Jamie Hascall 4/30/15
The subject of gloves for handling objects has been talked about a lot but I wanted to bring it up again.
While working at the museums in Santa Fe, we started using nitrile palm dipped gloves for our object handling instead of regular disposable nitrile gloves. We felt this had a number of advantages with the nitrile palms keeping skin oils from migrating through the glove to the object as we found happening on cotton gloves. They don't make your hands sweat as normal disposable nitrile gloves do, and they are easy to take on and off making it more likely that gloves will be removed before doing work with tools, keeping them clean and un-contaminated. Above all, they can have good tactile feel and grip, depending on the specific glove.
These gloves are definitely more expensive, but have the advantage of being able to be washed repeatedly and re-used. I've started numbering each pair with a sharpie to keep track of which pair I'm using and be able to rotate them frequently. I have noticed that eventually the palms start to harden and lose their grippiness, but don't have any data as to how long that takes. The biggest drawback is that most are made with dark colored palms so it is hard to visually inspect them for contamination. I'm on the hunt for white nitrile palmed gloves but the main ones I've found are polyurethane coated, which I don't feel stands up as well or is as accepted in object contact. At this point, I'm choosing light grey palms as the best alternative. The gloves come in a foamed grip or a smooth grip. I've just realized that the foamed grip gloves are absorbent like a sponge and are meant to keep their grip even when oily, so it seems that the smooth grip would be preferable.
I'd love to hear the thoughts and experience of the group regarding these gloves. I'd especially appreciate leads to the white palmed glove, as well as a low priced source.
Thanks, Jamie Hascall Hascall Consulting LLC Seattle, WA 206-954-4141
Philip Brutz 4/30/15
We use these light grey nitrile gloves: http://www.mcmaster.com/#9832t63/=wz8s5z
The color is light enough that you can see dirt on them and can be washed a few times before they get to hard to use with artwork, then I use them as gardening gloves.
Philip Brutz
Mount Maker
Exhibition Production
The Cleveland Museum of Art
11150 East Boulevard
Cleveland, Ohio 44106-1797
T 216-707-2617
F 216-707-6687
Philip Brutz
5/1/15
We still use regular nitrile gloves for small delicate objects.
Philip Brutz
Mount Maker
Exhibition Production
The Cleveland Museum of Art
11150 East Boulevard
Cleveland, Ohio 44106-1797
T 216-707-2617
F 216-707-6687
Laura McClure 5/15/15
I've used several types of these gloves and they are great for working in the shop for the reasons you mentioned in your post. These come in a variety of colored "dips," including white: http://atlasfit-solutions.com/atlas-gloves/multi-purpose-gloves/atlas-370w/ I've also used Ninja Polyurethane Coated: http://www.ninjagloves.com/docs/ninja_lite.htm I think you can get either from McMasterCarr or Grainger. I switch back to the disposable when handling artifacts. Laura McClure Mountmaker Smithsonian Institution National Museum of American History
andrew@mona.net.au 6/25/15
I have worked as an object handler for 12 years. I love thicker, nitrile coated gloves (reuseable as suggested) as they are great for handling heavier objects that require a sturdy glove with a good grip.Disposables can sometimes tear. In my non work life I also use the thicker type for futsal goal keeping. Anything more delicate, I will revert to the single use, disposable type and as much as I cry when I think of the landfill, I cry more when I watch someone pull a used pair from their pocket (who knows which side their hands were prdeiously in?), blow into them like kitchen gloves and re-use.
beth 6/25/15
Re: [mountmaking-forum] Re: Nitrile palm dipped gloves
Kimberly-Clark will recycle!
http://www.kcprofessional.com/brands/kimtech/rightcycle
beth