Ray started wiring houses in 1986. Four decades later, he's still at it — not because he has to, but because he wants to. His hands, remarkably, are in better shape than most guys half his age.
"I see young guys with wrecked hands after five years. Cracked skin, chronic cuts, calluses that tear. And I think: that could have been me."
The Secret
There's no magic to it, Ray insists. Just consistency. He's wrapped his pull hand before every big job since the early '90s. He moisturizes every night. He addresses cuts immediately instead of working through them.
"Your hands are tools. You maintain your tools. Why would your hands be different?"
Passing It On
Ray mentors apprentices through the local union. Hand care is part of his curriculum, right alongside code and safety.
"I tell them: you want to do this for forty years? Start taking care of your hands now. The damage you do at 25 catches up with you at 55. I've watched it happen. Don't let it happen to you."