gloves for cleaning guns

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  • Wear gloves when cleaning your firearms?


    • Total voters
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    cobber

    Parrot Daddy
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    Now I hear that I should be wearing gloves when I clean my guns.

    What's the INGO consensus on this?

    Hysterical overreaction, or prudent precaution?

    If you do glove up, latex, nitrile or some other substance?
     
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    Expat

    Pdub
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    Feb 27, 2010
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    I don't know about the weenies part, but I have just never heard of using gloves. What for? Afraid to get your hands dirty?
     

    223 Gunner

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    Jan 7, 2009
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    I use Nitrile, didn't start using gloves until about 8 years ago. It just made sense to me, especially if you will be cleaning a few guns for a few hours.
    Our skin is a good entry point for things our bodies cannot process.
    Walmart sells them in the pharmacy area.
     

    Salty

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    Nov 8, 2015
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    When I was turning wrenches I always thought that wearing gloves was for weenies. Now I do wear the disposable nitrile gloves when I work on my own cars or clean guns. It is easier to clean up afterwards and keeps the crud out of your fingernails. I heard once that Brakleen will go through your skin, into your blood and go straight to your heart. I think that is an exaggeration but there is probably some truth to it. Cancer keeps showing up and I wonder if the gloves would have prevented some of that. I spent a lot of years abusing myself. Now I'm the wimp I used to talk about, lol.
     

    midget

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    Apr 2, 2010
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    The chemicals in the cleaners are incredibly toxic, so yes I wear gloves. The macho mentality can eat ****, I will keep from slowly poisoning my self from chemical exposure.
    I use the extra thick nitrile gloves that HF sells. They are inexpensive.
     

    cobber

    Parrot Daddy
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    I don't know about the weenies part, but I have just never heard of using gloves. What for? Afraid to get your hands dirty?

    Dirty is okay. Just don't want to be absorbing dissolved bad stuff through my skin. Most of the chemicals advise not using in a poorly-ventilated area. Thinking once they have mixed with various residues and heavy metals, probably double plus ungood. :dunno:
     

    MarkC

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    I also don't mind getting dirty, but am concerned about ingesting solvents through absorption, not to mention what's in the combustion products the solvents are bringing back into solution. My hands get especially dry in the winter, and the cracks seem like the express lane to the bloodstream!

    Also, makes cleanup easier. I work on cars quite a bit, and have taken to using nitrile gloves for that, too. I order them from Amazon.
     

    nad63

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    Nitrile gloves for me. Easier clean up, avoids cross contamination, no finger prints:whistle:
    Handy to have them around for other jobs too. I get the twin packs at Costco.
     

    Bapak2ja

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    Dec 17, 2009
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    I have never thought about using gloves, but this conversation raises the issue. Is there any factual basis for the absorption theory? No joke or put down intended. Just looking for something more than "It seems like a good idea."
     

    MarkC

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    I have never thought about using gloves, but this conversation raises the issue. Is there any factual basis for the absorption theory? No joke or put down intended. Just looking for something more than "It seems like a good idea."


    I didn't take that as a joke or put down, and thank you, midget, for finding an easy-to-read, informative link.

    When I was younger, I didn't worry about that kind of thing. You know, when we all thought we were going to live forever.
     

    singlesix

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    May 13, 2008
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    Well 9 yrs and 8 mos in the Army and never wore gloves so I guess it's too late for me, but I do wear gloves when cleaning my guns. I use Ballistol (supposedly non-toxic), even if the cleaner is non-toxic the stuff it cleans isn't good for you ie lead so why not use gloves.
     

    craigkim

    Sharpshooter
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    Jun 6, 2013
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    I like to have gloves on pretty much ANY time I am handling firearms or ammunition. Solvents and petroleum products are a concern when cleaning, but I am just as concerned about the byproducts of combustion and LEAD. When I shoot I like to wear gloves, like Mechanix wear or something, so that you can just take them off and throw them in your range bag along with all of the crud that would otherwise been on your hands and then subsequently your steering wheel, your clothes, your thermos, etc. I like a hat for shooting for that same reason. I wear nitrile gloves for cleaning AND reloading too. Even if your brass is fairly clean, you still end up with obvious lead and powder residue on your hands after much reloading. It feels natural to me, since I am in gloves all day long while I look and work in peoples mouths.
     

    natdscott

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    It is not a theory at all, particularly in the case of chlorinated solvents like TCE, PCE ("Perk"), Brakleen (ever notice there are RED cans of Chlorinated, and ​GREEN cans of the non-chlorinated brake cleaner? Buy the green ones.), etc.

    Many solvents such as these are water soluble, and readily absorbed by your skin, whereupon they begin to dissolve anything oily or waxy, same as they do on your new brake rotors, the cheese on your favorite silk tie, etc.

    So uh... what exactly is waxy or oily in the human body?

    Well, lots of things.

    But the biggest one is your CNS. Your brain is a large deposit of fatty material. The myelin sheath around every nerve fiber in your body is also waxy. Without the sheath, the core of the nerve fibers is exposed to damage, and is uninsulated, which is quite literally just like cutting the rubber off an extension cord, dropping it in a pool, and expecting that "everything will be fine because I'm a real man."

    Dying people all look a lot alike. Wear the F'n gloves.

    -Nate
     

    cobber

    Parrot Daddy
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    Found this, although it doesn't really go into the science of it all:
    https://www.usacarry.com/lead-risks-shooting-firearms-ammo/

    I have seen some hair-raising information on the byproduct of deleading gun barrels with white vinegar. Apparently creates lead acetate which is very toxic and readily absorbable. That notwithstanding, there are plenty of articles on the interwebz about this being a great technique.

    Here's more alarming stuff:
    Removing Lead from Gun Barrel
     
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    Jan 28, 2009
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    I'm thinking, maybe some people should wear a gas mask while cleaning or shooting guns. Eye protection, ear protection, skin protection, lung protection. I think a full bio suit would do it. ...:dunno::thumbsup::banana::bacondance:
     

    natdscott

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    I'm thinking, maybe some people should wear a gas mask while cleaning or shooting guns. Eye protection, ear protection, skin protection, lung protection. I think a full bio suit would do it. ..

    Depending on what they are using to clean the firearms, following industry standards for some of the solvent ingredients and the locations guys use these solvents, no, an organics respirator wouldn't be overkill. Do I correctly judge that you are being sarcastic? Well. Enjoy that.


    I don't love wearing gloves, and I don't like the lack of dexterity. I am also not perfect about it...if I am out of gloves, and a gun needs cleaned, I will still clean it.

    But as exposure is often cumulative, and as I am not a CHMM in-the-know about the MSDS of everything I use, I like to hedge my bets that the tingly feeling my fingers get after having WipeOut on them for an hour is NOT a good thing and that I should avoid that not-good-thing. Gloves do that.

    Ignorance is not a defense against cancer.

    -Nate
     
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    T755

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    I can speak first hand to this. Yes wear gloves. When I first began doing such things from a hobby to my job I didn't wear gloves. Neither did the other guy with that I worked with. I noticed he had memory problems, mood swings and was the happiest guy in the room when he used his favorite bore cleaner. The chemicals we were using went straight into our system via our skin. I began wearing gloves to combat this. When we began detailing a large amount of guns one guy zoned out staring at the wall and another was so toxed they failed a standard field sobriety test. That led to air handlers installed and other changes. Even occasional exposure will do damage. Always wear gloves. Always do it in a area away from where others are and easily decontaminated from lead and chemical residue. Make sure you have good airflow even if its just hoppees. I just wish I would have done it sooner so I could find my damn keys more when I leave them somewhere.
     
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