Tung oil question

tjclem · #1 06-15-2005, 06:17 AM

I have been using Tung oil for a while now and have just started applying it with my bare hands and I like the results. What do you all use to remove it from your hands?.......t

toonman · #2 06-15-2005, 06:50 AM

I've done the same thing. i just had to let it ware off. soap and water dont work as you probably found out. maybe gasoline or paint thinner will take it off, just make sure your not smoking when you do it.

Tdog · #3 06-15-2005, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toonman

I've done the same thing. i just had to let it ware off. soap and water dont work as you probably found out. maybe gasoline or paint thinner will take it off, just make sure your not smoking when you do it.

GASOLINE!!!! NO!!!! If you were in a commercial workplace, OSHA would place a $10,000 fine on you.....besides, gas is way too dangerous. Naptha and mineral spirits will do the job, but even these have questionable safety issues.....I personally use naptha. A citric acid based solvent such as Goo-Gone should work fine and be much gentler.....but I'm stickin' with the naptha.

toonman · #4 06-15-2005, 07:39 AM

I'm not saying take a bath in it. I have put gas on a rag and rubbed just the area that needed removed and it worked great. I guess I just live dangerously, I dont know. Dont take my advise though, I'm just saying what worked for me.

fretlessrock · #5 06-15-2005, 08:33 AM

Can I go out on a limb and ask why it is being applied with bare hands and not with rubber gloves? Hand protection is cheap and it eliminates a common pathway for ingestion of solvents and heavy metals. If you somehow think that skin absorbtion is a myth, feel free to run benzene, toluene, xylenes (= gasoline) all over you. You can then move on to believing that skin cancer, liver disease, and CNS/brain maladies are all myths as well.

tjclem · #6 06-15-2005, 02:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fretlessrock

Can I go out on a limb and ask why it is being applied with bare hands and not with rubber gloves? Hand protection is cheap and it eliminates a common pathway for ingestion of solvents and heavy metals. If you somehow think that skin absorbtion is a myth, feel free to run benzene, toluene, xylenes (= gasoline) all over you. You can then move on to believing that skin cancer, liver disease, and CNS/brain maladies are all myths as well.

I can't picture doing it with rubber gloves. They would stick to the surface. As you are rubbing it in by hand the oil starts to heat up and cure from the friction. You have to try it to understand.t

andvari7 · #7 06-15-2005, 02:40 PM

How about borax? They used it as soap in high schools back in the 60s and 70s, and it's very safe.

EDIT: Forget it. It's not all that safe. But it WAS used as hand soap back in the 60s.

tjclem · #8 06-15-2005, 03:01 PM

Borax that is a name I haven't heard in a while....t

lowphatbass · #9 06-15-2005, 04:16 PM

Borax is still available and used. Gasoline these days is pretty nasty, especially here in CA, MTBE is a nasty chemical. I can remember when gasoline used to smell good, I used to roll my window down every time we refueled, not huffing or anything, I just liked the smell.

I use Fast Orange with pumice, you can find it at any auto parts store. It gets you basically clean, the rest has to just wear-off. If I were working with anything even related to chemicals on a regular basis I would heed Fretlessrock's advise and use gloves. I have seen what the damage can be first hand and it aint pretty to say the least!

River Gambler · #10 06-15-2005, 10:08 PM

I use GOJO Painters hand cleaner. I'm a painter by trade and use it all the time. It even cleans oil base off your hands. Be shure your hands are dry when you use it. You can get it at paint stores. Tom

fretlessrock · #11 06-16-2005, 07:54 AM

I understand the process, and still think that it would be best to apply with gloved and clean cotton cloth, and if you had to coat your hands with Tung Oil it would be best to clean it offf with one of the citrus or citrus/pumice hand cleaners. Some of these have been mentioned. But overall, the days of just saying "i'm old school" and washing down with carcinogenic solvents should be over. I'm not passing any laws, but I have a lot of experience in environmental/occupational exposure and the threats are real.

I also second the info about gasoline and additives. Gasoline is bad enough for you, and skin absorbtion is a more direct pathway than inhalation. But MTBE and other "oxygenates" make it worse because they have solubility in water... the same water that comprises a huge part of your anatomy.

nateo · #12 06-16-2005, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fretlessrock

But MTBE and other "oxygenates" make it worse because they have solubility in water... the same water that comprises a huge part of your anatomy.

So you're saying I could up my octane level by bathing in gasoline? That'd be sweet, I always wanted to be more flammable.

-Nate

Techmonkey · #13 06-27-2005, 09:48 AM

For what it's worth, shaving foam works pretty well getting all sorts of things off, just rub it on your hands into a lather, and scrub it off. It worked pretty well with gloss paint when I was redecorating, and danish oil comes off pretty easy like that too.

tjclem · #14 06-27-2005, 12:40 PM

Shaving cream? Very interesting. What made you try that?

Hambone · #15 06-27-2005, 03:21 PM

A good product to use beforehand is Avon's "Silicone Glove" lotion. It's not really silicone but it does create a nice barrier between your skin and paints and other things. Anything that gets on your hands washes off much easier. Mechanics use it along with surgical gloves and it works well.

Smells nice too!