Apron

 

Being the dedicated clothes-horse and follower of fashion that I am, I bought myself this fetching little number for soirees out in the workshop.

It's made from a good heavy canvas, with shoulder pads and a crossover at the back, so there's no pressure on the neck at all and it's very comfortable to wear. The stitching and everything seems, at first sight, to be good and sturdy, and I think it should see me out.

It has a bunch of pockets and a couple of hammer-loops. It could do with a 300mm ruler pocket, and I might add one if the need becomes pressing: it would be easy enough to do. There's a narrow little pocket on the chest (there's a pencil in it in the photo) that is a good size for a 150mm steel rule though, which may be enough. The larger chest pocket has a retainer strap with a couple of snap-clips, which would be good for keeping your phone in so it doesn't fall out and smash itself to smithereens.

I don't think, being canvas, that it would be a permanent replacement for a proper leather apron for welding. It would do the job in a pinch, but it's likely that hot embers could burn their way right through if left unnoticed.

I got it from TradeTested, and with postage it cost me about $90.