Tyvec Coverall Fashion Shoot

Now, suiting up. I start with a Tyvec or similar painters/splash/protective suit. ‘Chemical’ ones are often stronger and better quality construction if you can find them. I always get the kind with a hood and go for an XL or XXL size which makes it easier to protect my ankles and wrists.

 Hands and wrists are next. Buy yourself an expensive box of extra-thick, long wristed nitrile gloves, I promise it’s worth it. I tape them on under my suit.

You can extend the life of your expensive ‘disposable’ gloves by wearing cheaper disposables over the top and replacing the top layer when they tear or get too sticky, This also keeps epoxy off your hands when your gloves tear. You can even clean good gloves a few times and re-use them. Vinegar works pretty well for cleaning uncured epoxy or a splash of acetone (this will weaken the gloves a bit though, don’t use much). You can also just rub your gloved hands in a pile of sawdust to get most of the gunk off.

Head, neck and face protection should be multilayered. My base layer is a painter’s ski masks that you can buy at any hardware store.

I haven’t found a good source for foot coverings that are long enough to tape to the tyvec and not crazy expensive. Plastic bags work ok, but they rip easily. Since taking these photos I’ve discovered a new trick: cut the legs off an old tyvec suit about at the knee and tape the foot hole shut to make extra-long tyvec booties you can put on over your shoes,

Then another layer of face protection- the respirator.

Put your hood on over the top of the respirator or put the hood on and the respirator over the top of it.

Bzzzzzziipppp

…and ready to go!

Take it all off in reverse order, keeping in mind that everything will be coated in fiberglass dust if you’ve been sanding and grinding on things. I usually take a shop vac to my head and neck area, then I blow off with compressed air, then I use the shop vac again on each joint as I take hood//gloves/booties/painter’s mask off.

So there’s one approach to complete dust protection. It may sounds like a lot but once you’ve put it all on and taken it off a couple times you’ll find it only takes about two minutes. It’s cheap and works very very well for eliminating fiberglass itch if you’re careful about it. 

Of course there’s still no solution for the unavoidable Tyvec side-effect of basting in your own sweat…

This article was syndicated from Safe At Harbour But Meant For The Sea: DIY Sailing with Paul Calder