Hands like Steel!

Ever wish you had Hands of Steel? You know like some robot in a Sci-Fi drama that takes wheel lug nuts on and off with his fingers? Or Mr. DATA from Star Trek wrenching on some Valve with Super-Human strength?

My enterprising electricians have come up with something along those lines. This works for those repetitive jobs that would cause blisters too. They build up their skin, usually the finger tips with super glue! they started doing it to deal with working in the extreem cold conditions we have here on the "North Slope"(Prudhoe Bay alaska, 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle). It becomes popular when the ambient temperature drops below -20.

Sharp, Abrasive surfaces? NO PROBLEM. But be warned: It doesn't come off. The skin has to wear off and grow back, which takes weeks! Also be very carefull when applying the Super Glue. You have to apply it like Nail Polish. DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING UNTIL IT'S DRY! It could cost you some skin! What ever it sticks to it stays attached to. This means EYELIDS! got an Itchy spot? forget it! Better wait to go to the bathroom too!

They also used it to build-up and reinforce the finger tips of their gloves. We use Kevilar gloves, and reinforced with super glue they are 'Tough Stuff'.

PS: I don't believe that this proceedure has been approved by BP SAFETY, the AMA(American Medical Association), UL(Underwriters Labratories), OSHA or any other certifing agency! Use at your own risk!

Good info. Tell me more about the application to the gloves (since I think I'll try this approach first). Cloth or leather? Just drop on the outside of the fingertips and allow to dry?

If I put it on my fingers, can I remove lug bolts without using a breaker-bar?

bczoom said:

Good info. Tell me more about the application to the gloves (since I think I'll try this approach first). Cloth or leather? Just drop on the outside of the fingertips and allow to dry?

If I put it on my fingers, can I remove lug bolts without using a breaker-bar?

Click to expand...

Put it on cloth gloves and place your hand behind your ear to dry it!

Just a little blurb about cyanoacrylate, the adhesive part of Super Glue...

Toxicity

The fumes from CA are a vaporized form of the cyanoacrylate monomer that irritate sensitive membranes in the eyes, nose and throat. They are immediately polymerized by the moisture in the membranes and become inert. These risks can be minimized by using CA in well ventilated areas. About 5% of the population can become sensitized to CA fumes after repeated exposure, resulting in flu-like symptoms. It may also act as a skin irritant and may cause an allergic skin reaction. The ACGIH assign a Threshold Limit Value exposure limit of 200 parts per billion. On rare occasions inhalation may trigger asthma. There can be no singular measurement of toxicity for all cyanoacrylate adhesives as there is a wide variety of adhesives that contain various cyanoacrylate formulations.

The United States National Toxicology Program and the United Kingdom Health and Safety Executive have concluded that the use of ethyl cyanoacrylate is safe and that additional study is unnecessary. 2-octyl cyanoacrylate degrades much more slowly due to its longer organic backbone which slows the degradation of the adhesive enough to remain below the threshold of tissue toxicity. Due to the toxicity issues of ethyl cyanoacrylate, the use of 2-octyl cyanoacrylate for sutures is preferred.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Glue

you can also dissolve the cured super glue with acetone (the active ingredient in many forms of nail polish remover)

I have used super glue to close cuts when a band-aid just would not stop the blood flow and stitches were not an option.
Forget about being a "hand model" but it works