Cutting my hands

[Dymnas]

Hello,

For some reason every time I brew my hands and fingers get covered in little cuts. They don't bleed and it doesn't really bother me that much but I sure would like to figure out how that's happening. Anybody got any ideas? I assume it's happening when my hands are wet..

 

[brewit2it]

Hello,

For some reason every time I brew my hands and fingers get covered in little cuts. They don't bleed and it doesn't really bother me that much but I sure would like to figure out how that's happening. Anybody got any ideas? I assume it's happening when my hands are wet..

Star sans is very drying. I guessing your hands are cracked rather than cut. I sanitize my hands with star sans but it really drys them out (it is an acid after all).

 

[jiggs_casey]

I use Bar Keepers Friend to clean up with afterwords and it usually leaves my hands dry and cracked. Makes them feel like I scrubbed them with sandpaper the next day...

 

[Seven]

I chapped the hell out of my fingers yesterday when opening many bottles of bottled water one after another. Those plastic lids are pretty abrasive on the skin.

It could be caused by chafing from stirring or some other repetitive action. Are these cuts on the backs of your hands too or only on the inside of your hands? If the cuts are on the back of your hands I'd suspect some sort of exposure to chemicals or cleaning solutions.

Do you wear gloves?

 

[Inodoro_Pereyra]

Dymnas (or anybody else with the dry hands problem): try to find a biodieseler near your place. If you can't find anyone, look on craigslist, on the "free" section. What you're looking for is biodiesel glycerin, also called "BDG" or "biodiesel byproduct". If you find it (most biodieselers will be happy to give it to you for free), make sure it is demethed (the methanol is been distilled off of it). If it isn't, you can boil the methanol off, OUTDOORS, and NOT USING ANY OPEN FLAMES (remember it's methanol you're boiling), until you can get a spoonful of it, apply fire, and it doesn't light up.
At that point, you can use the BDG to wash your hands with it. It's not a sanitizer, and it smells rank, but you won't find a better cleaner and moisturizer anywhere. If that doesn't take care of your cracked skin, you're gonna have to start using gloves...

 

[Dymnas]

hmm yea I've had bleeding from chapped hands before, when I did a lot of dishwashing. These are definitely cuts, as with a knife. One is on my left index finger on the pad, another is on the inside of the second knuckle of my right thumb, another on the palm. They are all thin slits. I have another couple scratches that apparently didn't go deep enough to cut. Only thing I can think of is when I try to remove the adapter ring on my faucet. That would definitely explain the ones on my right thumb. Must be it.

 

[JWest]

Do you use a wort chiller that you screw into an adapter that attaches to your sink? I had the same issue, and the threads on the adapter tear my hands up.

 

[LakewoodBrew]

If you're brewing in a keggle, check the cut edges for any burrs or sharps. I've layed my finger open on an edge that was missed when sanding.

 

[PolishStout]

most sanitizers are basic, which can be worse than acids. the slippery feeling lets you know that the basic pH chemicals are slowly eating away at your skin.

 

[fdexclpl]

It's the faucet adapter. I've cut my thumb twice on my adapter.