DDTea
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Labcoats--Good Fit, Good Style, etc.
I'm signed up for my first semester of Organic Chemistry, starting this fall. It will be a version of the class geared toward Chemistry majors,
so I'm quite excited. Naturally, such a course will involve a few hours each week of lab time. To be in the lab, we must wear a labcoat.
I have had the opportunity to look into the labcoats recommended by my University, the ones we will be using. They are conveniently sold in the
college bookstore. That's all well and good, so I bought one on the spot ( I've been pretty eager to own one ).
But a slight problem. I'm a really small guy--my suit size is 36; they only carried a 34 and 40. The 34 is not ridiculously small; it only
starts to feel tight if I wear a sweater underneath it--but normal button-down shirts aren't a problem. I figured it was a good idea to go for
the smaller size than the larger size because I don't want loose clothing dangling over flames or something. However, I know I WILL be wearing
sweaters in the winter.
However, I'm in a bit of a sticky situation here. Should I return the coat and simply order a size 36 online?
So here is where I ask for your experience. What do you normally wear under your labcoats? And should they be a normal suit- fit, should they be
slightly small so as to cling close to your body, or should they be a bit loose--or is this just a matter of preference?
And more on the fun side and to broaden the topic... Labcoats tend to come in a variety of colors: white, white, and then the occasional white  (truthfully, I have seen other colors, but you get my point). I'm wondering
what you have done to personalize your labcoats. I want something I can be attached to since I figure it will be all over me for the next few years,
since I'm pursuing a Chemistry degree .
A few ideas I've come up with for this are tie-dying it  , embroidering my
name or some other fun stuff on it, and even sewing on a ScienceMadness or Rogue Science patch (i.e., by making my own) 
"In the end the proud scientist or philosopher who cannot be bothered to make his thought accessible has no choice but to retire to the heights in
which dwell the Great Misunderstood and the Great Ignored, there to rail in Olympic superiority at the folly of mankind." - Reginald Kapp.
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12AX7
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In the process of experiments you could try "spilling" some ferrocyanide blue dye on it. 
Tim
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The_Davster
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I have a similar predicament, although a bit different. It is nearly impossible for me to find a labcoat that fits, I am 6'5" and very
thin. Any labcoat I try is either too short(length and arm length), or too baggy. I currently am using a baggy one, but I still continue to search
for somewhere that will custom make me an appropriatly fitting one.
As for customization,how about dying it yellow with TNT . Well not seriously,
then whatever you wear under it gets TNT on it which can be annoying if you must take a plane.
But seriously for customization, when I get more chemistry related pins, I will wear them on my lab coat like medals on a military uniform. All I
have now is a CIC (chemical institute of Canada) pin, but others will come with time (who wants to distribute sciencemadness pins? ) Tye dying it may not be a good idea, people will think a hippie chemist would be
making drugs. Getting your name embroidered is a good idea, I think I will do the same at some point.
Random funny coloured stains are always good ...
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Cyrus
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This is a completely random thread, but I think the best labcoat would be one on which you enscribed (sharpie, black marker, or something) all of the
reactions you did or liked...
Cyrus
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Darkblade48
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I also had a similar problem to yours, because I'm pretty small as well, but I ended up going with a lab coat that was slightly larger.
The sleeves are about an inch longer than I like them to be, so I tend to roll them up (I'm thinking about just hemming them) so that they
don't get in my way (though in terms of my organic chemistry lab, I never worked with an open flame at all).
However, I still tend to find that when I wear a sweater in the winter time, the lab coat feels kind of tight, but maybe it's just that I prefer
baggier clothing.
If I were you, I'd go with the larger size, and then hem it down yourself so that the sleeves are a reasonable length
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uber luminal
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too tall
I have the same problem as rouge chemist. im 6'3" and not a in the shape of a marshmallow, as my lab coat might suggest.
The largest size I could find was size 50. It comes to just above my knees which is just dandy. I would prefer something longer really (a white lab
coat, trench coat haha). Anyway, I installed some randome bits of string with high vacuum cement (its what I had at the time), in different places on
the coat. on both sides just about my hips, a diagonal string sinches that area, and around the waste, under the waste pockets is another set of sinch
strings. I can adjust them by winding objects in the string (like paper clips or something). If over wound, it looks wierd. But if wound not too
tightly, it takes away a lot of the baggy marshmallow look and keeps me comfy.
Ok, as the Color issue... Keep these things in mind when altering your Lab coat:
1. White is nice. You can see when you are dirty, or when some toxic chemical has landed on you. Black fabric does not show wet spots as well. This
could be bad when investigating wether or not the HF landed on you or not. (granted you would probably be stripping down and running for Caglut
anyway. but you get the idea..)
2. You will no doubt, wear this thing around others. If you decorate the crap out of it, that might be fine when showing off your nerdy fashion to
classmates, but you will feel mighty silly when someone you are trying to impress (like a researcher who might possibly give you a job) see's
you.
3. However Lame this may be, the coolest designs on labcoats (IMO) is the indication of heavy use. You could fabricate stains and "months of
use", just as those dumb pre-worn blue jeans do.
4. Labcoats are cheap. $15USD here. I have 4(mostly because when its time to clean or wash them, I am so lazy I go buy a new one). So keep that in
mind if you decide to fake "months of use" into your coat. (it might be apparent of what you are trying to do).
5. Those printout/iron on-diy-tshirt things work on labcoats too. Its not always good to be easily identified though. Esp. from your labcoat that can
be seen from down the hall. a solid white coat can be a great thing sometimes.
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sparkgap
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Hi Samosa, long time no post!
Anyway, with labcoats, I go for those that are not too loose or tight. Not too tight so that there is some delay in whatever chemical I spill on my
suit from reaching my clothes underneath, nor not too loose such that I keep upturning flasks and beakers with floppy sleeves.
There aren't any trenchcoat-like lab coats available here; all of them go up to the knee. That's why for lab sessions, I wear thick denims
and chemical-resistant boots underneath the gown. I just wear a T-shirt on the top though. Makes me look rugged.
If buying a size 36 online is cheaper for you, it might be OK to return the coat. Then again, taking growth spurts into account (if you're still
a teen, that is), maybe one size larger wouldn't hurt. Or if someone's good at suit alteration in your family, just get the larger coat and
have it trimmed to your preferred size.
As for labcoat customization, all I do is write my name in an inconspicuous part of the coat (usually underneath a button hole) so that I'll know
if the labcoat I grabbed is mine, and a few azo dye and metal coordination compound stains here and there. I agree with uber luminal in that the labcoat shouldn't be dark-colored because spills are hard to notice on
such. (My labcoat is white also). After months of laundering, though, they turn cream-colored. (Yes, I launder my labcoats, they're expensive
here. )
sparky (^_^)
"What's UTFSE? I keep hearing about it, but I can't be arsed to search for the answer..."
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Blind Angel
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Here's mine. It fit's perfectly on me, it's a medium size. I don't know where it's from though, I had it as a christmas gift.
I've been told that it was ordered from Toronto by a friend of my step-mother... so I don't know exactly which shop. If you find something
like it, I would like to know from where.
The black is very dark and doesn't reflect a lot of light, it's one of the purest I have seen yet in cloth.
[Edit] I never washed it so i don't know how it'll react. And a flash was used in this foto.
[Edited on 22-6-2005 by Blind Angel]
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My PGP Key Fingerprint: D4EA A609 55E4 7ADD 8529 359D D6E2 33F6 4C76 78ED |
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Beatnik
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Screw the coat. Invest in stylish, coloured safety glasses. I hate those boxy, clunky ones.
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sparkgap
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"...coloured safety glasses..."
Then you'd have a hard time telling if the solution you were working on *DID* turn green unless you remove them glasses.
sparky (^_^)
[Edited on 27-6-2005 by sparkgap]
"What's UTFSE? I keep hearing about it, but I can't be arsed to search for the answer..."
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Beatnik
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I ment frames =) Duh!
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