I was amazed when the Ford dealership I worked at bought in to gloves when they became a thing.

They saw the value after somebody got an infection from nasty grease that I had long assumed was not a thing.

They even had Paramedics come in and give a class on it, very informative and they did say it had been mostly far less of a problem until recent years at the time, roughly 80's and they of course showed us some nasty pics and such.

Being grime averse I leaned in immediately and used them all the time, day in and day out they kept my hands from getting cut up and constantly bombarded with oil, grease, chemicals, etc.

Later on at the hospital they were mandatory in many cases and I wore them any time I was doing any work.

Just like a mask, it was second nature for safety, you never knew what you were walking into too often. :twitchy:

Funny enough I don't wear them enough at home but try to wear other work gloves when my hand's may get beat up.

Gloves - always a good idea. I use nitrile gloves around drivetrains and solvent, but spend most of my time in Snap-On gloves..., about the only thing of theirs I can afford. :rolleyes:

For me, anytime I used a solvent or a grease to clean or lube, the gloves go on. I figure anything that I get on my skin it is probably going to get under my skin and in my blood in pretty short order.

Guy

Yep, bought 2 boxes around Christmas for around $10. Gave one to my son for Christmas

When I used to work in a semiconductor clean room every day, it was mandatory to wear gloves all the time. When I was wrenching, I always use the tightest gloves I could so that I could grab small screws, etc. For just hanging out, I used the largest gloves I could get. For day-to-day wrenching on a bike, I rarely use gloves, If it will be really greasy, repacking bearings, an old greasy chain, etc. I will usually remember that I should have put gloves on as soon as it is too late.

Ditto on all points!

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I avoid gloves as much as possible when wrenching. I need that tactile feeling. Nitrile tears too easily and I sweat like a pig in them. It's a different story, though, if I'm lumbering or mowing. Walked off a job one time when the safety boob demanded I wear gloves when wrenching. I was going to be handling 4 and 5 mm screws on railroad ballast. Being the grouchy old phart I am, I told him he could fix it then. F-bombed him and left.

For 95% of the stuff that I'm doing, I wear gloves. Every once in a while, I'll need the touch to do something, so I'll take off the glove, do that thing, and put the glove back. Sometimes I forget to put the glove back on, but I feel like having gloves on for most tasks has more benefits than downsides

I wear nitrile gloves 80% of the time when working on a bike. Also keep one in my bike tool kit for repairs while on the road. I live in Minnesota and commute to work and found that rubber gloves keep my fingers warm on rides. First glove is silk, second is rubber, third is neoprene, and forth is any old snow glove. Toasty fingers below zero!

When I started working at the power plant, it was hard to find a pair of gloves unless you were welding or working with radioactive contamination. After management changed how minor injuries were to be reported, we had to undergo a culture change about wearing gloves. Instead of scraped knuckles being a sign of toughness, you were expected to wear gloves for every job, every time. And not just any glove, there was a chart in the safety manual to tell you the appropriate glove for every job. Even just walking about, you had to have a pair of gloves with you at all times. Since I retired, I'll admit I don't abide by those rules all the time, but I do wear gloves a lot more than I might have in years past.

I try to wear gloves when wrenching... I hate the smell of grease on my fingers.

But I'm terrible at it- even just "wearing gloves" is a challenge when doing the most simple tasks.

I generally wear gloves if I am doing a quick repair but if I know I am wrenching all day. These are my top choice in gloves: https://titanflexsafety.com/hd45-ser...itrile-gloves/ though dislike the color but they work well and I haven't broken a pair yet except when using a pair that was too small.

Though we mix 7th generation soap dish soap and baking soda and no fooling it takes off all the grease from the hands really well and is pretty cheap to make. I used to use Phil Wood and that was good but this is even better minus the look (it doesn't have the teal package with the red Phil logo)

I will say I do love a nice pair of sweaty gloves and getting to take them off after a while something satisfying about that, absolutely gross but it does feel really good. Plus the gloves are handy to keep in your saddlebag for inclement weather because they are water and windproof in case you get caught out without gloves or your gloves wet through or something.

I frequently use impact resistant gloves to do things like loosen pedals that haven’t been removed from the bike for 40 years. For tasks involving chemicals like degreasers and mineral spirits, I wear nitrile gloves. I bring these gloves home from work because my company encourages us to take PPE home. Their philosophy is that employees should be safe both at work and at home. As a result, I’ve become more inclined to wear safety glasses and hearing protection while mowing the lawn and doing other things.

And Old Guys have figured out that Old Skin is really fragile. Usually. Some have even discovered that hands are poor hammers. Over the years I've noticed that Real Men don't need any of that safety crap like wimps do.
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Harbor Freight is probably the most convenient for those in the USA (look at the coupons for sales), but any auto parts shop should have similar ones, and I also use nitrile exam gloves from Costco. Back in the pandemic, there were stories of shady suppliers shipping out USED gloves...

All of the thin ones (exam/5mil etc) will tear, but they are cheap and usually help keep your hands pretty clean and protect a bit against cuts doing light work. I also keep some 7 mil around as well as the cheap ones for heavier work, like the car.

I'm kind of amazed by how often I get nicks and cuts on my hands/fingers that I don't ever notice when they happen, just when I see the bloody results. I guess the pain sensors in my hands have worn down after 65 years.

Real Men...
 

Not sure what that "Real Men" stuff means but I would bet the "Real Men" are dead about 10 years early also because they are so invested in being,,,real men. The story of the doctor that refused to wash up and use gloves to treat President Garfield related to a gun shot. The lead physician, Dr. D. Willard Bliss, was highly arrogant and rejected the suggestions of cleaner, more modern methods. Garfield died of infection (sepis), not the gun shot injury, great leader, guess the doctor was a real man.

Guy

I believe "Real Men" refers to those who are so insecure in their manhood that they must go way over the top in doing intentionally dangerous and reckless things so people think they are tough and manly when in reality they are weak and fragile.

Intentionally losing vision or hearing is not a manly thing to do it is just asinine.

I took it as “it’s a joke son, I said laugh!”

Maybe so, the sentiment is still true. It is always hard to tell in text with people you don't know well enough to know if they are constant jokesters are not.

I'd say Steel Charlie has tongue firmly planted in cheek.

Been wrenching since around '77. Then in the early 2000's a friend and former wrenching colleague asked why I never wore gloves. I didn't really have an answer. My physician father always worried about which hydrocarbons I was being exposed to and asked me to avoid them whenever I could. But I used a LOT of various chemicals, including TriFlo in the 80's and 90's without gloves. Was glad citrus solvent came along, although I must admit, I never used gasoline or brake cleaner.

Today, citrus, detergent and isopropyl alcohol are my cleaners of choice. Oh and low VOC mineral spirits only when I'm degreasing a chain.

So in probably 2005 I began using nitrile gloves religiously. Probably should have started much earlier.

Yes, dexterity suffers a bit, but it's worth it.

I sweat a lot too, so I just have several pairs in various states of uncleanliness that I just pull off inside-out and hang on the truing stand to dry. I shake out my hands and grab a dry pair and continue wrenching.

Can't believe I let my hands suffer under decades of chemical exposure. Plus, not having greasy hands to wash all the time, nor gross fingernails that the hand cleaner (oh, ANOTHER chemical soup!) didn't quite get.

Plus, it's nice to finish a job, pull off the gloves and have fresh, clean hands for the test ride!

Gloves.

Respirator.

Both have a place in my kit.

I've been doing stuff with chemicals for decades, and things that create a dust hazard when inhaled.

Best gloves I've found so far are branded as Aurelia nitrile exam gloves. 5.5mil is what I use since I 'discovered' them during the Pandemic when the hardware store (and ag supply under the same ownership) couldn't get gloves they'd been carrying, they got in a batch of these Aurelia products.

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Tactile feel when wearing 'em is impressive enough I'll put a pair on for most assembly tasks, certainly for cleaning anything with solvents.

yes, nitrile gloves, the thick ones. I've bought them from auto parts stores but they are expensive

unfortunately, during covid my late Dad had me getting him gloves & he kept changing his preferences, such as size & whether or not they were powdered. I should donate them I guess but there are many boxes at their old house, some I've brought home, some are truly terrible, but even the crummy ones come in handy, especially for quick jobs like handling sticky bird feeder suet

the thick black ones are wonderful & I feel bad every time I use them for a quick job & have to toss them. I guess that's why I still keep the cheapos around