@yakkoTDI Looks like it’s a fat that’s solid at body temperature, so it goes on like a cream but once the water evaporates it’s like a waxy layer on your skin.
@heartny I’ve heard of Gloves in a Bottle before but haven’t tried it personally (I remember it was offered as an option when we had to do dissections in high school biology). That said, O’Keefe’s lasts through zero hand washings for me.
@mcemanuel You made me curious, so I went and looked at his wikipedia page, but found nothing “suspect”. Care to briefly elaborate about what aspect of him leads you to that conclusion? Genuinely curious.
Worked on all kinds of cars motorcycles and grease. Always used Vaseline or Lubriderm before work and oils come off fine. Most mechanics know this. Nowadays they do that and wear nitrile gloves so hands don’t slide off tools
Not surprisingly, there is a bit of grousing and a fair number of “Mehs” over this offer.
The vast majority of folks here are probably unaware that there was once upon a time a product put out by DuPont called Pro-Tek.
**Warning and Disclaimer
For those whose eyes glaze over and are apt to reply TL:DR, please consider that I spent more than a few minutes putting this together, so focus on inner calm and tranquility instead. Just move on and spare me your comment.
History and Patents*
Pro-Tek hand barrier cream was created before 1932. The name “Pro-Tek” was assigned a copyright claim (71326723).
The patent was filed on April 22, 1932, and was issued in 1935 to Omer McDaniel of the Mountain Varnish and Color Works, Inc., Toledo, OH (U.S. Patent 2021131). Pro-Tek.
Pro-Tek was useful, if one was going to work with paint, oil, inks, greases, etc.
Here is Claim 1 of the patent:
A skin protecting coating composition which dries to a soft, pliable film, said composition consisting of a saponaceous solution comprising substantially 1600 parts by weight of water and 288 parts by weight sodium stearate, 1155 , parts by weight glycerine, and 906 parts by 2’’ weight sodium silicate, and substantially one part by weight lemenone (limonene).
The word “saponaceous” means “soap like” which in this case would be the sodium stearate, which is the sodium salt of the natural C-18 saturated, fatty acid, stearic acid aka octadecanoic acid and has the chemical formula CH₃(CH₂)₁₆CO₂H.
The sodium silicate is actually the “magic” ingredient in the Pro-Tek formula as it is the film-forming substance that makes the coating work. The limonene (misspelled in the claim as “lemenone”) was just a fragrance, and the second claim in this patent was the same as Claim 1, but without the limonene
I suppose that DuPont purchased the Mountain Varnish and Color Works Company at some point and with it, all of its intellectual property, which would have included the hand coating cream patent.
I remember it well from the 1950-60s. You used to see it in hardware stores. I would occasionally buy a jar and use it when working on cars, painting, or doing other messy jobs. These were the days before latex or nitrile gloves were available, mind you.
It felt sticky for a few minutes after applying it until the moisture evaporated and tended to wear off quickly in the dominant hand thumb and pointer fingers first. So, occasionally it was a good idea to “re-dip” and put on a fresh coat.
***Chemical comparison of Pro-Tek & Invisible Glove ***********
This product, Invisible Glove, sounds a lot like that DuPont Pro-Tek as it is the same sort of idea, but the formulation is a bit more sophisticated.
(Note: All of the ingredients below are common in the cosmetics and skin care trades.)
The stearic acid/alcohol is still there, and the film former is now vinyl pyrrolidone/eicosene copolymer instead of the sodium silicate.
where R=C18H37
The dimethicone is basic (presumed) high molecular weight silicone oil used as a water and grease repelling agent.
The hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose is a suspension aid, surfactant, lubricant, protective colloid, and emulsifier.
The odd mixture of glycerin, cetyl alcohol, isopropyl myristate, and stearyl alcohol are mostly there as plasticizers or film modifiers, I think.
The arginine, which is a natural amino acid, and which is common in cosmetics and skincare products for skin hydration and decreased dryness, collagen production, for skin elasticity and firmness, wound healing properties, antioxidant properties, support of healthy blood flow to the skin and as a skin barrier.
The xanthan gum is a viscosifier or water thickening agent used to increase and control viscosity.
The glucoside is there as a surfactant, and an emulsifier. The caprylhydroxamic acid is an antibacterial agent, preservative, and chelating agent.
**Comments on utility of such products
I don’t know about you, but nitrile gloves, as ubiquitous as they are today, are sometimes not the most convenient thing, if one is doing fine work that requires dexterity. And, if gloves make your hands sweat, then for all these reasons and more, this just might be a better option.
And, of course, there is always the “belt & suspenders” method of applying the cream and then putting on a pair of nitrile gloves, so that when the inevitable dominant finger of the gloves break, one can just put off the glove replacement for a while at least.
I haven’t used this particular product, but I’m game to give it a try and see, if when on the rare occasion I turn a wrench or hold a paint brush these days, if it works as well as the Pro-Tek from the days of yore.
@Jackinga thank you for all that! I used to have something similar, from a quick Google I think it was Workman’s Friend. I’m gonna try this stuff out too, both because I get the dry hands and occasionally do dirty work too.
@Jackinga I’ve been wondering if you could tell me whatever it is that’s used in dryer sheets and some laundry and dishwasher soaps that has that horrible inexorable relentless SCENT? I’ve gotten some things second-hand that have it and it drives me nuts. The latest was some plastic cutting boards that I put in the dishwasher - and now the dishwasher stinks! I’ve put the cutting boards outside to sit in the sun for a while but I ran four loads in the dishwasher since then and the odor is still faintly there!
@Kyeh This is a tough one as whatever you smell is probably owing to a heightened individual perception.
So what are typical fragrances used in dryer sheets?
Here is a partial list: Journal of The American Oil Chemists Society, Vol. 45, No. 6, pp.429-432,
“Typical perfumery materials include: natural essential oils such as lemon oil, mandarin oil, clove leaf oil, petitgrain oil, ceder wood oil, patchouli oil, lavender oil, neroli oil, yland oil, rose absolute or jasmin absolute; natural resins such as labdanum resin or olibanum resin; single perfumery chemicals which may be isolated from natural sources of manufactured synthetically, as for example alcohols such as geraniol, nerol, citronellol, linalool, tetrahydrogeraniol, betaphenylethyl alcohol, methyl phenyl carbinol, dimethyl benzyl carbinol, menthol
or cedrol; acetates and other esters derived from such alcohols; aldehydes such as citral, citronellal,
hydroxycitronellal, lauric aldehyde, undecylenic aldehyde, cinnamaldehyde, amyl cinnamic aldehyde, vanillin or heliotropin; acetals derived from such aldehydes; ketones such as methyl hexyl ketone, the ionones and the methylionones; phenolic compounds such as eugenol and isoeugenol; and the like.”
Whatever it is, one thing is for certain…it has to be cheap. Dryer sheets are made at high speed from huge rolls of nonwoven polyester scrims. These rolls are passed through a machine, which applies a quaternary ammonium salt usually based on some high melting point fatty acid or fatty acid alcohol, plus a fragrance in a very small amount compared to the quat. The fragrance is there to mask other odors and to give a pleasant smell (to most people).
Because the fragrance blend used is somewhat volatile, the individual fragrance molecules are encapsulated in a cyclodextrin molecule, so that all of the fragrance is not lost with the heated air exhaust of the dryer. A suitable fragrance may be a bit of a mixture of generally water insoluble terpenes or synthetic terpenes.
In the list above I have bolded some of what you may be sensing. It is impossible to say exactly to which odorant you are sensitive.
My guess is, however, it might be something like linalool or a close structural variant because most people like the smell, but mostly because it is cheap and available in 55 gal drum if not tanker truck quantity.
Suppose for the moment, I could name the offending moiety. Is that what you really want to know?
Or is the more pertinent question, how do I get rid of that stink?
Here then is a short list of things you might do or try:
Avoid dryer sheets or at least those that contain fragrance. (I’m quite sure that you do this already, but it is still worth saying.)
Try an oxidizing agent such as bleach plus detergent, or a peroxide based cleaning agent, viz., OxyClean, or even hydrogen peroxide itself. These are apt to work albeit very slowly because the odorants are likely hydrophobic and not readily reached by aqueous things like bleach. That is why I sad bleach plus detergent. (You would need a detergent without a fragrance!)
You didn’t say whether the cutting board was wood or plastic. If you are trying to deodorize a wood cutting board, a long soak may do more harm than good.
Use a UV lamp with a relatively long exposure time. Put the cutting boards out in the sun for a lot longer, and keep rotating them so as to expose more of the surface. It might take several days or a week or more, but eventually the combination of UV and air circulation will remove the offensive odorant.
If you have access to an ozone cabinet, O3, is an excellent oxidizing agent. I happen to have purchased one of those units here on Meh, a Lifesmart TrueWash All-in-One Wet/Dry Sanitizing System for Fruits & Vegetables, which is both a UV chamber and a ozone generator. One can deodorize or sanitize objects in this rather large gadget in dry mode.
You may also have one of those O3 generators for a musty garage, shed, or closet. I have one in an out building. If so, try putting something that you want to treat in a large cardboard box along with the 03 unit for a half hour or so. But be sure to do it outside! That sort of treatment would be ideal for a wooden cutting board as it would probably be effective and not do an overly bad job of damage.
Keep the object to be decontaminated warm for these fragrances are VOCs (volatile organic compounds).
Time – wait long enough and the odor will disappear naturally owing to the aforementioned volatility. A forced draft air stream will accelerate the odorant dissipation.
Bear in mind that #2, #3, and #4 could damage the substrate, if it is fabric or otherwise
@Jackinga Thanks! I guess I was hoping there was a particular chemical component I could look for and avoid if I buy some cleaning product; for second-hand stuff I realize I just have to get rid of the stench somehow. Oxiclean is one of my favorite products; it’s great for pet odors too.
The cutting boards are plastic and are sitting outside until the smell goes away.
I don’t mind scents except for that particular ultra-penetrating hateful kind. I use a drop of lavender essential oil on a corner of a towel or hem when I put a load in the dryer sometimes and that’s great. I also have a large collection of perfumes but I’m ultra picky about them. I just wish dryer sheets would get outlawed - they’re not even healthy and they’re bad for your dryer! Okay, I’ll quit ranting now. Thanks again.
Ok, I gotta try this. Every winter, my hands get so bad. Bright red, cracked and bleeding constantly. Everything hurts so bad. Some nights I have to smother in cereve thick hand cream, then coat in aquaphor, then cover with white 100% cotton gloves overnight, night after night. The next day, any progress made is destroyed by the first time I have to wash my hands. I’m desperate for something different.
/giphy crackling-seasonal-bauble
Specs
Product: 2-Pack: Gloves In A Bottle Hand Shielding Lotion
Model: GIABtube
Condition: New
Ingredients
Purified Water (Aqua), Dimethicone, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Isopropyl Myristate, Stearyl Alcohol, Arginine, Xanthan Gum, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, VP/Eicosene copolymer, Glucoside, Caprylhydroxamic Acid
What’s Included?
Price Comparison
$39.90 (for 2) at Amazon
Warranty
90 days
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Dec 16
What does it shield them from? Trunk contents maybe?
@yakkoTDI Looks like it’s a fat that’s solid at body temperature, so it goes on like a cream but once the water evaporates it’s like a waxy layer on your skin.
@Alereon @yakkoTDI
Yuck. That sounds disgusting, although kids would probably like to so they can put in on, have it dry and then peel it off the way kids do with glue.
I call bullshit.
Those. Are. Not. Bottles…
Plus it just sounds weird!
i believe i will shield myself from this deal
I wonder how this compares to O’Keeffe’s Working Hands?
@heartny I’ve heard of Gloves in a Bottle before but haven’t tried it personally (I remember it was offered as an option when we had to do dissections in high school biology). That said, O’Keefe’s lasts through zero hand washings for me.
We’ll see…
/image frozen-jolly-snowflake
/giphy frozen-jolly-snowflake
/showme frozen-jolly-snowflake
@mediocrebot that, actually. is a very pretty snowflake. Someone needs to steal that design and make them for sale.
@mediocrebot I want to keep zooming in like a fractal.
The guy who does olafs voice is an asshole
@mcemanuel You made me curious, so I went and looked at his wikipedia page, but found nothing “suspect”. Care to briefly elaborate about what aspect of him leads you to that conclusion? Genuinely curious.
Worked on all kinds of cars motorcycles and grease. Always used Vaseline or Lubriderm before work and oils come off fine. Most mechanics know this. Nowadays they do that and wear nitrile gloves so hands don’t slide off tools
I wear gloves at work. Is this good or bad for someone like me?
@AaronLeeJohnson Kinda depends what kind of gloves for what kind of work…
/buy
@uvassassin It worked! Your order number is: jovial-colorful-donner
/showme jovial colorful donner
@mediocrebot very prideful!
That finger is pointing somewhere gloves might come in useful.
Didn’t think this was a glove for your hands at first glance
Endorsed for proctological use.
@phendrick No shit?
Can this be used as a condom too?
@rollingupbynow Of course. Anything can be used as a condom. I think the real question should be can this be used effectively as a condom?
If I could save gloves in a bottle
The first thing that I’d like to do
Is to slave every day
'Til eternity passes away
Just to hold hands with you
salve every day?
/showme cherubic frosted ornament
@mediocrebot my grandma collected these
No Georgia Red. . . for that alone, meh.
/buy
@wyvern It worked! Your order number is: magical-decorative-hometown
/showme magical decorative hometown
Not surprisingly, there is a bit of grousing and a fair number of “Mehs” over this offer.
The vast majority of folks here are probably unaware that there was once upon a time a product put out by DuPont called Pro-Tek.
**Warning and Disclaimer
For those whose eyes glaze over and are apt to reply TL:DR, please consider that I spent more than a few minutes putting this together, so focus on inner calm and tranquility instead. Just move on and spare me your comment.
History and Patents*
Pro-Tek hand barrier cream was created before 1932. The name “Pro-Tek” was assigned a copyright claim (71326723).
The patent was filed on April 22, 1932, and was issued in 1935 to Omer McDaniel of the Mountain Varnish and Color Works, Inc., Toledo, OH (U.S. Patent 2021131). Pro-Tek.
Pro-Tek was useful, if one was going to work with paint, oil, inks, greases, etc.
Here is Claim 1 of the patent:
The word “saponaceous” means “soap like” which in this case would be the sodium stearate, which is the sodium salt of the natural C-18 saturated, fatty acid, stearic acid aka octadecanoic acid and has the chemical formula CH₃(CH₂)₁₆CO₂H.
The sodium silicate is actually the “magic” ingredient in the Pro-Tek formula as it is the film-forming substance that makes the coating work. The limonene (misspelled in the claim as “lemenone”) was just a fragrance, and the second claim in this patent was the same as Claim 1, but without the limonene
I suppose that DuPont purchased the Mountain Varnish and Color Works Company at some point and with it, all of its intellectual property, which would have included the hand coating cream patent.
I remember it well from the 1950-60s. You used to see it in hardware stores. I would occasionally buy a jar and use it when working on cars, painting, or doing other messy jobs. These were the days before latex or nitrile gloves were available, mind you.
It felt sticky for a few minutes after applying it until the moisture evaporated and tended to wear off quickly in the dominant hand thumb and pointer fingers first. So, occasionally it was a good idea to “re-dip” and put on a fresh coat.
***Chemical comparison of Pro-Tek & Invisible Glove ***********
This product, Invisible Glove, sounds a lot like that DuPont Pro-Tek as it is the same sort of idea, but the formulation is a bit more sophisticated.
(Note: All of the ingredients below are common in the cosmetics and skin care trades.)
Purified Water (Aqua), Dimethicone, Stearic Acid, Glycerin, Cetyl Alcohol, Isopropyl Myristate, Stearyl Alcohol, Arginine, Xanthan Gum, Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose, VP/Eicosene copolymer, Glucoside, Caprylhydroxamic Acid.
The stearic acid/alcohol is still there, and the film former is now vinyl pyrrolidone/eicosene copolymer instead of the sodium silicate.
where R=C18H37
The dimethicone is basic (presumed) high molecular weight silicone oil used as a water and grease repelling agent.
The hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose is a suspension aid, surfactant, lubricant, protective colloid, and emulsifier.
The odd mixture of glycerin, cetyl alcohol, isopropyl myristate, and stearyl alcohol are mostly there as plasticizers or film modifiers, I think.
The arginine, which is a natural amino acid, and which is common in cosmetics and skincare products for skin hydration and decreased dryness, collagen production, for skin elasticity and firmness, wound healing properties, antioxidant properties, support of healthy blood flow to the skin and as a skin barrier.
The xanthan gum is a viscosifier or water thickening agent used to increase and control viscosity.
The glucoside is there as a surfactant, and an emulsifier. The caprylhydroxamic acid is an antibacterial agent, preservative, and chelating agent.
**Comments on utility of such products
I don’t know about you, but nitrile gloves, as ubiquitous as they are today, are sometimes not the most convenient thing, if one is doing fine work that requires dexterity. And, if gloves make your hands sweat, then for all these reasons and more, this just might be a better option.
And, of course, there is always the “belt & suspenders” method of applying the cream and then putting on a pair of nitrile gloves, so that when the inevitable dominant finger of the gloves break, one can just put off the glove replacement for a while at least.
I haven’t used this particular product, but I’m game to give it a try and see, if when on the rare occasion I turn a wrench or hold a paint brush these days, if it works as well as the Pro-Tek from the days of yore.
@Jackinga thank you for all that! I used to have something similar, from a quick Google I think it was Workman’s Friend. I’m gonna try this stuff out too, both because I get the dry hands and occasionally do dirty work too.
@Jackinga Whatever. I’ve read longer.
@Jackinga You sold me. I hope you get a kickback.
@Jackinga I’ve been wondering if you could tell me whatever it is that’s used in dryer sheets and some laundry and dishwasher soaps that has that horrible inexorable relentless SCENT? I’ve gotten some things second-hand that have it and it drives me nuts. The latest was some plastic cutting boards that I put in the dishwasher - and now the dishwasher stinks! I’ve put the cutting boards outside to sit in the sun for a while but I ran four loads in the dishwasher since then and the odor is still faintly there!
@Kyeh This is a tough one as whatever you smell is probably owing to a heightened individual perception.
So what are typical fragrances used in dryer sheets?
Here is a partial list: Journal of The American Oil Chemists Society, Vol. 45, No. 6, pp.429-432,
“Typical perfumery materials include: natural essential oils such as lemon oil, mandarin oil, clove leaf oil, petitgrain oil, ceder wood oil, patchouli oil, lavender oil, neroli oil, yland oil, rose absolute or jasmin absolute; natural resins such as labdanum resin or olibanum resin; single perfumery chemicals which may be isolated from natural sources of manufactured synthetically, as for example alcohols such as geraniol, nerol, citronellol, linalool, tetrahydrogeraniol, betaphenylethyl alcohol, methyl phenyl carbinol, dimethyl benzyl carbinol, menthol
or cedrol; acetates and other esters derived from such alcohols; aldehydes such as citral, citronellal,
hydroxycitronellal, lauric aldehyde, undecylenic aldehyde, cinnamaldehyde, amyl cinnamic aldehyde, vanillin or heliotropin; acetals derived from such aldehydes; ketones such as methyl hexyl ketone, the ionones and the methylionones; phenolic compounds such as eugenol and isoeugenol; and the like.”
Whatever it is, one thing is for certain…it has to be cheap. Dryer sheets are made at high speed from huge rolls of nonwoven polyester scrims. These rolls are passed through a machine, which applies a quaternary ammonium salt usually based on some high melting point fatty acid or fatty acid alcohol, plus a fragrance in a very small amount compared to the quat. The fragrance is there to mask other odors and to give a pleasant smell (to most people).
Because the fragrance blend used is somewhat volatile, the individual fragrance molecules are encapsulated in a cyclodextrin molecule, so that all of the fragrance is not lost with the heated air exhaust of the dryer. A suitable fragrance may be a bit of a mixture of generally water insoluble terpenes or synthetic terpenes.
In the list above I have bolded some of what you may be sensing. It is impossible to say exactly to which odorant you are sensitive.
My guess is, however, it might be something like linalool or a close structural variant because most people like the smell, but mostly because it is cheap and available in 55 gal drum if not tanker truck quantity.
Suppose for the moment, I could name the offending moiety. Is that what you really want to know?
Or is the more pertinent question, how do I get rid of that stink?
Here then is a short list of things you might do or try:
Avoid dryer sheets or at least those that contain fragrance. (I’m quite sure that you do this already, but it is still worth saying.)
Try an oxidizing agent such as bleach plus detergent, or a peroxide based cleaning agent, viz., OxyClean, or even hydrogen peroxide itself. These are apt to work albeit very slowly because the odorants are likely hydrophobic and not readily reached by aqueous things like bleach. That is why I sad bleach plus detergent. (You would need a detergent without a fragrance!)
You didn’t say whether the cutting board was wood or plastic. If you are trying to deodorize a wood cutting board, a long soak may do more harm than good.
Use a UV lamp with a relatively long exposure time. Put the cutting boards out in the sun for a lot longer, and keep rotating them so as to expose more of the surface. It might take several days or a week or more, but eventually the combination of UV and air circulation will remove the offensive odorant.
If you have access to an ozone cabinet, O3, is an excellent oxidizing agent. I happen to have purchased one of those units here on Meh, a Lifesmart TrueWash All-in-One Wet/Dry Sanitizing System for Fruits & Vegetables, which is both a UV chamber and a ozone generator. One can deodorize or sanitize objects in this rather large gadget in dry mode.
You may also have one of those O3 generators for a musty garage, shed, or closet. I have one in an out building. If so, try putting something that you want to treat in a large cardboard box along with the 03 unit for a half hour or so. But be sure to do it outside! That sort of treatment would be ideal for a wooden cutting board as it would probably be effective and not do an overly bad job of damage.
Keep the object to be decontaminated warm for these fragrances are VOCs (volatile organic compounds).
Time – wait long enough and the odor will disappear naturally owing to the aforementioned volatility. A forced draft air stream will accelerate the odorant dissipation.
Bear in mind that #2, #3, and #4 could damage the substrate, if it is fabric or otherwise
@Jackinga Thanks! I guess I was hoping there was a particular chemical component I could look for and avoid if I buy some cleaning product; for second-hand stuff I realize I just have to get rid of the stench somehow. Oxiclean is one of my favorite products; it’s great for pet odors too.
The cutting boards are plastic and are sitting outside until the smell goes away.
I don’t mind scents except for that particular ultra-penetrating hateful kind. I use a drop of lavender essential oil on a corner of a towel or hem when I put a load in the dryer sometimes and that’s great. I also have a large collection of perfumes but I’m ultra picky about them. I just wish dryer sheets would get outlawed - they’re not even healthy and they’re bad for your dryer!
Okay, I’ll quit ranting now. Thanks again.
Ok, let’s see how this holds up to the dry, cold winters here.
/giphy jingling-loving-wassail
/buy
@caribou It worked! Your order number is: caroling-jubilant-toboggan
/showme caroling jubilant toboggan
This stuff works! It is used and loved by quilters and seamstresses because it won’t leave marks on their fabric.
@dmettam Yes! I knew it sounded familiar and couldn’t think from where. It’s because I see it in sewing shops.
@dmettam Ooo, thanks for telling me that - it sounds like a good gift idea for my sister!
/showme crisp-crimson-magic
Ok, I gotta try this. Every winter, my hands get so bad. Bright red, cracked and bleeding constantly. Everything hurts so bad. Some nights I have to smother in cereve thick hand cream, then coat in aquaphor, then cover with white 100% cotton gloves overnight, night after night. The next day, any progress made is destroyed by the first time I have to wash my hands. I’m desperate for something different.
/giphy crackling-seasonal-bauble
This was a good deal. Try to get the one w/sunscreen in the yellow tube, sometime, thank you
Great stuff. Got any left?