chaps and Aprons

[Charles R. Stevens]

I second TP on the traditinal, folks have been livinng and smithing in Cyperus for mallinia, we americans only a few hundred years

My experiance with hot and dry is blousy light to medium weight cotton, wile hot and humif calls for wool underwear (the cotton kind and chafes sumthing fearce. 

Is the roof of your shop insulated?

[Frosty]

Layers work for hot an well as cold temps.

I've experienced a double shop roof once and liked it a LOT. Even here the sun beating on the shiny galvy roof steel on my uninsulated shop radiates heat inside. The Double roof was simple, a metal roof, then 2" x 4" on edge running up the pitch with another sheet steel roof on the spacers. It had a traditional roof vent at the peak and that was it. The top roof kept the sun off the inner one and the trapped heat caused a pretty strong air flow by convection. The smith I was visiting said if it got too hot anyway, he had a soaker hose rigged and he'd spray the inner roof and evaporation would actually make the shop a little chilly. He was a desert rat so anything cooler than the mid 80s was chilly.

I don't recall where he was. This was in my driller days and as soon as one of the office geologists had to fill in for a field geo. during winter operations we stopped being booked solid in winter. Go figure eh? Anyway I used to take a month off drive around the lower 48, I kept a vehicle at my folks place. this shop might have been in Central Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, California, New Mexico. I think that's the list of might have been there, it was high desert as I recall and still pretty hot during the day. Of course it was pretty chilly to the desert rat smith but I was adapted to a sub zero outdoor job.

Frosty The Lucky.

[Stephen Jones]

I wear a leather apron. dont really need it but its handy to wipe my hands on when i need a smoke.

[neg]

I started out with a leather apron, but here in florida it gets pretty hot, even without the forge. I usually just forge in a t-shirt.

[JeremyP]

I had a full apron for a couple years that I never actually used because it felt so heavy on the neck. My pants do take a major beating from the UV and IR radiation plus the slag and sparks and all that, so finally I tried wearing the apron just at the waist, with the top part folded over. Eventually I cut off the top part of the apron, sewed some pockets on the bottom part and made it a half apron, much like OP. Much more user friendly for me.

Edited June 7, 2015 by JeremyP
spelling

[Alan Evans]

As one not liking holes in protective garb couldn't you bend the rivet tabs down and out a bit and not need a slit?

​

Yep, sure you could. But honestly, it hangs so far around the side, the slit is not much of an issue for me. If I were to do it again, I would probably do as you suggest.

-Derek

​I assumed the photos showed mark two variation. Mark one being the slit in the leather, that proved too floppy and difficult to hit with the clip. Mark two gave an easy access target. Mark three will be coming together nicely as suggested by Thomas.

I attached a round magnet that holds 90lbs to the top left side for a quick place to slap a set of tongs or chisels, and a remot control outlet controller that my blower is plugged into. It's handy to have a shutoff at all times in case the neighbors want to chat you up in between heats.

​

I have a steel tape with a magnet on its back and a belt clip plate for attaching it instead of a clip. Useful on occasion on site to be able to attach the tape to a steel post to take a measurement single handed... but it was an absolute disaster in the forge, clagged up with swarf, scale and grinding dust in seconds.

 

I used to use a chrome leather welder's apron for a few years when I started, until I got worried by dermatitis on the inside of my forearms from the accumulated grime transferring form the apron every time I put it on. I now wear a smooth surface apron when having to use an angle grinder / sander with the disc horizontal rather than vertical and when forging heavy stock to try and keep heat off.

Traditionally, horsehide is the material of choice, for heat and spark resistant aprons and gloves.

I made myself a leather aron that's knee length, and fits close around the neck, so that a welding helmet overlaps it, in that critical area, just under the chin.

It sheds sparks like a suit of armor.

The pockets for a 6" scale, "Sharpie" marker and Soapstone, are on the inside, ... about where a shirt pocket would be, and are angled towards the arm openings, for easy access.


Yes, ... I am fussy about my aprons.


I also use conventional style Denim Shop Aprons, ... but insist that the pockets be attached only along the top edge of the pocket, ... so they will hang vertically when you bend over.

Having to bend over again, to pick up something that fell out of my apron pocket, ... just burns my biscuits.


.

​The old boy I worked with initially had a wonderful horse hide apron. Fairly hard but relatively thin so it was flexible. As you say it shed sparks and scale from its smooth surface and kept itself fairly clean. He also had something of a tummy so over the years of heat and sweat the apron, although tough, had become moulded to suit and would virtually stand up on its own due to the compound curves!

He always said horsehide was good but a Donkey hide apron was the real prize...

Alan

[Alan Evans]

Oh by the way for those who find a leather apron heavy on the neck. I have a solution.

All mine have a leather strap which is attached to the neck strap and goes down your back and links to the waist strap. The length is adjusted so that the "neck strap" is pulled away from your neck and becomes two shoulder straps like a rucksack. 

Mine are leather, but a bit of string will yield the same effect and will work on any bib apron.

[ianinsa]

Mine are leather, but a bit of string will yield the same effect

​This solution is just so clever!  yet the bit of string ? And look tatty? A blacksmith would NEVER...

[arkie]

Alan, that's a good solution with the neck strap...gotta try that one out.  Summertime and a sweaty neck make a neck strap a pain in the ...........neck.