Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

I'm starting to play around with new and exciting (you know, unhealthy) materials for mold making and casting, along with sticking my hands in cleaner for half an hour while I try to strip models, and I imagine I really ought to start using gloves. I was wondering if there were any recommendations on what kind to use as I really have no idea what chemicals might react. What kind of gloves do you like using for different tasks?

I think your best option would be rubber gloves from a diy store. They tend to be thick rubber coated and can handle many different chemicals. They are ideal for mould making and using rubber. You are right to be wary of using your bare hands, many products in this field are pretty harmful to skin. Also if you are going to be working with resin make sure that you work in a well ventilated area.

I have a pretty good selection of gloves that I probably should wear more often...but dont most of the time.

The big issues with silicone molds and urethane resins are more tied to the mess they can create, to which I say...dont get it on you. If you do, you won't die, have a tumor form or watch you hand dissolve into a pubble of goo. It can be a PITA to wash off though (especially mixed urethanes).

For the gloves I do wear though.. Disposable Nitrile gloves when dealing with organic solvents like acetone and MEK in bulk. Latex will dissolve and stick to your hands in short order with those. While you dont use those often, if I am enlarging or reducing a mold via the Naptha technique...I am using a lot of it.

For reactive chemicals...acids and bases, I almost always wear a pair of gloves that go up past my elbows with tge cuff turned down to prevent acid from running down the glove and into the inside wear my hand would be trapped right next to it while it gave me nice chemical burns. Again, not part of the normal casting process, but if you decide to do your own brass, steel or aluminum etchings...then it can become an issue.

For actual casting and mold making...I wear disposable latex gloves, one size too small. Being extra tight allows me to have a better tactile response when fiddling with small bits and mixing chemicals. It is mostly to keep splashes and splots of resin off the back of my hand wear if it gets messed up with the hair...ouch.

Of course I also have a really nice pair of which are used for dealing with hot stuff. They are some form of silicone, asbestos, baby calf butt composite that lets me handle near molten metals, heat forming plastics, meltable plastics and the rest without fear of burning. Again, the high dollar ones are nice because they dont prevent your ability to feel as much as the ones that are like a oven mitts.

+1 for the Nitrile gloves. You can get a box of 100 for less than $10... I think if you have access to a warehouse club store (costco) you can get boxes of 200+, but I'm not sure how much they are there.

Those are the only ones I use right now, but I only deal with simple green/superclean, and 2-part silicon and resins from Smooth-On.

Yah, if you have to pick one glove - pick Nitrile. They provide better chemical resistance to a broader range of chemicals than latex do.

The only thing that is throwing me off now that I think about it again is I think I might have switched to laminate film for acetone and MEK handling (Nitrile for Naptha still). Nitrile and Latex both were not good with the acetone. Nitrile being a bit better IMO, because while it also didn't stand up to the chemical well - when it did degrade, it fell apart - while latex melted and then I would be pulling bits of rubber from under my finger nails for a week...

It has almost been 6 months though since I have done any casting...so my mind is foggy as to whether or not I picked up those film gloves or if I just planned on picking them up.

Also - don't forget finger condoms (sure they have a different name...but that is what I have called them for quite a long time). Again, although it is a bit of a rare use specifically for casting - they are handy to have around. Mostly I use them when airbrushing and also when sculpting to keep finger prints off fresh paint if I need to move something a bit. The name is plenty descriptive in terms of what they are like. As opposed to wearing a full glove for a long period of time and dealing with your hands turning into prunes...you can simply put one on you finger and another on your thumb and manipulate small items without fear of finger prints, oils or getting a mess on you too. I believe mine are latex...don't recall if I have seen them in as many different options as you do for proper gloves.

Luckily for me, I have access to latex gloves where I work.

Another source of FREE gloves is the local gas station. This one is owned by Raley's/Bel Aire/sNob Hill supermarkets and they have plastic glove dispensers on the islands right next to the window washer.

Yep go with nitrile or even Vinyl.

Disposable Aprons can be handy.

A barrier cream can be useful too.

Thanks for the advice. Ordered a box of nitrile ("as used by law enforcement"! oh boy) gloves for now. I'm not doing anything particularly crazy yet (frankly I need to switch my focus from quantity to quality before I'll have the time to do anything crazy, but that's another issue) so it sounds like that should be fine. I may pick up a box of finger condoms as well. I never thought about using them for hobbies but, dangit, it does sound like a good idea now that you mention it.