Gloves, or no Gloves?

[Jared]

I’ve recently started out my career as an Industrial Mechanic, and something I’ve noticed in this job as well as other jobs(not mechanically related), is that there is a very distinct preference for wearing gloves or not wearing gloves during a routine repair. I personally work either way. If I get a “trouble call” to replace a broken bearing or chain, that happens to be covered in grease, mold, oil, dirt, etc. I don’t take the time to put on gloves, instead I just complete the repair as quickly, and correctly as possible to get things back up and running. If I’m rebuilding a valve, gearbox, pump etc. Then I always wear gloves, but most of my fellow wrench turners do not. Especially the more experienced ones. More than that though, is that they make it a point to make fun of anyone that does wear gloves during a repair. As though wearing or not wearing gloves defines someone’s masculinity. It’s all in good fun, so I don’t have any hard feelings about it either way. I do think though, that gloves help with the overall cleanliness of a repair. Not so much for the mechanic doing the repair, but more for the part/machine/automobile that is being repaired.

Topic

[WOTStang]

When i first started wrenching; i never used gloves.. not once. Even as a lube tech next to hot exhaust or doing tires..etc. With the job i had, time was everything and i never had the time to stop and put on a pair of gloves, just to have them break shortly after.

However, these days.. the company i work for actually supplies latex gloves for us. Because of that, I find myself using them most any time im doing something where im getting my hands dirty. I forget the brand, but they are right up there with diamond grip and very hard to break. After 10 years of wrenching i’ve found that i care a little more about what kind of nasty oils and grease are getting into my hands and with free durable gloves, i take advantage of them as much as possible. I also have a problem with my hands being very dry and when i stress them a lot it causes them to peel, and when i wear the gloves it seems to alleviate a lot of that issue as well.

It’s also nice because i can have a dirty engine or suspension job one minute and im doing interior work the next.. it’s nice to be able to toss the gloves off and be good to go without worrying about getting an interior dirty.

[Leon]

I like to use gloves most of the time because my special soap dries my hands out, and having them constantly getting dirty from really big jobs is irritating. Preventing illnesses from the chemicals is also important.

[Author]

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