what kind of gloves do i use to handle cement?

I want to put the hands on the cement to shape it. I don't want any chemical contamination occuring where the gloves react in any way with the cement.

Answer:

Repeated exposure can cause silicosis , do wear a respirator.

If you happen to be allergic to cement (like I am) exposure to the skin can result in burns, abscesses, blisters or secondary infections such as cellulitis (which can lead to amputation of the infected limb or loss of life). Be very careful when handling cement, wet or dry. Wear rubber gloves, eye protection, a respirator and any other personal protective gear you feel is warranted.

This Site Might Help You. RE: what kind of gloves do i use to handle cement? I want to put the hands on the cement to shape it. I don't want any chemical contamination occuring where the gloves react in any way with the cement.

Just about any rubber gloves will do, but get a decent weight. I appreciate that you don't want to react with the cement, but that's not the problem. Cement/concrete will just suck the moisture right out of your flesh. People who get drenched in concrete get 2nd and 3rd degree burns sometimes. Cement is not meant to be manipulated by bare hands - it can be really bad.

I think I'd worry more about what the alkali in wet cement will do to your hands. Probably vinyl exam gloves or latex would work; neither dissolves in water. And they're cheap, so if they wear out, no problem. On a similar note, I remember a Rohm and Haas brochure (mid 1980s) which talked about a sculptor doing a cement sculpture of a rhino for the kids in a park to play on. His problem was that it was hard, initially, to do a layup on a chicken-wire frame because the cement hardened so fast that he couldn't do it all in one go-- and a freshly-applied layer of cement wouldn't stick to the first coat. So Rohm and Haas came out with a latex additive to put in the cement that let him do the lay-up in multiple batches and finish the rhino-I bet they can send you a photocopy of the article and talk to you about the additives, if they still make them. Good luck!