Brake Fluid and Manicures Do Not Mix!

[Persephone]

Yep, it's true, brake fluid and manicures do not mix! Even when you use a UV cured gel-like topcoat.

Today started out pretty early (for me). I'm retired, so 7 a.m. was "the crack of dawn," earlier than I usually get up. But I was a woman on a mission.

One of my neighbors, a good friend, was away and asked if I would be "Mom Taxi" for her high school daughter. Of course I said "Yes."

Up at 7 a.m., quick prep, and I was out the door in 35 minutes, capris, feminine t-shirt (over bra), minimum makeup and styled hair, ready to pick up daughter and ferry her to school.

We chatted about this and that and I dropped her off.

Home, and after breakfast I had a project to work on, preping our RV for a road trip. A quick change into "grubbies," still in bra and makeup, hair pulled back to be out of harm's way and it was off to work.

Checked transmission fluid, oil, and all of the other fluids, adding anti-freeze and windshield washer fluid. The design of the engine compartment on our rig is a travesty! Whoever did it should be beaten with a wet noodle, tortured, and should have his or her reindeer taken away.

Adding windshield washer fluid and coolant means pouring the fluid into a plastic cup, snakeing the cup up and around hoses and assorted deices and pouring it, a cup at a time, into the appropriate reservoir.

And the brake fluid container is even worse! It is located so high, right under the cover of the engine compartment, that it is barely accessible. So I checked the fluid by removing my gloves (so as to avoid contamination) and delicately sticking my clean little finger into each brake fluid reservoir.

Fluid levels were O.K., but the brake fluid pitted and darkened my nail!


http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/sandylewiscares/NailDamagefromBrakeFluid4-23-2013B_zps69682a99.jpg

I also cleaned the Banks air filter, removed the tire covers, and checked the tire pressures.

It was kinda fun being a girl mechanic! Except, of course, for the nail damage. Good thing I have a manicure on Friday!

By the time I was finished with the mechanical work and a few other chores it was time for a quick shower, makeup replacement, clothing change into a fresh femme t-shirt and capris, hair comb out, and back to Mom Taxi role.

I dropped the young woman at her home, made sure she got in O.K. and that the dogs greeted her, and headed home to prep for the evening.

Tonight we had a women's group dinner at a local restaurant. Frankly, I was kinda tired so I decided on what for me is a bold move, to skip the skirt and to go casual, pants and a top. Since it was a member's only event at a casual restaurant many of the other women opted for the same.

But there was one item I couldn't pass up. Our group is about 45 women (all GG's except for me) and, on average about 25 show up to any single event. Of the group we have three known shoe fanatics and I'm known as the most fanatic of the bunch, so I couldn't skip my heels!


http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/sandylewiscares/ShoesRed4-23-2013B_zps711d771b.jpg
Five inch heels with a 1" platform.

We had a few errands to run along the way, a stop at the local college farm to pick up fresh ripe Albion strawberries (they are so good!) and a stop at the local Fry's Electronics branch to pick up some memory cards ($10.99 for 16 GB) and other stuff.

Dinner was terrific! It is so great to walk into a room and be greeted by smiles, hugs, cheek touching air kisses, and "Hi Barbara!" (my real name, Persephone is for this forum only).

We sat and chatted and laughed and had a good time.

Afterwards four of us went over to a local Menchie's frozen yogurt place for dessert and more conversation and then it was time to come home.

Tomorrow I can sleep in a bit longer but have to get up for hair salon appointment followed by eyebrow shaping and coloring.

Sigh, women's work is never done.

Hugs,
Persephone.

[Beverley Sims]

Barbara,
Brake fluid is wonderful for stripping paint off plastic models.
Just soak them in it and the paint comes away leaving the plastic ready to repaint.

I thought you needed to know that.
Besides motor mechanics is not a womens job.
Another tip here.
When washing your vehicle, wear high heels.
You do not have to reach so far to wash the center of the roof.
If you wear tight shoes all that water soaking into them will stretch them.

That is if a waterproof glue is used.
This has been another Beverley Sims advice forum.

Apart from all that, obviously the nails were a bummer, but nice shoes and meeting to compensate.

I will go now.

[Maria in heels]

Persephone...well, since I know now that you are a great helper, can you please come over next week to check out my RV and get it ready for the Memorial Day weekend run please? Don't worry, you can clearly see my master cylinder and I promise that I'll pay for nails if you damage them

[Angela Campbell]

Madge: Brake fluid...your soaking in it.....

Customer: Oh no!

Madge: Its ok its Polmolive brake fluid!


I guess only the older folks will know that one.

[Deedee Skyblue]

Hey, not fair giving away our ages! (Oops - I posted my birthday, didn't I)

Ancient Deedee ;)

[BLUE ORCHID]

Hi Persephone, That reminds me I have to start to get our RV ready for a month long trip into Colorado, Idaho & Nevada.

[Laura912]

As a sometimes car nut, I conclude from Barbara's posting that being the woman took more separate visits and effort than prepping the RV but the RV's parts were not as accessible. And picturing the car washing in heels brought to mind the car washing scene from the movie Hud with Paul Newman.

[DonnaT]

Note that there are a number of funnels out there that include a flexible hose for reaching the hard to reach places.

[mikiSJ]

Way back when, I was restoring a 1956 Ford truck and bought a gallon of brake cleaning fluid. I didn't read the the label where is said WEAR CHEMICAL RESISTANT GLOVES and after having my hands soaking in the fluid for over an hour, my skin started to slough off - and not just the dead stuff.

Took nearly 2 months for the hands to completely heal.

[Beverley Sims]

Madge: Brake fluid...your soaking in it.....
Customer: Oh no!
Madge: Its ok its Polmolive brake fluid!
I guess only the older folks will know that one.

I never mentioned it because I did not think anyone would remember it either.
It was an obvious one.

[Eryn]

Yeah, brake fluid is nasty stuff if you soak in it, and I'd be worried about getting it under the acrylics. I'd clean and rinse that finger quite a few times to make sure that all traces of brake fluid are gone from the nail region.

For reservoirs in odd locations try a large syringe with some clear plastic tubing attached. Fill the syringe with brake fluid, put enough of the tubing into the reservoir to reach the desired level, push the fluid into the reservoir and then pull the plunger back. Any fluid above the desired level will be pulled back into the syringe before it starts sucking air. If you get fancy you can add a clip to the end of the tubing to hold it in place in the reservoir.

[mikiSJ]

I never mentioned it because I did not think anyone would remember it either.
It was an obvious one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bEkq7JCbik

[giuseppina]

Hello Persephone

I agree that there are too many obstructions under the hood of motorised equipment. I have to lift the engine to change the oil filter in my car (1998 Jetta TDI). Part of the problem is engineers design for manufacturability as first consideration.

There is a chance you have contaminated brake fluid if the brake fluid is a solvent for your nails. I would get the brake fluid replaced before it does any damage. Same with your nails: they may be contaminated with brake fluid, and brake fluid is toxic. Your best bet is finding some gloves the brake fluid won't touch.

[Angela Campbell]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bEkq7JCbik

I love the end ...does your husband know about this????

[Ciara Brianne]

I have been needig to do some maintenance on my rig. My nails are in the best shape they have been in since I was like 4 yo. (that's when I started biting them) I quite biting them a decade ago and they are still not back to 'normal', but they are in decent shape and the longest I have had them. I know with everything I have to do, check front and back brakes, front suspension, new plugs and filters, fix a window clip that
is loose and pop out a dent in the drivers door, by the time I'm done they will be decimated.

lol...sometimes I think I'm becoming too girly. *giggles*

Ciara:<3:

[Eryn]

I agree that there are too many obstructions under the hood of motorised equipment. I have to lift the engine to change the oil filter in my car (1998 Jetta TDI). Part of the problem is engineers design for manufacturability as first consideration.

Since a motorhome is one manufacturer's body on another manufacturer's running gear and they are usually not serviced by the owner there is little incentive to improve servicability.

I'm amazed that any modern auto manufacturer would require that an engine be unmounted to change an oil filter. I thought that sort of madness was something that GM did in the '70s.

I am amazed at how easy the service has been on my Toyota. Everything is accessable and easy to work on. Even the biggest repair I've done, a rear wheel hub, took only a few minutes with a couple of wrenches.


There is a chance you have contaminated brake fluid if the brake fluid is a solvent for your nails. I would get the brake fluid replaced before it does any damage.

I doubt that a quick dip of a nail into the brake fluid would contaminate the fluid and considering the volume of fluid in a large motorhome it is unlikely that it would cause a problem. I'd be more worried about the health effect on the natural nail under the acrylic if fluid managed to work its way there.

[I Am Paula]

Where I live chivalry is not dead. I have a slow leak I haven't gotten around to getting to the tire shop. I keep a small compressor in my garage and a lenght of air hose. Every three days or so I pull out the hose, take off the valve cap, and stand there and look pretty till a farm boy in his f150 stops and fills my tire.
The same works for snow removal, all those pickups have blades on them in winter.
So far no one has felt duped by stopping to help a guy in a dress. They would have stopped for anyone who looked to be in need.

[linda allen]

If all else fails, you can always pay someone to work on your car. ;)

I gave up changing my own oil and filters years ago because by the time I drove around and bought the materials, got the vehicle up on stands or ramps, made a mess in the driveway, and dirtied a set of clothes that had to be washed seperately, there just wasn't any savings.

Some things I still do, but as I get older, it's less and less worth the trouble.

[me]

I'll keep that in mind, thanks for the warning.