woodyman
Addicted to ArboristSite
I was thinking of getting some chaps and was wondering if they get hit with a sharp chain like I have on my saws can you repair them or just hope you don't get hit in the same spot or buy a new pair?
Chaps-Can they be repaired?
- Thread starter woodyman
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nope, you dig em, knicke em, or damage em, you replace em... no repairs, like motorcycle helmets, hard hats, and safety ropes...
Tzed250
Addicted to ArboristSite
Woodyman,
Good thing to do - go ahead and invest in a pair!
Generally, if you only cut through the outer fabric, abrade it, etc., you can repair it with a needle and thread, patch, etc., as long as you do not sew through the protective batting material.
Once you snag the protective fibers and pull some of them, the protective layer is compromised. As noted above, they have paid for themselves.
The only exception might be if you happen to know a one-legged logger. Then, if you only snag the left side . . .
Philbert
Good thing to do - go ahead and invest in a pair!
Generally, if you only cut through the outer fabric, abrade it, etc., you can repair it with a needle and thread, patch, etc., as long as you do not sew through the protective batting material.
Once you snag the protective fibers and pull some of them, the protective layer is compromised. As noted above, they have paid for themselves.
The only exception might be if you happen to know a one-legged logger. Then, if you only snag the left side . . .
Philbert
Let us not forget plies. If a set of chaps are nicked by a chain, the fibers pulled will be from at the very least one ply below visible damage. Assume two. That said, if you have 10-ply chaps, pull two, and assume two below are damaged, that leaves six intact. I have been the cheapskate in a pinch and repaired chaps in such a context. What I did was put cloth tape facing outward under the outer shell, then sealed the tear with Shoe Goo. This repaired only the outer shell, mind you. The damaged layers underneath are unaffected. Wearing these chaps, I am assuming that six layers of Kevlar remain. My assumption may be unsound, and your mileage may vary. Please don't take my testimony as gospel. Replace damaged chaps as soon as possible, but if you must make a repair for the short term, don't bet your safety on less than five plies.
Chaps are easily repaired and patched, cut appropriate sized patches from canvas or heavy-duty nylon fabric and stick them on with a decent contact adhesive. A few cuts and nicks on the chaps here and there are nothing
Bill G
ArboristSite King
I always wear chaps when thinning forests or up a tree pruning, they're a hundred and sixty bucks a pop down here, I often wear them every day for months on end, I've had dozens of pairs over the decades, I know when they're f***d and when there's nothing wrong with them, majority of rips and tears are from sticks and thorns etc.., the dogs catch them occasionally as well, in the real world if you wear them as much as I do you don't just throw away perfectly safe chaps and buy new ones every few weeks just for appearances and to please some shiny-bum sitting in his office somewhere thumping his rule-book :deadhorse:
Makes no difference, if you hit your chaps with a saw the chain just cuts the surface material and instantly snags and binds up with stringy fluff, if dim-witted enough, you can hit them 20 times and they'll be still perfectly functional, don't be suckered by the all great brain-washing theories out there
BTW if dumb enough to keep hitting your legs with a revving saw then you shouldn't be operating ANY chainsaw
BTW if dumb enough to keep hitting your legs with a revving saw then you shouldn't be operating ANY chainsaw
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It's actually the sort of thing you'll hear from the sandal-wearing vegan crowd, you know the type, they all look amusingly the same worldwide, they're the ones who spend 20 minutes each morning naked in front of the mirror doing pilates...
There's vids of them , they pose in an officious manner, always dressed in immaculate dry-cleaned and pressed blaze yellow clothing and brilliantly shiny helmets (not that there's anything wrong with that...)and adorned with all the useless restrictive glitzy bling you can think of, instructing and demonstrating with an indignant expectation that every word and action presented shall be taken as gospel.
They've got badges and have read all the manuals, done all the courses on the safety institutes back lawn and watched all the instructional vids themselves you see...
These dudes are invariably heavily into things like gay-rights(not that there's anything wrong with that...) and the society for the prevention of ill-treatment to sardines on north sea fishing boats and any other weirdo stuff you can think of..
There was a vid posted here a while back, about triple chainbrakes or some garbage, this strange individual was cutting twigs off a log, stroking his saw in a creepy sweeping manner as if he was practicing for a swan lake ballet production.., (guess he was thinking of the way he strokes his boyfriends inner thigh or something...not that there's anything wrong with that...)
These are the dudes who'll tell you to immediately discard your chaps and buy new ones because they copped a chain,
They'll also tell you that starting your saw off the ground is absolutely reckless behavior,
that safety chain should be compulsory for everyone,
that chainsaws should be licensed and operators charged a seasonal fee,
that operators should be smothered in cotton-wool to protect themselves FROM themselves,
that things like opened mufflers or cut-down modded and lightened chainsaws are absolutely un-acceptable,
or, OMG, horror of all horrors, a saw with no hand-brake!! blah blah blah, you wonder why someone like me who wants to be able to do my job without all the B.S. is cynical as hell... hehe
There's vids of them , they pose in an officious manner, always dressed in immaculate dry-cleaned and pressed blaze yellow clothing and brilliantly shiny helmets (not that there's anything wrong with that...)and adorned with all the useless restrictive glitzy bling you can think of, instructing and demonstrating with an indignant expectation that every word and action presented shall be taken as gospel.
They've got badges and have read all the manuals, done all the courses on the safety institutes back lawn and watched all the instructional vids themselves you see...
These dudes are invariably heavily into things like gay-rights(not that there's anything wrong with that...) and the society for the prevention of ill-treatment to sardines on north sea fishing boats and any other weirdo stuff you can think of..
There was a vid posted here a while back, about triple chainbrakes or some garbage, this strange individual was cutting twigs off a log, stroking his saw in a creepy sweeping manner as if he was practicing for a swan lake ballet production.., (guess he was thinking of the way he strokes his boyfriends inner thigh or something...not that there's anything wrong with that...)
These are the dudes who'll tell you to immediately discard your chaps and buy new ones because they copped a chain,
They'll also tell you that starting your saw off the ground is absolutely reckless behavior,
that safety chain should be compulsory for everyone,
that chainsaws should be licensed and operators charged a seasonal fee,
that operators should be smothered in cotton-wool to protect themselves FROM themselves,
that things like opened mufflers or cut-down modded and lightened chainsaws are absolutely un-acceptable,
or, OMG, horror of all horrors, a saw with no hand-brake!! blah blah blah, you wonder why someone like me who wants to be able to do my job without all the B.S. is cynical as hell... hehe
logbutcher
Addicted to ArboristSite
:monkey:
HorseShoeInFork
ArboristSite Operative
If the white stuff don't come out I say run em'. I also weedeat in shorts and flip flops. Sometimes without flip flops.
I reckon it depends if any of the layer fibres have been pulled.
If only the outer cover has been cut and no fibres pulled, I don't see anything wrong with patching up the outer shell provided during the patching no fibres are stitched down.
As soon as even one fibre has been pulled that may leave the whole of that pad compromised since pulling even one fibre may puts the whole fibre pad under tension and that may not allow the fibres to flow freely - and they do need to flow freely. Minimizing the amount of flesh and bone being ripped off your body is microsecond stuff so every microsecond counts.
Now here is something some users don't realise. When was the last time you washed your chaps? As I said above chaps will work better if their fibres flow freely. Chaps clogged with mud, sawdust and oil are not going to allow their fibres to flow as freely as when the fibres are clean. This then gets back to what I said above, if the outer shell is cut this allows dirt etc to get inside the fibre pad so it is better to repair that cut than do nothing.
If only the outer cover has been cut and no fibres pulled, I don't see anything wrong with patching up the outer shell provided during the patching no fibres are stitched down.
As soon as even one fibre has been pulled that may leave the whole of that pad compromised since pulling even one fibre may puts the whole fibre pad under tension and that may not allow the fibres to flow freely - and they do need to flow freely. Minimizing the amount of flesh and bone being ripped off your body is microsecond stuff so every microsecond counts.
Now here is something some users don't realise. When was the last time you washed your chaps? As I said above chaps will work better if their fibres flow freely. Chaps clogged with mud, sawdust and oil are not going to allow their fibres to flow as freely as when the fibres are clean. This then gets back to what I said above, if the outer shell is cut this allows dirt etc to get inside the fibre pad so it is better to repair that cut than do nothing.
lesorubcheek
Addicted to ArboristSite
Yea, but if people didn't buy new chaps when they got a scratch, you wouldn't be able to buy the used ones off epay for the $5 less than the new ones cost..... 
Dan
Dan
logbutcher
Addicted to ArboristSite
:agree2: BUTT: when your chaps begin to stand up by themselves (a.k.a. "Walking Chaps" here ) it's time to RIP.
First morning of CLP mandated training the instructor took one of the " ...used 'em for 12 years with no problems..." chaps, laid them across a log, then cut straight through them (Husky 372). No fiber ("fibre" for Brit talk) stop ....nothing. The next session we all had shiny new, orange or green chaps. Your mileage may vary.
Caps, helmet system, steel toed boots, good gloves-----easy insurance. Chains love flesh. Or, you could cut nude.
