Mechanics & Shade Trees - what shoes/clothes do you wear?

[sh00ter]

I fluctuate between work gear such as canvas style carpenter pants and work shirts and steel toe boots, AND old sweats, t-shirts, and beat up running shoes. I am trying to find the best attire (cold/warm months may differ but this is inside a heated garage) to work on cars...I don't always have to crawl around on the ground but many times I do so I'm factoring that in as a requirement for what ever "uniform" I devise to wear as may mechanic clothes when I do my own work in my garage.

When I worked in the auto & parts professions, we were given those gas station polyester button up shirts that were real hot and sweaty but looked right for the job...I still have a bunch of those in short sleeve but I haven't been able to bring myself to wear them in the heat even though they are expendable and durable.

I went to Lowes to buy some of those AWP high-flex sole shoes to use as mechanic shoes but they were sold out and I was told they may be discontinued. However, the few AWP brand boots they had left did differentiate the type of shoe to the type of work...I liked that.

http://www.awp-gear.com/item.aspx?id=6488

For T-shirts I've been using these because they are pretty durable: http://www.dickies.com/shirts/short-sleeve-heavyweight-tee/WS450.html?dwvar_WS450_color=HG#start=2

And planned to get these for winter: http://www.dickies.com/shirts/long-...L450.html?dwvar_WL450_color=HG#sz=12&start=13

I HAVE THOUGHT ABOUT NON-INSULATED COVERALLS (prob short sleeve) MANY TIMES but too hot in summer and being in a garage and being hot-natured, they would be too hot in winter too.

Not over thinking, this has been on my mind a long time on & off so I'm finally getting it out there for comment. Also, I may create similar threads on hunting attire, yard work attire, wood working/deck building attire etc. in the future, but I wanted to hear what others do for working on car attire right now.

 

[kwaynem]

Uhhh when it's hot tee shirt jeans and my boots when it's cold sweatshirt jeans and my boots I only buy special clothe for hunting

 

[sh00ter]

One other consideration is how being on the ground can change the game...I am a big guy (6'4" brick sht-house w/ 20-25lb beer gut but not a soft round fat guy) and getting up and down is burdensome and I will wear out shoes/clothes fast on the cement vs. just being under the hood. I'd say the more "shop" style cothes and boots is what I prefer standing up, but on the ground the sweats and t-shirts and tennis shoes are much more comfortable...the stuff that wears slower is harder to wear when it counts LOL...plus the "shop" attire costs more so who wants to ruin a nice pair of leather boots on cement?

Anyway, yeah I'm being uber-detailed but I can't tell you how many times someone responds to a thread with that moment of clarity opinion that helps so much regardless of the topic.

 

[MacFromOK]

I was a mechanic/welder (built my own shop at age 25) until my ticker gave out on me (also had cattle & hogs "on the side" - lol, if that's possible).

I always preferred a long sleeved shirt, and would just roll them up to my elbows in summer, and leave 'em down in winter. Cotton shirts (or mostly so) are way more comfortable to work in than synthetics.

I bought several mechanic uniform pants & shirts from a friend (he did a lot of "garage sales") when I first opened the shop. After they ran out, I wore blue jeans and whatever long-sleeved shirts I had.

If you do a lot of work, you might consider an old washing machine for your greasy clothes and shop rags (or you can use those blue 3M paper shop towels, they work pretty good).

We had an old wringer-washer on the back porch that my wife washed my greasy stuff in for several years.

Hope that helps.

 

[sh00ter]

Uhhh when it's hot tee shirt jeans and my boots when it's cold sweatshirt jeans and my boots I only buy special clothe for hunting

what kind of boots? lace up work boots, steel toe, etc.?

 

[MacFromOK]

I always wore slip-on boots (mostly RedWings), and generally avoided steel-toes because the ones I had were never as comfortable. Cushiony soles (or insoles) are a huge plus.

 

[sh00ter]

I was a mechanic/welder (built my own shop at age 25) until my ticker gave out on me (also had cattle & hogs "on the side" - lol, if that's possible).

I always preferred a long sleeved shirt, and would just roll them up to my elbows in summer, and leave 'em down in winter. Cotton shirts (or mostly so) are way more comfortable to work in than synthetics.

I bought several mechanic uniform pants & shirts from a friend (he did a lot of "garage sales") when I first opened the shop. After they ran out, I wore blue jeans and whatever long-sleeved shirts I had.

If you do a lot of work, you might consider an old washing machine for your greasy clothes and shop rags (or you can use those blue 3M paper shop towels, they work pretty good).

We had an old wringer-washer on the back porch that my wife washed my greasy stuff in for several years.

Hope that helps.

Hey thanks, when I built a new house, I originally had an extra set of hookups planned in the garage but axed them at the last minute. I get by with the blue shop towels & old t-shirt rags or old towels all used until disposed of and not washed. For the laundry I do my best to avoid major spills on clothes and just use dish soap or oxy clean spray with a small brush to pretreat any larger oil/grease spots, then rinse in the sink, and then wash in hot with a cup of simple green added in addition to the laundry detergent...this method has worked for me for years and a few times I even used degreaser and a power washer on jeans as a pretreatment for major gunk...I get by but yes, I wish I had the extra washer...A buddy of mine used to always complain about folks washing red grease rags in the laundry mat by his house LOL!!!

If I did this for a living, I would prob wear the same thing every day like you did...but this is just a suburban dad playing mechanic, so I have the luxury to plan it all out LOL...my buddy who owns a shop wears the same thing every day...in summer jean carpenter pants and a plain white t-shirt....in winter same pants and a white thermal underwear shirt with a sweatshirt or carhart jacket on standby.

 

[MacFromOK]

If I did this for a living, I would prob wear the same thing every day like you did...but this is just a suburban dad playing mechanic, so I have the luxury to plan it all out LOL...

Ah yes... I remember when back mechanic work was fun.

I'd just wear blue jeans and whatever shirt suits ya then. Long sleeves are handy when reaching in tight/greasy places (cuts down on clean-up time when grease isn't up to your armpits), but it's your call.

I did a fair bit of welding (my customers were mostly farmers) as well as mechanic work, so short-sleeves weren't really an option for me.

Be safe, use jack-stands (hydraulics can fail without warning), and enjoy it while you can.

 

[steelfingers]

I've got a sealed container that has a bunch of crap work clothes. From tshirts, long sleeve shirts, sweats, boots sweat shirts, you name it. Take them down to the laundry (wife won't let me use our washer) and throw it all in with no regard to color...Ha!
Clean work clothes are just greasers without grease.
I've also got an assortment of gloves I keep in a bag for different work. Favorite is the mechanics gloves. Good for just about everything.

 

[CBarCRanch]

My romper!