Stefflus Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 An issue that has been mentioned before, but that I can't see here, is that a glove on the hammer hand can give a slippery grip and subsequent strain injury. I had a six month involuntary break from smithing because of this. It took several months before I could even open a screwcap bottle the normal way, and now almost two years later I still can't screw on woodworking clamps as hard as I used to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 I though he was talking tong hand, I can not imagine why anyone would wear a glove on hammer hand ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WayneCoeArtistBlacksmith Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 I teach to ware a glove on your non hammer hand. First if you are holding metal that has been in the forge and gets to hot to hold bare handed but cool enough to hold with a Kevlar glove. It is better to work with stock long enough to hold without tongs. Second (and Spanky will like this) you have more of a tendency to wipe the scale off the anvil. I find that most new smiths don't want to get their hand dirty. Third, as said before when punching, slitting or slotting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJS Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 I used to wear Kevlar sleeves and a Kevlar off hand glove while running the power hammer or punching, drifting, chisel work on dragons and animal heads. Haven't worn them much in the last few years... I will also wear them if the stock is large enough to burn me, just holding it and hitting it, but I don't work stock that big very often, unfortunately;-) I hate wearing a glove on my hammer hand, and I prefer to use handled tools, or tools held in tongs for most things. Don't like steam burns, but a Kevlar sleeves and gloves are very handy. Most of the time I don't stop or even curse when I get scale burns, and I generally wait till I am done with a heat to put myself out, unless skin is burning, then I stop right away;-) Your not really working hard enough unless you set your self on fire at least once a year;-)If I remember the numbers ptree quotes about, you need to grip 60% harder to feel like you have the same control with a glove on... that's hard on your hands.You have to protect anything you want to keep, sometimes that means wearing gloves, and sometimes that means NOT wearing gloves... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iron woodrow Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 BIG stock, all day, and reaching into big furnaces requires gloves, no matter how much of a MAN you are. no gloves for hand work, but welding gloves for big power hammer and big furnace for sure. otoh, shirts are for sissys ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRS Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 I will never forget the guy at reddit that needs gloves to protect him from heat and a possible electric shock from his toaster where he tempers his knives How is it an easy way to electrocute myself? The knife never touches the live wires on the inside, or even any metal on the toaster at all. EDIT: Along with that, since I'm using heated metal I also wear my gloves with melting or heat treating. If people don't know how to use gloves when around heat they shouldn't be a blacksmith. :blink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forgemaster Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 BIG stock, all day, and reaching into big furnaces requires gloves, no matter how much of a MAN you are. no gloves for hand work, but welding gloves for big power hammer and big furnace for sure. otoh, shirts are for sissys ;) I second John, singlets are the way to go and it depends on the size of the job as to whether you need gloves or not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forgemaster Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Depends on the size of the job at hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalMechanic Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share Posted August 21, 2014 Wow! Great responses... And some very funny ones too. I've been at this for all of 20 minutes so I AM the definition of "nubie". At this point I've set up my smithy but have yet to take a hammer to hot stuff. I've spent a lot of time reading - not a complete waste of time - but I know experience is the best research. I've avoided all the Chinese made crap and spent a couple of months looking for an anvil (got a pretty 120lb F&N circa 1920) that I think will be enough to get me started. As for the gloves, I think I'll try gloveless first, map my injuries to activities and figure out where I need the gloves as I go. I've never used gloves around machines - and I've been the one lecturing others about getting caught and pulled into a planer for a "de-gloving" (and I'm not talking about leather). I know no matter how careful I am I'm going to have to deal with the occasional burn and, as so many have pointed out, wet gloves and steam burns are the worst. Having a 5 gallon bucket of fresh water may be handy - I'm not sure I want to dunk a burn in the slack tub but I doubt I'd be squeamish about slack tub water in the heat of the moment (pun intended). Well, I'm gonna give this a go over the weekend... I'll just be happy if I can make a taper that doesn't look too awful (I'm planning on following the Hand Controlled Forging lessons from ABANA). Once I get down some basic skills I'll probably try to make new hinges for my shop doors! I expect that will be around September 2031. Thanks for all the great advice, insight and humor! -DM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalMechanic Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share Posted August 21, 2014 I think I'll pass on the toaster! I just scored a Fischer Scientific oven that will go to 800F for FREE! Always a good price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SJS Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 DM where are you from, lots of people like to see where people are from, and sometimes are surprised to see hey your just north of me... You can list your location in your profile. Have you looked to see if there is a local state chapter of ABANA active in your area. I am in Indiana and there are about 12 satellite groups that I could go to if I had the time. Not to mention Rural Smiths and SOFA which aren't too long of a drive... I really like to tell newbies that there aren't any short cuts in life, but having someone who can guide you well can help get you where you want to go faster, and more importantly avoid some of the pitfalls. Learning proper hammer technique and control makes everything easier, and a lot less painful;-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01tundra Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 I only wear a kevlar glove on my left hand on rare occasions, such as punching with a hand-held tool or handling large, heavy stock that's gotten too hot to handle bare handed and it's too heavy to use tongs with. The only time I use a glove on my right hand is when I'm hammering with my left and performing the above mentioned tasks. When welding with my mig, I only wear a left hand glove, can't stand wearing a glove on my right hand while holding a torch/trigger. Same goes for the plasma cutter, only left hand. Electrical tape is for blisters :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalMechanic Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share Posted August 21, 2014 SJS I've wanted to find a mentor, or at least some like-minded folks near me. There is a chapter in PA (where I'm from), PABA - but I haven't reached out yet... I understand what you're saying about hammer technique but like anything else one wants to learn, it's difficult (as a nubie) to know who has the right technique to teach... There's a guy in PA who teaches a 2-day one on one class but it's pricy (for me anyway). I'm going to hack away at it - I'm pretty good with tools and engineering. I'm also a XXXXX good welder, so at the risk of self-learning a bad technique I'm inclined to just wing it. I'm a Marine... Jarheads can do anything! I'm sure I'll be posting a retraction sometime soon :) -DM Please remember this is a G rated family forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 I was just thinking and realized that I like wearing gloves to load/unload/set up; but then remove them for forging. Sometimes I will wear a glove on the tong hand when not using tongs. And sometimes when the metal is sub zero you need gloves to not stick to it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dagwood Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 I have only been smithing for a few months now but already I've had good and bad experiences with wearing gloves. Last week I managed to get a hot coal down my hammer hand glove. It must have been in there 2 seconds before I noticed. Now I have a very tender spot on my wrist! Other than that I think that wearing the gloves all the time gives you too much confidence in holding hot metal so the chances of picking up a hot piece with bare hands is always a risk if you are used to working with gloves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmoothBore Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 I never wear gloves, ... but I often wish I had. :P It's a standing joke around here, to guess how often I'll set myself on fire today. Eventually, you become somewhat philosophical about it ..... :mellow: . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stash Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Yo DM- another PA guy here, and I recommend highly the PABA group. We will have our next meeting in Oct in an awesome professional shop in Stroudsburg, PA. Always good demo,, and a great bunch of guys, all willing to talk and share what they know. (Kinda like IFI, but live and in person.) Have a look at the website- www.pabasite.org for info and details. Oh- I don't wear gloves when forging. Just for pruning roses and pulling poison ivy. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpankySmith Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 Eventually, you become somewhat philosophical about it ..... :mellow: . "Live and let burn?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlemilligan Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 All I can say is after 30 odd years , working with hot metal, I can still do this to my self, WEAR GLOVES. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 As a friend of mine says "Blacksmithing is easy---you just hold the cold end and hit the hot end AND GET IT RIGHT NEXT TIME!!!!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted August 21, 2014 Share Posted August 21, 2014 hand.jpgAll I can say is after 30 odd years , working with hot metal, I can still do this to my self, WEAR GLOVES.hand.jpgWhoa, that looks painful. What did you grab??And I sympathise. I will NEVER use an oxy torch again without wearing gloves. This was a painful experience: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DigitalMechanic Posted August 21, 2014 Author Share Posted August 21, 2014 Stash - I'll make a point of reaching out to the PABA folks... I may see you there in October. Thanks! -DM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 OKAY, THAT'S ENOUGH! NO more pictures of burns you guys are giving me the willies! To reinforce Thomas' post I'll post the ancient blacksmith saying I made up a while back. "Carpe terminus fridgis," or in American, "seize the cold end." Now STOP doing that! Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ausfire Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 I like that, Frosty. CARPE TERMINUS FRIDGIS. Good one.My wife has a poster saying CARPE DIEM on the fridge, so I reckon I can hang your version over the forge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 I think the correct Latin would be "Carpe terminum frigidum" ("cold end" in the accusative, receiving the action of the verb). I'll wear gloves sometimes, as I think necessary, but in the winter I wear gloves and glove liners full time. It's just too cold in my shop otherwise, my finger's numb and lose dexterity. I'm glad for the spring when I can leave them off, but until I have a better-insulated and heated workshop I'll wear them in the winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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