Pres Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 Left pinky for years had a callous on nuckle near the tip. Now when I don't throw in Winter, it rubs raw in Spring. My pinky is slightly bent now with a little arther. Oh well. As to taking care when throwing in different environments, I too have been unfortunate when demoing. Summer time, 90F.three days straight. End of second day . . .Blisters on my nearly bald head the size of silver dollars. I always wear ahat now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mouten Keramik Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 For me, it's mostly a problem when i throw clay with grog - volcanic grog especially. I do the knuckle-pull when throwing, so if there's any grog lying on the wheel head, my knuckle is pretty disposed. Like PRankin I find that my hands constantly drying out to be a bigger bother. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 Bag baum sold a feed stores-its the best for dry hands-its for milking udders, Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biglou13 Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 Started using more tools.. And touching wheel head less.... I'm usually bat less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJR Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 Bag baum sold a feed stores-its the best for dry hands-its for milking udders, Mark It's at Lee Valley Tools. Bag Balm. Comes in a square green tin. TJR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mossyrock Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 A sure fix is buy a cream called Working Hands. It is in a small green tub. It heals cuts & splits like magic in a couple of days. It gets very cold here in the winter & I always get splits from having my hands in clay for long periods. They even have one for feet that works. Okay I don't put my feet in clay but they do get heel splits in the winter. Joy I've used Working Hands for several years and it works like nothing else I've ever tried. I'm also a bass fisherman so my hands get beat up by releasing fish…..Working Hands keep them from cracking and getting sore. Don't get the lotion….doesn't work as well. Get the green tub. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nancy S. Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 The first time I made a series of small plates, I literally ground off the tips of my right thumb and forefinger. OUCH! And that was with a plain old Masonite bat, not wood, and the clay wasn't all that groggy! Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream. I use it all the time for not just cuticles -- it's great for chapped lips, dry skin, and any cuts and scrapes. I call it "everything cream," personally. Lemon has antimicrobial properties, plus it smells yummy. I also use their Intensive hand lotion (with Baobab tree oil, I think?) when I need to do a larger area. It's not cheap but it works and a little goes a long way. (Incidentally, I too have a callous on my finger from years of pencil-holding, so I know what you mean!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRankin Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 I developed a huge writing callous on the side of my middle finger in college. It was always sore and inflamed as a pharmacist for 30 years. When working my head was always tilted clutching the phone to my scrunched up left shoulder so that created another problem. And don't get me started about standing up for 12 hour days, 5-6 days per week. I have since retired from pharmacy years ago and all those problems have subsided. Ironically, I throw standing up at home and enjoy it. - Paul R. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Beller Diesel Posted January 29, 2015 Report Share Posted January 29, 2015 Aaah, maker's hands! I get the raw pinkie too. With dry hands, I find the best trick is to not go back and forth too much between wet and dry. If you're throwing, keep them damp at all times, and when you're done, wash well and moisturize right away. Everyone's got their favourite hand cream, and I tend to like ones with a heavy dose of beeswax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evelyne Schoenmann Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 Well, I couldn't come to the forum for a few days and what do I find here coming back? A bunch of good tips for throwing and for hand balm. Unfortunately all the hand balms you are talking about are not available here in Switzerland. I'll come to NCECA this year: are there distributors there who sell those balms and ointments? And, oldlady, I use cotton gloves too in the night, over creamed hands. And regarding the throwing: I get raw pinkies from centering with coarse clay (not from the pulling up). I guess the grains are on the wheelhead and inside the groove of the centering rings.... Evelyne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 Evelyne, I can bring a can of Bag balm for you to NCECA. See you then. And take care of your hands. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evelyne Schoenmann Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 Awww, Marci, I call this friendship! Yes please and thank you very much. See you soon! Hugs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterH Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 Unfortunately all the hand balms you are talking about are not available here in Switzerland. FYI these seem to be available via your local ebay. Working Hands http://www.ebay.ch/sch/i.html?_odkw=working+hands&_from=R40&_osacat=0&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xworking+hands+o%27keefe&_nkw=working+hands+o%27keefe&_sacat=0 Bag-balm in a square tin http://www.ebay.ch/sch/i.html?_from=R40|R40|R40&_sacat=0&_nkw=Bag+Balm+vermont&LH_PrefLoc=2&_arm=1&_armm=63&_ruu=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.ch%2Fsch%2Fi.html%3F_from%3DR40%257CR40%257CR40%26_sacat%3D0%26_nkw%3DBag%2BBalm%2Bvermont%26_arr%3D1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benzine Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 I can vouch for both of those items Peter listed. I keep the O'Keefe's in my desk at school, as I am constantly washing my hands, when I help students. I feel it coats the hands better than a standard lotion. The Bag Balm, I've never used on my hands. I use it on my lips, and it does an amazing job. But it it can heal and protect the thin skin of my lips (or the cow's utter that it was made for), I bet it will do a great job on hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 I just saw some at my local feed store where I get bird food and oranges when mine are all gone. I like Bag Balm for dry hands. It is my pleasure to get some for Evelyne. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 Summer school under David Dontigny during the raku years. The clay was highly grogged, and pretty course. I would start in June with nice clear hands and a week later would have open sores on the pointer hand knuckle, the pinky hand knuckle and the thumb hand knuckle. There was nothing that would clear them up, and as I was throwing every other day and some weeks every day . . . you just dealt with it. First year, I hated raku, hated the style of throwing(tight) that he tried to get me to do. Also disliked the fact that most of the class was run by grad students that really weren't near as knowledgeable of throwing as I. I was much more attune to functional wear at the time, and was not in to the lack of durability of the raku. I liked the surfaces, and would love to have them at a more durable level, but the isn't going to happen without a lot of luster and other effects that I really don't want to get into. I did do raku with an electric kiln that was on its last legs in the 80's with the kids, and they loved it. However, the next year the school closed in the area where we did it as a central supply and it happened no more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Celia UK Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 The cotton gloves over any handcream at night makes an amazing difference! On a night when it doesn't matter (!!!!!!) try it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavy Fire Studios Posted February 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 I was babysitting my niece and nephew the other night, and I saw a bottle of HEMPZ moisturizing lotion in the bathroom. I tried it, and FELL IN LOVE. It wasn't greasy and the smell was subtle and pleasant. My hands felt super soft, and best of all, it's cruelty-free--no poor babies were tested on! All ingredients I could read at a glance. Great stuff! I'm gonna hunt it down and get a bottle! ♥ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeckyH Posted February 1, 2015 Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 Be sure to use a cruelty- free method of capture! Perhaps a live trap will work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavy Fire Studios Posted February 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted February 1, 2015 They have cozy shelves and I hold the bottles nice! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evelyne Schoenmann Posted February 2, 2015 Report Share Posted February 2, 2015 Thank you PeterH for the links! And thanks again Marcia for bringing me a tube Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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