PB Cohen Creations

Whenever you file or sand (for example) metal, you encounter friction. And when you encounter friction you create heat — especially when you're using some sort of motorized polishing bur. Sure, it all goes faster on a flex shaft, but the faster you go, the hotter your metal gets. My favorite new tool, which falls in the category of "why on earth didn't I try this stuff sooner" is finger wrap cloth, or finger safety tape, or Alligator Skin (R), or vet wrap, or that stuff they wind a few times around your elbow to keep the cotton swab on after they've taken a blood sample at the doctor's office.

Whatever you call it, whatever the width of the tape, whatever its color, it all works the same way: it's a little stretchy, it only sticks to itself, you can wrap it around stuff, and its shape conforms to whichever body part you wrap it around.

(I should also note it's used by bird people, who will do things like wrap it around perches made out of PVC pipe. The PVC is too slippery for most birds to grasp easily, and a quick replacement of the wrap is an easy way to clean a perch.)

In the jewelry world, a couple of layers gives your fingers protection against cuts and burns, plus it's flexible enough that you can still grip small pieces of metal while you're polishing them. I was amazed to be holding things through the tape and not feel the heat until I touched them with a bare finger. So yeah, I guess I might be able to start a fire when I put a really hot trinket down on a stray piece of kindling (stranger things have been found on the work bench), but at least I won't burn my fingers while holding it!