gloves

[jazzchip]

Do you wear gloves when you are using sharp instruments? What kind?

Being new to all this and inexperienced in carving, etc. I am concerned. A few minutes with sharp knives and I fear that I will bring new meaning to the term, "all hands on deck." 

Suggestions?

[shiloh]

You slip and because you have not learned to keep your other hand clear or you are pulling a blade toward you, you bleed Next you heal up and have gained some practical experience. Gloves, leave them in the store and pay your dues.

jud

Edited November 5, 2015 by shiloh

[Jim Lad]

I think gloves will be more trouble than they're worth.  They'll make small objects (and your knife) difficult to hold and control.

 

Always use a very sharp knife and don't try to force the cuts.

 

John

[bear]

Ahoy Mates

 

My Dad who was also a Tool and Diemaker had the same opinion of wearing protective eye wear and then later gloves. I can remember seeing him come home on several occations with an eye patch on due to either grinding particals,or metal chips getting into his eyes because they did not wear eye glasses back in the 50's,60's. It then changed because the owner and state had had enough of the bills of sending guys into the hospital.

 

When I strated out as an apprentice in 1971 it was manditory to wear eye protection. As for model building-those who do not wear eye protection as far as I am concerned are IDIOTS- sorry for any hurt feelings-but how would you build without your eyesight being gone totally or even limited by getting a chip,superglue or and of a xacto blade point that broke off and flew into your eye?

 

As for gloves,I have had to get stitches in my thumb and finger a couple of times. But my Dad before he retired started wood carving for a new hobby. He was lucky for a couple of years until one day while carving a piece with  a  carving tool,he slipped and it went into his other hand which was holding the wood.

 

Being an old toolmaker,he took lots of pride having the sharpest  carving tools that he could sharpen. Which he succeeded at.

 

Well the tool cut into his hand severed a vein and tendon,he bled like a "stuck pig" and his blood flew onto my Mom's sewing table where she had a new wedding dress that she had just completed for a customer. It did get onto a corner of the dress to my Dads horror,and my Mothers yelling and cussing him out while she helped him get a dressing on the injured hand,and then he had to listen to her the 45 minutes to the emergency room and then the rest of his life until m Mom passed away 7 years later.

 

He recovered from the wound,but not my Mom's tounge when the subject would ever come up.

 

After that he got a set  Kevlar gloves and appron. Which he used all the time when he was doing cutting that used a lot of preasure.

 

I have his tools and gloves and appron that I now use all the time when needed.

 

He recovered the use of his eyes and hands after all the injuries,but I have seen others who have not,and would have not had their disability for life after not using their eye wear or gloves.

 

Please do not do modeling without wearing eye glasses at least,as for the gloves,use your own thoughts,but there are gloves that can keep your hands safer when you carve. And for sure get an appron to protect at least your clothes,and keep you from having an xacto knife or carving tool imbeded in your thigh or knee.

 

BE SAFE MY FRIEND'S -BEING SAFE IS NOT AN ACCIDENT YOU KNOW!

 

Keith

[GuntherMT]

Extremely cheap insurance - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007SO12YO?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00

 

I have a pair, and I don't wear them as much as I should.  Try to remember to put them on when I'm going to be doing a lot of cutting that will obviously place my fingers/hands at risk, not so much for the very fine stuff where I'm not applying much pressure at all.

[jazzchip]

You slip and because you have not learned to keep your other hand clear or you are pulling a blade toward you, you bleed Next you heal up and have gained some practical experience. Gloves, leave them in the store and pay your dues.

jud

Hmmm. Maybe I should have taken up stamp collecting.

[jazzchip]

I think gloves will be more trouble than they're worth.  They'll make small objects (and your knife) difficult to hold and control.

 

Always use a very sharp knife and don't try to force the cuts.

 

John

I knew a butcher who said the biggest danger was using a dull knife. Thanks, Jim.

[jazzchip]

Ahoy Mates

 

My Dad who was also a Tool and Diemaker had the same opinion of wearing protective eye wear and then later gloves. I can remember seeing him come home on several occations with an eye patch on due to either grinding particals,or metal chips getting into his eyes because they did not wear eye glasses back in the 50's,60's. It then changed because the owner and state had had enough of the bills of sending guys into the hospital.

 

When I strated out as an apprentice in 1971 it was manditory to wear eye protection. As for model building-those who do not wear eye protection as far as I am concerned are IDIOTS- sorry for any hurt feelings-but how would you build without your eyesight being gone totally or even limited by getting a chip,superglue or and of a xacto blade point that broke off and flew into your eye?

 

As for gloves,I have had to get stitches in my thumb and finger a couple of times. But my Dad before he retired started wood carving for a new hobby. He was lucky for a couple of years until one day while carving a piece with  a  carving tool,he slipped and it went into his other hand which was holding the wood.

 

Being an old toolmaker,he took lots of pride having the sharpest  carving tools that he could sharpen. Which he succeeded at.

 

Well the tool cut into his hand severed a vein and tendon,he bled like a "stuck pig" and his blood flew onto my Mom's sewing table where she had a new wedding dress that she had just completed for a customer. It did get onto a corner of the dress to my Dads horror,and my Mothers yelling and cussing him out while she helped him get a dressing on the injured hand,and then he had to listen to her the 45 minutes to the emergency room and then the rest of his life until m Mom passed away 7 years later.

 

He recovered from the wound,but not my Mom's tounge when the subject would ever come up.

 

After that he got a set  Kevlar gloves and appron. Which he used all the time when he was doing cutting that used a lot of preasure.

 

I have his tools and gloves and appron that I now use all the time when needed.

 

He recovered the use of his eyes and hands after all the injuries,but I have seen others who have not,and would have not had their disability for life after not using their eye wear or gloves.

 

Please do not do modeling without wearing eye glasses at least,as for the gloves,use your own thoughts,but there are gloves that can keep your hands safer when you carve. And for sure get an appron to protect at least your clothes,and keep you from having an xacto knife or carving tool imbeded in your thigh or knee.

 

BE SAFE MY FRIEND'S -BEING SAFE IS NOT AN ACCIDENT YOU KNOW!

 

Keith

Keith, thank you for the warning and the good advice. I'm glad that Dad's injury healed. He was lucky.

[ASAT]

Dang, I must be one lucky Modeler..... No PPE for 20+ years, had my share of cuts and ah crap moments but I'm still pretty much intact.... :-)

[lionfish]

i usually dont wear PPE, gloves that can protect against cuts and punctures are very bulky, and can lead to a decresed sense of where your hands, fingers, or the tool is. ive poked and cut myself many times, just part of the learning curve. that being said you can wear as much or as little as you feel necessary.  

[geoff]

I once cut the back of my left hand nearly severing the tendon in my left forefinger whilst carving a point on a piece of dowel. A friend was using a craft knife when it fell off the work bench, he went to grab it & pushed it deeply into his thigh, just missing a "vital organ"! Moral always cut away from yourself if possible!

[lionfish]

I once cut the back of my left hand nearly severing the tendon in my left forefinger whilst carving a point on a piece of dowel. A friend was using a craft knife when it fell off the work bench, he went to grab it & pushed it deeply into his thigh, just missing a "vital organ"! Moral always cut away from yourself if possible!

i would add dont ever try to grab any sharp object thats falling, its a recipe for an ER visit.

[geoff]

That's exactly what my friend did, by the way he is a vicar, so God must have been on his side that day!!

[jazzchip]

I don't see much about safety in the forums in spite of the fact that we're working with sharp objects. Perhaps the issue should be given more attention. Thank you for your comments gentlemen.

[mikeaidanh]

When using "sharps" work away from areas that bleed. Use a bench stop in lieu of a hand. Work towards the stop.

Always engage brain before using "sharps"

Here endeth the lesson.

[trippwj]

Of course, the reason that PPE has evolved is because it is not a natural motion to carve away, there is an apparent lack of fine control percieved in that motion and, thus, we instinctively do it the other way.

 

I have been lucky thus far, but will be investing in gloves for myself and my 8 year old grand daughter apprentice, who happens to have a form of haemophilia.

[Jack12477]

I have a cut resistant glove like the one in GUNTHERMT's post above. I wear it mostly for woodcarving and not so much for model shipbuilding. I wear it on the hand that is holding the carving I'm working on.  When using the chisels/gouges I use a bench dog and place the carving on the bench dog/bench stop, likewise when I am using the chisels on ship parts.  The only drawback to the glove is they don't protect against puncture type wounds, but do provide good protection from slash type wounds.

 

Protective eye wear is a must around any "spinning" type tool.

[davyboy]

I still bear the scar from a very sharp Exacto knife from 60 years ago. I was shaping one of the wings (hardwood) of a 1/72nd scale B 17g flying fortress from a kit when the knife slipped cutting me to the bone from the thumb lower joint 2/3 of the way to my wrist   Fortunately no tendon damage   `MORAL',never cut towards yourself.

 

When I was working in Aviation on the repair and manufacture of Carbon fibre, GRP,Kevlar and plastic components one of my colleagues brought in a pair of "Butchers gloves"for us to use in the workshop. These were made from very finely woven stainless steel mesh,very similar to chain mail. Light weight and very useful protection when working with pneumatic power saws,grinders,cutters and very sharp blades. 

 

Dave 

[jazzchip]

I hadn't thought of this before but how do you protect children, grandchildren from getting hurt? Do you lock up your sharp instruments when they're around?

Thank you, Davyboy for your comment.

[Jack12477]

Mine (knives and chisel/gouges) are in leather roll wraps which I keep out of sight where the children/grandchildren can't see them - also out of reach as well - but not under any kind of lock. I think it depends on the child's age - older children can be taught to respect sharp tools and not play with them - it's the toddlers I worry about.  Out of sight and out of reach seems to be a good safety rule. Also mine are all kept in the basement which the kids only go to when an adult is there to supervise.

[jazzchip]

Very wise, Jack. I like the idea of teaching them to respect the sharpness of the tools.

Jazzchip

[GuntherMT]

I hadn't thought of this before but how do you protect children, grandchildren from getting hurt? Do you lock up your sharp instruments when they're around?

Thank you, Davyboy for your comment.

 

My very simple system - Don't have children.  This also prevents grand children as a side effect.  

[ScottRC]

I cannot surmise using gloves when modeling, especially carving, I need my fingers to feel how I am making the cut.  I just need to look twice before cutting.   I do use thimbals when working with sails. I can count on each finger how many times I put a needle through it until the ladies in my life introduced me to safe sewing practices.

I will wear gloves, light thin leather type, when cutting rough wood or handing sheet metal. 

I will wear latex gloves when working with thinners, oils, paints, and other chemicals.  Its seems bladder and pancreatic cancer in my family goes hand in hand with those who had a lively hood working with paints and solvents. 

And the older I get, the wiser I get in using eye protection.  Hearing is about kaput from years of rock music but I also now use hearing protection so I can hear the ringing in my ears over the sound of my table saw or sander.

 

Oh, and about kids,

Keep your place clean and organized and give them their own area to work in. Set up a bench and give them their own tools, materials, and projects to work on all the while teaching them safety and the rules of the shop, such as these are your tools and those over there are mine and never to be touched unless asked.   I was raised that way by my mother, who had me in her studio as she worked, and its how I raised my kids.  Never had a problem.  For toddlers, the shop is locked when I am not home and when I am, the rule is they never leave the arms of the person holding them.

Edited November 5, 2015 by ScottRC

[jazzchip]

Scott,

Great comments about your safety and your children's safety. I would like to hear more about this from other members. I think many new modelers would benefit.

Thank you,

Jazzchip

[druxey]

Enough of the anecdotes! It's very simple, really:

 

1) The tool should be properly sharpened (as already mentioned).

2) Aways cut away from yourself.

3) In order to do this, the piece should be clamped, not held!

4) Don't work when you are tired.

 

The only times I've damaged myself were when I failed to observe any of the above.

[jazzchip]

Thank you, druxey. Your comments will help me and all the other rookies. 

Jazzchip

[Jack12477]

Druxey, it seems that all of the experienced (> 20 years) carvers in my woodcarving club including me violate your rule #2   as well as rule #3.  Most of them are doing figure carving, i.e. caricatures. Me ! I wear a leather thumb guard on the hand that's holding the knife and a cut resistant glove on the other hand.  But we keep the thumb on the underside of the wood carving well away from the blade.

 

Jazzchip, one thing I forgot to mention is that all my carving knives have a plastic tube covering the exposed blade and all the chisel.gouge tips are wrapped in a piece of soft cloth or are stuffed into a plastic tube. This is more to protect the blades from chipping (devil of a time to regrind one) but it has the added side effect of protecting hands from cuts. You can buy the plastic tubing in Lowes/Home Depot in different diameters and cut it to length - look in plumbing

 

On another note: Old wine corks (either the real McCoy or the fake plasticy ones) make a good guard for both gouges and knife tips. Just plunge the blade/gouge into the cork. It doesn't dull the blade.  All of my woodcarving buddies use them.

 

Some photos to demonstrate:

 

The gouges are stored in the leather roll on left - knifes are in cork or plastic tubes -

 

 

Gouges

 

 

Finger guards (long one is for index finger - short one for thumb)

Edited November 6, 2015 by Jack12477

[jazzchip]

Thank you for the good ideas, Jack. I really like the use of cork. Very clever. I purchased a pair of gloves today. I have this fear that, given my lack of skills, it won't be long before I'm scratching my head with my wrist. Any ideas that reduce the chances of slicing off parts of myself are greatly appreciated.

Jazzchip

By the way doglover, Jazzchip is the combination of the names of our last two dogs-both in heaven, I assume. 

[ASAT]

I hadn't thought of this before but how do you protect children, grandchildren from getting hurt? Do you lock up your sharp instruments when they're around?

Thank you, Davyboy for your comment.

Well, my kids know to ask permission to go into or borrow from my workshop, and have been schooled on tool usage (but they have also had a few "ah crap" moments)  and when the grandkids are around I spend time with them instead of in my workshop...... 

[jazzchip]

ASAT,

I like the fact that the kids were schooled about tools and that they ask permission to be around the tools and workshop. I guess that's the kind of control one needs to protect kids from hurting themselves.

Thank you for your comments.

Jazzchip