Donald, for me it’s not luck, it’s a matter of paying attention,
throwing my gloves out when I see a hole (before polishing), and
using excellent technique.
Once again, it’s how comfortable and confident one feels.
Jeff Herman
I never wear anything when I buff. I just keep a container of water
next to buffer to cool things down fast. Only time I protect my
fingers iswhen I have deep cuts and wounds on my fingers ( mostly in
the wintertime) and I use the snug leather cots from Gesswein to
keep my wounds fromgetting any worst. I also keep the leather cots
on my fingers during benchtime, so I keep metal filings out of my
skin and keep a little protection on the sensitive skin.
http://www.ganoksin.com/gnkurl/ep814w
The ones from Otto Frei are too long, so I usually cut about an inch
offat the open end so they can fit onto my fingers.
Joy
I used to use those rubber tips for fingers that accountants use. It
saves your fingers and doesn’t have any fabric to get caught up.
Worked for me…
Mary Young
to use or not to use that is the question. I was taught never wear
gloves but do find something to stick inside bracelets and rings to
help you hold them for polishing.
well they say mother is an inventor out of necessity. yep this
mother thinks out side the box. There are various creams that help
protect hands from thins artists do to them. They all work sort of.
But it is a good first barrier.
Gloves some people never have a problem, and other lose bits and
pieces.
What holds the universe together? You got it… duct tape. it is
now made in various color to coordinate with your shop aprons (mom
says wear your apron. for other reasons) There are also various
widths of the universal bonding tape. Un like the tapes you see in
the supply catalogs this stuff will not start to unravel while it is
on you and cause worse problems.
Now that I’ve got an audience twisting their undies let me explain
how to use this magical stuff. Not the knuckles. start with covering
the non knuckle area. Not tightly but comfortably. Have you
remembered about the first layer I mentioned? If you have not wrapped
the tape to look like a straining sausage casing, you are able to
flex you fingers. Now is the time for a third layer. A little more of
the protective cream on the knuckles.
The first barrier cream gets rid of the interaction of skin and
adhesive.
It also makes it easier to cut off the tape. I’ve found for me, I
can cut the strips have them attached to a counter edge and then put
them on relatively fast.
Here is another clean the hands trick. About 5 years ago I found
liquid Lava soap in a pump bottle. It’s great at getting that
stubborn grime off. Well I only found it once and never again. The
bar version just wasn’t the same. So, going back to farm girl days, i
put as many bars cut up into pieces as I could get into a mason jar.
filled it with some water, and let it sit for several weeks. yep i’ts
a gloppy mess in that jar, and you have to pry it from me cold dead
hands if you wanted it. I have my liquid Lava soap, and you can make
you own!
This what works for me. Duct tape now covers fingers for various
tasks like filing which in the past I have filed my skin.
All the advise in this thread is both good/bad. It is what you over
the years get use to. It only takes a second for an accident. Trust
me as I type left handed, and the stitches under my cast itch like
crazy. I may have fallen going out a door but I have been going out
doors for well over 60 years with not one accident. It took a second.
I know I will regain a lot of usage of my hand just because I will
not stand for anything else.
I’m lucky to be ambidextrous.
Aggie the old lady on pain killers on a mountain north of Las Vegas
Thanks to all who have replied about gloves and polishing-wheel
injuries. I’m curious: among those of you who have had injuries on
the buffing wheel, how many had injuries to their non-dominant hand?
Lorraine
I understand that the studio/shop is a place with inherent dangers
and I respect that fact.
Still, not a lot of things really put fear into me in the working
environment–with the exception of gloves worn when working on a
buffer, lathe, polishing motor, grinder, etc. That scares the tripoli
out of me…
With all due respect to those professionals who wear gloves when
polishing, I think that that practice is one that will you beat at
some point. Just not a risk worth taking. Either grow calluses, wash
your hands, wear finger cots or just get used to some persistent
grime: it’s the mark of a life of making.
I never use gloves when using my polishing motor. Sometimes the
piece gets pretty hot but they usually cool down fairly quickly if
you take it off the wheel for a few seconds. My polishing setup has a
big red button right in front of me to kill the power. One of the
things that concerned me was the people who described using their
hands to slow down the motor. That scares the hell out of me
All the best
Jen
Mop? You speak some different English.
Thank you Peter, indeed All of you who have been working with this
particular piece of machinery a long time and have generously shared
your time and experience! It is much appreciated and will serve to
help many of us here.
Aurora
Thanks Ted, the button tip is especially helpful for me! I do use a
tapered piece of dowel for polishing rings. I had a woodworker lathe
me out some for each type of polish. I also use something we call a
bulb planting plug over here - its a little wooden tapered tool with
a knob on the end I bought a number of years ago.
My polishing shaft now has a sleeve thanks to this discussion! Aurora
An old ballet dancer’s trick is to use Skin Shield (liquid bandage)
as a first layer if you are taping any of your digits. Paint it on
and let it dry, then tape. When you’re done, the tape pulls off
easily without taking any skin or leaving any tape gook behind. If
you have a blister, burn or other injury that you need to tape over,
use one of those Dr. Scholl’s doughnuts to create a roof over the
wound so that the tape won’t stick or rub against it. A tiny bit of
paper towel over the island created by the doughnut will keep any
tape from sticking if the center gets pressed down too hard while
you’re working.
Mary (a former blister-prone dancer)
Here's the deal, folks, you need to train to use cotton gloves. EVERY polisher at Gorham used gloves. Every polisher at Tiffany uses gloves.
I had been wondering a bout that Jeff - how the polishers at
Tiffany’s handled the issue. Proper training on how to fit is no
doubt the key to less risk.
Aurora
Hi Andy, Grime isn’t so much a problem for me. oftentimes I’m
horrified to see black under my nails when out shopping or donating
blood where the phlebotomist is checking your person closely! 
Its
the repeated use of detergents and soap have my fingers splitting
and raw at times so I dont’ polish any more than a piece or two.
This can be a real handicap when getting ready for a show.
I do know women who wear gloves to preserve their manicure. Vanity
may cost them a digit!
Aurora
Thanksfor sharing Jody; may I ask whether the cots you use are
leather or rubber? Aurora
I’m sorry Don, I laughed when I read 'damned if I do damned if I
don’t! 
Please know that I have implemented changes to my wheel upon your
advice - a piece of hose over the section closest the motor and a
small buff on the end to cover the point of the spindle which was
indeed sticking out a good bit!
Thank you so much for taking the time to write in with your very
helpful suggestions; I’m certain more than myself has benefited!
Aurora
One of the things that concerned me was the people who described using their hands to slow down the motor. That scares the hell out of me
That one scares me as well. I use a piece of wood on the buff to
slow the wheel - it cleans the buff at the same time.
Aurora
Related to using polishing gloves, many years ago, just out of
college, I was lucky to get a job as a laborer on a housing
construction development.
One of the master carpenters (a union man) who was only a few months
from a union retirement (a rare accomplishment) accidently cut off
his thumb, doing something the same way he had for over 30 years. He
had been safe and confident in his methods for all that time until it
happened in a split second.
Dennis Fisher
This discussion has been ever so helpful in highlighting the risk
potential for injuries and ways they can be avoided; thank you Rob!
Aurora
non-dominant hand, however I normally use both hands to hold my
piece while polishing
Aurora
I never wear anything when I buff
Could someone please send me the link to the images. Mine was
missing!
Charlie