Washing chaps

[Monkeyhanger]

For many chaps the oil and dirt thing is a really bid deal.

The way (at least most) modern chaps works is to have the threads of a loose fabric get grabbed by the teeth and they then jam up the sprocket.

If that fabric is matted with a mix of dirt and especially oil it is easier to cut through. Being easier to cut it is more likely to not jam the sprocket...

Hi,

yes that is correct. Oily chaps don't offer any protection at all. Washing will not return chaps to "as good as new" either, they will still work but just not as good. That is probably the same for each time they are washed, the protection offered is likely a little lower each time.

I remember reading a study about chainsaw accidents which considered the state of the protective clothing and it was shown that oil makes the protective layers useless and that washing couldn't bring them back up to standard. I can't remember where I found the report though so don't ask...

Myself I will wash my chaps (actually trousers but who cares) 3 to 5 times depending on their state (usually have a couple of cuts in the outer material) then just buy a new pair rather than risk a mishap turning into an accident.

bye

 

[smokechase II]

Weave

"It is my understanding that the machine washing process degrades the ballistic panels by loosening the cross stitching that holds them all together. This weakens the bullet stopping quality for body armor. I could only assume that it would be the same on a pair of chaps. "

Any loosening of the weave in body armor can help a projectile slip between the threads. Yes that is bad.
Works totally differently with chaps. You want a loose weave so it can't be cut as easily. With the Kevlar more likely to pull free it will plug up the sprocket bringing the chain to a brisk halt.

Where machine washing is most likely to hurt the chaps is the outer cordura cover. Those corduras have a coating on the back. While not 'water-proof' these coatings are there, in this case, to help keep the oil/dirt away from the Kevlar. Washing in a machine causes a fairly constant flexing of the coating and breaks down its effectiveness. Machine drying is even worse.

=================

Many chaps are not made of Kevlar.

=================

One of the hardest things on Kevlar strength is chlorine.
No bleach.

=================

No pair of chaps currently made is a guaranteed stop with today’s saws.
Chaps are simply a great idea, like a hard hat and seat belt.

BUT safety is still your responsibility.

Watch where you put your bar trip.

 

[smokechase II]

DuPont and Kevlar

DuPonts washing guide for cut resistent fabrics:


http://www2.dupont.com/Personal_Protection/en_US/assets/downloads/kevlar/K17038Kevlar.pdf

 

[smokechase II]

DuPont says

"Laundering and dry cleaning have no significant impact on the
cut resistance of gloves made of 100% DuPont™ Kevlar® even
after 10 consecutive cleaning cycles."

-------------

"Although the strength of
Kevlar® yarns used in protective apparel, e.g. gloves, gradually
decreases with successive cleaning cycles, the cut resistance is
not impacted, as illustrated in the charts ......"

-------------

"Kevlar® brand fibers are resistant to many chemicals and
solvents. However, strong acids, bases, and certain oxidizers,
like chlorine bleach* (sodium hypochlorite), cause rapid
degradation of the fiber. Although chlorine bleach (e.g. Clorox®
Regular Bleach) cannot be used with Kevlar®, oxygen bleaches
such as sodium perborate (e.g. OxiClean®) can be used without
issue."

 

[Monkeyhanger]

"Although the strength of
Kevlar® yarns used in protective apparel, e.g. gloves, gradually
decreases with successive cleaning cycles, the cut resistance is
not impacted, as illustrated in the charts ......"

Hi,

that is some good info but don't forget that not being cut is only part of the story to how chaps work, the rest involves bundles of threads being pulled to block the chain and believe me that just doesn't work properly if the threads are oily regardless of the actual cut resistance of the individual threads. Also many chaps are made from (very similar) materials other than Kevlar where things may be slightly different.

Still, I feel to be on course as far as washing oily chaps go, a few washes then get a new pair works fine for me.

Bye

 

[treejunkie13]

Watched a Husqvarna sponsored video a few years back, they claimed that washing was actually good, loosens the fabric up and works more effective. No chaps for me too dangerous! But I do wear pants. I have multiple pairs, wear one for a week then wash and dry been doing that for few years, no problems. And I've cut into them, shut down operation cuz the saw is clogged.

 

[SawTroll]

================

Be sure and not repair and minor cuts in the outer chap fabric by sewing a patch all the way through the layers of protective material. This will make the fabric even easier to cut.

=================

That is a very good and relevant piece of advise!

 

[Monkeyhanger]

Hi,

if I cut the outer material and the protective layers are ok then I just stick a self-adhesive patch over the cut. Works just fine. As Smokechase II said, never sew through the layers.

Bye

 

[oneoldbanjo]

I just got some Stihl chaps for Christmas and the instructions say that you are supposed to wash all clothing before wearing......I got a little confused about that when I read it and assumed it was some generic statement that is included in all clothing products. I still have the packaging and will photo the instructions and post it tomorrow. I am probably not going to wash them before I wear them - I am going to wear them over my pants and will not be sawing "bare butt" and am not concerned about any skin reaction to unwashed chaps.

I watched the Labonville Video and it was impressive - I wonder if they would have gotten the same results if they used a ham or something a little softer than a log under the chaps while testing. It seems the log would allow the chain to impact the chaps much harder and in a more localized spot than a softer tissue beneath - especially one that would have additional clothing beneath the chaps.

 

[Labonville]

Hey guys,

I noticed someone mentioned watching our chap video on our website. If you guys haven't seen it, you should go check it out.

http://www.labonville.com/videos/v2.htm

Anyways, You need to be careful when you wash your chaps in the washing machine because it can cause the Kevlar to bunch. Your best bet is to wash your chaps by hand with warm water and a cloth or sponge. Make sure you do not use anything with bleach in it.

* Andrea
* Network Administrator
* www.labonville.com
* [email protected]
* 1-800-764-9969

 

[PB]

I did wash them on delicate along with my dainties lol. I through them in with my coverall's

I am sure the chaps smell better!

 

[smokechase II]

Question

Labonville:

Just a quick question for your product development folks.

Have you tried mixing in some fishing line?

Twice in South Carolina, (Francis Marion NF), I was cutting in very thick patches to re-open fishing spots on the edge of ponds. Once was on all fours. In both instances I had my saw stop right now. Fishing line can be hard to see.

I have done the strap one leg from an old pair of chaps to a log and cut through it for education several times. The fishing line I managed to find stopped the saw just as fast as Kevlar. However, it was a bit harder to clean out of the sprocket area.

I realize that the length of the 'thread', fishing line in this case, had a lot to do with its working. That it would be difficult to set up longer thread pulls, whether Kevlar or other fabric.

Just a thought.

 

[smokechase II]

Best way to label a damaged rope

The best way to label a damaged rope is to take a pocket knife to the damaged area.

Make sure no one dies kind of thing.

The best way to lable chaps "out of service" might be for AS readers to strap them to a log and cut them with your saw properly tuned and sharpened.

Try fastening them to the log loosely once to see how the chaps can spin, exposing the leg.
If you don't have full wrap chaps, this might be worth a lot someday.

 

[smokechase II]

Chaps testing

Labonville:

Do you have any testing results for your labs or independent ones comparing data? US/Canada or Europe?

How was that chain filed, Square?

Do you have a machine that exerts the same down force and the high speed video equipment that captures the exact chain speed? Not just approximate speed with calcs working from rpm's estimates as saw was tuned to?

Have you tested the 5 layer kevlar chaps that the FS went to about 8 years ago? Are they holding up better in comparison tests than the four layer here?

Could you put out an educational video on chaps care?

I suppose that 6 question marks per post is a good limit.

Thanks for any help!

 

[Erick]

I've had some of the same thoughts/questions.

 

[Erick]

Well I didn't realize this was gonna turn out to be the discussion that it has so I guess I should throw in my .02 on the washing. Once I realized that it was the oil/dirt that caused the fibers to matte and stick together causing the chaps/pants to become ineffective, I got to thinking about how regular laundry detergent builds up on the insulation in my cold weather clothes and matte's the fibers down making the insulation less effective. I started washing my saw pants in the same thing that I wash all of my hunting clothes and cold weather gear in. It's a product called Sport Wash and is available just about anywhere they sell hunting supplies. It is designed to rinse completely out of the clothes and leave no reside to buildup and matte the fibers making them less effective. I believe that if you wait to wash your PPE until the oil has soaked all the way through to the pads that your asking for trouble. Have you ever washed an oil stain out of a white shirt??? No matter how hard you try there is always going to be a stain, that stain is the oil residue that is left behind and that residue is what mattes the fibers and makes them ineffective in your PPE. I try to keep mine clean and will wash them any time I spill oil on them or have anything that will soak through the outer layer of fabric or get them really dirty on a muddy day. My manufacture says to machine wash and dry so thats what I do.

I also took a picture of the pads inside the pants.

I know most folks can't see the pads in their chaps so I thought I'd show what mine look like so you get a better idea of the loose weave, how they work and what your trying to preserve. Anything that disturbs the pad weave and structure inside the pants will lessen the protection level or make it completely ineffective. If you run a small stick through the outer layer you might think it's no big deal but if that stick waded up the pad or pushed it out of an area the protection is compromised in that area. Take any damage (no matter how small) to your PPE very seriously and check it over good to be sure it will do the job your counting on it to do in an accident.

 

[Austin1]

Well I didn't realize this was gonna turn out to be the discussion that it has so I guess I should throw in my .02 on the washing. Once I realized that it was the oil/dirt that caused the fibers to matte and stick together causing the chaps/pants to become ineffective, I got to thinking about how regular laundry detergent builds up on the insulation in my cold weather clothes and matte's the fibers down making the insulation less effective. I started washing my saw pants in the same thing that I wash all of my hunting clothes and cold weather gear in. It's a product called Sport Wash and is available just about anywhere they sell hunting supplies. It is designed to rinse completely out of the clothes and leave no reside to buildup and matte the fibers making them less effective. I believe that if you wait to wash your PPE until the oil has soaked all the way through to the pads that your asking for trouble. Have you ever washed an oil stain out of a white shirt??? No matter how hard you try there is always going to be a stain, that stain is the oil residue that is left behind and that residue is what mattes the fibers and makes them ineffective in your PPE. I try to keep mine clean and will wash them any time I spill oil on them or have anything that will soak through the outer layer of fabric or get them really dirty on a muddy day. My manufacture says to machine wash and dry so thats what I do.

I also took a picture of the pads inside the pants.

I know most folks can't see the pads in their chaps so I thought I'd show what mine look like so you get a better idea of the loose weave, how they work and what your trying to preserve. Anything that disturbs the pad weave and structure inside the pants will lessen the protection level or make it completely ineffective. If you run a small stick through the outer layer you might think it's no big deal but if that stick waded up the pad or pushed it out of an area the protection is compromised in that area. Take any damage (no matter how small) to your PPE very seriously and check it over good to be sure it will do the job your counting on it to do in an accident.

I think I remember the part about not machine drying my chaps. I also feel like I kicked the hornets nest here. Lot's of good info, My chaps are 10years old and not a scratch on them exept for the way they look. I think I might just buy another pair of Husky chaps even if they are Orange. But first I will see if Labonvile will ship to me here in Canada. Then I will get some Green ones.

 

[oneoldbanjo]

Here are two photos of the laundry instructions from my new Stihl chaps. I am supposed to launder them weekly - which means that I am already 2 weeks behind (even though I have not yet used them). I am not going to wash them weekly as there are weeks when it is just too wet or I am too busy to go out and cut wood - but I will wash them when they get dirty.

 

[joecool85]

I wont wash mine after seeing that Labonville video. That saw cut through those old dirty chaps like they wasnt even there.. Might as well have cut the bare leg. Seems like water and churning and bunching them up wet would add to the problem...
Thats just me though.. If they are too bad (soaked with oil and dirt) I would probably just get a new pair.. 60 bucks vs 1000.00 dollar emergency room visit. Just my thoughts.opcorn: opcorn: opcorn:

Interestingly enough, on my Stihl chaps it says to machine wash them then low heat tumble dry, and it said in the paper that came with them that it helps keep them safe. Dirty chaps don't work right, if you clean them properly they do.

 

[goof008]

For those worried about the bunching of their kevlar if you wash it. I bought some stuff that puts the "fluff" back into liners. I bought it to wash my hunting clothing in, it's scent free. But it also claims to make pillows, sleeping bags and coats get the fluff back into them. I wash all my hunting stuff in it, including a down jacket, and it seems to work fine. Just FYI. And sorry, I don't have the name of it right now, because I'm at work.