Gloves recommend when cleaning guns?

Venom1956 · May 22, 2012, 04:42 PM

Does anyone do this? I've always cleaned my guns with my bare hands but apparently the recommend using gloves?

It was just news to me!?

10Ringmagic · May 22, 2012, 05:13 PM

I don't, but know that I should. Anything that gets on your skin can be absorbed into your body, think nicotine patch's and the like.

mete · May 22, 2012, 05:57 PM

Don't forget that you are inhaling the fumes !! 'Well ventilated area ' .I think that's more important than gloves as I'm always using chemiclas on a cloth not normally my skin.

bigalshootmupper · May 22, 2012, 11:03 PM

If I am cleaning 3+ guns at a time, I use those cheap blue gloves. I don't like the chemicals smelling up my hands for the rest of the day. Plus, you don't have to spend 2-3 minutes washing all those chemicals off your hand, and still smelling it later.

LockedBreech · May 23, 2012, 02:20 AM

Honestly I've never even thought of it. Might start, better safe than sorry.

FlyFish · May 23, 2012, 07:12 AM

Quote:

If I am cleaning 3+ guns at a time, I use those cheap blue gloves. I don't like the chemicals smelling up my hands for the rest of the day. Plus, you don't have to spend 2-3 minutes washing all those chemicals off your hand, and still smelling it later.

Same here, even if I'm only cleaning one gun I've started wearing cheap, disposable Nitrile gloves primarily so I don't have to smell like Hoppe's the rest of the day. There's a lot of discussion about lead being absorbed through the skin, but the dermal absorption factor for elemental lead is quite low - ingestion of lead that happens to get on your hands and isn't washed off before eating is [potentially] more of a problem. There are those who argue that cleaning solvents can pass through the skin taking the lead with them, but I've never seen any research supporting that claim. As for the other chemicals, I don't think there's much of a problem there.

dahermit · May 23, 2012, 07:19 AM

Your hands can get pretty dirty cleaning guns. The fluids are oily and stick to the skin and are somewhat difficult to wash off. It is easier to just wear those cheap examination gloves ("one size fits no one"), available from places like WalMart to keep the chemicals and lead off your hands in the first place.

Fargazer · May 23, 2012, 11:23 AM

It never used to bother me as a kid cleaning rifles, but in the past few years my hands have gotten more sensitive to oils. I've now mounted a spot for a box of Nitrile gloves on the pegboard of my gun bench. Typically I'll keep at least one hand, if not both, gloved.

I probably have always had some predisposition to this kind of thing. In college, I had no issues with petting my ferret for two years, but then they started breaking out in a rash from the oils in the fur.

Sigowner · May 23, 2012, 11:43 AM

Switch to Frog Lube and your hands stay safe, clean and smell great! I have switched and so far find Frog Lube to be as good as the petroleum products.

Technosavant · May 23, 2012, 11:47 AM

I use those cheap nitrile gloves... get them by the box at Harbor Freight. I see a few advantages to wearing them:

1) Potential health effects from having the cleaners and lubricants on my skin are eliminated.
2) My hands are easier to clean when finished- nothing getting worked into my skin or under my fingernails.
3) Fewer small cuts from sharp edges- the gloves take the hit and tear, protecting my fingers.

Now, these may be pretty minor, but the gloves don't hamper my working and they are cheap, so I find it a worthwhile tradeoff.

Tactical Jackalope · May 23, 2012, 11:51 AM

Never used gloves. Don't think I ever thought of doing so either. Why would one need to?

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jimisbell · May 23, 2012, 02:06 PM

I think everyone is missing the point. I wear gloves when ever I handle guns to keem MY body oils off the gun... not to protect me from the solovents! Though most of my cleaning is done with boiling water and dish soap, then dry thourally and apply a thin coat of oil, and put up. Using solvents can damage a painted finish, which a lot of guns are getting now. I just finished a shotgun that was not worth bluing with a deep emerald green (similar to what I have seen on some Browning 50 cal sniper rifles) Rustoleum. Its beautiful...but solvents will damage the finish.

I have seen guns with rusty fingerprints on them where they were handled.

I may be a bit obsessive about it, but unless I am USING the gun I wear gloves or at least very quickly wipe down the areas I touch with an oily rag.

Actually with the painted surfaces the body oils are less of a worry than with a blued or browned gun.

Tactical Jackalope · May 23, 2012, 02:30 PM

You seriously clean your guns with water and dishwashing soap?

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LockedBreech · May 23, 2012, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Constantine

You seriously clean your guns with water and dishwashing soap?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

I was curious about that too.

I soak 30 minutes with Breakfree, scrub it off with cotton cloths and the filth comes with it, spot-treat with Breakfree for remaining soil, bore brush and run Breakfree-soaked patches until clean, then mostly dry off any standing Breakfree and oil the rails with Hoppes Elite.

The nice part about using Breakfree for all the cleaning is that it imparts a great deal of lubricity. Never had a gun jam on me with this method.

jimisbell · May 23, 2012, 05:07 PM

Yes. My father was a competition shooter (small bore champion of CA in 1936) and he taught me to do it that way. I have always done it that way for most of my 75 years (started shooting at 5 years) As long as you dry it throrally, it is the best way to clean a gun.....unless you are using corrosive primers. If it is dried completely and oiled (bore, external, and any other place where it got wet), that is all you need. Solvents are not needed with modern ammo and can dammage the finish on a gun or on the wood.

plateshooter · May 25, 2012, 07:39 AM

Solvents will penetrate your skin. I use Kroil as part of my cleaning procedure and if I touch it without gloves, I can taste it, and feel the effect in my body. Disposable gloves are cheap, and worth the investment to me.

10-96 · May 25, 2012, 11:31 PM

Of late, I always say I'm gonna start wearing gloves when I clean- but it hasn't happened yet. I do wear them when handling tung or teak oil, stains, etc. After reading this post, I went and took a peek on amazon for nitrile gloves... Folks, don't do that! There's so many out there it'll make your head spin! Shoulda just went to Harbor Freight like that other guy!

gyvel · May 26, 2012, 01:04 AM

Quote:

You seriously clean your guns with water and dishwashing soap?

It's a perfectly viable way to clean a gun, but you must be sure that it is completely dry afterwards. Hot water and soap (basically sodium hydroxide aka lye) will clean a lot of crud out of your gun that you might miss or otherwise can't see.

Quote:

Never used gloves. Don't think I ever thought of doing so either. Why would one need to?

Think about it; Common sense dictates that you are handling potentially toxic chemicals with no protection. That's why one would need to. Your liver can only take so much abuse.

**JohnKSa** · May 26, 2012, 01:05 AM

I have a pack of disposable nytrile gloves and I do wear them sometimes when I clean. I've worn them less since I've started using Hoppes Elite Guncleaner because my hands don't get nearly as dirty when I clean using it and what dirt does get on them comes off very easily with soap and water.

I started wearing gloves back when I was using primarily petroleum based cleaners because after I finished cleaning, I would wash my hands several times and they would still smell like chemicals and it was extremely difficult to get the black gunk out of the cracks in my skin and out from under my nails.

That makes it sound like I'm worried about the cleaning chemicals, but frankly I'm less concerned about the cleaning chemicals than I am about the residue that's coming off the gun and getting stuck under my fingernails/etc. Some of that is primer residue that contains lead compounds from the lead azides/lead styphnate in the primers.

gyvel · May 26, 2012, 01:09 AM

I discovered a bore cleaner a number of years back, that is completely biodegradable, non-toxic and water soluble called RB-17. It is very effective in dissolving copper and lead fouling, and smells like pine. If you get some on you, it rinses off with water and has no residual smell.

jmortimer · May 26, 2012, 08:39 AM

I use the blue Harbor Freight latex/nitrile two layer gloves when working with nasty stuff. Ballistol works well and is non-toxic.

sirgilligan · May 26, 2012, 08:58 AM

When I have been shooting lead bullets I use those blue gloves. If I have been shooting full metal jacketed bullets, I usually don't use the gloves.

I have been tempted to wear a painters mask at the indoor range. Ventilation is slow there and a lot of shooting can overwhelm the system for a while.

**JohnKSa** · May 26, 2012, 01:34 PM

Quote:

Solvents are not needed with modern ammo and can dammage the finish on a gun or on the wood.

The detergent and the water are solvents, just not petroleum/oil based solvents.

As far as petroleum/oil based solvents damaging wood, that can happen--it can happen with water and detergent as well. In fact, water and detergent can damage metal gun finishes as well.

I'd like to hear an example of a petroleum/oil based solvent intended for use on guns damaging the metal finish on a gun when used as the manufacturer intended.

Quote:

When I have been shooting lead bullets I use those blue gloves. If I have been shooting full metal jacketed bullets, I usually don't use the gloves.

Most of the shooting exposure to lead is from the primer smoke and residue, not from the lead bullets themselves. If you're worried about lead exposure and that's why you sometimes use gloves during cleaning then it makes sense to use the gloves unless you're shooting lead-free ammunition with lead-free primers.

Mrcymstr · May 26, 2012, 02:32 PM

I find it fascinating that some of you DON'T like smelling like hoppes...

Chris_B · May 26, 2012, 03:05 PM

Quote:

You seriously clean your guns with water and dishwashing soap?

I boil one of my firearms in water with a drop of dish detergent. It's a blackpowder revolver. The water evaporates quick; the parts are hot after removal from the pot. Then I spray with WD-40 when cooled, wipe off, clean as normal, and oil. Sounds like it takes a long time, it actually pretty fast.

No issues with getting water on steel if you don't ignore it. I've removed the crankshaft from my car, installed new bearings, polished out a scratch on a main journal, scrubbed the crank with hot soapy water and a bottle brush, cleaned it off with the garden hose, sprayed with WD-40, wiped clean, installed the crank and driven to work the next day. No problems

May 22, 2012, 04:42 PM	#1
Venom1956 Senior Member Join Date: October 4, 2008 Location: WI Posts: 3,656	Gloves recommend when cleaning guns? Does anyone do this? I've always cleaned my guns with my bare hands but apparently the recommend using gloves? It was just news to me!? __________________ E-Shock rounds are engineered to expend maximum energy into soft targets, turning the density mass into an expanding rotational cone of NyTrilium matrix particles, causing neurological collapse to the central nervous system.- Yeah I can do that. I guarantee you will know it if a bicyclist hits your house going 1000 mph. -Smaug

May 22, 2012, 05:57 PM	#3
mete Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2004 Location: NY State Posts: 6,575	Don't forget that you are inhaling the fumes !! 'Well ventilated area ' .I think that's more important than gloves as I'm always using chemiclas on a cloth not normally my skin. __________________ And Watson , bring your revolver !

May 22, 2012, 11:03 PM	#4
bigalshootmupper Senior Member Join Date: November 21, 2008 Location: Georgia Posts: 147	If I am cleaning 3+ guns at a time, I use those cheap blue gloves. I don't like the chemicals smelling up my hands for the rest of the day. Plus, you don't have to spend 2-3 minutes washing all those chemicals off your hand, and still smelling it later. __________________ ”If you want to find out what is wrong with your country, go look in the mirror.” Ross Perot

May 23, 2012, 11:23 AM	#8
Fargazer Senior Member Join Date: October 4, 2010 Location: Chattanooga, TN Posts: 466	It never used to bother me as a kid cleaning rifles, but in the past few years my hands have gotten more sensitive to oils. I've now mounted a spot for a box of Nitrile gloves on the pegboard of my gun bench. Typically I'll keep at least one hand, if not both, gloved. I probably have always had some predisposition to this kind of thing. In college, I had no issues with petting my ferret for two years, but then they started breaking out in a rash from the oils in the fur. __________________ NRA Life Member

May 23, 2012, 02:06 PM	#12
jimisbell Member Join Date: May 19, 2012 Location: Third Coast Posts: 24	I think everyone is missing the point. I wear gloves when ever I handle guns to keem MY body oils off the gun... not to protect me from the solovents! Though most of my cleaning is done with boiling water and dish soap, then dry thourally and apply a thin coat of oil, and put up. Using solvents can damage a painted finish, which a lot of guns are getting now. I just finished a shotgun that was not worth bluing with a deep emerald green (similar to what I have seen on some Browning 50 cal sniper rifles) Rustoleum. Its beautiful...but solvents will damage the finish. I have seen guns with rusty fingerprints on them where they were handled. I may be a bit obsessive about it, but unless I am USING the gun I wear gloves or at least very quickly wipe down the areas I touch with an oily rag. Actually with the painted surfaces the body oils are less of a worry than with a blued or browned gun. __________________ If you are NOT living on the edge, well then, you are just taking up too much space.

May 22, 2012, 05:13 PM	#2
10Ringmagic Senior Member Join Date: October 10, 2010 Location: MI Posts: 315	I don't, but know that I should. Anything that gets on your skin can be absorbed into your body, think nicotine patch's and the like.

May 23, 2012, 02:20 AM	#5
LockedBreech Senior Member Join Date: July 6, 2009 Location: Rocky Mountain West Posts: 3,395	Honestly I've never even thought of it. Might start, better safe than sorry.

May 23, 2012, 07:19 AM	#7
dahermit Senior Member Join Date: October 28, 2006 Location: South Central Michigan...near Posts: 6,501	Your hands can get pretty dirty cleaning guns. The fluids are oily and stick to the skin and are somewhat difficult to wash off. It is easier to just wear those cheap examination gloves ("one size fits no one"), available from places like WalMart to keep the chemicals and lead off your hands in the first place.

May 23, 2012, 11:43 AM	#9
Sigowner Member Join Date: March 27, 2012 Posts: 77	Switch to Frog Lube and your hands stay safe, clean and smell great! I have switched and so far find Frog Lube to be as good as the petroleum products.

May 23, 2012, 11:47 AM	#10
Technosavant Senior Member Join Date: May 29, 2007 Location: St. Louis, MO area Posts: 4,040	I use those cheap nitrile gloves... get them by the box at Harbor Freight. I see a few advantages to wearing them: 1) Potential health effects from having the cleaners and lubricants on my skin are eliminated. 2) My hands are easier to clean when finished- nothing getting worked into my skin or under my fingernails. 3) Fewer small cuts from sharp edges- the gloves take the hit and tear, protecting my fingers. Now, these may be pretty minor, but the gloves don't hamper my working and they are cheap, so I find it a worthwhile tradeoff.

May 23, 2012, 11:51 AM	#11
Tactical Jackalope Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2010 Location: Miami, Florida Posts: 6,429	Never used gloves. Don't think I ever thought of doing so either. Why would one need to? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

May 23, 2012, 02:30 PM	#13
Tactical Jackalope Senior Member Join Date: December 5, 2010 Location: Miami, Florida Posts: 6,429	You seriously clean your guns with water and dishwashing soap? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2

May 23, 2012, 05:07 PM	#15
jimisbell Member Join Date: May 19, 2012 Location: Third Coast Posts: 24	Yes. My father was a competition shooter (small bore champion of CA in 1936) and he taught me to do it that way. I have always done it that way for most of my 75 years (started shooting at 5 years) As long as you dry it throrally, it is the best way to clean a gun.....unless you are using corrosive primers. If it is dried completely and oiled (bore, external, and any other place where it got wet), that is all you need. Solvents are not needed with modern ammo and can dammage the finish on a gun or on the wood. __________________ If you are NOT living on the edge, well then, you are just taking up too much space.

May 25, 2012, 07:39 AM	#16
plateshooter Senior Member Join Date: September 29, 1999 Location: N.E. Ohio Posts: 522	Solvents will penetrate your skin. I use Kroil as part of my cleaning procedure and if I touch it without gloves, I can taste it, and feel the effect in my body. Disposable gloves are cheap, and worth the investment to me. __________________ Make a hole

May 25, 2012, 11:31 PM	#17
10-96 Senior Member Join Date: October 19, 2005 Location: Tx Panhandle Territory Posts: 4,159	Of late, I always say I'm gonna start wearing gloves when I clean- but it hasn't happened yet. I do wear them when handling tung or teak oil, stains, etc. After reading this post, I went and took a peek on amazon for nitrile gloves... Folks, don't do that! There's so many out there it'll make your head spin! Shoulda just went to Harbor Freight like that other guy! __________________ Rednecks... Keeping the woods critter-free since March 2, 1836. (TX Independence Day) I suspect a thing or two... because I've seen a thing or two.

May 26, 2012, 01:05 AM	#19
JohnKSa Staff Join Date: February 12, 2001 Location: DFW Area Posts: 24,973	I have a pack of disposable nytrile gloves and I do wear them sometimes when I clean. I've worn them less since I've started using Hoppes Elite Guncleaner because my hands don't get nearly as dirty when I clean using it and what dirt does get on them comes off very easily with soap and water. I started wearing gloves back when I was using primarily petroleum based cleaners because after I finished cleaning, I would wash my hands several times and they would still smell like chemicals and it was extremely difficult to get the black gunk out of the cracks in my skin and out from under my nails. That makes it sound like I'm worried about the cleaning chemicals, but frankly I'm less concerned about the cleaning chemicals than I am about the residue that's coming off the gun and getting stuck under my fingernails/etc. Some of that is primer residue that contains lead compounds from the lead azides/lead styphnate in the primers. __________________ Do you know about the TEXAS State Rifle Association?

May 26, 2012, 01:09 AM	#20
gyvel Senior Member Join Date: August 30, 2009 Location: Northern AZ Posts: 7,172	I discovered a bore cleaner a number of years back, that is completely biodegradable, non-toxic and water soluble called RB-17. It is very effective in dissolving copper and lead fouling, and smells like pine. If you get some on you, it rinses off with water and has no residual smell.

May 26, 2012, 08:39 AM	#21
jmortimer Junior member Join Date: January 24, 2010 Location: South West Riverside County California Posts: 2,763	I use the blue Harbor Freight latex/nitrile two layer gloves when working with nasty stuff. Ballistol works well and is non-toxic.

May 26, 2012, 08:58 AM	#22
sirgilligan Senior Member Join Date: October 28, 2009 Posts: 614	When I have been shooting lead bullets I use those blue gloves. If I have been shooting full metal jacketed bullets, I usually don't use the gloves. I have been tempted to wear a painters mask at the indoor range. Ventilation is slow there and a lot of shooting can overwhelm the system for a while. __________________ SirGilligan - "If you find your back is up against a wall, maybe you have been backing up for too long." iOS Apps: BallisticsGL Gun Log Gun Log SPC WatchForce

May 26, 2012, 02:32 PM	#24
Mrcymstr Junior Member Join Date: April 25, 2011 Posts: 5	I find it fascinating that some of you DON'T like smelling like hoppes...