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Just a Simple Wrench 
by Jake &Ann Snyder Always Use Protection
We were tracking down a few feet of eighth-inch copper tubing to
repair a leaking oil gauge line, and finally tried one of those
neon-lights-on-the-front-window-super-car-parts-stores-with-repair-bays-in-back.
All it needed was a few more luxury SUVs out front and a couple
of ladies pushing shopping carts. While the counter person was listening
to what was needed, a mechanic came from the back and motioned the
counter person aside, evidently with a concern about a part that
he was replacing. The mechanic looked like a standard-issue wrench,
except for the strange appearance of his hands. He seemed to be
suffering from some skin condition on his hands, and while it was
clearly inappropriate to scrutinize this unfortunate, lest he be
made uncomfortable at a stranger considering his malady, curiosity
and concern took control. As surreptitiously as possible, we examined
his pale, oddly distorted digits and constricted skin. He was wearing
latex gloves! Well, not latex really, but more likely polyvinyl.
The first reaction at this was, "All he has to do is change gloves
and then he can work in the kitchen when they add the fast-food
franchise".
On the other hand, consider the kinds of materials and conditions
your hands contact in an MG repair situation: lots of used oil,
brake fluids of various ages and formulations, stale gasoline that
may be old enough to contain lead, lead-based anti-seize compounds,
glycol coolant, methanol gas line antifreeze, and probably a host
of polynuclear aromatics from incomplete combustion. Couple the
toxic environment with many sharp edges from rusted body work, burred
nuts and bolts and rough edges where the Sawzall was the last resort,
and you have many opportunities for the toxic materials to enter
your body.
Besides, if the gloves worked for a professional mechanic, perhaps
they would increase the proficiency of MG owners. So we tried them
for several months, and have reached the point where barrier gloves
are as much a part of MG maintenance at home as are safety glasses,
a fire extinguisher, and OilDry. The general result is that small
cuts on hands are way down, and hands are so clean that co-workers
can no longer guess how the weekend was spent. We still use leather
gloves over the barrier gloves whenever possible to avoid skinned
knuckles and major cuts, but there are many times when the leather
gloves have to come off. Fitting washers to studs or starting a
nut or bolt or working under a dash by feel require sensitivity
in the fingers, and polyvinyl gloves give that while still giving
some protection. An unexpected bonus is that, while working in sub-freezing
conditions, wrenches do not have to be pre-warmed as much to keep
them from sticking to the skin. And the polyvinyl gloves do give
just a little bit of protection from cold and help keep skin from
splitting around the fingernails, especially when used with hand
lotion first. The price, less than ten dollars for one hundred gloves
in the paint departments of large building supply centers, is reasonable,
too.
So, save your hands from wear and tear, and save your livers for
Guinness, Bass and Old Speckled Hen.
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