Neither Don nor I would argue that polishing with gloves on is a safe jewelry making practice, but for reasons already discussed, we will typically wear gloves when polishing large heavy sterling silver bracelets. We would get horrible burns if we didn’t. When polishing smaller pieces or when they are held in a pair of pliers, ring clamp or other support, at least I typically will not wear gloves. I am trying to attach a PDF document with annotated pictures of my polishing environment. Over the years I have had a couple glove related accidents while polishing. I can attribute them to lack of attention (fatigue), or touching the threads of the spindle with cotton gloves. This has never happened with the leather gloves. As you can see in the pictures, I try to cover as much of the threaded area of the spindle as I can. This is a great discussion, because it covers one of the many areas of danger in making jewelry…Rob
I would add to Robs comment that everyone either has or should have developed a process for working safely. Have a method that limits exposure to injury. And it should be a method for more than just the polisher. It should involve the entire shop. ( How many people have boxes of baking soda sitting around the shop to kill an acid spill?) I see jewelry at shows that isn’t even safe to wear. (Tell me you are buying a thumb ring and you get the Thumb ring lecture.)
We tend to think of burns coming from the torch or hot metal. But we rarely consider the heat a polisher develops in a piece of jewelry. Or the temperature of the binding agent in a block of bobbing compound as it melts into a freshly charged wheel. In fifty years of using welders of various types and torches of different fuel and oxygen combinations I have had more than a few burns. But none as epic as those from the heat built up by polishers. We can’t see it until it is often too late. Perhaps we discount that heat because it isn’t smoking red hot like it just came of the brick.
I can recount a few stories of glove related injuries, none from my shop but always from shops where more than one person used the equipment and set ups were changed for each person. I won’t argue that gloves have the potential to be dangerous. And I would use a different system if it worked for me. But it is on each of us to mitigate the danger in our craft to an acceptable level.
Don
Neither Don nor I would argue that polishing with gloves on is a safe jewelry making practice
Some people climb sheer cliffs like Yosemite’s Half Dome, and some even do it free-hand without belaying rope and anchors. Part of being an adult is using informed judgement and taking responsibility to do potentially dangerous things, such as mountain climbing, hunting with weapons, using a torch, using buffing machines, driving a car. It sounds like Rob and Don are being adult, so that’s fine.
I have had a couple glove related accidents while polishing. I can attribute them to lack of attention
This is where people need to know themselves, not just their tools. Not everyone can maintain concentration doing what I’d call a boring activity (until it suddenly turns exciting!), especially with the hypnotizing drone of the buffing motor. I’m comfortable with a chain saw of all things, but I know my attention wanders when buffing, so I approach that very warily and only for short stretches. Even then I have ‘moments of excitement’. My point, for those new to the craft, be very cautious until you know you can safely do what Don and Rob can - don’t assume.
I’d like to install a kill-switch, but at least with my machine all that would do is cut the power. My buffing motor spins for a very long time after the power is cut. I have a circular saw with electronic braking - are there buffing machines with that? Unless the motor pretty much stops dead I don’t see how a kill switch will do much. Maybe better than nothing, but good enough? So, are there buffing machines, or replacement motors with electronic braking?
Neil A
I got neoprene finger cots at Rio. They are a little pricey but they are the best I’ve tried. Because they are a bit stretchy they fit really well and you can feel your grip. Neoprene is a good insulator. Here’s the link: Rhino Finger Skins, Small and Medium - RioGrande
Back to post #1.
Doing a volume of repair work I routinely use a split mandrel in the flex shaft to finish the inside of ring shanks after sizing or an assembly, beginning with a strip of 350 grit, working up to 1000.
While usually i don’t find the heat a problem, if i am doing a large number of rings the abrasive will rip my skin to shreds.
I solve this by wrapping the forefinger and thumb on both hands with black electrical tape, to keep me skin intact.
Years ago I began to call this look my Christmas fingers, since at that time of year I all too often forget to protect my fingers until they begin to bleed, because I have so many rings to grind and polish, in a hurry…
As far as polishing, I never wear gloves, as the sense of heat in the item that I am polishing is important information I need to know, that I cannot know if I cannot feel the temperature start to really climb
Whenever an item begins to get too hot to handle, I set it down to cool, and move on to another item.
Many years ago as I started learning our trade, I caught my hand in the buff - not with a glove but attempting to polish an intricate pin. Not so much later, I caught my hand again while trying to polish a chain. I had held it carefully wadded up only presenting one link to the buff - but we all know that doesn’t work well. Those two preventable accidents led me to investigate the science of mass finishing. I figured that the commercial guys weren’t doing hand finishing. I visited some of our largest jewelry manufacturers finishing shops and spent several years learning how to get great finishes with equipment. Bottom line, there are other ways to get good to great finishes, especially on linked, anticlastic and complex shapes. And if you are doing production, it’s the only way to make money.
I looked for one with braking, but couldn’t find it. Dead man switch is a compromise…Rob
regarding polishing inside of ring, i often alternate split-mandrels and sanding sticks made from dowels to sand cross-directionally by hand. sanding cross directionally allows you to see any sanding marks left from the previous grit. generally, if there are deep marks inside, i would start with 320, then cross sand with 400, next to 600 and finish by cross-sanding with 1200. when the final sanding is done cross-directional, you can then polish inside on buffing machine or flex shaft and it should be easy and fast and pretty perfect.
Oh, What is the “Thumb ring lecture”?!
Hello Everyone! Thank all of you for sharing your knowledge and experiences of what has or has not worked. I know the dangers need to managed by alertness; but having your feedback makes a big difference.
The thumb is tapered opposite to other fingers, so people snag the thumb ring on car door or a table and seriously hurt themselves.
Greetings Ms Pup.
The Thumb Ring Lecture: First you have to know I work, play guitar, and banjo with two reattached fingers and reconstructed crushed wrist. I worked for thirty two years in the disability access world designing and building special equipment for people with disabilities. Physical and Occupational Therapists were my office mates.
Here we go. Your fingers are tapered one direction, your thumb the other. A size 10 ring that goes snugly on any of your chosen fingers sort of jams into place and friction and fear of falling off keeps it in place behind the joint.
Since your thumb tapers the other way a ring tight enough to get over the end of your thumb and that joint will be sloppy and a little loose in place. As per Kim B. T. OT, your thumb does about half the work of your hand. It is the thumb that locks it all together when you lift anything with handles. Catch on the end of a board, a door latch, pry bar, name your tool, and damage can ensue. All rings have some danger attached but finger rings are very minimal. Carpenters know enough to take them off.
I know injury is not super likely but I would hate to have one of my rings cause any injury.
Now, do you want to know why I refuse to ever make bangles?
Don Meixner
Thanks for asking!!!
Thank you so much
This is great information! I’m a nurse so always interested in the safety of materials and processes and, in this case, the final product. I would not have thought of the safety of thumb rings before reading this. But I sure will from now on. Thank you.
And, please, tell us about the bangles!
OK, there are a whole lot of very fine jewelry builders out there cussing me out something fierce. Remember these are my practices and my opinions I know I have seen photos of a great many jewelers wearing very handsome thumb rings.
Again this is my practice in my shop with my jewelry:
Regards bangles. I worked with a woman who was wearing a bangle which she caught on a storm door latch, slipped and fell and broke her wrist. She was hung up on the door latch for awhile. An extreme possibility of ever happening again I am sure but same as with the thumb ring, I don’t want anyone getting hurt on a piece of my jewelry.
Don’t hate me, just be happy you have one less competitor in the high pressure world of bangle sales.
Don
I have had two folks ask me to make rings to hide scars they acquired when their ring contacted the positive terminal of a battery, and other, well grounded metal on a motorcycle or car.
Note: wicked, nasty scarring results.
I had a high school friend drop from a town road maintenance truck to the ground, and have his ring catch in the door frame, completely " skinning out" his finger to the bone.
Weating Jewelry does add somevrisks, which is why I try to train my customers to remove all ofvtheir jewelry when working around any machinery or tools.
Please excuse my fat fingers on these tiny “virtual” keys on my phone. Between my bumbling fingers and Auto-Corrupt, I often can say things that never crossed my mind to say.
To answer your question, sure!
Thanks for the lecture on thumb rings.
Now for a story of my own.
One day my brother and his friend were driving in a van. They pulled out of the driveway and were going through a gate. The gate was partly closed, so the friend put his hand out the window to push open the gate. The gate came back half way. My brother said “ never mind, it’s an old van, don’t worry about it “.
But the friend tried again as the van was moving. Yes, his ring got caught on the gate and pulled the finger off.
No point , just a good story.