My hands are wrecked from sanding...any tips?!?

I can't be the first guy to have this problem. I've been working on my '51 Ford for a month or so and I finally had to take a couple days off because my hands were just too beat up(joints, wrists, you name it).

I've always had weak hands and girly wrists. When I worked in the oil field my fingers would be frozen when I woke up and I'd have to pry them open.

I started taping my hands and wrists a couple days ago with athletic tape, and that seems to help. I'm trying to keep my wrists in a straight line with my forearms(that's supposed to help carpal tunnel and I figure it fits here too) and trying to use a DA instead of sanding blocks where I can, but I still have to hold the thing.

I thought I'd try taping my fingers together in pairs like football players do and see if that helps.

So, any tips on something you've done to help with this problem? Thanks in advance!

 

getting old sucks. I try to take time off from bodywork...a year off, if I can swing it, between jobs. Being as lazy as I am, it helps.

 

Careful with that DA. Your paint job will have more waves than the deep blue sea.. maybe if you painted it blue you could say you did it on purpose for an oceanic effect?

Sanding sucks period.

 

Have you tried wearing a wrist brace? People that I know who have wrist problems wear them constantly.

As for the sanding blocks/DA, maybe get one of the long board sanders from Harbor Freight that might help.

 

I've got arthritis in my hands and every once in a while they will curl up like you described. My wife found me a product called Tiger Balm that seems to help. Just don't rub your eyes or touch Mr. Wiggles for a while after using it.

 

I was helping at a body shop for a little while scuffing and sanding. One day the old man that ran the place came in and I was sweating and my hands hurt. He said the scuffing and sanding looked good. He then told me that I wasn't letting the 'tool' (sandpaper) do the work.

It's real easy to get impatient when sanding. Just take your time and let the tool do the work.

 

Oh man tiger balm, I didn't even think of that, what a great idea! Can't hurt, can it? Thank you for the suggestions fellas!

Ibuprofen helps, but I don't wanna smoke my liver or something taking too much of them.

 

When I do alot of hand work I wear these Hand-eze gloves, sort of a spandex support fingerless glove. You can find them on Amazon, I tell friends that have the same issues, some like them, some don't.

 

In Oz we have a wonderful product called Voltarin Emulgel. Comes in a tube, like toothpaste. Do not use as toothpaste!! Or near your eyes, or your 'willie'.lol
I am a double-bass playing arthritic and it keeps me playing. Good Luck. Davo

 

I don't have the hand issues, though I've broken both of them 3 and 4 times respectively playing football and bouncing for a few years after college, and they can get tired after repetitive work. I have elbows that are full of scar tissue and bone spurs, so the nerves going to my wrist and hands are iffy and I get shooting pain quite often. I've tried many different anti-inflammatories and Aleve (over the counter naproxyn) seems to work the best and the most consistent.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glucosamine I use both. The wrist strap is nice, somedays you need it tight. Some palm's of these gloves are thick, it will absorb the tool vibration. They run about $15.00. The glucosamine is available on line or bigger heath food store.

 

Just paint a couple cars for friends to get in shape for yours.....

 

Just let your hands heal and then make a go of it.Right now both my hands hurt From cuts and such .Plus a burn I got yesterday,Plus a metal splinter .I just thank god ,Its not from wetsanding and my fingers are raw.........

 

Go to a reputable nail salon that does hot wax manicures. Try to avoid the "imported" salons as many of them don't think sanitation's as important as we think it is. The nail tech can dip your hands in the hot wax, and when peeled, a good tech then does a hand and wrist massage that offers serious relief for up to 2 weeks. Elderly clients in our salon have it done for the same reasons you're reporting, being hand and wrist issues. Mrs. Highlander and I own a salon and I go get may hands dipped when they get bad. Worth the time. You don't need the manicure, but once in a while even that helps. Just sayin...

 

You could try using some anti-vibration gloves. They have inbuilt gel packs that minimise the effect of vibrations on your hands. I found & bought some recently on ebay, I'm still waiting on them getting here. As I'm in Australia my supplier may not be of help to you but I can look up their contact details for you if you pm me.

 

Hi, I work in a body shop too,what i have had great luck with is a product called Wonder Oil,it is made by a company in Manitoba,stuff is a ointment like Heet and the like,smells like roses,but is the only thing i have ever had that works,is made for joint and arthritis pains,i recommend it 100%. google it and you should be able to find a supplier. HTH Harvey

 

good ole carpel tunnel. get the good wrist braces and sleep in them. i have fought that crap for years. need surgery,just don't want em cutting on me. get 2 pair,one to work in one 2 sleep in. hope this helps.

 

Johnny, thanks for asking the question and not worrying 'bout whether people would laugh this off lightly. We sometimes get so wrapped up in doing cars/trucks right that we don't pay enough attention to rodder physical maintenance! Those old injuries, plus the years, add up to real-world issues. Been through all the things you mentioned, including frozen hands. Let's face it: If your hands give you trouble, it affects your ability to enjoy your hobby/sport. And, heck, we use our hands for about EVERYTHING, right?

 

I am so sorry man. I am only 35 but I have arthritis bad enough I can't do too much body or prep work anymore (I have days I can barely load my pistols at the gun range, or even type on the computer, ). Heck, this morning I could barely button my shirt. The one thing that helps me a little is a good pair of thin gloves, and some Advil Arthritis. Again, brother I feel for you and I understand.

 

The solution is pizza and beer. Use them to bribe your friends into doing your bodywork. Oh, if it works, (ha!) let me know and I'll feed your freinds too.

Seriously, sounds the vibration from the DA is causing your hands to hurt. I know my nerves go crazy anfter using one. I been doing hotrod bodywork for over 35 years and I only use a DA for stripping or roughing up paint, never finish bodywork. I like the long flexible foam-backed hand sanding blocks. AIr files have a different vibration pattern and are easier on the hands too.

Hope you get better.

 

when my hands get sore, I like to rub some Maiden Oil on them. It makes me forget all about my hands being sore.

 

Agree that you should let the sanding media do most of the work. My hands are strong from exercise and many years of machine shop work, I do have slight carpal tunnel though. I find that working on things in small areas at a time works well and take lots of breaks. I take Aleve almost daily for other injuries that flare up. It really cuts down the pain level.

Bob

 

I've seen the hot wax used in physical therapy for wrist and hand injuries. I should check out a salon one of these days. Way cheaper than a health insurance co-pay I'm sure.

Bob

 

Try palmolive , oh but your soaking in it : )

 

x2. For me, Aleve is the wonder drug.

 

Wow! Awesome thread! I suggest taking off the dress. lololol

 

If it's carpal tunnell wear those braces or its only gonna get worse. They are cumbersome I know but the pain and nerve damage in your hands jsut aint worth it. Take a break for a few days, repititous motion like sanding fordays on end is exactly what causes it. Tiger balm the hell out of your wrists and sleep with the braces on but not overtight and I guarantee it'll help. Good luck, and dont fuck around thinking it's only something secrataries get, that shit is painful and its no joke!

 

try the DA gloves with padded palm as suggested. Take your time and give it a rest every once in a while.

 

Good advice from everybody on something a lot of us are,or will be dealing with in the future. I built a big storage building about 6 years ago,a lot of cutting and hammering for several weeks straight. My hands woke me up every night,all twisted up. It sucked bad,but went away after the project was finished. Now I have fingers that lock up at odd times,and no strength in my hands when I wake up in the morning.Gonna try the gloves,I think. Now I know why my folks always had me open their jars when I was around.
Thanks for posting.

 

Thank you for all the help, gentlemen.

I gotta be more careful. Yeah my hands made it tough to sleep. After a few days off they felt much better.

The tape is great until I sweat it off. I need to give some gloves a try.

It's funny. It kills me to spend $15 on gloves, but $15 at autozone would make me feel like I got out of there cheap.