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

Firstgear

Firstgear

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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?
 
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!
 
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!
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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.
 
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.
 
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!
 
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!
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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.
 
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 ???
 
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