Question for those who do benchwork, re: your hands.

[beaujolais]

Question for those who do benchwork, re: your hands.

I''ve seen some benchpeople with (understandably) terrible, cracked, red stained hands.

How do you all deal with it? What helps and what do you avoid?

I''m not a benchperson but am a medical person and have in interest in skin integrity.

Thanks.

Not sure if this is the right forum, but I didn''t know where else to put it.

 

[jewelerman]

Date: 8/17/2009 7:51:46 PM
Author:sonomacounty
Question for those who do benchwork, re: your hands.

I''ve seen some benchpeople with (understandably) terrible, cracked, red stained hands.

How do you all deal with it? What helps and what do you avoid?

I''m not a benchperson but am a medical person and have in interest in skin integrity.

Thanks.

Not sure if this is the right forum, but I didn''t know where else to put it.

This is an interesting question!I havent done alot of bench work in my career,but ive cleaned and polished enough jewelry to have it affect my hands over time.The constant use of amonia based cleaners and the red stain comes from polishing compounds that are very drying on the shin and nails.When I would polish someones jewelry on the polishing wheel using compounds I learned to use gloves so that it wouldnt get on my hands and wrists(and shirt cuffs and wrist watch)so it would not dry my skin out.I would try to use gloves when cleaning large amounts of jewelry in the untrasoic cleaner but for quick jobs a pair of stainless steel tongs with rubber tips worked well so i didnt have to constantly get my finger tips in the cleaner.Found out how drying windex cleaner can be also. At night i would have to use tons of lotion and cremes so that i didnt snag my silk ties when getting dressed for work.

 

[beaujolais]

Thanks J.M. I''m glad yours are not too beat up.

One of the people I used to go to had huge splits in his fingertips, massive stains and it looked like the metal filings permeated his skin. Eeesh.

 

[partgypsy]

Only partly related and you can''t do this as a doctor but when I was doing paintwork I would put vaseline under/around my fingernails so they wouldn''t get stained.

Most cleaners are dying and strip the skin. But if you are working in a clinical situation there is no way around not cleaning/washing your hands multiple times a day. Some people I know swear by putting heavy moisterizer on their hands and wearing cotton gloves at night (I know, sexy!)

 

[D&T]

Date: 8/19/2009 1:27:40 PM
Author: part gypsy
Only partly related and you can''t do this as a doctor but when I was doing paintwork I would put vaseline under/around my fingernails so they wouldn''t get stained.

Most cleaners are dying and strip the skin. But if you are working in a clinical situation there is no way around not cleaning/washing your hands multiple times a day. Some people I know swear by putting heavy moisterizer on their hands and wearing cotton gloves at night (I know, sexy!)

I do this with my feet, put heavy caked on almost moisterizer, or vaseline, then wear my socks over to bed... it is truly sexy..lol

 

[Michael_E]

I do lot of bench work and rarely have problems. I avoid them by not using solvent based cleaners, detergents or anything which is drying very often. I use a light oil to dissolve and clean polishing grunge and then use the citrus based cleaners which have pumice in them to get my hands really clean, say before lunch or after work. I NEVER grab anything that''s in an ultrasonic cleaner with my hands, always grabbing that stuff with tweezers, rinsing in fresh water and steaming before I touch it. If I do start getting hard spots I sand them with fine sandpaper, (really important around the ends of the thumbs which tend to crack more easily). In the evening I use a hand lotion that I make up from a light oil(almond usually), beeswax and several essential oils...not too much, so that it is absorbed pretty well before I hop in the sack. My hands are not baby soft and are a bit leathery, but at least they don''t crack and hurt all the time, (been there and I''m not going back).

 

[Gailey]

Hi Sonoma,

I''m a gardener by trade and I hate having dirty hands! That being said, my hands do get very dirty during the day. I carry soap made with ostrich oil or olive oil with me and wash my hands with that throughout the day. When I get home from work I always have a bath. I know everyone says that showering is much more healthy, but it doesn''t get really dirty hands and feet clean. You need to soak them.

I also keep the skin right around my nail beds filed. Interestingly I get the most amount of dry hard skin around the knuckles a the base of my left hand fingers. I file that too.

I also find that a scrub made of salt and olive oil works really well. You just rinse off the salt in warm water and pat dry your hands.

I don''t use a lot of hand cream as they are mostly silicone based.

My Grandmother used to use an interesing combination of gycerine and rosewater on her hands and face. She did it all her life and had the softest skin.

 

[beaujolais]

Thanks all, for your great replies.

Michael, that sounds like a nice cream.

Gailey, my Callas are blooming right now - aren''t they incredible?

 

[Engagement Ring Expert]

When I polished and worked on jewelry as a child, I would sometimes cut into my fingers with tools like setting burrs and things of that nature. On top of that the polishing wax and wheels also burned my fingers quite regulalry. Ultrasonic soap cleaners in those days also had high amounts of ammonia. Today, far more green materials and chemical compounds are available, and more up to date equipment is available to enable the jeweler to stay relatively clean. Our shop manager actually uses a white glove when he inspects a finished piece. It''s not a rubber glove but a soft white cloth glove that still allows a good amount of feel while protecting the hands and the jewelry. Ultimately, lots of Vitamin C to rebuild collagen and Aloe Vera lotion to moisturize are needed. If you use moisturizers, just be sure to remove your jewelry first, as lotions applied over jewelry result in their getting dirty, more than anything else, lotion is the biggest culprit and as long as the ring is removed before lotion is applied, it will stay clean a lot longer.

 

[jewelerman]

Date: 8/26/2009 7:06:30 PM
Author: Engagement Ring Expert
When I polished and worked on jewelry as a child, I would sometimes cut into my fingers with tools like setting burrs and things of that nature. On top of that the polishing wax and wheels also burned my fingers quite regulalry. Ultrasonic soap cleaners in those days also had high amounts of ammonia. Today, far more green materials and chemical compounds are available, and more up to date equipment is available to enable the jeweler to stay relatively clean. Our shop manager actually uses a white glove when he inspects a finished piece. It''s not a rubber glove but a soft white cloth glove that still allows a good amount of feel while protecting the hands and the jewelry. Ultimately, lots of Vitamin C to rebuild collagen and Aloe Vera lotion to moisturize are needed. If you use moisturizers, just be sure to remove your jewelry first, as lotions applied over jewelry result in their getting dirty, more than anything else, lotion is the biggest culprit and as long as the ring is removed before lotion is applied, it will stay clean a lot longer.

Matthew,
I reconized your company name and then relized I have seen your line at a jewelry store in my area!Very attractive.Looking foward tio hearing more from you on the forum.JM

 

[Gailey]

Date: 8/26/2009 5:26:12 PM
Author: sonomacounty
Thanks all, for your great replies.

Michael, that sounds like a nice cream.

Gailey, my Callas are blooming right now - aren''t they incredible?

Love Callas, I used to grow them in the UK. I had some in a pot in my conservatory that grew to a staggering five and a half feet!

I''ve just discovered Bio-oil. I''m using it twice a day, and loving it for my hands and nails.

Probably not good for handling jewellery with though!

 

[beaujolais]

Thanks Gailey. Will try it.

---

Gardening - ah, love it.

My Mom was one of those with the greenest thumb. She was always had tons of the most gorgeous classic but also far-out things growing. Memories . . .

 

[Gailey]

Date: 9/14/2009 10:47:02 AM
Author: sonomacounty
Thanks Gailey. Will try it.

---

Gardening - ah, love it.

My Mom was one of those with the greenest thumb. She was always had tons of the most gorgeous classic but also far-out things growing. Memories . . .

Mine too Sonoma, mine too ....

 

[artjeweler]

I am a bench worker and my hands get dirty from the polishing process. One thing to remember is to NEVER wear gloves while using a polishing machine. The wheel can catch the glove and literally tear off a digit. Don''t go there! Use your bare hands. Then use a non-solvent based cleaner on your skin with a liberal application of lanolin when needed after cleaning. Sanding off the rough and dry skin at finger tips is the best way to prevent those painful cracks because as the skin drys, it shrinks, causing cracking. The cracks can''t pull back together and heal if the dry skin continues to shrink. The shrinking pulls the cracks open. The only way to prevent them in the first place, or the fastest method to healing those that have already formed is to remove the dry skin with sandpaper (or emery boards) and then apply oil, lotion or lanolin. My husband uses his disc grinder on those really thick callouses on his feet...prevents cracking!

 

[glitterata]

Welcome to the board, Karen, and thanks for the helpful post!