By continuing to use this site, you agree to our use of cookies. Find out more
Forum sponsored by:
Forum sponsored by Forum House Ad Zone

Clean hands?

All Topics | Latest Posts

Search for:  in Thread Title in  
Jon26/05/2018 19:24:51
1001 forum posts
49 photos

Never heard that one before Dave from Fairy, i use Persil original green cuts better than the red or yellow anti bacterials. If that fails its on a sponge.
I dont have dermatitis but come out in a rash/blisters if wear gold or use most other soaps than Pure or white natural.

Tried almost everything under the sun nipper gets stuff like that cheap ie Muck Off, swarfegas green and orange and the like, got loads never gets used just ok for mellow oils.

If Mr Persil dont cure on a sponge or not = rare, its time for Elbow Grease on dry mittens, just wash off with water.
Its also the best thing for cleaning your car alloy wheels!
Came about from a senior sales person at a national retail outlet selling all of above names, Muck off, swarfega etc. Just go to your local pound shop, Amazon, Sainsburys, Tesco etc £1

John Randall26/05/2018 20:38:34
14 forum posts

We used to send the apprentices to the stores for elbow grease 30 years ago they normally came back and said

ain't got none!

Georgineer26/05/2018 22:10:21
652 forum posts
33 photos

No takers for a wet bar of soap sprinkled with Vim or Ajax then?

Or Best Universal Grit Grime and Effluent Remover?

George

colin wilkinson27/05/2018 07:40:03
71 forum posts

By far the best, and over many years of working on motorcycles I have tried most of them, is the Wurth hand cleanser. Not being able to get it free anymore is quite upsetting. thinking Colin

Vic27/05/2018 11:33:20
3453 forum posts
23 photos

When I worked as a painter at a boat builders we used to use Swarfega and sawdust to get paint off our hands, worked a treat. Later on as a Mechanic when working on friends cars at their houses I found sugar and washing up liquid worked pretty good.

Vic27/05/2018 11:40:24
3453 forum posts
23 photos
Posted by Mick Charity on 27/05/2018 05:33:18:

Vaseline is just about the only thing my hands can tolerate.

Have you tried Aloe Vera gel? I’ve found it very good on dry sore skin. You can “reactivate” it’s soothing effect once dry by moistening again with a little water. Holland and Barret sell it but make sure you get the pure Aloe gel without any additives.

Samsaranda27/05/2018 11:49:56
avatar
1688 forum posts
16 photos

Mick, I had problems finding a soap that was benign enough not aggravate my dermatitis, I found that “SIMPLE” Soap is okay, I do get Cetraben cream and Q.V. Gentle Wash prescribed from my GP, I believe they are both available without prescription. Cetraben although a cream to apply to the skin is also good for hand washing, works very well and leaves the skin moisturised after. Suffering today as I used Citric acid yesterday for descaling the shower head and got some on my hand. Like you I use blue Nitrile gloves for any activity where I know contact is going to cause problems with my dermatitis, only problem is my hands sweat so much in rubber gloves, but better than suffering skin problems. I also get excused washing up. My advice is to try using Cetraben if you aren’t already, it had dramatic results when I started using it.

Dave W

FLguy27/05/2018 20:25:52
15 forum posts

About 55 years ago my uncle told me to use clean motor oil as it has strong cleaning agents in it. He made some compound of motor oil, fine saw dust and lanolin....that worked very well. Today I use Dawn dish soap and clothes that exfolliate your skin, works very well too.

Muzzer27/05/2018 21:11:05
avatar
2904 forum posts
448 photos

I'm trying to imagine clothes that exfoliate your skin. Presumably underwear made of sandpaper? Or was that cloths?

Murray

Trevor Crossman 127/05/2018 23:48:01
152 forum posts
18 photos

Just as some others have mentioned ,the lack of awareness of the dangers of many of the industrial liquids that I was required to work with in the past now means that I suffer recurrent bouts of excema on my hands and forearms which sometimes prevents me from practical work. I really do echo the pleas to use gloves and barrier creams when handling any industrial chemical especially liquids, and I always use both as soon as I start work and I can strongly recommend the Polyco Orange nitrile gloves which I get from https://www.justgloves.co.uk/ ( the usual disclaimer, I have no connection other than being a satisfied customer) These gloves are much stronger than the average blue versions, are a little thicker and have a textured surface for better grip, okay a little more expensive but wear better. It is much better not to get persistent and harmful materials on your hands in the first place rather than use aggressive cleaners to get it off- - - -maybe it doesn't appear as macho as gnarly, oily, stained hands but it just might make your skin healthier in old(er) age!

Trevor.

 

Edited By Trevor Crossman 1 on 28/05/2018 00:03:27

Hopper28/05/2018 00:00:13
avatar
7881 forum posts
397 photos

WD40 gets the black grease off. Then whatever ordinary soap or detergent is around to get the WD40 off.

FLguy28/05/2018 02:21:50
15 forum posts
Posted by Muzzer on 27/05/2018 21:11:05:

I'm trying to imagine clothes that exfoliate your skin. Presumably underwear made of sandpaper? Or was that cloths?

Murray , Even old men can be exfoliated by the correct cloth/ fabric. Supposedly with all the years to get my engineering degree I ought to be able to spell.......NOT. Thanks guys.

I.M. OUTAHERE28/05/2018 07:04:27
1468 forum posts
3 photos

You haven't lived until you have used washing detergent ( the stuff you use to wash clothes ) to scrub your hands , especially when you have spent the day skinning your knuckles working on a car , i can gladly report that the pain is exquisite ! If you know of something that can the smell of diff oil off your hands please let me know !

Many years ago i worked a a hardchrome place and the manager would dip his finger in the caustic strip solution and rub it on his hands to remove any stains from the chromic acid fumes that got onto everything - he had a bad habit of not wearing gloves . . One day he did this but unfortunately for him i had loaded the strip tank up with a lot of caustic beads to strengthen the solution for a job - he had about 10 yards to get from the strip tank to the wash basin to rinse his hands and he was screaming by the time he got there !

For the Aussie readers the hand cleaner from Hitec oils is good stuff although it can be a little difficult to find in shops - no connection just a happy user when i could get it for free from work ! .

From the few times i have used swarfega it seems to be a good cleaner , a little expensive for my tastes and for most of what i do these days dishwashing detergent does the job and if i need to get some really oily/ greasy gunk off me i use the septone pink stuff followed by dishwashing liquid ( this gets the chemical smell of the septone off ) .

We used to get this white stuff i a steel tub years ago ( possibly protectolene ? ) it cleaned well but jeez it stank ! If you let it sit undisturbed for a while it would get this liquid stuff seeping out of it that looked like motor oil i don't even want to think what it really was !

colin wilkinson28/05/2018 07:21:08
71 forum posts

The first time I saw a mechanic wearing vinyl gloves was probably in the early eighties. His brother worked at Shell research and warned him that many of the compounds used in modern motor oils were carcinogenic, including unleaded petrol, and he should avoid getting them on his skin. Also the reason some machinists developed testicular cancer through splashes from cutting oils whilst standing in front of lathes and milling machines wearing overalls and not protective aprons. Colin

Mike28/05/2018 11:11:10
avatar
713 forum posts
6 photos

In the late 1960s, Halfords sold a pink hand cleaner called "That Stuff", which worked far better than Swarfega. I haven't seen any on sale in the UK for years, but a quick "Google" reveals it is still being made in the USA. A friend of mine who regularly got bitumen on his hands, being employed in the roofing trade, used to make his own Swarfega-like hand cleanser by mixing green Fairy Liquid with paraffin - and it really did work. As an angler, I find that lemon-scented washing up liquid kills fishy smalls better than anything. This smell-killing quality is probably why they make citrus-smelling industrial hand cleansers. When I was a sub-editor on a newspaper over 40 years ago, I noted that compositors swore by Boraxo for removing printer's ink.

Nick Hulme28/05/2018 12:48:09
750 forum posts
37 photos
Posted by Bob Lamb on 26/05/2018 00:19:59:

Thanks for all the replies - I might give Manista a try as there is supposedly a stockist near me. Alternatively if Nick H wouldn't mind living only until he is 115 I wouldn't mind putting in a bid for one of his gritty gold bars! Bob

Bob,
PM me your address and I'll bung you a bar in the post free gratis and all that
Regards,
Nick

Samsaranda28/05/2018 13:18:28
avatar
1688 forum posts
16 photos

Mick, peripheral neuropathy is one possible problem that can be encountered from contact with industrial solvents, if I remember correctly and I might be wrong, prolonged exposure to solvents such as carbon tetrachloride, trichloroethane, methyl ethyl ketone can cause peripheral nerve damage. Those readers who use such solvents for skin cleaning are playing Russian roulette with their health, I speak from experience, don’t do it!

Dave W

Trevor Crossman 128/05/2018 13:52:57
152 forum posts
18 photos

Samsaranda, oh dear! I shudder to think how much carbon tet, how many pints(gallons?) of trich. and mek and alochrom ,and chromic acid have I sloshed around during my aircraft repairing days, and not always wearing gloves, because they usually disintegrated after a few minutes, or perhaps the frequent case of not bothering to don gloves just for a quick wipe of the structure with some mek before spreading the prc1221 jointing compound. 20/20 hindsight doesn't help a lot when a bad skin flare-up happens crying 2

I don't care how much I spend on barrier cream and vinyl gloves now, I consider the cost to be utterly irrelevant when set against avoiding the excruciating pain of severely sore and burning skin!

Trevor

Vic28/05/2018 14:04:11
3453 forum posts
23 photos

A friend of mine worked on offset litho machines many years ago and the supplied hand cleaner was a creamy white compound with a lovely Almond smell, any guesses what it was?

Samsaranda28/05/2018 14:08:53
avatar
1688 forum posts
16 photos

Trevor, I worked on aircraft as well which is where I came into contact with a lot of the nasties. Recently recommended to me is a preparation made by Weleda, comes in a tube called “Skin Food” , I am impressed with it as it quickly soothes the sore patches and causes swelling to disappear. It contains various herbs including Calendula which is well known for healing properties, is available from Holland & Barrett, costs I think £9.95 and even our local NHS Dermatologist recommends it so worth a try if it gives you any relief. It sounds expensive but the preparation is very oily and a little goes a long way.

Dave W

All Topics | Latest Posts

Please login to post a reply.

Magazine Locator

Want the latest issue of Model Engineer or Model Engineers' Workshop? Use our magazine locator links to find your nearest stockist!

Find Model Engineer & Model Engineers' Workshop

Sign up to our Newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter and get a free digital issue.

You can unsubscribe at anytime. View our privacy policy at www.mortons.co.uk/privacy

Latest Forum Posts
Support Our Partners
cowells
Sarik
MERIDIENNE EXHIBITIONS LTD
Subscription Offer

Latest "For Sale" Ads
Latest "Wanted" Ads
Get In Touch!

Do you want to contact the Model Engineer and Model Engineers' Workshop team?

You can contact us by phone, mail or email about the magazines including becoming a contributor, submitting reader's letters or making queries about articles. You can also get in touch about this website, advertising or other general issues.

Click THIS LINK for full contact details.

For subscription issues please see THIS LINK.

Digital Back Issues

Social Media online

'Like' us on Facebook
Follow us on Facebook

Follow us on Twitter
 Twitter Logo

Pin us on Pinterest

 

Donate

donate