Dear V-8 Buick caregivers who indulge in "wrenching" . . . . When my dad and I first worked on our trusty wagon back in the 1970s, using gloves was unthinkable. What gloves were available were bulky and crude. Since dad insisted that I also do a lot of yard-work, I soon had a pair of yard gloves, but that was the only realm where my hands got some protection. However even back then, material science was improving gloves largely in part because of the needs of medicine. To our great chagrin, this disagreeable business called aging goes all the way down to our hands. When getting down and dirty hurts your hands too much, the temptation to find some sort of gloves is overpowering - but can the gloves available today actually work in the engine bay? Rob Siegel has a thoughtful piece where he outlines an arsenal of gloves depending on the wrenching task: https://www.hagerty.com/media/opini...your-hands-do-your-work-gloves-actually-work/ This sort of advice seems especially relevant to someone like me who will be getting back to wrenching after a long absence. Do you have advice to share on how to use gloves while wrenching and when it is best to get your hands dirty and deal with the consequences? By all means share your thoughts here! Cheers, Edouard
Edouard, as a full time tech/shop owner, I use gloves all the time. Lots of options out there, some are more geared towards tire/suspension work, while others are strictly to keep from having to wash your hands 20 times a day. Most auto parts stores will have a few types to choose from. The Mechanix brand gloves are great for tire/suspension work as they will protect from scrapes, gashes and slashes, and there are other thinner (nitrile) gloves that don't so much protect and they do keep you clean, and still have the ability to work with small parts where you need to 'feel' what you are doing. About the only time I ditch the gloves altogether is when threading brake line nuts/power steering lines etc that can be slippery. As far as constant hand washing, contrary to popular belief, cold water will work best in the long run. Hot water opens the pores and actually can drive the grease/dirt in deeper, and in cold climates, using hot water will cause severe chapping if you go outside without completely drying your hands/forearms and allowing your pores to close.
I'm all in on the gloves. The cost skyrocketed with the pandemic, but if you shop around you can find deals. Certain chemicals will eat certain gloves. I use the blue and the tan ones - medical type gloves. Note that oil is a carcinogen so guys who work 50 hours a week for 20 years may have issues! I have "Mechanix" gloves too but they sit on the shelf.
I buy these by the gross and have handed them to technicians of every possible trade I know. They lasted over a week for my brick layer and he was a total animal. My friend who is a foreman on a huge government electrical job sourced them out as osha made it mandatory for them to wear gloves. They are cheap hold up well for mechanical work. And I can tell the difference between a dime and a penny in my finger tips.
I usually have nitrile gloves on with a pair of mechanix gloves over top. The mechanix gloves keep the nitrile from tearing and the nitrile keeps the absorbed fluids in the mechanix from penetrating my hands. If I need to do delicate work I can remove the thicker pair.
Ditto, my coworkers have no problem sticking their hands in crankcases full of oil. They think im crazy for wearing latex gloves beneath my regular gloves. They even laugh and say im just afraid to get my hands dirty.
The best gloves I've ever used are made by "gloveworx". They're black. I got them from Jegs. They really hold up to acetone, mineral spirits and other chemicals. I get quite a few uses out of a pair.
I like gloves for when it's cold [yes sometimes even here in Louisiana] and for handling metal parts but really like the thinner version my son gave me several years ago when he worked for BP in the Gulf of Mexico. The brand is Cordova and called Cor-Brite CE 4131. They are gawdy on account of being chartreuse and orange but the palms are kinda' plastic-like and allow for decent grip. Again I don't use them to keep from getting dirty or greasy and will usually just wash my bare hands with fast orange. But at almost 75 braving the cold is not enjoyable as blood circulation decreases at my extremities [like fingers and toes]. I now buy them online after liking so well the first pair he gave me. I still have nitrile and Mechanix gloves for all the other things that they are handy for .......... I agree with Bill that the carcinogenic quality that the chemicals we use call for more care for sure.
Do not use rubber gloves of any kind whilst using power tools. Radnor gloves like what Fred spoke about were banned at the GM assembly plants that I supported. At one of those plants, one employee in particular comes to mind. He was driving bolts while wearing the banned gloves, when the rubber on one of the glove’s fingers suddenly grabbed onto his power tool’s rotating extension. The tip of the glove continued to wrap around the extension, ripping the tip of the guy’s pinky finger off along with its tendon that reached almost to his elbow. Nasty. So please use care when wearing rubber gloves. Thanks,
...one of reasons I got out of business early. Hand washing in Varsol, using Carbon Tet, breathing asbestos brake/clutch/tire dust, and CO headaches every day in winter (old-timers refused to use exhaust hoses). Surprised I don't seem to have any permanent effects other than L4-L5 and L3-L4 back surgeries from bending over engine compartments. In old age I need all the help I can get, so I use Leather, fabric, rubber gloves plus eye/hearing/breathing protection as much as possible. Still can't manage gloves when I'm doing things like brake hose bracket bolt on backside of spindle. As stated above, no gloves with power tools, and for me, driving...
