If you’re like me, you work on lots of things other than airplanes, and it seems like all of them are dirty. From changing oil to painting, it seems like it all makes your hands filthy.
I’ve grown to appreciate using nitrile gloves, but like others, my hands sweat inside, the gloves tear, and putting on a fresh pair can be an exercise in futility. This is one of my daily life hacks:
Quietly sneak into your spouse’s pantry and borrow (steal) the corn starch. Dump a teaspoon full into your open hand. I suggest doing this over a trash can. Rub it liberally into both hands, front and back. If your hands just came out of a pair of gloves and are sweaty, just use a little more until they are nice and dry and covered with starch. Then, just slide on a new pair. No problem!
Another side benefit is when the gloves tear, the starch absorbs the mess. When the job is done, you’ll be surprised how easy it is to wash your hands. You might even be forgiven for stealing the starch when your spouse sees how clean your hands are after working in the factory.
Another tip…Fill an old container with starch to use as a dispenser. The one in the photo is an old foot powder container.
Well if you’re building a composite plane, forget nitrile gloves. Acetone eats right through them. You’ll still need latex gloves, it’s the only type impervious to the chemicals used in composite aircraft construction. And vinyl gloves are no better, worse actually.