Gloves for gun cleaning

F

Futo Inu

New member
I already protect the eyes and lungs. But to protect your hands from the solvents and other chemicals, what do you use? I am concerned about this. Wouldn't a cheap latex glove get eaten through by solvents & petroleum products? TIA.
 
I have tried this and actually, the latex-free gloves are resistant to the solvents I use (Gun Scrubber and Hoppes No 9). The downside is that unless they fit absolutely perfectly, the gloves are constantly getting stuck and pinched by tiny mechanical parts within the gun.

It was such a pain for me that I just went back to washing my hands thoroughly afterwards.
 
I just recently started using latex golves when cleaning my guns. Got a bulk pack of them from the local auto parts store for about $3. They also had gloves of some other material for people who have a reaction to latex. Like BR said, the gloves do sometimes get caught, but for me the advantages of using them outweigh the disadvantages, so I'll continue to use them.

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Regards - AZFred
 
I never have used gloves for general cleaning and probably never will. I simply make sure I don't get the solvents on me. It can be done. But I do use gloves when spraying a part with a degreaser like Gun Scrubber. That stuff will degrease your hands just as fast as the part. And that leaves you open to cracked skin and minor infections.
 
I prefer not to wear gloves unless I am doing something really messy; then I wear gloves made of nitrile. They are inexpensive, quite resistant and thin and tight enough to not affect dexterity too badly. They can usually be found at any company that sells industrial safety equipment. Grainger, Lab Safety and McMaster-Carr all carry them in different sizes, thicknesses and lengths.
 
Greetings,

I think gloves are important. The skin on my fingertips gets dry and cracked easily from solvents. Bleeding can occur, especially if you load a bunch of magazines with cracked fingertips.

I used to use the white latex gloves. They aren't chemical proof and only lasted through one cleaning session. Now I use the blue mechanics' gloves, which are chemical-proof and can be reused until they tear.

I don't wear them when lubricating guns after cleaning. They seem to take the oil off the gun.

Regarding eye protection, I didn't think it was important until I sprayed some brake cleaner into a gun and it splashed back into both my eyes. If my wife hadn't been home, I would have called an ambulance. My eyes didn't feel right again for a week. The tear ducts weren't working right.

Shoot safe, clean safe,

Ledbetter
 
I use Polypropolene (Sp?) or Vinyl gloves when cleaning using Chemicals. I think those are better than Latex gloves. (I also use those at work sometimes if needed.. ugh)


Oh even if you uses gloves, it is a GOOD idea to still clean your hand right after you take those gloves off! I wont go past this.......
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Dead [Black Ops]

[This message has been edited by Dead (edited August 22, 2000).]
 
I use latex gloves when using brake cleaner, or gun scrubber, but not always when using other stuff.

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"Any world that I'm welcome to.....Is better than the one I come from"
 
I use the latex kind. 4-5 bucks for 50 or 100 at walmart(depends on which box you get). thats 25 or 50 cleanings. they work pretty good for me and i've only had one break out of a box and a 1/2 and clean up is easy. pick up all of your q-tips(for glocks) and/or patches in one hand and pull the glove off. this basically reverses the glove and now all the chems and solvents are inside the glove and easier to keep togather.

Did you see me clean my guns w/these at Slinger's??

scottMO
 
I use heavier duty latex gloves from http://www.labsafety.com. I toss them each time I use them -- they're cheap.

I found that the standard thickness gloves break too easily. You do need to make sure you get the right size -- if you have extra material hanging out in front of your fingers, you'll catch in the action and tear the gloves.

Jared
 
I have another solution. Why not use MPro-7? It is non-toxic and environmentally safe.

Of course, that still leaves power residue and such...

Skorzeny


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For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the supreme excellence. Sun Tzu
 
Probably really dated, but I don't use sprays. They're expensive and get all over everything. I use a tackle box full of brushes, jags, probes, swabs and whatever. Then wash the hands and use a decent hand lotion. Corn Huskers is good and doesn't smell like you rolled in a flower bed.
 
Skorz:

It's the other stuff that drove me to gloves. I had my lead level checked by my doc, and it was elevated. So the gloves help reduce my lead exposure. My lead level is now dropping.

Jared
 
Hoppe's #9 solvent and Rem Oil

I used the Hoppe's #9 solvent and followed up with Remington Rem Oil to clean a pistol, following the guidance of this excellent educational video:

http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to-clean-ruger-lcp-pistol-274629/

Check out 4:44 where he puts the gun oil directly onto his fingers, so he can rub it into the gun metal with his bare hands. I thought this video really helped me to clean a gun, as I had little experience in that area but still wanted to clean my gun. I would recommend it to anyone, but I would recommend avoiding such high levels of exposure to organic solvents.

Hours later and the stuff just doesn't seem to wash off. I still smell the stuff on my hands.

These chemicals seem to be absorbed through the skin, leaving the liver to try and metabolize them. That is probably a risk factor for liver cancer.

Sure, cleaning your gun is fun, but I will be getting nitrile gloves for my next gun cleaning, and I think maybe the Playtex Living Gloves, which tend to fit really tight, underneath the nitrile gloves. I want an effective barrier to the stuff.

This gun cleaning business would appear to expose the gun cleaner to some pretty toxic stuff. :mad: I think some of the chemicals are also likely to be toxic to your white blood cells, which could lead to "blood cancer" like leukemia.:(

What do you think?
 
Like Snakeshot said nitrile gloves.I started using them were I used to work when I mixed paint and ink.Since I needed to change quite often I wore unpowdered nitrile under powdered latex.We discovered the powdered latex and nitrile gloves were more resistant to thinners and solvent.But the powder get all over everything.
 
better get some lead free primered ammo if your that worried bout stuff. heck if your over 35 you grew up in the lead paint era anyways so whats to be afraid of?:rolleyes:
 
Powder free nitrile gloves is the way to go. Thats what we use in the Environmental/Hazmat industry when handling petroleum or chimical groundwater samples or soil samples. They dont degrade from chemical exposure, but will eventually tear from use. They are inexpensive and disposeable at a cost of anywhere from $6.00 to $9.00 for a box of 100.
 
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