industrial CD'rs?

[jo_ann]

Ok, so I'm an engineer by trade (which is a desk job in front of a computer 96% of the time), but occasionally my job requires me to fabricate mockups for the sales guys (before we do final tooling), which usually involves me getting my hands dirty with glues and paint. Today after all my hard work I looked down at my hands thinking "yeah... I'm really motivated to crossdress now". Anyone share this frustration of fullfilling your male obligations?

[Kimberley]

hi Jo Ann
I started my engineering career as a Tool and Die Maker. I still consider that as my base qualification. I just thought, it washes off. But, try using a barrier cream first. If possible, latex surgical gloves also are a big help.

Ahh the things the great unwashed must endure.......

Kimberley

[Katrina]

I'm a do-it-yourselfer. I've done several home improvement jobs and whenever I work on one of them, I look at my hands, all scaped up and nasty and think, ughhhh, man-hands! I definately know how you feel. Its so bad that I actually put off projects because I don't want to get all dirty and nasty. I still haven't finished my wood floors yet - I still have trim to do.

[Michelle Hart]

I'm a do-it-yourselfer. I've done several home improvement jobs and whenever I work on one of them, I look at my hands, all scaped up and nasty and think, ughhhh, man-hands! I definately know how you feel. Its so bad that I actually put off projects because I don't want to get all dirty and nasty. I still haven't finished my wood floors yet - I still have trim to do.

Me too. I'm remodeling my house and am avoiding finishing cause I'll break my nails off........

Arrrrrgghhh

[Sharon]

I have spent much of the past few weeks doing assorted carpentry, painting, and plumbing work in my house and have broken three nails and have almost learned to live with splinters on my hands. I have become practically addicted to moisturizer because I'm washing with soap and solvent so often.

What are you going to do? Many jobs I'm doing would be unsafe wearing gloves. Thank goodness my nails grow relatively fast. :)

[Jadeanne]

I repair computers and wind up breaking nails way too often, even though try not to.

In a few months, though I will cure that by retiring.

Jadeanne

[RenaCD]

Hey Girls try it from where I Sit. Full time Carpenter on Historical Buildings and Volunteer Firefighter all the splitters, paints,solvents,plaster dust, soot, and water don't even look at the scares. A big plus and saving is Avon's Silicon Glove and Ton's of Hand Cream.
I can't complain to much the work keeps me in lots of Heels.
And the firefighting helps people including other sisters.

Rena

[jame]

OOOHH yes I know that feeling very well.I am an auto mechanic.I hate looking at my hands.The scars and cuticles are not the prettiest of sites,but they finance my shopping whims quite nicely......:D

[MaylinJane]

I'm a former auto tech as well, I wore rubber gloves alot but dirt and grease still got under my nails and inbedded in my plams and hands. Not to mention all the scratches and scars I've gotten. I've moved on to being a full time safety and emissions inspector now. It's much cleaner and less headaches without having to work as hard. I still break a nail now and then, and I have much more contact with the public now. However it pays very well and there is such a shortage of good and qualified techs and inspectors that I can get away with a lot like pierced ears, having long hair, dyeing it different colors, (I'm a red head now). It certainly pays the bills and keeps me in clothes.

May

[Denise01]

When I was working full time, i had a desk job, sitting behind it 8 hours a day. Had to be real careful, about long nails as i was talking to customers a lot of the time, and did not want to give anything away.
I did use clear nail hardner at times to stop my nails from breaking, My assistant spotted it one day, i just ignored the comment and it never came up again.
I am still working in the summer, so can't keep my nails as long as i would like.
I work in a campground doing everything from book work to plumbing, carpentery and everything in between. If the nails get a bit long, not hard to break one.
I guess that is one of the consequences, when we still have to work for a living

Denise

[Bonnie Jean]

Im a finish carpenter and work with stains and glues all the time, Found that if I put a coat of Hard as nails on every night it reduced fingernail breakage considerably. as for removing the stains prior to work put a coat of liquid floor wax on your hands and let it dry, sounds horrible but it does help. Slivers oh well occupational hazard.

[TracyDeluxe]

I drive a truck, as do a lot of GG's, and I get dirty and break my nails, as do a lot of GG's. :cool:

[Wenda]

I have just given up on nails. Thats why glue-on nails exist. I use gloves when practical, but some Mondays, my hands are a wreck.

[cdsheri6977]

i wish i had long nails of my own, but as i am a heating and cooling service man/women and i own a hotrod shop, nails get in the way, so i use glue-ons,
i can go from no nails at all to long painted nails in 10min.
as for taking the paint off my hands this may sound funny but WD40 works real good then just wash after with soap and water

sheri:doll:

[Sarah Rabbit]

I am a photocopier tech and i am not talking about the small ones. By the end of the day the grease is caked on and I cringe at the thought of touching my beautiful clothing. A friend has suggested using Sorbaline I might give that a go

Hugs, Sarah R. :bunny:

[tamyracd]

i know what your talking about...i'm a tool and die maker still ..while i'm more careful than most .due to the nature it's just hard as heck on your hands the protectant they put on most steels is impossible to wash off and then there's the parts washer etc. etc...i wear my nails as long as i can get away with in such a macho work place..but i do work on my nails about every night ..can't complain it gives me something to do..

[DebbieThomas]

afew years ago I did auto repair for 3 years for a friend starting up a car lot. I worked with 1/4" nails, I found if you put a coat of clear on the underside of the nail it will help at cleanup time. I still do this but before doing the clear I put cuticle softener & remover and use a tool for lightly scraping the underside, cleaning the dirt and dead skin off. apply the clear coat if cleaned good your nail will look clear and be dirt resistant. its a great effect with longer nails. GG's ask me all the time how do I get my nails like that. :D

[Lissa Stevens]

I am in hospital maintenance so I know all the problems. I go from heavy duty plumbing to very fine electrical work to carpentry so no matter what I do my hands look bad. In the hospital environment you wash your hands 30-60 times a day. No hand lotion will stay and you can't wear gloves most of the time. I do what I can at night and when I'm off and that's it. I just try to not dwell on the hands anymore than I have too.

[JoAnnDallas]

I had really bad nails. They would crack down the center, peel, break, and/or split. Then I convinced my wife to let me have acrylic nails. So last year I got them. Now I don't worry about them breaking and not many people have noticed them. Mostly it is a GG that does notice them and the comments have always been positive. I have gotten comments from "You have nice nails" to one GG that looked at her SO and said "I wish your nails were as nice as his", which in turn I got this dagger look from her SO. LOL At times they have even gotton as long as 1/4" or longer. Most of the time no one notices and I even wear clear polish on them too.

[Karren H]

I'm a mining engineer so when I go underground in one of our coal mines, I come out very dirty. And I also love to work on the house and autos. But I feel no frustration, on the contrary I enjoy all my "Hobbies", just not all at the same time. LOL

Love Karren

[Trisha51]

I work as an industrial heating and air conditioning tech.
I just recently started to wear clear polish while at work ( I'm mostly working alone so I thought what the H**l.
I found that if I'm sloppy putting it on, cleanup around the cuticles is a breeze at days end.

While I was signing in at a client company last week, the receptionist asked, "Why are you wearing nail polish?"
I told her it makes cleanup so much easier and she seemed to buy that story.
(Gotta be more careful in future though - it was fresh on and she recognised the solvent smell first then looked at my hands).

Trisha

[Rachel Morley]

Anyone share this frustration of fullfilling your male obligations?
Hi Jo Ann,

I'm a Manufacturing Engineer for a sheetmetal company. Most of the time I'm like you in that I'm either in meetings or at my computer. However sometimes I have to go out on the shop floor to do some training or assist supervisors with process improvement type stuff.

Anyway, I always have to be carful of my nails. Apart from getting dirt under them (which I hate) it's quite easy to break them despite having clear shiny nail hardener on them. I have no idea what people think of me but I'm sure they think I'm a complete wimp or something because I'm always trying to avoid getting dirty or putting my hands in yucky oil and stuff.

Ah well,....it pays the mortgage :)

[JoAnnDallas]

Trisha51...Next time just tell her that your nails break and you wear nail streingther to keep them from breaking. Before I got my acrylic nails I was wearing clear nail hardener but it did not do the job. So got the wife to let me get acrylic nails. Once I was putting on my clear polish when my grand neice said "Uncle J..., let me do that.. Your making a mess". It felt SO GOOOD to have another female do my nails for me, even if she did them for other reasons than what I was wearing polish for. LOL

[Sierra Evon]

I've been working off/on as a traffic flagger, in the summer time,
currently not working now , but like you all been there done that
with the nail's issue's , Ive always just packed along in my bag a
small tube of moisturizer, and I've always worn glove's while working.
I'm sure it'll be the same with my next job,