damaged the skin on the backs of both of my hands in my early 20's when I worked for the Forest Service. We mixed a lot of napalm manually as well as handling various types of petroleum-based chemicals. Now, my hands can't take any type of cold weather, even for a few seconds. The skin on the back of my hands continually sloughs off like I have a bad sunburn. I've seen a dermatologist about it but he basically said I'm stuck with this. He also said this condition makes me extremely susceptible to cancer.

Not to mention, your liver has to filter all the #### that your skin absorbs while you're handling these chemicals.

Seriously, wear gloves.

I got muratic acid on my hands the other day, maybe I should rethink wearing gloves.

 

[matt9923]

I know I should but Its hard to work with them and I don't want to compromise quality work. They make me angry, I try to wear them if i'm spraying or something for long periods of time.

Chemist said it well.

 

[kevin j]

I have become a real glove advocate.
As result of many years of wrenching, welding, farm cold, washing parts in gasoline, trapping in winter etc. I have very little skin feeling in my fingers anymore. Too much frostbite and chemical effects.
My son was Dodge and vw mechanic and got me wearing the nitrile gloves, Grainger boxes of 100 for about $10, for a lot of routine work. Carpentry, sheetrock, auto repairs etc they help the skin a lot. I also wear outside in cold weather and find that stopping the evaporative loss of moisture keeps my fingers much warmer. I wear wristlets made from old socks (reduces heat loss from the blood vessels on inside of arm just above wrist, so more heat stays in teh blood to get to the fingers). Combination of wristlets and nitrile gloves means I can work in pretty cold weather. They work really well for wet tasks like oil change or antifreeze or working on cattle waterers. Adding leather glovesworks for abrasive jobs, and still is a warmer but thinner package than thicker insulated gloves.
Anyway, back to the cleaning, I use the gloves for most chemicals except carb sprays, acetone, etc then use heavier chem resistant ones.

kcj

 

[constantine]

Gloves - yes.

Gloves are a must. I always wear them while sharpening chains (duh!) but while cleaning with solvents as well. Once or twice, you think you don't need gloves, but constant absorption of solvents such as toluene, acetone, MEK, etc., can really mess up your kidneys and liver.

For cleaning plastic, I like isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol). A bottle of the 91% stuff costs $1.29 at the drugstore, and I keep a squirt bottle of it on the bench. Rims, mufflers, etc, get cleaned with the Brake Parts Cleaner. Using that stuff, not only should you wear gloves, you should use it outdoors! Flammable as hell, and harmful to your lungs.

BTW, I also wear gloves (nitrile) when reloading. Handling lead bullets for the last 40 years of loading up my own practice ammo has not destroyed my nervous system. I know a guy at my gun club who cast bullets in his basement, and inhaled lead fumes. When all his hair fell out, he saw a doctor. He lived, and the concentration of lead in his body is slowly coming down, but what he went through is too bad to mess with.

Wearing gloves does not make you a wimp - it shows you care about your health.

 

[mdavlee]

I wear mechanix gloves to work on chainsaws, trucks, or whatever. It keeps me from having cuts and helpsclean my hands up easier when I'm done. I have some of the nitrile gloves for cleaning parts with brake parts cleaner. I always try to wear safety glasses when I'm using it also.