New Welding Leathers (and Modification)

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So after having my old set of Tillman cape and sleeves home for some repairs the other weekend I finally managed to talk my inner Scotsman into letting me buy a new pair.   Besides just being over all filthy and stiff the sleeves on them had shrunken shorter to where they were letting a good strip of skin on my wrist exposed which seemed to be getting burnt more and more often.  The fact that I prefer Driver's style gloves for welding made this situation worse.   Most of the wear and tear you see on that left sleeve has been from gouging slag.One thing that's always bothered me about the way the ends of the sleeves are made is how this extra piece of leather and snap end up sticking out and leaving a good sized opening for spatter and slag to find it's way in.   Also a lot of times that snap will catch on things while your trying to weld and will cause a wobble to your smooth progression down the joint (especially when trying to weld in more restricted areas).   Additionally when you do want to wear heavier welding gloves with a longer cuff that part sticking out makes putting them on more of a PITA because it catches on the edge of the cuff.  Usually have to take you're other hand and tuck it in so you can get the glove fully on.So my solution to this nagging little problem has been to cut this extra piece off (along the drawn line) and then use "Fabric Fusion" glue to hold the short seam (between the rivet and the snap) closed.I found putting something round up in the end of the sleeve made the seam lay better for gluing.
Reply:My old set and the new ones I just bought are Tillman model 3321 (XL).   They listed for $53.50 at the LWS.   Being a long term account holder there let me get them for $40.35.    The front apron is separate and will be another $19 when it comes in.   All they had in stock was the 20" apron (which is what's on my old pair) but I decided I want to go with the 24" apron this time to give a little more protection to the fronts of my thighs.
Reply:It  sad when the leathers would stand up by themselves. Having nice soft new leathers is a great feeling and just think how good you'll look. My bib is the longer one and does make a difference especially laying on the ground flat out. It provides additional protection where needed.
Reply:And let's not forget how good they smell.
Reply:That Aleene's glue is good stuff. I used to make leather gun holsters, and some shoulder holster variants and used the bottle version to glue some nylon ones together I made. Being the nature of your job, I can see how really taking the time to think about stuff like your protective gear fitting correctly is almost essential so you don't end up cooking yourself from high UV level exposure. I am still shocked at how fast that jacket you had posted about awhile back literally fell apart after a short while on the job. My jacket is likely pushing 6-7 years old, but I don't weld much and when I do. It's nowhere near the amps you guys are.I got a nice burn on the back of my neck from this gate job I've been working on in my shop for the last couple of weeks. I don't always wear a jacket on lighter stuff (I almost always wear a 3/4 sleeve shirt underneath my work shirts which are cotton) so I know why I got the red neck suntan going on.Expert Garage Hack....https://www.facebook.com/steven.webber.948
Reply:I dislike that little hole too. Great idea to glue them up, I might have to try that.12v battery, jumper cables, and a 6013.I only have a facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/pages/VPT/244788508917829
Reply:I think I'll try and start getting some pictures of the various types of gear people are using in our shop to deal with the issues you mention and how it holds up.   I swear some of it is flat out comical.   You can definetly tell the newbies from the veterans by how they try and dress.   The UV off metal core at the amperages we run just disintegrates cotton fabric in short order.   Even those high dollar FR ones.    Most folks show up with fairly new work clothes but it only takes a couple of weeks before they end up looking so ratty that you'd think some of them must have been hired from the local homeless shelter.
Reply:Originally Posted by VPTI dislike that little hole too. Great idea to glue them up, I might have to try that.