At work, I wear left glove only for the most part ( welding ). Depends. Forging I will wear a left glove if if is something large or a large piece of sheet metal ( often both gloves then ). The gloves I wear at home are in the pic. Grinding as well ( you can feel heat through them but not burn ). Of course they are excellent for welding although I normally weld bare handed at home ( MIG and gas ). Yes they are pricey ( $ 14.00 last I bought ) but I go through perhaps 3 pair a year. I would rather hit the slack tub with the held end of a piece than use a glove ( even these good ones ) normally. Bare hands gives me better feel but HEAT from a large piece doesn't mean I won't wear gloves. I wear wool mittens in the wintertime mostly ( for cold hands ).

Edited July 7, 200817 yr by Ten Hammers
duh, post the pic....:p

despite my life long career of protecting person and property, I rarely use any type of safety equipment being for smithing, operating power equipment, shooting, etc not because I've tricked myself into thinking im above using it, but Im just dumb like that, and I havent come out the worse for wear YET, but on to my point... If I was gonna wear a glove for smithing I would use a structural firefighting glove with a knit cuff(nomex/kevlar usually) these gloves have vapor barrier(to prevent steam burns if wet) and have allowed me to hande handle steel handled tools in environments that were well over 600 deg F, and still retain a good bit of dexterity. One manufacturer used to have someone picking up a coin off a table with thier glove on, now I think that'd be a stretch, but you could easily pick up any smithing tool or stock, as I could tie my shoes while wearing them. Check at www . thefirestore . com or www . galls . com both have a good reputation. I prefer shelby brand but thats just what Im used to and they seem to be of good quality leather,fit well, and would usually last the better part of two years with regular use.

Edited July 7, 200817 yr by rfb343
stupid URL advertising

i wear realy,cheap, almost rawhide glvoes from home depot there only like 6$ and im still on my first pair, there real loose that way when i get another piece of something hot in it i can just flick my wrist and it flies acrosd the patio.

Edited July 8, 200817 yr by geofthesmith

Don't Wear Gloves, Except When Punching/chisling, When I Wear One On To Hold The Punch. (i Would Prefer To Have Handled Punches)

I do not always wear gloves. If I do it is usually only on my tong hand. Most of the time they are in my back pocket if needed. Just a pair of inexpensive leather work gloves. I have a couple pair of welding gloves. I don't use them much but they are sure nice to have if you need them...
Jerry

i wear a welding glove on my tong hand (the left hand) . I learned from error not to wear a glove on your hammer hand;).

i have only been blacksmithing for a few days(lol my forge took a while to make)but i don't use gloves seems to me its safer but if you want to use them go ahead

I have never used gloves for forging but afterwards yes. I use them when grinding and picking up any steel laying around the anvil or welding table until I determine weather it is hot or cold. I always consider it hot until proved otherwise. When pouring bronze I always wear gloves. When I first started I got burned a few time, well more then a few, by picking up stuff around the place after grinding, welding or cutting off so after forging that's when the gloves came on. Slow learner at first I guess.:p

Prior to my motorcycle wreck I never wore gloves, now that I am getting back to the forge I have found that the injuries to my hands have also made them a bit over sensitive. So I now keep a pair of gloves near by just in case. The only time I have ever worn a glove on my hammer hand was just a few weeks ago. After 7 hours of hammering (after not hammering for 2 years) I wore a very large blister... I put on the glove for the last 30 minutes to finish up...

James