I think thieves in Africa could use it if they had any water down there...
Explanation from original post's comments: "His hand is wet, and the water on his hand forms a thin layer of vapor from evaporating due to the heat from the molten metal. That vapor layer is just enough to protect his hand from burning if it's a quick exposure to the molten metal."
Explanation from original post's comments: "His hand is wet, and the water on his hand forms a thin layer of vapor from evaporating due to the heat from the molten metal. That vapor layer is just enough to protect his hand from burning if it's a quick exposure to the molten metal."