Modern Vespa

Variator had scratches and pulled kick start apart. Now stuck with random plastic piece. What is this?

That's filthy hands. Use gloves.

Now you've got grease all over your forehead.

that's the buffer so the KS quad doesn't slam back into the case. it also stops it from squeaking/rattling.

Ks?

KickStart

Which so many mechanic youtube vids wearing gloves, I'm proud of you!

For 45 years I never wore gloves. Then all those years of exposure to grease, brake cleaner, carburetor cleaner, gasoline, etc. took it's toll in a bad way. Hard skin on my hands that would sometimes crack open and bleed. Wearing gloves took some getting used too, but now I rarely work without them.

Edit: May hands made a full recovery after 6 of 8 months.

Sorry to the OP for keeping it off topic, but we had a massive uphill battle trying to get our plasterers to wear gloves when they became mandatory on some sites.

A few years on, you try getting them to work without gloves!

The refusal to wear good PPE is toxic masculinity at it's worst IMO.

Wasn't thinking about it. Rarely work in grime or oil based environments. Will keep in mind moving forward

I used barrier cream for a while but when I realised I could get gloves colour matched to my sweatshirt there was no going back.

Toxic masculinity? Really? I suggest you try really hard at not being so judgmental. I've been a professional mechanic for over 46 years. I'm about to go to work and fix bikes all day, again, as I do nearly every day. I won't be wearing gloves and I assure you it has nothing to do with masculinity. Guy asks what's this part and the forum jumps on him for having dirty hands and you chime in with toxic masculinity.

Hey, not a pop at you, just a general observation about how stoopid the male of the species can be sometimes

sorry if it came across that way, it wasn't intended, and I think I used the wrong term

maybe bravado? it won't get me sorta thing?

anyway, sorry if I mis-spoke

I was a plasterer for close to 50 years and never worn gloves.

would you recommend other people don't wear gloves?

what about dust masks when sanding or eye protection?

on all the sites I work on now, these things are mandatory

I have known laggers who've died from asbestosis and miners who've died from pneumoconiosis, and I am now of the opinion that good PPE is a good thing in industry

I agree , have a look around at some old pics of high rise steel workers walking around steel beams a couple hundred feet in the air with no harness on.

how about the airplane crew chiefs marshaling planes in WW2 with no hearing protection?

Heck even look at american football when it was first played . NO helmets, then later leather ones and then plastic and today a special composite.

PPE does work

So I wore gloves yesterday on the second day of a leisurely valve adjustment on my Scarabeo 50ie. They've been overdue for a check for several thousand miles. I'd never done valves before. They didn't need much adjustment (at 30k miles, last adjusted at 12k and not by me).

The gloves were a complete waste of time. They were shredded five minutes into the job. My hands cleaned up quickly with abrasive soap later. I would say 85% of my vehicle would tend to shred rubber gloves quickly. And most of that work would not really be assisted with cloth or leather gloves either.

What is the concern with garden-variety maintenance on bare hands? Grease? Grime? Oil? These are not dangerous. Even acetone from brake cleaner is not dangerous, although it is drying.

I do use gloves with epoxies, acids, and strong cleaners like TSP, but those are pretty rare instances and even more rarely are they scooter concoctions.

I never did any sanding, that's for amateurs who did not know what they were doing. I am talking about plastering here, not drywall, no demo work. I always wore glasses but that's because I wear glasses all the time. I don't make recommendations, I leave that up to safety inspectors, I just knew my trade and I knew it well.

so if you took on an apprentice your advice would be 'don't wear gloves'

just curious?

Isn't the "wear gloves" recommendation mostly aimed at professional mechanics who might be exposed to used petroleum products daily for years, not at the twice a year oil changer home mechanic?

Me, I wear them to stay cleaner and keep my hands from getting cut up, but it's a choice. If I have to do fine work (little tiny screws and such) I have to go bareback, though.

just to add, I was always talking about a professional setting (plasterers in my case)

I don't think it's got anything to do with bravado, toxic masculinity, or any of that whooha. It's just easier. Its easier to handle small nuts and bolts and other parts with bare hands. I get it. If I hadn't developed a skin problem, I wouldn't be wearing gloves today.

I'm not a professional mechanic. I was from 1978-1986. But I did get regular exposure to all the typical garage grime from 1986 until today. It was enough to cause a problem. It's also likely that different people are more/less sensitive to this exposure.

Sounds to me like you are wearing the wrong gloves. Heavy (7-9mil) textured Nitrile gloves (like the orange ones caschnd1 is wearing in the pics above) will hold up to harsh chemicals well. Thinner latex or vinyl gloves won't last long, even without chemical use.

Yeah. I experimented with different gloves before I settled on these. I go through a box of 100 every 6 weeks or so. Mine are 8 mil.

My wife teases me about my gloves matching my sweatshirt. I tend to wear the sweatshirt in the garage almost daily during the winter months.

not, sorry we've taken your post into the weeds. I think Greasy answered your question before the hard turn off-course. The gloves vs no-gloves is definitely a personal choise. For me, I have to wear them for the health of my hands. But that's not a fast rule for everyone. I think your photo generated some good discussion.

If I was as greasy as Greasy then gloves. If I get dirty rarely then I'll mostly choose feel over function

My first advice would be take care of yourself. As far as taking care of your hands I learned early on to keep the material on the surface you were working on and off yourself - especially your hands. I would see guys wash their hands off in the same water they wash their tools off in - a big no-no. To be completely honest, I did not wear gloves because it would take away the sensitive touch needed some times, like doing a miter in some cornice work. Troweling out whitecoat is almost impossible with gloves because your hands would be sweating on the inside of the glove loosening the grip needed on the trowel handle.

I just thought you had a KTM stashed somewhere in that garage and were representing with that color.😉

And I trained many apprentices in my professional lifetime and still keep in contact with most of them. Meanwhile here is a statistic that ought to make you think: In the USA for every 5 tradesman in the different construction fields that have quit or retired there are only 2 replacing them. This for the simple reason that there is no money in it anymore and hasn't been for many years. Bloody shame.

Not just construction and making things. Where are the people who can repair stuff? At least a place like MV encourages folk to have a go and do their own scooter maintenance - but who repairs appliances these days? They just get thrown out and replaced, often just for the lack of replacing a part that's readily available for a few dollars - and possibly just a few cents.

Oh boy! Don't get me started on this topic. We love to fill our landfills with easily fixable products these days. And the manufacturers love it! It's my mission to try to minimize this behavior in my life.

Especially if you are a professional, or do a lot of wrenching, you are much more exposed to solvents, adhesives, and low viscosity fluids than the rest of us. All are poisonous to some degree; some are also carcinogenic. If you don't wear gloves, these chemicals can pass through the exposed skin on your hands and into your bloodstream. For the majority of us, it's no big deal. The safety ninnies act as though something that's deadly at 1 part per thousand is equally toxic at 1 part per million. They'd probably ban WD-40 if they could, since drinking ten gallons a day likely makes you sick.
BUT if you work every day letting shop liquids get on your bare skin, you are surely asking for trouble. Gloves are a pain in the ass, but so are safety glasses and earplugs. It doesn't take that long to get used to protective gear, even if it's uncomfortable. Cancer and liver disease are a whole lot more uncomfortable.

nope

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lunch_atop_a_Skyscraper