Chime in to let us know if you use an apron and if so
Is it
Cotton
Kelvar
Leather
Full lenght
waist lenght
split leg
and what do you feel the advantage of your choice is

I have a full length leather one with canvas backing, I find it is awesome because it covers the lower legs (and tops of the boots) or atleast sheilds them from flying sparks/molten steel/scale. Plus it sheilds heat from my firge quite well.

knee length waist apron very heavy leather.

Lenght = Length sorry no edit button

I wear a canvas lined leather apron. It covers my whole front, down to my knees. Some smiths don't have pockets on their aprons, but I use my lower pocket to hold round jaw pliers and keep soapstone and a marker in the upper pocket. I've never had a problem with hot scale or metal getting in the pockets.

Steve

When I remember to put one on its a full length heavy leather one

Kneelength...wish it was longer, no chest piece, split down the middle for holding tongs, split cowhide, heavy duty.

Advantage... don't know, it's the only one I've ever worn. Maybe it's advantage is that it lasts a long time:)

In hot weather I use a knee length denim apron,for cooler weather or if doing a lot of grinding I switch to a knee length leather one. Angle grinding WILL set a cotton apron on fire (dont ask how I know this) :)

Two of the three the blacksmiths that taught me wore full lenghth leather. I realize I am like a parrot. I just repete what I have been taught With out questioning some of things. So, I still wear a leather apron most of the time to be like them.
I try to establish good work and safety habbits. Been burned by that, dropped that on my foot, got some of that in my eye, been cut by some of them, done that to, it hurts!
So I try to do the same things in the same way if it works and don't hurt. I always felt a leather apron was used for more of a safety issue to protect against heat, sharp or flying objects.
Be safe, be safe!
Ted

I guess I'll be the first to say, I don't wear an apron when forging. I have a knee length canvas one, and a long leather one I wear when I do heavy grinding, but other than that I don't wear one. I might make a period apron to wear at faires to protect my greatkilt.

I thought it would be interesting to run a poll on this topic. Multiple entries are acceptable so you may choose both length and style.

For forging I use a full length leather apron. General shop work is a denim full length apron. But there is a waist length leather apron handy to throw on quickly when needed.

Recently I purchased a cotton full split length apron and am liking it more and more for the range of movement and the fact that the straps don't circle the neck but go over the shoulders, through loops at the waist and tie in the front. Takes a little time to figure out how to put it on the first couple of times, but it is very comfortable to wear and provides protection from both dirt and minor personal damage (shirts last a lot longer now). The strap arrangement will be transfered to the full leather apron soon.

Nick, I need to backtrack somewhat. When I am fooling around with smaller size objects while using a small GAS FORGE I usuall don't give a thought to putting on my apron. I put it on mostly when I use my coke forge, forging larger objects.
Be safe, be safe!
Ted

I sometimes use a home-made apron out of cotton duck. It's full length with split legs, and velcro straps to wrap around the ankle. I keep it pretty loose. The straps are there to keep the legs from flapping around. It's got a chest pocket I use for soapstone, pens, pencils, rulers, ...

I use it when grinding and welding, or if I've got some clothes on that I don't want messed up. And also in the summer, over shorts.

I seldom wear an apron here at home shop. I have an apron that I wear to rondys. Home made ( not one piece big nuff so I stitched 2 together and put a neck loop on it ). I also put the ties on ( leather shoe laces ). I have a Tillman commercial apron I wear at the day job ( about 26-27 bucks ) sometimes.

I use a a full length (chest to knees) leather for the rendezvous and started using a full length cotton for the home shop. I get too many holes in the clothes.

I usually wear a full length heavy leather apron with split legs to the top of my boots. The straps go over my shoulders, through rings at my waist and around to buckle in front. The straps make it very adjustable and comfortable the weight being split between my shoulders and the waist belt. It has a breast pocket the size of a pack of smokes + Zippo and pencil, scale, etc. pockets. There is a scale/square/rod, etc. pocket on the left leg as well.

I wear it when things might get messy and the reduced flexibility allow. I don't know how many times it's armored me against grinding disks coming apart, this isn't a common occurance but it's happened more than a dozen times in the last 10 years. It's also stood up nicely to sprays of molten flux, welding spatter, grinder spray, brush wires, metal chips and other various flying debris.

Attached is a poor pic of me in it. I'm the old fart on the left. the handsom young guy on the left is Richard one of my students.

I had it made by a friend based on the apron used by a THANKFULLY ex-associate.

Frosty

.
I'm the old fart on the left. the handsom young guy on the left is Richard one of my students.

Frosty

That SHOULD'VE read, "I'm the old fart on the RIGHT."

I even double checked "preview."

A little about the setup in the picture, if you're curious. Deb and I were still building our house and I didn't even have a tarp up for a smithy. I set up what I did at the time because Richard hunted me down on the web to learn to make a sword. He was 15 when we met so naturally he wanted to make a sword.

I still have most of my tools under a tarp but the shop is nearly closed in. It would've been before the snow flew this winter but I fell off a tilt top trailer at work and shattered my left arm and elbow. That was sept 12 and I'm still under a 10lb limit. Back to work on light duty a good two months before the surgeon's most optimistic estimate.

The shop would've been the first thing I built if I were still unmarried at the time. Heck, Deb would've gone along with it if we didn't have to have a place to live and a barn for her pygmy goat herd. The smithin tools are fine even after years under a tarp but the goat's wouldn't have fared so well.

The first pic is Deb, Buran, (the Great Pyreneese, livestock guardian dog) myself and the girls.

The second pic is Buran the 150lb Pyr livestock guardian being his perfectly gentle self with HIS charges. Do NOT give one of these gentle giants the idea you are a threat to THEIR charges. Shooting yourself instead will be a lot less painful.

The third pic is the house from the doe pen. A Boer doe is in the foreground and goat rock is on the right.

And why are the goat pictures on topic you ask? I wear my apron when I disbud the kids.

Frosty

I prefer a waist to knee leather apron for forging at home and the Fort. For grinding I wear a chest to knee leather apron along with my goggles and face shield.

i have allways worn a leather waistcoat and a waist to ankle split horse hide apron with leather tapes tied at the side and short foundrey boots with splash guards.

i don't wear one , tom

I wish i was wearing my apron sometimes when my 8 year old kid fetches me a cold can that she has dropped,shakened,and rolled over to me, then says disbuds for you,dad :)

At times I where my shoeing apron but now that I have a power hammer I am finding that I need more protection. I need one that covers the chest and goes to the boots with split legs. Any suggestions where to get one?

Ebay has them under leather apron and some are quite reasonable

It never occured to me to wear one
till the guys I practice with on the
weekends mentioned it. I showed
up the next week with my favorite,
but they didn't think the Bar B Q stains
were in the right spirit.

Forgot to add the link
to this one:

Gibbins Aprons

Darned expensive
but nice pattern and weight