Any mechanics here who work for a living? How do you deal with painful hands from working every day? I've been wrenching all week already and my hands hurt like hell, can't imaging suffering this as a career!
You get used to it i guess? I mean, good mechanic's learn tricks to save time and stay injury free for the most part. A hoist helps to save your back and knees and having the correct tool for the job also helps. 15yr ase master tech.
>>14751411
>I've been only doing it for a week.
Give it literally more than a week.
>>14751599
This. Man up, Sally.
>smash hand
>break nail
>rip hand chunk off
>lose finger
eh whatever
>try to put tiny bolt in awkward spot
>middle of hand cramp
AHHHH KILL ME NOW
You get used to it. I've been doing it for 19 years and I rarely hurt myself, nor do I suffer any significant hand or wrist pain. Small scratches and cuts are unavoidable, but overall you learn techniques to not hurt yourself. I even manage to stay relatively clean throughout the day. Some guys never figure this stuff out though, they are constantly hurting themselves, look like they rolled around in a tar pit by noon, stuff like that. Some guys do this shit for 30 plus years and still can't do basic diagnostics, but that's another story. If you have questions I'd be happy to answer them.
>>14751411
>stop being a bitch
>it gets easier as you learn better ways of doing things and muscles adapt
>>14754226
>look like they rolled in a tar pit by noon
honestly I've always wondered how some mechanics get stains in weird places. Like wtf do you do lol
You suck it up and stop being a bitch, that's about it.
Soon you'll be like completely impervious to small cuts and bruises.
What kind of pain are you talking about, OP? For Scratches, cuts and bruises your hands eventually harden to it and you can punch brick walls all day and it won't hurt. If it's pain rpm dermatitis though, it may be a time to start looking for another job because that shit only gets worse. My best mate who I went thru my apprenticeship with started with only minor dermatitis and only when handling hydraulic oil, but now 5 years later he's had to retire from mechanicing and works as a parts guy/service manager and can't even handle coolant anymore without his hands swelling up.
Tl;Dr your hands will eventually stop hurting from cuts and scrapes, but dermatitis is forever.
>>14751411
I'm a VW tech, just wear gloves or barrier cream and git gud
>>14752482
>smash finger
>cut hand
>loose part of hand
whatever
>wrench slips on a cold day
Hello darkness my old friend
>>14751411
Is it like tendon soreness?
I used to get that when I would go hard on guitar hero after a long while of not playing.
It goes away fairly quickly
>>14752482
>try to put tiny bolt in awkward spot
>middle of hand cramp
This seems like weakness
>>14759011
>wrench slips on a cold day
This is hell for anyone no matter how strong
>>14752482
>rip hand chunk off
>lose finger
This is not ok.
Any kind of physical labor you get used to. Even if it's as stupid as standing on your feet all day. At first it sucks and it's painful, eventually it's not.
>>14751411
Every time you hurt yourself you learn not to do it again. It's been 4 months since I took apart a belt tensioner and my nail still hasn't fully grown out
Wear gloves you dummy, I used to wear mechanix gloves but they don't hold up well when they get oily and they tend to dry your skin out.
Recently switched to harbor freight 9mil nitrile gloves, they are super thick and one pair can usually last the whole work day if you're careful.
>>14752482
The fucking pain of doing some shitty repair mid-winter in -20c/-4f for hours, then coming back in and suddenly starting to feel just how fucking much your hands hurt when putting them in some warm water
>>14751411
Carpal tunnel bitch! Feel my pain everyday!
>>14757313
This. Gloves and barrier creme.
>>14751411
Work smart and don't overuse/force your body?
I do it for a living and rarely, other than when I have to break something free or I hit/harm myself I hardly have problem.
However, I'm on of those guy that pretty much prefers working with gloves. Even though it takes some feeling off, it's so much better to have the added layer of protection, having decent looking hands and protecting them from all the harmful shit we touch.
I'm not a mechanic now but I have spent years working with my hands, I'm also an observer. First, protect yourself. Always plan for tool slippage. Always use gloves of some kind, work cautiously (don't rush, DO NOT RUSH).
This next bit will sound odd or possibly stupid to you. You likely do not eat right, the vast majority of people don't eat right as far as I can tell. If you learn to eat right that is great, I hope you do it. Here is the reason why, eating right gives your body the building blocks it needs to maintain and repair yourself.
One way to help make up for not eating right (it's not a replacement, only a help..) is to take a really good vitamin and mineral supplement. Most of the big name brands suck, your body doesn't absorb them properly, especially if you don't consume a lot of water. I like http://www.bluebonnetnutrition.com/ myself this is something you will need to learn for yourself. Vitamin C and D3 are basics and are under valued, but your body needs a lot more.
Being a mechanic is a noble profession. You fix things for people to get them back to being productive. You are providing a valuable service. Do it right and take care of yourself, you are your single greatest tool.
>>14760912
The Harbor Freight nitrile gloves are great except my hands get so sweaty wearing them. >>14760961
>>14760993
>except my hands get so sweaty wearing them.
Better than your shit getting all fucked
>>14759011
>wrench slips on a cold day
>>14760973
is this whole post just an ad for your shitty supplement website?
>>14751411
Like any other thing that requires you to use your hands in ways they are not used to. You get used to it after a couple weeks.
also, gloves
Aviation mechanic posting here. You don't know pain until you've met safetywire or cotter key to bone. Don't be a bitch, man up, etc. it will always suck, but sometime, eventually, maybe, it will suck less.
Or it won't, kill yourself now,
Being a mechanic is a fine job but a shit career.
Source: mechanic paying my way through engineering school
>>14761248
Please remember your time as a mechanic while an engineer. I'm sick of wishing I could cockpunch every engineer that had some bright idea of how shit could never need replacing, ever.
>>14761267
I'll be far, far away from the auto industry. Seriously, FUCK that industry. The reason everything is so fucked to work on is because of bean counters, feature bloat and ever more rigorous safety, efficiency and emissions standards. Nobody gives a fuck about serviceability because it's irrelevant to the manufacturer.
>crank out profitable cars that last through the warranty period
That's the name of the game, and nothing else matters.
First week you feel the pain.
First month you feel the fatigue.
First year you feel great.
You get used to using certain muscle groups and begining to use them is what hurts. I also have minor tendonitis so every now and then wrist brace or elbow brace because the pain is too much not holding a tool.
As everyone has said, your hands will adapt and get stronger as you do it every day. After 37 years of this my only real physical issue is my feet. Working on concrete floors for 9-10 hours a day has pretty much toasted them up. I've been very lucky compared to many long time techs I know. Back problems are common as are knee and hip issues. Never a serious injury (knock on wood), lots of little ones. Few stitches and had to have a little chunk of wheel bearing removed from my upper arm when it exploded on a press. Although I did have an old under ground 2 post lift drop about 4 feet one time. Luckily I had just walked towards parts when it did. If I had been under it I would probably be dead or seriously fucked up. Apparently a hydraulic pipe split under the concrete and all the fluid rushed out. No mechanical safety catches back then.
I'm looking to retire in a couple of years so hopefully I can get out before I really hurt myself.
>>14761319
We had an old crappy lift that would sag at the first shop I worked at, so we would put tall jackstands under the arms of the lift to hold it up. One night someone put them under the car instead of the lift and when we came back the car was sitting up there balanced on these 2 stands. We had no way to get it down until we fixed the lift, which had stretched cable and wouldn't lift evenly without a load.
