Cold Hands

[woodworkingboy]

I must have poor circulation in my hands, but when out in cold weather, even wearing a thick pair of gloves, my fingers really get painful. It's been like that ever since I was young, so I don't think it is particularly an aging thing.

Starting a logging job in a couple days, and it's friggen cold up there. Any ideas about ways to keep your hands warm in cold weather, besides just gloves? A heated handle saw would be nice, but can't justify a new saw at this time.

Thanks for any tips.

 

[wiley_p]

good gloves, number one rule in gloves is that they not restrict movement. Vitamin B3, great for improving capillary flow. When I fished for the Japs they would give us a drink marketed under he product name Lipovitan. had large amounts of B vitamins, among them B3.

 

[woodworkingboy]

I know Lipovitan, the energy drink! It's sold in most vending machines here. Thanks for the suggestion! I'll take some bottles up there with me. That should help with the toes too.

I tried using inner gloves along with the outer, but as you say, the tight pressure made it worse.

 

[Old Monkey]

When its really cold I use glove liners under my work gloves. I find doubling up works better than buying the super thick, hard to move around gloves.

 

[mryb]

They also make them hand warmers that you activate then they keep your hands warm for 6-10 hrs. They are little plastic pouches. They make em for your feet too. Sold in Walmart around here. Made in Japan.

http://www.heatmax.com/HotHands/index.htm

http://www.sjdiscounttools.com/hothf-1.html

 

[rangerdanger]

I like to use a liner under the outer glove. And usually after I getting moving around my hands stay nice and warm with the liner and outer glove.

 

[Che]

I used to use the silk liners, they seemed to work...but I don't have anymore.

My hands were horrible at the onset of winter this year. Had me in tears one day. Broke down and started using these bulky wool gloves that look like mittens, but the part that covers your fingers folds over to expose 'gloved' fingers minus the finger tips.

I really like them, but I don't think I've used them holding a saw this year though....???

 

[squisher]

I've gone heated handles and would never go back. I've always had bad hands too Jay, poor circulation bigtime. If you can get away with it, wear mitts.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Take aspirin daily.

 

[stig]

You may have a touch of Raynaud's syndrome.
Poor circulation caused by vibration damage from running chainsaws, pneumatic jackhammers etc.
I suffer from that myself after running saws for 30+years. Only "cure" I know of is to get a saw with heated handles. I have a real hard time working carabiners when climbing in winter.

In the 80es a bunch of doctors heremade some tests on loggers by having them hold their hands in icewater and taking infrared photos of the hands afterwards, to see in how large an area of the hands,the blood circulation was shutting down
.
One interesting thing, they found was that nicotine greatly accelerated Reynaud's syndrome. If they had the "guinea-pig logger" smoke a cigarette before testing, his hands photographed much colder.
Their conclusion was, if you want to run chainsaws for a living in a cold climate, don't smoke.
If you can't manage to quit smoking, get another job.
Pretty harsh conclusion from a bunch of guys, who'd normally hmmmm and haw around a lot before committing to anything.

 

[woodworkingboy]

All helpful suggestions, thanks! Would never have thought about the aspirin idea in a million years, but it makes sense. I don't mind taking aspirin, it really works quick for the occasional headache, I find, and no side effects.

I bought a pair of thin inner gloves today, at a camping goods store, think they should help a bit. I looked at a thick pair of down filled mittens, but it seemed problematical for holding a saw, and way expensive. Picked up a case of Lipovitan drink. The stuff kind of jacks you up too.

Hopefully I've got it covered. I'm really a puss about cold hands, the pains gets such that sometimes I can't stand it.

Those heat pouches that myrb suggested, and sold at Walmart, I tried to recommend those to the treehouse awhile back, but don't think I described it very well. They have been made here for a long time. The ingredient is active carbon. All the people working outside use them. I put them in my boots over my toes, and they make a big difference. The workers at the nearby metal fabrication place, like to stick them to their backs, some types are available with an adhesive backing. With gloves though, you can't really stick them in there. The claim is 6-10 hours of heat after you open the pack and shake it up. It's like sand inside. I find that more realistically, about four hours is about what they put out when using them out of doors. If anyone wants to give them a try, I suggest the largest size available. Pretty interesting product.

 

[JIML]

wow my hands are the last thing on me to get cold. I never wear gloves hardly, even if its 10F they are fine. If I do wear gloves, the cotton "dot" gloves are all I can wear.

 

[Tree Reb]

Maybe you are Magnesium deficient, have a look here, http://www.mybodylanguage.co.uk/Cold Hands.htm

I take Coral Calcium powder from Okinawa, not for cold hands but it's good stuff.

 

[woodworkingboy]

For JIML, can't imbed:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afc7czUlQMc

Magnesium....more green vegies, I guess.

 

[MasterBlaster]

HuH?

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[woodworkingboy]

All I get when I try is, "Can't process your request".

 

[blue]

In the cold I suffer bigtime from cold hands due to a pretty bad case of Whitefinger.This comes from to amny years of motorbikes and chainsaws, the vibration screws up the blood capilleries in my fingers.
It is worse if it's cold and wet,did a job a few weeks ago in the rain and sleet,got so bad i had to come outta the tree twice as I had no use in my fingers whatsoever,the pain was so bad i was on the verge of spewing.
If it's dry i use these http://www.costco.com/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=11315737 in the backs of these http://www.505uk.com/index.php?department=PPE&category=Gloves&group=Gripper&Submit=select_group.
It does help quite abit.

 

[sotc]

when i was in alaska, the main thing was to keep them dry. we wore a pretty tough rubber glove with cotton liner underneath. not to bulky that way and the rubber doesnt breathe so retains heat a little longer

 

[MasterBlaster]

And it makes you SWEAT.

 

[Al Smith]

Your hands will actually stay warmer in mittens than gloves .They sell mittens with the index finger sticking out which would most likely work to operate a saw .

I seldom wear any gloves but do have a couple of fingers that don't work too well when it's really cold out . It seems I've smashed a few over the years and they never are quite right afterwards ,as some already know .

 

[Newfie]

And it makes you SWEAT.

Clammy hands have got to be worse than cold hands any day.

 

[Che]

Here is a pair of the mittens I was describing. With the tobacco data, the aspirin suggestion sounds interesting.....should have the reverse affect. Try it and let us know.

 

[mryb]

Your hands will actually stay warmer in mittens than gloves .They sell mittens with the index finger sticking out which would most likely work to operate a saw .

I have a pair made by Stihl that I use while riding my 4 wheeler. I like them over gloves...