getting il out of work gloves

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I normally save my good but grimy gloves and take home a batch every so often. Dump a load of gloves and some shop rags that made their way home in the washing machine. A warm or hot wash, gentle cycle, Dawn dishwashing detergent, no fabric softener and a second wash if necessary. Let them air dry or use the dryer with VERY LOW or NO heat. Check your washing machine after this for any grime or oil rings, you do not want to wash your normal clothes after this. It might stain delicates or light colored articles, but even if it does not the next person using it will not like the nasty look. The few times residue has been left I wiped it out with a paper towel or ran the washer again with nothing in it but hot water and soap. This has not been tried with the newer kevlar gloves that have been issued in our shop. I have been doing this for about 8-10 years. One shop ran out of gloves for a few weeks and could not get resupplied for whatever reason. I brought my gloves from home whereupon others in the shop began asking for some. Got several free cans of Coke that time(I don't drink coffee).

Other advice would be to clean the area/parts as much as possible before working. Keep a set of gloves for the nasty stuff and another for "cleaner" things. Switch out accordingly. Wipe your gloves off with shop rags. There have been a few people look at me strange when I do this. I just explain it helps the gloves last longer. And finally I try not to wear fabric gloves that do not have some form of liquid barrier, they just wick everything up.

Hope this helps some.

Oddly enough, I've worked late at night in the absolute dead of winter, below zero temps outside. The shope had several NC machines running, and I would typically be wearing a T-shirt.

Those machines would sure give off heat.

In the summertime that place was simply unbearable.

Jim

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I haven't tried this, but I recall that strong alkali turns oil, grease or fat into soap. So, how about soaking the gloves in a solution of lye, and then rinsing with water? Then, maybe some neatsfoot oil or saddle soap, if the leather gets stiff.

Lye will turn leather into soap too.

Pete Keillor

I am getting the impression that the people saying latex gloves are no problem are thinking about the very thin latex gloves and others thinking there could be problems are thinking of the thicker rubber gloves such as those used for dish washing.

The thin ones are condom thin and tear/wear pretty easily. The thicker ones, while they would tear more easily than leather could definitely pull ones hand/finger in.

I guess this means both "sides" are right if my initial assumption is correct.

Jay

My question is about the condom gloves. Has anyone had rotating machinery rip them and did it jerk your hand?

I keep both latex (condom material) and Nitrile gloves on hand and almost always wear them when doing "manual" work in my shops. Latex quickly falls apart when exposed to petroleum products, so I wear Nitrile when exposed to gasoline, oil, etc.

Once I was using a wire wheel mounted in a quarter inch drill to clean some rust off a part. Somehow, one of the latex fingers got wrapped around the chuck. The drill made at least a dozen revs before I could release the trigger. The latex just kept wrapping and stretching; never did tear.

I pulled back with my hand so my fingers didn't get sucked into the chuck; no damage done. But, it certainly gave me a scare. Now, I

Don't count on latex to tear.

BTW, H-F frequently sells latex and Nitrile gloves half price at something like $3.99 per box of 100. They're great to wear when doing any dirty work, such as painting.

Orrin

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I occasionally display antique engines. In order to keep my hands clean while servicing them, I wear cheap cotton gloves. Seeing as how old friends are always stopping by and shaking my hand, I feel that I owe them a clean set of digits.

As you well know, cotton gloves come apart at the seams when run through the washing machine. So, after I've accumuilated a batch of dirty ones, I soak them for a few days in a very strong solution of liquid detergent. Every now and then I'll squish down on them with a stick. This squeezes the detergent through the fabric, but doesn't hurt the seams.

After the soak, I dump out the wash water and replace it with fresh. I change the water every day until the detergent is gone.

I works for me.

My son is an electrical lineman. While working on the ground he uses Atlas Therma Fit gloves. They are woven and seamless with a tough latex facing on the fingers and palm.

They don't fall apart in the washing machine; but, don't use them when handling oily stuff. Oil makes the latex facing very slippery.

I've been wearing them while clearing and burning brush. Whenever they get loaded up with dirt and ashes I run them through the laundry. They've been holding up very well.

Orrin

A city wide blackout at 23 Feb 2004 13:59:31 -0800 did not prevent jim rozen from posting to rec.crafts.metalworking the following:

Al would do that, but he'd be running two machines, chasing back and forth between them, while I'm across the bay watching a six inch cut being made, bundled up.

It's not so much the temp as the activity. Honing out a 30 foot shaft is a lot of "they also work who stand and watch" (I wrote a letter while waiting for the cycle to end.) - and unless one runs back and forth, it doesn't keep you warm.

Oh well, I solved the problem by giving up work for Lent. :-)

I'm told the melt and forge shops get unbearable around May.