ORIGINAL: darock

There are armored gloves for sale. I've seen them in nurseries. Evidently garden lovers cut their hands when messing with their plants. And back when the majority of modelers started their engines by hand and most didn't bother with chicken sticks, one or two actually used those gloves. And more modelers used regular leather gloves.

One thing that most of them learned early on was that it was safer to wear only one glove, not both. And it was safer to whip that one off as soon as the engine started. They didn't actually protect well enough to be worth wearing when the engine was running flatout. And they lessened your ability to hold and feel. So off they came.

But when the fiberglass razors came along things changed. And we've got some real swords nowadays. Those APCs are murder weapons. And some others aren't really any safer. Gloves with those are a joke. This last spring one of our "two accidents a flight" members absolutely destroyed the arm of a very expensive leather jacket. The leather was much stronger and thicker than any gloves I've ever seen. It simply disappeared in the prop fan as he reached past the prop. The prop didn't even slow down appreciably. He took out about 2-3 inches of jacket sleeve and some of the shirt inside. Look closely at the tips of those APCs. They have almost no pitch nor any real thickness. I think you could shave with them.

If you do put on gloves, don't be deceived that you're really protecting yourself. If the glove is strong enough to protect your hand, it'll most likely blow the prop blade off, and where would you guess it'll go?

Keep your hands out of the fan.

If you can't see the fan, then make it so you can.