Polishing & Hand Protection

Jewelry Discussion
41

This sounds like blaming the gun manufacturer for killing someone
because the made or sold the gun that killed someone! I feel it comes
down to weather or not someone is paying attention, piece getting
hot, etc. It may happen it may not. We ALL increase the risks we take
everyday just by getting into our cars and driving down the street.

Bottom line… I use nitrile gloves, I know a lot of other jewelers
that use them. For this company that I recommended, this is the
hottest item sold this year, so someone other than myself likes using
them. If you’re going to be working around a fast spinning wheel, be
smart and pay attention!!! These obviously work or Armstrong Tool And
Supply wouldn’t be selling a boat load of these gloves everyday!!! If
one is going to use these, be as careful as if you weren’t;t using
them. I’M sure all of us have horror stories about accidents in the
shop. Let’S call them what they are, 99.99% Of them were due to
carelessness or stupidity! NOT the gloves that they were wearing!
More than likely the accident probably would have occurred even if
they weren’t wearing “Gloves”. So let’s not get carried away here. I
remember hearing that People said that Tomatoes were deadly poison
and should never be eaten, or that driving over 15 mph would be just
too dangerous for mankind, or even more recently, mankind is causing
the earth’s temperature to increase due to his carelessness with
carbon emissions!! Or even better yet, the earth is flat and there is
a huge monster at the edge waiting to devour anyone who comes
Near!!! Lol bottom line, be careful!

42 
Perhaps the story is just Urban Folk Legend, and improvable, but
you'll think about that grim possibility when you consider wearing
work gloves to buff, I guarantee you.

Send it to Mythbusters via discovery.com! I would love to see them
do a show on jeweler’s myths – anything related to buffing, and the
one about damage to your fingers using the ultrasonic. (I’m not
saying that’s a myth, I’m saying I’d like to see them test it.)

If enough of us submit it as an idea, maybe they’ll do it!

The way they take submissions is that you post them on their forum.

Elaine
http://www.CreativeTextureTools.com

43

The other thing I wanted to emphasize, is that anyone starting off
in school, classes, a new career, has a learning curve. They will,
over time, develop their own style, progression of steps, within the
parameters of the work, with safety being foremost. (hopefully)

I was thinking as I took Harry out to pasture this morning, with him
a bit on the muscle, lurching about, I was glad I had steel toed
boots, and my gloves. Anyone who has worked around horses knows the
feeling of a chain shank being yanked or a rope burn, hence the
admonition to NEVER wrap the rope/lead/chain/ around your hand when
leading horses. Especially when hunters are about with their
shotguns. I’ve had this horse since he was a baby, and I have always
been aware that at any moment he could decide to have a meltdown from
a flushed bird, a cat through the corn, deer, or bicyclists on the
highway. Big motors, giant farm equipment, Jake breaks, he could care
less…

I thought about the teeny tiny pieces I MAY polish with the buffer,
and do NOT wear gloves. I don’t care how filthy my hands get, that’s
what soap and water are for. The heat seldom is an issue, but I just
stop for a moment if it’s too hot.

It’s prudent and common sense to teach safety. Especially in a
school or class. Insurance/liability demand it. I don’t put new
riders on a fractious horse. They are on an old schoolmaster on a
longe line that is just slogging around slowly to help develop their
balance and confidence and seat. It takes as long as it takes. If,
after riding with me, if they go off and ride without helmet, or
proper footware in a stupid way, I’ve done what I could do. The rest
is up to them.

Dinah-getting to ride today after a week of cold rain and snow!!

44 
Sometimes my nails and cuticles have to look clean (black tie
dinners, etc.) and only bleach will do... which I hate using.

It is a rare dirty hand that will hold up through hand washing a big
batch of dishes-- much more productive than abusing your skin with
bleach and walking around smelling like a public pool! And if you
apply liquid barrier cream before working, even a small batch of
dishes will do it. And losing a finger washing dishes is pretty
nearly unheard of. You men-folk who are lucky enough not to be in
the habit of washing dishes, give it a try!

Noel

45

I’ve never worn gloves whilst polishing and don’t tend to wear
goggles either (mainly because the ones I’ve always used were too
dirty to see a thing through and I never got round to buying a new
pair) But I’ve been hit in the face with a belt buckle (black eye
received but buckle thankfully unharmed) and like someone else
earlier, have been lacerated by a chain getting caught (I have also
done this too many times to count with my pendant motor) Your hands
get dirty, so what? The piece gets too hot? PUT IT DOWN or like I
suggested earlier use finger tape

This was a staple for me when I started out. I wore it when I was
filing, buffing, polishing, sawing, everything. It protects your
fingers from saw blades, files and a surprising amount of heat. It’s
also perfect for when you cut yourself as it’s not sticky and adheres
only to itself. Plus, it’s a hell of a lot cheaper than some gloves
that’ll cost your your fingers

46

I’ve been using buffing wheels for 35 years, and don’t wear gloves
while buffing. If the original issue was the piece getting too hot,
then slow down, reduce pressure, add or remove compound from the
wheel, switch to a different sized wheel, or switch to a different
compound. If you’re doing it correctly, it should only be warm, not
too hot to hold.

Michael

47

I’ve been driving drunk for 50 years - sometime a little drunk,
sometimes a lot.

I always pay attention. Yep. And I’m careful… Never been busted yet,
never been injured

Therefore, by the same logic as Zev’s post recommending the use of
gloves while polishing, I maintain that driving drunk is safe - as
long as you pay attention, until the accident happens.

Then I might wonder and I might even stop giving bad advice.

Mr Dumb Luck Marty in Victoria - and, no, I don’t really drive drunk
(any more), nor wear gloves while polishing.

48

Good point Noel. Another plus about hand washing dishes is that not
only do your hands get clean, but the cuticles are soft enough to be
pushed back, giving your hands a well cared for look.

There is absolutely no way that I would put my fingers in jeopardy
by wearing gloves of any kind while polishing silver. If I lost a
finger or two I might be able to keep up with jewelry making, but it
would sure put an end to my piano playing.

From the direction this post is going, there are the “always use
gloves, never had a problem,” people, and those who are not going to
take a chance to determine whether or not losing fingers while
wearing gloves is a myth, or a fact by donning gloves and making a
scientific test.

Alma

49

Another remedy I use at the end of a day or work week is soak my
fingers in very warm or hot ultrasonic solution. The polish rouges
today are paraffin based to bind the polishes together and you need
heat and the cleansing properties of these cleaners to break them
down on jewelry, so it makes sense that they work on fingers too.
And it does.

50

25yrs. of polishing, last 3 of them with gloves, still have 10
fingers, none even broken, and i still have 10 toes also, none
broken. i’m not trying to sell gloves here, just that there are more
than 1 way to skin a cat. the bottom line is, stop doing stupid
things with polishing buffs and you won’t loose fingers! wearing
gloves won’t cause broken fingers or lost fingers. doing stupid
things like polishing chains, titanium triangles or even belt buckles
on polishing buffs will!!! it sounds like most of these stupid horror
stories always start with" this new student " or “i saw this young
person, not very experienced…” etc. let’s all do what our country
should be doing in this very tough time, and use common sense!!
chains and belt buckle on motors turning at 15000 rpms?

51

For those who must work and must also keep their fingertips clean
for some reason you might consider using one of the liquid bandages
such as New Skin. I think they might prevent the buffing compounds
from building up in fingerprint ridges, scars, cuticles, etc. New
Skin is removed with acetone (nail polish remover). I haven’t used
it, but I’d use it before I wore gloves while polishing.

Mike DeBurgh, GJG
Henderson, NV

52

If you guys are honest with yourselves and us, How many of you
polish chains or bracelets on a buff. I contest that it is 1000 x’s
more dangerous and more idiotic than wearing these gloves! Drunk
driving has nothing to do with it, Hell, I don’t even polish when I’m
Drunk! LOL

53 
This sounds like blaming the gun manufacturer for killing someone
because the made or sold the gun that killed someone! I feel it
comes down to weather or not someone is paying attention, piece
getting hot, etc. It may happen it may not. We ALL increase the
risks we take everyday just by getting into our cars and driving
down the street

Valid points. However…

When we get into our cars, don’t we wear seat belts? They don’t
prevent accidents, they just mitigate the resulting injuries.

If there were no guns manufactured, it would be much harder to kill
people. (Please note, I am not anti-gun, just questioning the
logic.) I can’t outrun a bullet, but I may be able to disarm an
attacker with many other weapons, and so I am not as likely to suffer
a fatal injury with most other weapons.

More than likely the accident probably would have occurred even if
they weren't wearing "Gloves".

You are probably right. But would the resulting injury be as bad?

My bottom line: Too many people are posting vivid tales that lead me
to believe that the glove contributed to the severity of the
injury. It seems to me like it’s not a chance worth taking. Your
mileage may vary.

Lauren

54

Hi All,

To answer the question, for an old dogs point of view. Depends on
the Chain. Only 60% of chain will take buffing, and not break in
another spot. Your right about full leather gloves being stupid. They
should not be used. At all.

You can use thick leather strips or bobbins. A bobbin is simple a
piece of wood that you can rap the chain around. The thick leather
strips made into a horse shoe shape do the same thing as a bobbin.

Knowing which chains will take a polish is a self taught thing. You
will get to know which one are strong enough.

The basic rule of polishing is this, you only use what you can
safely have snatched from you hands while polishing. It will happen.
So it’s best not have padding attached to you or your fingers. The
other thing to remember is as some point the machine will be
stronger than you. Be prepared.

Jim Zimmerman
Alpine Custom Jewellers & Repair

55

In my opinion the truly hand protection when polishing is TO PAY
ATTENTION. Gloves and any other extra object inside polishing machine
just increase danger. Many years ago, after midnight, working worn
-out on a urgent job, my father had a single second of distraction
and loose part of his finger on a polishing machine. Thanks God there
are fantastic plastic surgeons down here in Brasil, and now he use
his hand normally, but the point of his finger remained on twisted
wires of gold.

Since my teenage I spend a reasonable part of my life in a workshop,
and I saw different types of accidents. Our profession involves deal
with dangerous equipments and procedures, is not joke.

And our eyes and hands are our main tools, non replaceable.

So let’s think twice before worry if our fingers look a little bit
dirty.

To finish my point of view, I remembered that once in a gem show
(I’m also a gem dealer) a friend told me that when a customers come
and take a stone in hands with that kind of dirty and hurt fingers
that only a bench worker has, he feel himself compelled to give all
his respect to those kind of worker/artists that can transform rude
materials in to pieces of art.

Vlad R Poenaru - from sunny Brasil

www.braziliangems.org

56 
To keep your hands clean use a barrier cream on your hands
especially into your nails.

What is a barrier cream? Where do you get them?

Also I keep a small container of clean water to dip the 'work
piece' in if it gets hot especially when working with felt
wheels.

I also use this technique, anything wrong with it?

Regards,
John Dyer

57

If clean hands is a concern (and you don’t want to lose a finger or
two) there are some “liquid glove” products out there… anyone have
experience with these? There are lotions (supposedly non-greasy)
which last up to 4 hours, latex hand dip (sounds scary), etc.
Regarding heat… I keep a small bowl of water next to my buffing
machine to cool items between polishing (don’t let items with set
gems get too hot in the first place).

Jennifer Dewey
Telluride, CO
http:// jenniferdewey.com

58 
and the one about damage to your fingers using the ultrasonic.
(I'm not saying that's a myth, I'm saying I'd like to see them test
it.)

I get the feeling that some are going to wear gloves no matter what
anybody else says… I’d agree that polishing teapot-sized work is
different, too.

Once there was a fly in the shop - understand the fly was going to
fly heaven one way or the other… I caught it alive in the way that
many people can do, by scooping it up from behind. The ultrasonic was
running, so I threw it in there. The very INSTANT it touched the
water, it was dead and completely limp. That’s enough for me…

59 
You men-folk who are lucky enough not to be in the habit of washing
dishes, give it a try!

Noel, I would love to learn how. I’ve tried, but I just cant seem to
get the hang of it.

Hans

60

Steve

If you guys are honest with yourselves and us, How many of you
polish chains or bracelets on a buff. I contest that it is 1000
x's more dangerous and more idiotic than wearing these gloves!
Drunk driving has nothing to do with it, Hell, I don't even polish
when I'm Drunk! LOL

If you polish chains without wrapping them around a fat mandrel you
deserve and will see the consequences. Sliced up base ball bats are
cheap. But you are right, free handing chains when poishing is not a
good idea.

jeffD
Demand Designs
Analog/Digital Modelling & Goldsmithing
http://www.gmavt.net/~jdemand