Sorry. I forgot about those properties of WD-40. That's one of the reasons some people rub it onto aching joints like knees.

You could always follow the advice from those old TV commercials and use ... lava soap! It's supposed to clean most anything - according to their claims. Basically just soap with some pumice mixed in as an abrasive.

Mikey

i worked in a steel mill for a while and my hands were dirty all the time ....i would use pumice ...go jo...but the glue and the nail remover i cant say .... maybe a couple of rubbing alchahole under hot water series of washhes with a brush will scrap it out .... at night when i slept and perspired in my sleep it would rust the pillow
after awhile....cast iron gets everywhere and worked into your pores...

As to getting gorrilla glue on the hands, this is one occation I would recommend cotton or leather gloves. Just work fast so you do not to make a knife with the glove permanently attached. (grin).

For the normal blacksmithing dirt I found that GoJo or other mechanics hand soap applied and worked into the dirt followed by liquid soap again applied to the gojo and worked in, then followed by a little warm water removed most of the dirt and black. A second application of gojo and a nail brush will usually get the rest. Remember DO NOT USE the white guest towels.

I am thinking that rmcbp is right.

As far as cleaning you hands before gluing stuff is Gojo with pumice!!. Work it on for at least a minute, 2 is better, rinse in warm water.
It softens, and deep cleans the cracks in my calluses, and has no bad stuff in it. I have used it to remove partly cured epoxy resin, wood glue, grease, and the list goes on...

Washing with solvents like acetone, xylene, benzene, bad idea!!! most are toxic, carcinogenic, and most will absorb through your skin. I understand occasionally there is a need to use solvents to clean up gorilla glue or epoxy, but a daily washing with it is right out for me.

But hey, that is just my 2 cents.

best hand cleaner i found is kresto hand cleaner ( see google)

i went to a metal supply yard and they had it in the rest room.........really works great.

same company makes a paint soap the easily removes uncured epoxy .........

Edited June 5, 200917 yr by johnptc

I don't know if they still sell it but DuPont used to sell a barrier cream that you rubbed into your hands before doing messy jobs. It prevent a lot of absorbtion and make clean up much easier. I used it in industrial paintig and car repair.

These days I keep a little vasiline on my hands just because I'm old and drying up.

best hand cleaner i found is kresto hand cleaner ( see google)

i went to a metal supply yard and they had it in the rest room.........really works great.

same company makes a paint soap the easily removes uncured epoxy .........

these guys makes barrier cream also one for water based stuff and another for oil based .............

An old trick was to rub bar soap on your hands and let it dry. Unfortunately my old hands don't like the drying out this causes. The trick works a treat on camp cookware though.

Nitrile gloves. If I put a little hand cream on first by the end of the day my hands are not only clean but soft and . . . pretty.

Frosty

so my hands are dirty looking...I'm a blacksmith...get over it......

take some borax and make a paste with a little bit of water and and rub your hands with it. It is abrasive enough to remove most grease and oil and even superglue.

so my hands are dirty looking...I'm a blacksmith...get over it......

Okay, another meatloaf to pass on.

And I really LIKE meatloaf.

frosty

Some hand soaps also have caustic in them as well as laundry soaps :rolleyes:

I understand you are a white man with black hands.

Thats how it started with Michael Jackson, but in reverse, he went from black to white.

Are you related to Michael Jackson

Now the Jackson six.

Edited June 6, 200917 yr by horseshoe182

Hey, soft and cleanish hands are ok, at least my wife says so!! Blackened rough callused hands don't go far with romance!

Meatloaf+white guest towels+soft white hands+romance+acetone+calloused hands+wash the dishes for a month=a very strange post. If you get that stuff on your hands and you then put it in deeper with acetone you deserve black hands. If you have a girl friend or a wife she will enjoy you washing up the dishes for a month and then the romance will take care of itself.

I'm with Richard, clean white hands belong in the dishpan and the house.I am a smith also. black hands mean I am working. Calluses mean I an working enough. Scar tissue means I screwed up. (lotsa scars) places we won't get into.
Ken.

Charcoal is a basic ingredient in many traditional tattoo inks. My guess is that others have suggested the acetone carried some of it deep into your skin. Don't stress it man, I've been thinking of getting a tattoo for a long time. You just beat me to it. My guess is that it will wear off eventually.

Frosty,
I've eaten at Mike-hr's many times. You don't notice the "black" in the food at all. Never had anything over there that ain't good. Just use plenty of black pepper and you won't notice the "black" either. I think he was onto something there though. A few batches of Meatloaf and dishes will make anyone's hands clean and smooth.

I have had problem with the gorilla and coal dust. I could not get it off, but I could get the "stickiness to everything other than my hands" to stop:

wash your hands in talcum powder.

The talc will get stuck to the gorrialla and then your hands are no longer sticky. From there, is is about a week of looking like you have a weird skin disease.

-Doug

Frosty,
I've eaten at Mike-hr's many times. You don't notice the "black" in the food at all. Never had anything over there that ain't good. Just use plenty of black pepper and you won't notice the "black" either. I think he was onto something there though. A few batches of Meatloaf and dishes will make anyone's hands clean and smooth.

I DO like pepper. . . Hmmmmmm. Wonder what Gorilla Glue tastes like?

Frosty

just a though ... they have some new stuff to remove tats....?Wrecking Balm? Not sure how or if but if its like some are thinking transdermal/deep under the skin that stuff may work.

Lava soap. The power of the volcano!

Gorilla glue though...that's gonna be with you for a while.

I've used Gorilla glue, but I don't think I've ever really had the problem of getting on my hands. I used that ajax powder stuff and a scotch brite pad.... it came off with a little work.

I don't know about your specific problem, but the absolutely best hand cleaner I've found to use is "Solopol, stock #83187". This is a solvent free hand cleaner.

Just Google for it.... Prices are all over the map, but you should be able to get it for around $15 (plus shipping).

Other stuff is cheaper, but this is the best!

If you use some fine emery cloth plus, a few hours of spare time it will all sand off.

NOPE, If you got Gorilla glue on your hands and did not remove it before it dried, it will have to wear off (short of taking a sander and removing the top layer or so or skin!). Take it from a woodworker who often had black hands (till I got wiser and started using latex gloves!).