Workshop thermal gloves- advice please

Until I switched to LED I could feel the warmth of my 60w angle-poise on my hands which is positioned so that it is only a foot off the bench to put the light down there not into my eyes. Another help might be a metal plate say 2'x1' as the main work top with soldering iron or some such heating elements. As well as heat coming up to your fingers all the tools resting on it would be warmed too. It was common to to use a light bulb in a biscuit tin like this to heat photographic developing solutions.

We installed overhead infrared heating over a work bench in a space impossible to heat effectively. It worked well, not good for the space heating but bench work was OK. Have you looked at USB heated fingerless mittens? Cable may be an issue but plug in USB sockets are cheap.

Robert

Wall mounted panel heater!

**LINK**

I use this type of woven nylon gloves, available from many other suppliers:-

https://www.justgloves.co.uk/Work-Gloves/Mixed-Fibre-Gloves/Low-Lint-PVC-Dotted-Nylon-Gloves

Available in a range of sizes, they are slightly stretchy giving a close fit. Thin enough to be able to feel what you are doing and thick enough to take the chill away (maybe not for sub-zero temperatures) . The pvc dotting improves the grip and works surprisingly well. Last for ages, much better than cotton gloves and relatively cheap.

Clive

Might be worth trying a chemical finger warmer like skiers use. Instead of putting it on your fingers, try placing it near an artery upstream of your fingers.

Been a while.

Insulate, insulate, insulate.

Before, the Garage, now Workshop, would freeze in winter and boil in summer.

No longer after vapour barrier, 2" EPS and then chipboard with EPS between the joists.

Floor painted and then interlocking 'rubber' mats in front of machines and bench.

Never goes below 5° and above 25° when it's well below 0° and 30°+ outside.

Fan heater has temp up to 22° in about 30-40min on the coldest day, with an oil heater used to keep it near constant once temp up.

Rust now a distant memory thank goodness.

Geoff - Just about sorted out one of those bench sandblasting cabinets.

Update. Thought I would start with the simplest idea which was Dwayne's suggestion of chemical finger warmer type product.

Was in £land this morning and bought a 'penetrating heat action patch for back and shoulders'. When home secured one on my left wrist using insulating tape. Being r/h I choose the left as it would be getting little exercise to allow it to stay warm.

Cool but sunny afternoon so into the garden to carry out research. Half an hour later the l/h fingers were much happier than before and the veins on the back of the hand were quite noticeable compared with those of the r/h. With larger veins, greater blood flow, so warmer fingers. After two hours when I came indoors,the left fingers still had minimal discomfort while the right were distinctly unhappy.

So many thanks to all 'advisers' and especial Dwayne for his simple, practical input. I will now think of a IR heater, perhaps on a mobile stand, so where I go, it goes.

Jim

Hi Geoff

Good to see you back! Any chance of perhaps starting a new thread on your blasting cabinet? I've been thinking of either buying or making one and it would be nice to get a few ideas kicked around by some users before taking the plunge!

Regards Martin.

Sorry JimmieS, didn't mean to hijack your thread in my above reply to Geoffs comment so I'll add my own tuppence worth to get it back on track! I too suffer from cold hands (and feet) when working in my cold workshop. I use a 2Kw fan heater to provide background heating and find it helpful to place the heater close by on the bench top, angled towards me , when doing bench work. Not always an ideal compromise but it keeps me productive in the workshop and out of the armchair (sure JohnS would appreciate that sentiment!!).

Regards Martin.

Martin,

Missed your request somehow.

Been busy on the Austin Seven.

I shall be doing a video plus 'show notes' on what I did.

As supplied, those bench mounted cabinets are pretty useless, but can be made to behave themselves and produce results as expected.

Not quite up to industrial standards on intricate items, but more that adequate for the Austin Seven parts, including the 17" wire wheels, much to my surprise as they only just fit in.

Geoff - Need to edit two videos then will do one for the blaster.

Result!

Nice one Geoff.

I suffer a similar problem but just one finger (strange I know) however I found no matter how warm the room was thge finger was still numb.

I wearmechanics gloves which do help and can be bought from Costco

Many thanks for the continuing advice. On a sunny but cool day recently I decided to evaluate some suggestions by doing a little gardening. I started with the easiest idea - heat patch from £land on my left wrist. Spent about an hour outside, left hand happy with prominent veins (large veins = increased blood supply), right hand decidedly unhappy with 'finger chilblains' appearing shortly after. Looking good.

Re insulation, (which is impossible for several reasons) for many years I applied an annual coat of Thompson's brick proofer with little success to cure the constant winter problem of water penetration through the single brick skin. Last August I painted on a single coat of Stormdry, a 'wonder product' at an eye watering price. Guaranteed for 25 years at almost a week's pension a tin, I decided it was worth a try as the Thompson's mix had proved useless. By the time the guarantee is over I shall be nearing the big 00 so will not avail of the last few (many) years! So far, so good, wet winter and dry garage.

Now if I could devise a way of converting the protective film into a heating device, connect it to the street lighting, and have a giant storage heater costing nothing to run!