# gloves are a no-no...but what do you do to keep splinters out of your fingers/hands?



## Firstgear (Apr 11, 2019)

Several times now I have had to dig steel or aluminum splinters out of my fingers with a needle....if I had gloves on this wouldnt be an issue, but then I could lose a finger or hand or life......so what does everyone to do to keep them from ever getting in to your body?


----------



## jbobb1 (Apr 11, 2019)

I've been picking metal splinters outta my fingers and hands for many years. I'm very careful when I'm machining and handling machined parts, but getting splinters seems pretty much inevitable. I do have a dedicated set of quality tweezers!


----------



## T Bredehoft (Apr 11, 2019)

Its  part of the Job Description. Or didn't you see the fine print


----------



## Firstgear (Apr 11, 2019)

jbobb1 said:


> I've been picking metal splinters outta my fingers and hands for many years. I'm very careful when I'm machining and handling machined parts, but getting splinters seems pretty much inevitable. I do have a dedicated set of quality tweezers!


my wife is a good backup to assist if needed to get them out....but a needle and tweezers seems to be the norm.  I think I get them when I am cleaning up around the mill or lathe.  Maybe I will put on a set of latex gloves (got boxes of them in the shop for when I am working with fiberglass or carbon fiber with epoxy) when I am cleaning up.


----------



## pontiac428 (Apr 11, 2019)

When I was working in CNC, my fingertips were always shredded.  I had to learn to handle parts more carefully, not rub my fingers to "feel" features, and to use a rag to wipe away chips.  One thing I see people do a lot is run a finger over a fresh cut on the mill or lathe, similar to kicking the tires on a vehicle.  It's a bad habit if you don't want stingy fingers.


----------



## jbobb1 (Apr 11, 2019)

I worked with a guy that was making a large stainless shaft and decided to "feel" the edge of his cut. BAD decision! Needless to say, a stringy chip went in the end of his thumb, curled and wrapped around his bone. When I saw the x-ray, I couldn't believe it!


----------



## JimDawson (Apr 11, 2019)

Tweezers, I have one of these on my keychain, best I've found.  https://countycomm.com/products/tweezers-tick-splinter-removal


----------



## Shootymacshootface (Apr 11, 2019)

jbobb1 said:


> I worked with a guy that was making a large stainless shaft and decided to "feel" the edge of his cut. BAD decision! Needless to say, a stringy chip went in the end of his thumb, curled and wrapped around his bone. When I saw the x-ray, I couldn't believe it!


Now that's a plinter!
Worst one that I ever had was wearing socks on a hardwood floor. My sock picked up a giant splinter and guided it into the bottom of my foot. The splinter did not break of of the floor, so my foot was being held firmly and painfully to the floor.


----------



## jbobb1 (Apr 11, 2019)

JimDawson said:


> Tweezers, I have one of these on my keychain, best I've found.  https://countycomm.com/products/tweezers-tick-splinter-removal
> 
> View attachment 292377


 My wife found me something very similar at one of those women's beauty supply stores.


----------



## benmychree (Apr 11, 2019)

Pretty much goes with the territory; best advice, use a chip brush or shop vac or both for cleanup.  If you work with your hands a lot, you build up callus, splinters are not so much of a problem then, it seems, or they are less painful ???


----------



## ThinWoodsman (Apr 11, 2019)

Firstgear said:


> Several times now I have had to dig steel or aluminum splinters out of my fingers with a needle....if I had gloves on this wouldnt be an issue, but then I could lose a finger or hand or life......so what does everyone to do to keep them from ever getting in to your body?



This is one of those areas of shop safety that has moved from "don't be stupid" to overzealous enforcement. Never wear gloves, long sleeves, a watch, rings, etc _while the spindle is running_. The corrollary is _don't let your hands near a running spindle_, i.e. treat the spindle as if you are always wearing long sleeves or gloves (in the same way you always treat a gun like it's loaded) and use a brush, compressed air, or tool of some sort fo clear chips.

Once the spindle is stopped, put gloves on to handle the part, clean up, etc.

EDIT: Not that I follow my own advice. I forget the extra step of putting gloves on and end up with splinters like everyone else


----------



## darkzero (Apr 11, 2019)

benmychree said:


> Pretty much goes with the territory; best advice, use a chip brush or shop vac or both for cleanup.  If you work with your hands a lot, you build up callus, splinters are not so much of a problem then, it seems, or they are less painful ???



This ^. My hands used to be callused up bad & I rarely got splinters. I don't work on cars for a living anymore so my hands are getting back to normal.

I also use a shop vac to vacuum up most of the chips. I use those dry wall bags inside the shop vac, makes emptying out the shop vac easy & no mess.


----------



## Howardd (Apr 11, 2019)

Wht’s wrong with wearing skin tight thin gloves?

Howardd


----------



## Shootymacshootface (Apr 11, 2019)

Howardd said:


> Wht’s wrong with wearing skin tight thin gloves?
> 
> Howardd


They still get caught on things and usually rip pieces off, but if they don't.


----------



## Aukai (Apr 11, 2019)

There is always a cuff.....


----------



## mikey (Apr 11, 2019)

Howardd said:


> Wht’s wrong with wearing skin tight thin gloves?
> 
> Howardd



Nothing. Thin gloves are a good way to reduce splinters and they will break easily if caught. Still, be careful around machines.


----------



## darkzero (Apr 11, 2019)

I couldn't even wear gloves when I was a grease monkey. I'm one of those who didn't like the lack of feeling so to speak. I only wore them in really messy situations, like if I had to pack a bearing or rebuild a CV joint.

A customer gave me 4 cases of nitrile gloves back then. At the rate I use them at home (which is more than when I was a mechanic) I still have a lifetime supply.


----------



## mikey (Apr 11, 2019)

I wear nitrile gloves whenever I machine brass, stainless or cast iron. I got tired of the splinters.


----------



## mikey (Apr 11, 2019)

JimDawson said:


> Tweezers, I have one of these on my keychain, best I've found.  https://countycomm.com/products/tweezers-tick-splinter-removal



Yeah, but you got to be able to see that little sucker first!


----------



## kb58 (Apr 11, 2019)

Get a pair of "old man reading glasses" to focus literally 3" in front of your eyes, really good tweezers, and good lighting.


----------



## jbolt (Apr 11, 2019)

I have an auto-immune condition which make me sensitive to certain chemicals so I always wear nitrile gloves. I only use the 3 mil around rotating spindles. For heavier hand work I use thicker gloves. The 3 mil gloves do break and/or tear easily to the point of being annoying sometimes but you still must be vigilant when wearing them.


----------



## Janderso (Apr 11, 2019)

A good Magnet works for me sometimes, if I'm machining/fabricating steel.


----------



## pstemari (Apr 11, 2019)

Yeah. Side milling in particular generates a lot of very nasty little needles. A strong magnet is good for getting them out.

Digi-Key has some very fine point Erem tweezers that you could use to tie a flea's shoelaces.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk


----------



## mattthemuppet2 (Apr 11, 2019)

nitrile gloves. they rip very easily so they're not going to drag your hand into anything.


----------



## Tozguy (Apr 11, 2019)

I don't wear gloves. Whenever I get a splinter that draws blood I get a week off from doing the dishes.


----------



## mmcmdl (Apr 11, 2019)

All kind of gloves here for different purposes . I wear hot gloves when removing extrusion dies , Kevlar for general handling of machinery and metals , those thin nitrils in all sorts of weights for the parts washers and such , and ABSOLUTELY NO GLOVES while machining . I like my digits where they are located . ( All 21 of 'em ) 

And yes , I keep a very large supply of good tweezers from Germany in my boxes , metal and wood in your body parts is just nature of the trade . Go get an MRI and see what they ask when you're a machinist .


----------



## kd4gij (Apr 11, 2019)

I make boat shafts. Marine grade stainless long stringy chips. Either where gloves or slice your hands up.  Don't get near spinning shaft. Turn machine off.  And when cutting key seats on the horizontal mill better have gloves on. Very sharp tiny splinters will bed in your hands if you look at a distance.


----------



## jwmay (Apr 11, 2019)

I wear gloves. I have no reason to put my gloved hand anywhere near something rotating under power. Generally my hands are on the hand wheels which are powered by me, or at my sides during power feeding.  If I have stringy chips, or some other issue, I stop the spindle and deal with it. Nothing I’m doing is worth risking my hands.


----------



## Bob Korves (Apr 12, 2019)

Firstgear said:


> Maybe I will put on a set of latex gloves (got boxes of them in the shop for when I am working with fiberglass or carbon fiber with epoxy) when I am cleaning up.


Try really hard to keep carbon fiber and Kevlar splinters out of your skin.  They do not break down over time, and can end up in other parts of your body where they can be fatal.


----------



## MarkM (Apr 12, 2019)

My old screw machine days my hands would be coverd in splinters.  I ve found that putting clear tape on those ones you couldn t seem to get out would sweat it out and bring it to the surface giving you enough material to get out.  Back in those days c12l14 which was a prime material was full of lead.  I ve often wondered about that.


----------



## kvt (Apr 12, 2019)

I'm one of the ones with skin problems, so most of the time I have on the thin nitrile gloves.   I would almost swear looking at them wrong will tear them.  Does not stop all the splinters but most of them and the chemicals, and you can still sense stuff through them. 
One of my problems is trying to dig a splinter out of one hand, trying to hold a light, a magnifier and tweezers with the other.


----------



## petertha (Apr 12, 2019)

I use a pair like these & the magnifier really helps. The ends are quite sharp which help grab the little frags.


----------



## magicniner (Apr 14, 2019)

You can put gloves on to handle static stock, finished parts and for cleaning a stationary machine.


----------



## Dabbler (Apr 16, 2019)

_I've worn gloves for 40 yrs very much like tom lipton does. Never had a problem with splinters._


----------



## casca92 (Apr 19, 2019)

25 years a EMT for caterpillar, quick easy tip  before you start diggin in deep try running a few passes of medium sandpaper over it.  most of the time you will pick that sucker right out.  then a quick dump of alcohol .

not for my paying customers just myself and the ones that wanted to go back to work and not throw me under the bus.


----------

