new guy question about using gloves

[yesteryearforge]

I usually wear a welding glove on my tong hand / I generally use shorter length tongs or sometimes large vise grips and havent had a problem with slag or scale getting in the glove and they come off with a flick of the wrist when needed. But it all comes down to common sense , even my wife uses hot pads or oven mits when something is too hot to hold barehanded and I would hate to think she is smarter than me or at least I would never admit it to anybody but her :lol:

[Don A]

Speaking of hot pads and oven mits, a friend of mine told me that he had bought a left-handed "Ov-Glove" (as seen on TV). He said that it was amazing how hot a piece you could handle with those things.

I'm personally too tight to buy one. I'd rather be burnt than to part with the $15.00.

[Strine]

I'm in the no gloves camp. I just reckon if I have a glove on I lose all sense of touch...I can't feel what's happening. Besides I don't reckon they would have protected me from the burn to my face nor the burn to my leg. ops: Both those occasions were due to stupidity not lack PPE. Oh..and I wouldn't hear of glove wearing as a sissy thing to do. If the glove fits, wear it. (Has it really taken 12 replies for that to come out )

[bruce wilcock]

Glenn i will send pic of leather palmes ,but i have never been able to fathom out a way to get a pict on to the site,i would have sent som of the anchor forging if i had found a way

[Glenn]

Bruce, just post the text and send me the photos. I will place them into the text for you.

or you can put the photos on the IForgeIron.com/gallery, and I can pull them from there and put them into the text.

or place the photos on http://www.yourimg.com and then post the URL inside the text. I will pull the image and place it into the text for you.

The important thing is to get the photo into the post, not the process. The best size for the gallery and the forum is 400 pixels wide or tall which ever is greater. If you have problems, contact me directly.

[Daryl]

DO NOT WEAR GLOVES! However, I trust you are wearing safety glasses. If you have excess amounts of scale flying on to your hands, it means either you have a gas forge that is scaling the bejeepers out of the iron, or your coal fire is oxidising too much. In either case, correct the cause, not the condition.

Old German Blacksmith saying for those who pause and look at their work after pulling iron out of the fire, "If you want to think, be a priest; If you want to get something done, get hammering!"

[T-Gold]

I usually work with a gas forge, and I usually wear a loose plain leather glove on my left hand and nothing on my hammer hand. I found that if I wore a glove on my hammer hand it gave me a death grip on my hammer that caused rapid fatigue. The left glove is a must due to radiant heat from the gasser heating longer pieces of stock, and also to protect from dragon's breath. I can work without it, but why? If it gets hot, I hold it so the hot part is down and hanging away from my skin (hence, loose glove). If it's too hot for this to work, it's probably on fire, and I'll sling it into the slack tub.

[Glenn]

Careful about getting those gloves wet. Next time they get hot the water can turn to steam and you may get a steam burn.

[irnsrgn]

Well, I will have to go with the minority on this one. I most always wear a left handed glove, and only rarely wear a right hand one except in the winter time to keep my fingers warm, (frostbitten several times).

I will not wear those gloves with a cloth back or all cloth gloves as I have gotten some really bad burns from welding sparks and sparks and dross from the cutting torch and scale from forging starting the cloth on fire or burning thru the cloth. I use what is called a drivers glove that look similar to the ones Glenn has pictures off, except they have leather backs also. I usually wear the cuff out putting them on, and when part of it gets worn or torn away they get scrapped as in my opinion a glove without a cuff is one of the biggest hazards to burns I can imagine, next to not wearing one.

When you work with large hot things you are forging, (plowlays and mower blades) a glove is a must to keep from toasting your hand good and also when quenching the large hot object in the slack tub a gloveless hand invites a major steam burn.

I also almost always wear a glove on the left hand when drilling and expecially when grinding.

Just my opinion and I am sticking to it from expierience.

[Glenn]

The welding supplier locally has several types of "welding" gloves. There were two pair that caught my eye, one pair had the leather so thin and so soft that you could tell if a dime was heads or tails and then pick it up.


The second pair was more of the normal welding glove, but with an aluminumized foil backing to relfect heat. There was a 5x7 inch aluminumized foil backed pad with elastic straps beside them to use over your existing glove to reflect heat.

Carolina Glove Company is one source for gloves.

McMaster Carr is another source for gloves. Search for gloves or see page 1622 in their catalog for Welding & Heat-Resistant Gloves.

Gloves are designed in many different configurations for many different purposes. You just need to find the style glove that will work for you in your situation, and keep your hands safe from being injured or damaged. Then tell us. :wink: