Beginner question - gloves

[AJB Temple]

I am a total novice turner (not novice woodworker). An allergy to wood tar among other things causes eczema (quite severe if I let it run away) and so when using hand tools I usually wear cotton gloves to keep it at bay. Having read the safety section here I realise this is dangerous around a lathe.

Has anyone come across thin breathable gloves that are not woven or machine knitted? Normally I buy job lots of thin cotton gloves from Amazon. Obviously I can wear latex or non-latex mechanics / medical gloves, but these induce sweating and so I am looking for a more user friendly material. Any brilliant ideas chaps?

 

[Rhossydd]

You might find that you may only need protection when sanding, so latex gloves might not be too bad to wear for short periods sanding.
I can't think of any 'break away' gloves.

Have you tried using a barrier cream to prevent irritation ?

 

[AJB Temple]

Yes, thank you, but barrier creams leave marks on everything. I did think originally that thin cotton medical gloves would be fine when using lathe tools, then switch to latex for sanding, but it is probably an accident waiting to happen. I am going on a basics of turning course in January for a couple of days at Axminster, so maybe they will have an idea there.

 

[Rhossydd]

Yes, thank you, but barrier creams leave marks on everything.

Never found that myself. The creams I've used have been absorbed well.
Even a dollop of Swarfega well rubbed in has worked well for me.

 

[Woodchips2]

I'd also be wary of what woods you turn because some can cause rashes even if you weren't prone to eczema. I used nitrile gloves when applying finishes but your hands do sweat.

Couldn't you try a less dangerous hobby like bungee jumping. :lol:

Regards Keith

 

[AJB Temple]

Rhoyysed, my forays into woodworking over the years largely revolved around making guitars. I have ended up re-making a few pieces where trees of creams have penetrated wood surfaces and prevented satisfactory finishing, so I am wary now. Things like Dermovate leave a greasy residue, even through a barrier cream, hence the use of gloves.

 

[dickm]

Dunno if it would work for the OP, but local pharmacy had some stuff called "Gloves in a bottle" which I've been using to combat dry skin caused by blood medication. It seems to absorb completely, but seals the skin surface quite effectively.
(Or try sanding dealer - only joking!)

 

[Rhossydd]

my forays into woodworking over the years largely revolved around making guitars.

From the little I know about this field, you'd have been mainly be making subtle (dust making) cuts and sanding tropical hardwoods. This is probably the most allergenic woodworking you could get involved with.

Turning may offer a more benign style of woodwork.
Large shaving should be less prone to trigger allergies and there's a lot that can be achieved without ever needing to work with the tropical exotics that seem to cause people so many problems.
That's not to say there aren't some potential problematic timbers, as mentioned previously, but avoid the known risky woods and you may get along better than you fear.
For me, Laurel was a nightmare, others have problems with Yew. I'm sure others will add their own horror timbers, but less contentious timbers like Sycamore or Elm might give you no problems at all.

Things like Dermovate leave a greasy residue, even through a barrier cream, hence the use of gloves.

I suggested barrier cream as a simple way to avoid problems when shaping and cutting, when there's little need to handle wood, before the final sanding that could be done with gloves.

 

[Duncan A]

Just a thought, never used them myself, but would close-fitting leather gloves be any good?
These for example?
http://www.toughgloves.com/301.html

Duncan

 

[AJB Temple]

Duncan, thank you That is a good idea that had never occurred to me. I will look into it. Adrian

 

[beganasatree]

Duncan you beat me to it ,I was going to suggest leather driving gloves.

Peter.

 

[Wildman]

I'm sorry being old school I don't think ANY sort of gloves are safe around revolving machinery same goes for ties or any thing else that may snag and grip your hand or whatever. Scrolling can be done afely with gloves but not a rotary machine of any sort. I realise people do but it is not recommended.

 

[Rhossydd]

I'm sorry being old school I don't think ANY sort of gloves are safe around revolving machinery

I think that is a bit too 'old school'. I'd agree that the leather gloves being discussed still wouldn't be a good option, but thin latex style gloves really present no danger. They tear SO easily that they couldn't drag your hands into machinery.
In this case they would offer the sort allergen protection that the OP seeks, if not ideal for prolonged use as they can get a bit sweaty. Although medical and lab staff seem happy enough to wear them for hours on end. It's not impossible to rotate through several pairs, but they're also cheap as chips anyway.

I've just waded through the Arco* catalogue's pages on gloves and there really isn't anything I can see more suitable. I'd thought they might be some sort of paper gloves, but there's nothing like that.


*Arco are are a big PPE supplier and their catalogue is interesting to skim through to see the range of products available. Relevant here is 80 pages just of gloves for various purposes, but they also offer powered respirators (as discussed here last week), face masks, eye protection, etc.

 

[duncanh]

*Arco are are a big PPE supplier and their catalogue is interesting to skim through to see the range of products available. Relevant here is 80 pages just of gloves for various purposes, but they also offer powered respirators (as discussed here last week), face masks, eye protection, etc.

Arco are great! We use them for most of our PPE at work and I'm lucky to have one of their shops just down the road in Gateshead.
A couple of times a year they have a '30% off everything' sale so you can pick up supplies at great prices

 

[Rhossydd]

A couple of times a year they have a '30% off everything' sale so you can pick up supplies at great prices

Thanks for the heads up on that, I'll get on their mailing list.

The one curious omission I've found so far is no chainsaw protection kit, apart from eye wateringly expensive boots.