How to make Wheelchair Racing Gloves with Aquaplast, by Sarah Werner
Wheelchair racers use several main types of gloves to push with. Racers often start out in the sport with “soft gloves,” which are made of leather and rubber. These provide a wide pushing surface and are useful in developing a good pushing technique.
“Hard gloves” are made out of aquaplast or 3D-printed plastic with rubber glued to the pushing surface. They are lighter and cooler than soft gloves, but can be harder to learn pushing technique when just starting out in racing. 3D printed gloves are rapidly gaining in popularity because they are made for a wide variety of hand sizes and aquaplast can be tricky to mold, especially if you don’t have the help of a knowledgeable person to make them.
The benefits of aquaplast gloves if you have the skill and time to make them are numerous. They allow you to create a glove uniquely fitted to both your hands and your pushing style. They are also significantly cheaper than soft gloves or 3D printed gloves, which cost between $150 and $300.
An aquaplast kit only costs around $40 and comes with aquaplast beads, aquaplast sheets, and rubber sheets. You can make them as large or small as you like, depending in your pushing style. You can glue hook and loop straps if you want a more secure fit. Aquaplast is also easy to remold before you glue anything onto it, so you can start over if you find that the fit is not ideal after you mold them the first time. The kit I ordered came with 16 ounces of aquaplast pellets and two sheets of rubber. Some kits also come with sheets of aquaplast and less pellets. I had the help of my occupational therapist in making these, so we melted the pellets in a hot water bath at 190 degrees Fahrenheit.
All you need to Know about Wheelchair Gloves
Wheelchair gloves are an essential requirement for any wheelchair user. They do to your hands what shoes do to feet, you can imagine walking barefoot on a daily basis, the blisters, calluses, pain and all the other discomforts that come with bad weather it would be unbearable. If you use a manual wheelchair, you will need wheelchair gloves whether you are doing sports or out in the mall for shopping. Like any other clothing, there are a lot of gloves in the market today, it is up to you to choose, but as you choose always keep in mind that not all the gloves are suitable for wheelchair users. In this post, I will walk you through what specifications to look for when buying wheelchair gloves.
What are the gloves made of?
The basic materials that are used to make gloves are Lycra, neoprene, leather and suede. Of the four, suede looks more stylish and appealing to the eye, but it may not be the right choice for it lacks practicability when it comes to being put to use. Neoprene, on the other hand, has amazing qualities; it is flexible, light and is waterproof a good choice for outdoor use. Lycra is flexible, elastic and comfortable but compared to the other materials it’s not as strong. The classic leather is strong, durable and fairly long-lasting. It allows the hand to breathe and hence a good choice. Continue reading
