Being a mechanic has disadvantages, femininity-wise. 

My nails were [note the use of the past tense] coming along fine and my skin was looking reasonably good - until I replaced my exhaust system a few days ago. My nails have largely broken down to 'male' dimensions and my skin now again has sustained a fair amount of 'battle damage'. 

This is much more of an issue when working on cars, as compared with mechanical operations on aircraft, perhaps interestingly enough.

So hey, I will give up trying [which means just the inverse and I will continue to endeavor to achieve a more feminine appearance in my nails and skin, with due care employed  ].

The aversion to looking 'male' in any facet of my life is...an extremely powerful motivational force.

Rhonda,

I happen to be very mechanically inclined and handy.  I fix minor things on the cars.  I play in the garden.  I can paint a house, wire a circuit, sweat a pipe, etc.  It saves me a whole bunch of money but I do get my fingers cut and dirty.

A few secrets which I am sure you use but others may not know about is to place bar soap under your nails before working outside, use disposable plastic gloves when working on the car, and use leather gloves when working in the garden.
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This is a very interesting thread!

Wendy

Thanx for the suggestions.

I'm going to have to do something. 

I never thought that I would be plummeted into a veritable abyss of depression upon breaking a nail, but such is the case, now. 

Rhonda,

I understand that if a person transitions they can lose everything.  I have always done things for myself and I never considered not doing things for myself.  Recently I am having trouble lifting heavy objects and have lost some strength.

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Here is something I have found neat.  You can buy a polishing nail stone with nail oil... and the combo really gets your nails shiny.  I bought one for my wife and shined her nails and then did mine.  However I only keep my nails short.

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Actually I do not need to break a nail to get depressed and start crying.  I can cry over nothing.

W

Mechanics Gloves tm.  and Dickies long sleeved work shirts....  if you get the size right the shirts look fine, and the gloves save your hands huge amounts of damage while still letting you feel what your doing for the most part...  you may have to keep your nails alittle shorter than you like... but hey... 3/16-1/4in long nails arnt that bad  ....

My nails became just plain brittle.  Right now I'm doing those powder-gel nails.  They're very strong, especially if you get the ultraviolet-cured top gloss coat.  The problem is, they're too strong, and can rip your real nail off if you catch it wrong.  And, I have to remember to not use them as screwdrivers or label-peelers or other tools.

I want to switch to the so-called liquid-gel nails.  They're made up of several layers of ultraviolet-cured gel.  They're supposed to be flexible and durable, as well as looking perfect.  And you can use your own polish, as the cured material is resistant to brief applications of polish remover.  Now, the only problem is finding a nail shop that has invested in the materials, curing tunnels and time to master the application.

My Two Cents

Karen

Quote from: Wendy on April 25, 2007, 11:46:16 AM
........place bar soap under your nails before working outside...........

Very clever. Will have to try this one myself.

Quote from: Wendy on April 25, 2007, 01:39:40 PM
Rhonda,

I understand that if a person transitions they can lose everything.  I have always done things for myself and I never considered not doing things for myself.  Recently I am having trouble lifting heavy objects and have lost some strength.

............
Actually I do not need to break a nail to get depressed and start crying.  I can cry over nothing.

W

I see that you and I are exactly 'on frequency' relative to this.

The only time which I recall actually having had somebody else do something for me was to align-bore the halves of a VW split crankcase, when I rebuilt the same engine many a year ago.

I do everything myself, be it computers or aircraft.

I save a great deal of money and I can trust the work.

I haven't as yet, experienced a major deficit in physical strength, secondary to HRT induced muscle atrophy. Manipulating 95 lb. aircraft generators and batteries is still no problem.

I can see that I have lost some mass, however.

I'm afraid that I can also fully relate to your predisposition toward crying. I have mixed feelings about this.

Quote from: Karen on April 25, 2007, 08:43:39 PM
My nails became just plain brittle.  Right now I'm doing those powder-gel nails.  They're very strong, especially if you get the ultraviolet-cured top gloss coat.  The problem is, they're too strong, and can rip your real nail off if you catch it wrong.  And, I have to remember to not use them as screwdrivers or label-peelers or other tools.

I want to switch to the so-called liquid-gel nails.  They're made up of several layers of ultraviolet-cured gel.  They're supposed to be flexible and durable, as well as looking perfect.  And you can use your own polish, as the cured material is resistant to brief applications of polish remover.  Now, the only problem is finding a nail shop that has invested in the materials, curing tunnels and time to master the application.

My Two Cents

Karen

THANK YOU.

You have piqued my interest indeed. Brittleness is a major problem.

Hum.. I use to have fun tinkering with cars, bikes and all things guyish,  including all things VW.  Over the last few months I noticed a drop in desire to "work" on things.  Plus I have loss lots of muscle mass and have the brittle nail issue.  Though I did just get my nails done professionally today.  My transitioning has changed my thought processes quite a fair amount.   

My 79 goldwing is still my baby though.  That part has not changed.

Pretty emotional too, I can cry at a drop of a hat now, where before it took two or three hats to make me loose it.

The joys of being us.  Though I would not change a thing

Quote from: Beni on April 28, 2007, 11:59:41 PM
Hum.. I use to have fun tinkering with cars, bikes and all things guyish,  including all things VW.  Over the last few months I noticed a drop in desire to "work" on things.  Plus I have loss lots of muscle mass and have the brittle nail issue.  Though I did just get my nails done professionally today.  My transitioning has changed my thought processes quite a fair amount.   

My 79 goldwing is still my baby though.  That part has not changed.

Pretty emotional too, I can cry at a drop of a hat now, where before it took two or three hats to make me loose it.

The joys of being us.  Though I would not change a thing

VW...me too, hon. 

But I can't envision myself in ceasing from mechanical work...

And you know, aside for the money-saving benefit of doing so...

I couldn't stop because doing that sort of work is a part of who I am.

I never thought of it that way until now.

Interesting, my nails have gotten so blasted brittle and peely that it makes me mad.  Plus I do like to work on cars, too.  I've started using some Avon stuff called Nail Experts - Strong Results that is supposed to strengthen them.  You put it on like polish and it soaks in.  But you can't wear polish for 5 days during the treatment.  That part is a drag.  But it does seem to be working.

Kristi

I need to find a way to make my nails pretty and short at the same time.  Working on cars isn't my problem, i play violin and must keep all but my thumb on the left and short and i must keep my thumb and pinky on my right short.  if i dont playing gets more difficult/sounds worse and will destroy nails anyway.  I would rather play violin then have long nails though, so i just want short ones that look pretty.  maybe clear coat for while im not full time, afterwards though, they sky is the limit

I can't offer any advice except maybe to help you remember what it was like when you first started feminizing your appearance. I'm sitting here, just thrilled to death that my nails are clicking on the keyboard. They're not very long yet, they're certainly not pretty but they are a beginning of a journey for me.

Debbie