Welding gloves

Soundguy · Oct 8, 2012

i like long cuff gloves.. even with a welding jacket with leather arms

which by the way.. I forgot to mention to the OP.. a nice welding jacket is a good investment. I think I paid somewhere between 50-75 bucks for mine from the welding store... leather arms and the green fire resistant treated facing on the shirt. worth it.

I think I might take a look at those full arm gloves.. mine currently are mide arm or a lil longer. the heat shild is interesting.. not sure if I would like it or not.. but plan on trying one one!

thanks for the pics.

Artisan said:
...I couldn't disagree more w/ the gentlemen who suggest
you shouldn't over think gloves. True, I get accused
a lot on this board for "Over Thinking" (makes me laugh actually)
but usually my ways work VERY well...not always, but usually...

Maybe I have graduated to a professional welder?
Doubt it...but this set up is soooooooooooo nice!

I found that trying different gloves was a God send and now
I run for my elbow length gloves, AND, I accessorize each
glove with a back-of-hand/knuckle protecting heat reflective pad!

The right protection make all the difference in the world.

Here are the heat reflectors I have been running;

Here are the gloves I run, there awesome! LOVEM!

Shield Arc · Oct 8, 2012

I'd like to have the money all those companies spent on heat shields for me back in the day!:drool:

I find them very cumbersome unless I'm running really high amp wire feeds. For stick welding they always seem to be in the way. I made a smaller version, only use it for pipe welding. I shake so bad now a days I have to control the rod with my pointer finger on my left hand

. This really saves on gloves welding overhead under a pipe.

Baby Grand · Oct 8, 2012

For stick welding, I check the size by sticking my mitts in them and making a fist. If there's slop with a clenched fist, I move on to the next pair; if I can't close my fist completely, I move on to the next pair. I have big hands, so I always have trouble finding a pair with long enough fingers to close my fist completely. Not being able to easily close my hand completely makes gripping the rod holder tiring which leads to poor welds. That's my excuse, anyways.

Shield Arc · Oct 8, 2012

Baby Grand said:
Not being able to easily close my hand completely makes gripping the rod holder tiring which leads to poor welds. That's my excuse, anyways.

Hey can I use that too? :scratchchin:

Baby Grand · Oct 8, 2012

Heh-heh - you are welcome to it!

bubbacuse77 · Oct 8, 2012

I have found that Miller's medium duty mig gloves tend to be an all around great glove for me. They offer enough protection when stick welding and are nimble enough to run power and air tools with. This keeps me from having. To constantly be switching out gloves. I have a tendency to for go safety when it isn't comfortable, and these are comfortable.
Miller - Welding Helmets & Welder Safety Equipment and Clothing - Heavy Duty MIG/Stick Gloves

Gary Fowler · Oct 12, 2012

I have found that prior to buying any brand, try it on (both hands) to make sure there isnt a fold or something that makes them feel uncomfortable. Every brand will occassionally have a sewing defect in them that gets by Quality Control so check the stitching also. Gloves that have a liner sometimes the liner isnt sewn in and tries to reverse itself out of the glove especially when your hands get a little sweaty, not a good think.
These are just a few of the things to look for when trying on a new pair of gloves.

Tractor Seabee · Oct 13, 2012

Too tedious to read all these posts, so here is my take: I welded for years as a pipefitter/welder. Most of the welders I worked, with including myself, used nothing but good grade leather driving glove, soft and pliable only. We even did flame cutting and O/A welding. Always wore long sleeve shirts buttoned up to protect arms from arc burn. Still today, I weld that way. My welding supply has a nice glove I like for under $4. I use them for everything; and buy tthem 6 pair at a time. I keep a pair in every vehicle, 2 in the shop, one on the welder, rest are spares. I use pliers or vise grips to pick up or move hot metal. I have never had a serious burn.

Ron

Jesse masterson · Oct 14, 2012

I alwYs felt to make a good weld get comfortable, that includes the things you wear, its as much of the process as the machine.

weldermike · Oct 15, 2012

Jesse masterson said:
I alwYs felt to make a good weld get comfortable, that includes the things you wear, its as much of the process as the machine.

I agree, and sometimes depending on the procedure, ill wear two different gloves. For tig work this is what ive been using latley.

Dadnatron · May 18, 2017

This is an interesting thread... in that I need to figure something out for gloves.

I am extremely careful about my hands. It comes with the territory of being a surgeon I guess. I wear gloves constantly, when I am working and have many different styles for different uses. But I rarely am without gloves while I am working. For regular work, I typically buy the $10 HF soft leather gloves with velcro straps. I like tight fitting gloves, especially since I wear them constantly and want good dexterity. And when I invariably wear out the tip of my right index and middle finger, I don't mind tossing them in the trash and getting a new pair. I DO mind tossing the $35 Mechanix gloves though... hence the HF.

Yesterday, was my 2nd 'welding class', and I had been given a crappy pair of stiff and shrunken gloves to work with the time before. So gloves were on my mind. I had gone into their store area, and they had a ton of variations, and out of them, I thought a couple pair might work. But, the store was 'closed' so although I could look at things, I couldn't actually purchase any. I asked my instructor about it, and he was like many of you, saying 'anything will work'. But when I asked him what HE used... he said he uses 100% cotton 'hot mill' gloves. I was shocked, because I had simply assumed you 'HAD' to wear heavy, awkward, leather gloves. That's all I'd ever seen used in my '''huge''' experience. He gave me a pair, and I loved them.

I did have one issue, however. After I was through, running about 100 6" beads, I noticed that the back of my off hand was always hot. When I removed the glove, I saw that I had a very mild burn on the back of my left hand, with a normal space, where a double seam had prevented direct heat. This morning, I have a couple small blisters.

So, I began looking for gloves and alternatives, thinking those gloves would work great if I had a shield on that glove.

I see a few thoughts about shields, and I don't think that having a big 'metal plate' strapped to my hand will be useful for my meager abilities. But, if you were going to use a shield, what alternatives are there and what are your thoughts about how to fasten it? I know BS has gloves with special snaps to remove the shield.

What are the good and bad about a heat shield?

Soundguy · May 18, 2017

Dadnatron said:
This is an interesting thread... in that I need to figure something out for gloves.

I am extremely careful about my hands. It comes with the territory of being a surgeon I guess. I wear gloves constantly, when I am working and have many different styles for different uses. But I rarely am without gloves while I am working. For regular work, I typically buy the $10 HF soft leather gloves with velcro straps. I like tight fitting gloves, especially since I wear them constantly and want good dexterity. And when I invariably wear out the tip of my right index and middle finger, I don't mind tossing them in the trash and getting a new pair. I DO mind tossing the $35 Mechanix gloves though... hence the HF.

Yesterday, was my 2nd 'welding class', and I had been given a crappy pair of stiff and shrunken gloves to work with the time before. So gloves were on my mind. I had gone into their store area, and they had a ton of variations, and out of them, I thought a couple pair might work. But, the store was 'closed' so although I could look at things, I couldn't actually purchase any. I asked my instructor about it, and he was like many of you, saying 'anything will work'. But when I asked him what HE used... he said he uses 100% cotton 'hot mill' gloves. I was shocked, because I had simply assumed you 'HAD' to wear heavy, awkward, leather gloves. That's all I'd ever seen used in my '''huge''' experience. He gave me a pair, and I loved them.

I did have one issue, however. After I was through, running about 100 6" beads, I noticed that the back of my off hand was always hot. When I removed the glove, I saw that I had a very mild burn on the back of my left hand, with a normal space, where a double seam had prevented direct heat. This morning, I have a couple small blisters.

So, I began looking for gloves and alternatives, thinking those gloves would work great if I had a shield on that glove.

I see a few thoughts about shields, and I don't think that having a big 'metal plate' strapped to my hand will be useful for my meager abilities. But, if you were going to use a shield, what alternatives are there and what are your thoughts about how to fasten it? I know BS has gloves with special snaps to remove the shield.

What are the good and bad about a heat shield?

They make flexible 3x5 foil backed, heat resistant shields for gloves or arm hot spots.

I usually just buy a pair of premium leather welding gloves that are very soft, but with high gauntlet cuff. you can buy a leather glove as soft as you want, good fitting and easy to work in, with plenty of heat protection.. but they cost $. I have a pair of very very supple 'past the elbow' gloves' that are wonderfull when I need more arm protection than my jacket gives me.. but they were 85$

Tractor Seabee · May 18, 2017

Soundguy said:
They make flexible 3x5 foil backed, heat resistant shields for gloves or arm hot spots.

I usually just buy a pair of premium leather welding gloves that are very soft, but with high gauntlet cuff. you can buy a leather glove as soft as you want, good fitting and easy to work in, with plenty of heat protection.. but they cost $. I have a pair of very very supple 'past the elbow' gloves' that are wonderfull when I need more arm protection than my jacket gives me.. but they were 85$

Sounds like he is talking about what in the trade are TIG gloves. They are very supple and tight fitting leather. I use them when a gauntlet type glove is needed. I knew welders that used nothing but cotton gloves. For general work including welding I use soft style drivers gloves. They cost less than so called welding gloves and can be used for fitting and grinding. All welders gloves except TIG are very heavy and cumbersome

Ron
Ron

Gary Fowler · May 18, 2017

When I welded for a living, I always bought Tillman gloves in either soft deerskin or pigskin. Tillman also made a good thin leather TIG welding glove with a short cuff. They were expensive (haven't priced them in several decades) but dollar for dollar they would outlast the cheaper ones. The welding gloves had very good insulation on the back side to prevent blistering your hands and the sewing thread was protected from burnout.

showcattle · May 18, 2017

rockinacummins · May 18, 2017

Tillmans. Nothing else. 750's for stick, 24C's for tig.

bigtiller · May 19, 2017

What was your off hand doing when it got warm? I have a bad habit of getting my left index finger hot while guiding a new rod just a little too long. I need one of the TIG shields for my finger.

Welding Tips & Tricks Tig Finger Heat Shield: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

Dadnatron · May 21, 2017

I was simply holding/guiding my trigger hand. But it was 'closer' to the arc. I am sure I don't have very good overall basic skill. My 'educator' is knowledgeable, but I think he is more of the 'get at it' kind of teacher. He answer's questions, and walks around every now and then, critiquing the weld. But I am afraid I might be 'learning' mistakes in technique simply because I have no real clue what I am doing. As far as I can remember, he's never watched me lay a bead.

I was welding 'spray arc' within 5min of snapping on a jacket. Might not have been even that long. He just said "give yourself about 5/8" stickout. Hold at 90d X and 15d Y and try to keep your travel speed consistent. Put about 5 beads on each of these plates then let them cool, then flip them over and do it again on the other side." He answers questions if I ask them and he can answer the technical as well as the skill types well. He just is a quiet guy. I'd like a bit more direction and immediate feedback. I would progress much faster.

This is my 2nd 2hrs work. Spray arc groove plates butt joint. First weld of the day is top. Last is bottom. I know there is porosity, especially at the initial part of the weld, but I don't know what to do about it. He said I might have the stickout too long. But, I don't know. I shortened it up, and didn't seem to get a better initial arc.

(Hmmm... I think the site is flipping the pic for some reason. Direction of travel is right to left.)