A "Handy" Hint from Coxy's Garage

[coxy321]

Not sure if this should be in 4x4 Tech or General Chit Chat, but as I personally think its car/4x4 related - here goes!

I've always had "issues" cleaning my hands/arms after working on cars/4x4's. The "bought" hand cleaners aren't really too flash for me (cause i've got really crap cracked skin from too much solvent years ago), the only one i found half decent was the WURTH stuff ($$$$$). A cheaper alternative i've found which i use ALL the time:

Laundry powder. Gives a nice warm fuzzy feeling, stings in your cuts, but does a damn good job. And for that extra bit of cleaning power, i spray on a good dose of that Preen pre-wash stain remover spray kinda stuff. That stain remover is awesome - feels very oily, but it cleans up a treat.

Give it a crack next time!

Cheers - Coxy

[RoldIT]

Try wearing mechanics gloves. Not ideal in every situation but makes clean up a lot easier and saves about a pount of knuckle skin for me every year.

[tj81]

Dynamo is the best hand cleaner around !

[trains]

I found the best hand cleaner was the BP stuff, yellow, with nylon grit balls in it.
Can use with our without water.
pretty much tried everything else, thats the only stuff that dosent dry my hands out, and it cleans very well.

Trains

[want33s]

My next door neighbour at my last house was a retired RAAF hydraulics fitter.
He said his hands were fine until he stopped dipping them in hydraulic fluid everyday when he retired.
He would get cracks so bad they would bleed!
His solution was lanolin smeared on his hands and surgical gloves before going to bed. He'd take the gloves off and wash his hands in water in the morning.
He did this every night for 3 months and his hands are now softer than his wifes, no cracks, no bleeding and most importantly for Bob no pain.

[bj42turbo]

I have a box of "bend over for your examination" latex gloves for the oily stuff, hate the smell of diff oil on the skin, the wife dosn't much care for it it either

BJ

[stu]

I have a box of "bend over for your examination" latex gloves for the oily stuff, hate the smell of diff oil on the skin, the wife dosn't much care for it it either

BJ

same here.....the gloves i mean...i don't know your wife.

[coxy321]

He would get cracks so bad they would bleed!

Yup. When i was working in the industry thats what my hands were like. You know how sometimes on the news they show you shots of all the dried up dams etc. cause of the drought? Thats it. No much you can do except absolutely LOAD strong moisturiser onto it, and then i used to actually get sand paper when it dried up and rub back the dead skin.

My mate's father inlaw (real anal fussy fella, we reckon he's a pansie {drives a cruiser of course}) rubs this lanolin based hand cream onto his hands before and after getting dirty. Lets just say that he needs his hands smooth for reasons better not mentioned.

Anyway, my old man used to have a tin of this creamy looking stuff (old school orange tin, about 20 odd years back), it separated all the time so needed a good stir up before use, but that stuff was pretty porno. Apparently they stopped making it cause it caused cancer or something like that. Meh.

Coxy

[kirragc]

Ive got some stuff that they used to sell to Dairy men years ago thats got a bit of fine sand in it, works great and leaves your hands quite soft.
failing that washing powder is the next bet.

And if they go rock hard then lanolin before and after. Before because it kepps the grime out of your pores and nails

[shakes]

I've got this stuff simply called "Phil" it's imported from the state's and is the best shite known to man.

I used to wash my hand 5+ times a day when working on pushi's and loved it.

you need a minimal amount, it's essentially the acrylic sawdust stuff that you can buy with a lil organic soap and moisturiser all in one, it's absoultely magic... foolsp33d will know what I'm on about.

during a strip down of a patrol (rebuild 4.2td and both diffs) not once at the end of the day did I have to wash my hands more than once!!!

[murcod]

I've found dishwashing detergent works well for cleaning up and is probably kinder on your skin!

[Goatse.AJ]

I use the blue "Nitrile" gloves. Safeway sells 'em for $2.95 a pack of 24 and they're pretty resistant to oil, etc. I only used about 6 or 8 of them in total last week when doing a gearbox swap/split from tranny case and swap it/fit extractors and weld exhaust, etc., etc. job last week. The latex gloves a better than nothing but generally suck rrr's.

Best thing I find to get grease off ya hands is laundry pre-wash stain remover.

[macca81]

the ONLY stuff that has always worked for me, is TRUE GRIT, made by eziclean products. http://www.ezicleanproducts.com.au/products.htm mind you, the stuff i have is in a totaly different container... but im told that is actualy there website...

the stuff itself is yellow with little gritty bits all thru it, works a treat, every time. even got sikaflex and expandafoam off (albeit after 15 mins and rubbing bloody hard)

[Jimbo]

I have only used it a couple of times but when i have it has worked great. We use barrier cream at work. You put it on b4 you get dirty and when its tim to clean up u just rinse under plain water and your clean.
Anyone else use barrier cream?

[droopypete]

NIPPLE GREASE

if you have cracked skin, go to a farm supply and buy some udder cream, dairy farmers use it on the cows if they get dry and cracked, it comes in a 1KG tub it's lanolin based (shearers have always had the softest hands from the lanolin in the wool) and is as cheap as chips, we all call it "NIPPLE GREASE" it works a treat
Peter.

[mattc]

If your hands aren't too greasy then baby wipes are great. Use too many if your are absolutley covered in dirt but easy to keep in the car.

[jet-6]

Prepsol 1st then just any handwash!

[Mark2]

The cheap sorboline creme from the supermarket or chemist is the best moisturiser I've come across...................

[Struth]

Normal soap, but you have use the wifes tutu type body scrubbing pom pom thingy that hangs in the shower.

Just don't let her know she's body scrubbing with about 50% body scrub and 50% diff oil

It gets the crud off though.

Cheers

[Wish I had coils]

I would like to know when the new "Coxy's tip from the shed" coming

[rvh96]

i can not beleave some of you blokes what are you girls or what ,soft clean hands, gloves, next you'll be getting manicures just drink a glass of concrete and harden the f@#k up

[pongo]

i can not beleave some of you blokes what are you girls or what ,soft clean hands, gloves, next you'll be getting manicures just drink a glass of concrete and harden the f@#k up

Amen

i use can degreaser first then wash with soap. If no degreaser left use washing powder or dish washing liquid then soap.

[Daisy]

I too use laundry powder...

- trick -....

I use a plastic box - one of those old laundry powder plastic boxes....

pour some laundry powder in it... and put some water in it, not heaps.. just enough to make it look mouldy.

and then just swab your hands in it and grab some and start scrubbing away

[Brendan-s]

I keep a tin of that Aussie Export degreaser on top of the show all the time, it's awesome shit. Its the best for lazy pricks as all you do is spray and it literally sprays the dirtiest diff oil/axle grease right off. Sure lets you know where the cuts and scrapes are though

[NICK]

i buy this cooking oil stuff of a bloke ( good description eh ) that is apparantly a bi product of bio diesel. it is really good for cleaning parts to, feels like grease when you use it.

NICK

[Bad JuJu]

P00fs whats up with solvol - even girly liquid solvol?

[cooter]

i have been in the mechanic trade for about 10 years working on trucks trains and tractors by far the best thing is a stiff bristled srubbing brush and normal soap for your hands and ya missus's loofa thingo with sunlight soap for the rest of ya and pumice stone crap for the cracked skin followed by this hemp stuff i have it is half hemp seed oil and lanolin it is designed for dry cracked heels but works awsome on ya hands

and no i am not soft or a pansy but i find that i get more play with the missus if my hands arent all rough and cracked and also i got sick of my skin cracking around my fingernails that bad that they used to bleed and sting i used to be able to clench a fist tight and tear my skin around my knuckles

lanotech grease will fix very dry skin but stinks bbbbad

[cloughy]

P00fs

[fool_injected]

I too use laundry powder...

- trick -....

I use a plastic box - one of those old laundry powder plastic boxes....

pour some laundry powder in it... and put some water in it, not heaps.. just enough to make it look mouldy.

and then just swab your hands in it and grab some and start scrubbing away

x2
I use a scotch bright scourer for the stubborn stuff

The citrus based cleaners work well too

[V8Patrol]

i've got really crap cracked skin from too much solvent years ago), the only one i found half decent was the WURTH stuff ($$$$$).

WURTH




Like you, my hands WERE all cracked and had massive splits ( trenches ) in the hardened skin....

Like you, I USED to use laundry powder.....
along with thinners/petrol/HandyAndy/Ammonia/SprayNwipe/ & a whole host of other nasty cleaners ....



Like you, I found the WURTH stuff worked the best but it was WORTH too much ( pun intended )







2 years later of SOLE use of the WURTH product & ........









its WURTH every damn cent







Even the wife doesnt complain about the hard skin any more when placed on / in those soft delicate places

Sure it aint cheap, but my first bottle lasted 18 months, the 2nd bottle was the same price as what the first one cost me.
I've even got the boss to supply it at the w/shop now .... so far the bottle has had 3/4's used up in 6 months, its cheaper in the long run than other cleaners we've had in the past.


I wont use anything but WURTH