Gloves for finishing

This may sound silly...but I'll try. Does anyone have favorite gloves for finishing?

I simply hate gloves. I have been using black nitrile gloves for the last decade or so, and manage to squeak a few uses out of a pair...but I find the fit to be terrible. I'm hoping for something a little more flexible but still durable.

Thanks, and Happy New Year to all!

 

I use the blue Nitrile gloves from HF. One pair for me goes a long way. They are tough and the fit is perfect for me.

 

I bought a box of Venom Steel rip resistant industrial nitrile gloves.
They are tough, I use them when wet sanding and finishing.
I have yet to tear one in normal use and I can get several wearings if they are not too contaminated.
The blue ones are not durable enough for anything but casual work. I seem to be able to rip them very easily.
Of course, some are thicker than others, some of the blue gloves I have gotten at woodworking shows have been ok.
Some of the ones I have gotten recently have been exam gloves, not worth much.

 

HF blue nitrile gloves; can get them at a good price off their coupons. I buy three boxes at a time.

 

+1 on HF gloves. It's the only thing I admit to buying there. I have size 8 - 8 1/2 hands and these fit and are cheap.

 

I started getting Nitrile gloves at Costco. Half the price of HF. I am terrible at getting gloves back on if they get any finish on them, so it's not too big of a deal when you toss one out (I usually only wear one). That's for shellac and oils. Still looking for something that works better for dealing with CA, though...

 

Thanks everyone! Much appreciated. I never knew gloves were such an interesting topic.

Bill, that's interesting on the different weights of gloves. I already stock three sizes for my wife and boys...it's going to look like a hospital supply store in the shop!

Being in Alaska, I'll have to order gloves.

 

I also use the 5 mil gloves for finishing, and reuse several times before tossing. (Blow under the cuff and they come off without turning inside out) A little large works fine for finishing, it doesn't require the dexterity of vascular surgery.

Zach, can you describe your problem with the fit?

 

Thanks Dean. It's partly just that I don't like gloves. For nitrile gloves: I wear XLs but the fingers are too darn short in the gloves, so I'm left feeling like I have webbed fingers. Work gloves seem to fit much better, both for construction and the heavy vinyl gloves I use when commercial fishing. Maybe I need to try a different disposable nitrile brand, as only two are available locally.

 

Why not use the plain old Atlas Vinylove gloves, then? As long as you're not using acetone, vinyl should hold up. Unless Murray's has changed, they're pretty cheap there.

I might have to try this myself sometime if I can ever find my pair of non-insulated ones.

 

Thanks for the thought Davis. I've tried that. I like the fit of the gloves (and have cases of the things), but the sensitivity in the fingers is abysmal for woodwork. Great for fish, cut resistance, and grip. The best compromise I'm coming to right now for wood finishing is the Atlas nitrile work gloves with cloth on the back.

Yeah: I know I'm pickier than heck. My dad reminds me that he comes from a long line of working men who just don't wear gloves. I wasn't wearing anything until I looked up tung oil and d-limonene as having long term contact issues.

 

I could see that being problematic, even with finishing. I started wearing the 460 insulated gloves for mountaineering and winter cycling because I feel I have better dexterity than other ski/bike gloves, but that's a totally different animal than tactile feedback.


I'll have to do more research myself on skin contact stuff. I thought I was in the clear by using as many natural derived (shellac, nut oils, beeswax, citrus oils, etc) finishing products and solvents as possible.

I have aasthma triggered by sanding dust, so I'm careful with my lungs, but not always the best at protecting my skin from finishes.

 

Trying a different brand is probably a good idea. My only other thought is that if XL gloves aren't long enough for your fingers, you should spend a few years as a wide receiver in the NFL, and then you could afford to hire somebody to do your finishing.

 

Ha ha. ... the first time I read this, I thought Zach was asking for gloves for fishing ! That “ni” makes a real difference in the meaning.

Kind regards,
Rich

 

Just to give an update...my best finishing gloves so far are these reusable nitrile gloves with the cloth backing. I like them because the fit isn't too restrictive, and it takes much longer for hands to get moist. The fingers are longer than the crummy disposable nitrile gloves I was using and attempting to reuse. A disadvantage could be that they provide little to no protection from finish on the back side of the gloves. That said: I put a tung oil mix on with a small cloth and I've never had tung oil get through to my hands. They run a little on the small side. Another downside to these is that they're fairly slippery to remove with oil on them, but a dry rag or air chuck helps remove them.

The brand is Atlas, though I heard that a company in Bellingham, Washington recently bought the company and the name may be changing.

 

For removal see this https://www.superiorglove.com/blog/removing-disposable-gloves

 

My wife is an RN at the local hospital. She comes home with one or two gloves in her pocket every other day. In fact, we have a plastic jar on the shelf in the laundry room just for the gloves and other miscellaneous stuff that finds it's way home. Got several pair of those disposable stainless steel scissors, about 200 gloves, alcohol wipes, and IV "plumbing parts" Even a few little 1 cc containers of petroleum jelly. All unused. I use the gloves once and pitch them. The scissors and alcohol wipes come in very handy too.