No Glove on filler hand???

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I have found myself not using a glove on my filler rod hand as I find it much more comfortable and accurate. How many of you guys dont wear a glove on this hand? My main concern is the UV rays from this exposed skin. I dont seem to get any type of "sun" burn on the hand, but I wonder if I'm still being exposed to dangerous levels of UV rays doing this?Regards,Justin
Reply:I wore shorts a few weeks back and got a nasty UV burn on my shins. It hurt like a sunburn for days, and then my skin peeled like a normal sunburn.Besides the UV I would wear a glove just in case the wild BB gets you. Those can make you a believer.While I'm talking safety, I was chipping off slag the other day and caught a piece on the eyelid which branded its shape into my lid in a fraction of a second. Lessons learned for me come at a price. Thank God it hit my eyelid and not my eye! I will always wear safety glasses from now on...and pants.  Last edited by kevey; 08-30-2006 at 02:14 PM.Lincoln AC-225
Reply:Wear gloves.  Find some specially-made TIG gloves from really thin, flexible leather, even if you choose to wear thicker gloves on the torch hand.
Reply:Great advice...wear the glove, long sleeve shirt and pants.  I too got a nasty sunburn on my arm just above my leather glove line.  Seems to be worse when I TIG than when I Stick weld.  The video Wog posted yesterday of Zap (good stuff) showed Zap filling with a bare hand.  I guess if you put on a bunch of Suntan lotion SPF 50+ it might help.skin cancer is nothing to mess with.Michael
Reply:i posted this more than once..no i do not use a glove on my filler hand.. gloves are nothing more than a dirt/oil magnet that contaminates the filler as your adding it..never have never will..think what you want but adding filler is WAY easier without one......zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:I have a glove that does nothing but handle filler.  It has far less oil on it than my hands do.But you have to be willing to switch gloves before handling anything else, including the weldment.
Reply:That what I figured, better safe then sorry. I just need to pick up a new set of gloves that I only weld in as I've already contaminated my TIG gloves too much.Are there better gloves out there then these for tig?
Reply:Those kidskin gloves are the best that I have found for Tig.  Make sure and get a good fit.  If they are too big, it will make it difficult to feed your filler wire.
Reply:A nice tight-fitting leather glove works well.  Kevlar gloves can also be used as an alternative.  You will suffer from UV exposure if you don't wear a glove, the question is to what degree.-Heath
Reply:i've been doing the no glove routine for years..my blood is not green..i dont have 12 toes..and i think your all getting bent outta shape for nothing..i do burn my fingertips on occasion.but that only happens when i try to see how small i can get the filler before its too hot to hold..(down to 3/4 inch  )do what you want.. when i got the job where we did govt. work the first day there i went to the tool crib and asked for a pair of gloves.."what hand do you hold the torch in" i was asked.."right" i said..and thats the only one i got..if you were to come to work for me ..thats all you'd get too..dont like it?..theres the doorhave a nice day......zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Zapster how many years have you been welding with no glove on your left hand? Do you wear sun screen or anything to protect your skin? Do you notice yourself getting any redness on your left hand?Regards,Justin
Reply:I guess this would apply to me as well although I don't TIG weld. I arc weld with no gloves at all.First off I can't feel anything with gloves on and it bugs me.Second, I am always doing a lot of things. I don't cut a bunch of parts and then weld them all up. I usually cut something and then weld it on, then go measure and cut something else. After digging through my pile and finding, cutting them welding, I would loose the gloves anyway.Third and I don't know if this matters or not but I callouse up REALLY BAD. I have callouses on the back of my hands from years of making knives and in the early years I kept getting too close to the output of the propane forge and would get minor burns on the back of my hands. These quickly turned into callouses and now my hands are, as a friend calls them "Brake Pads" and claims I could stop a car with them.I grind knives without gloves also so I can feel the heat, if the heat treated blade gets too hot, it is ruined. If it gets too hot to hold on to, it needs to be cooled down. Anything over 325 degrees ruins them. Obviously this gives me callouses on the fingers and palms.I wonder if UV damages "Calouses" cause if it does, I'm in trouble.
Reply:The way I see, you have no right to be mad at anyone for wanting to protect their hands. What you do to your body is your busness, but don't be all high and mighty about someone wearing gloves. My responsibility is to me and me alone. Frankly, I could care less if you weld in shorts, barefoot, topless. and without a welding helmet. Theses are protective measures set in place for each individuals protection. We should encourage safety, not discourage safety. I have not been with the group for a long time and I do not know anyone personally. I have learned a couple of things and have contributed as well, but lately I have seen more negative posts than positive posts and this is a real turn off. I have freedom of choice, as does everyone else, nd I am about to exercise it. I no longer going to frequent this group. I don't care what anyone says, good or bad, but The level of negativity is way too high for me. The egos that go along with that negativity are too big for me to handle as well. You all might be great welders, but not great examples.So longTony"Wherever you go....there you are"
Reply:I do not weld everyday but when I do I usually don't wear gloves. Mostly because I am not welding long enough to justify it. (Lazy) I have worn them when trying to Tig for longer periods of time and found that I Tig welded even worse then normal while wearing gloves. Kinda like I cant feel what is going on while wearing them. When I MIG however it doesn't make a difference. I did see a guy tig for hours where I used to work wearing a v neck T shirt and he looked like a steamed lobster after. I do miss gloves when the tungsten hits the filler rod and I light up like the guy from the operation game from the 70's.Drivesector
Reply:I don't really see why your upset. People are just stating there opinions just like you did. Nobody said not to wear them and yes safety should come first. But it is everyones choice on how to do what they do. Maybe in years to come Zap and myself will have to carpool to the hospital together because we don't wear them.Drivesector
Reply:Originally Posted by drivesectorI don't really see why your upset. People are just stating there opinions just like you did. Nobody said not to wear them and yes safety should come first. But it is everyones choice on how to do what they do. Maybe in years to come Zap and myself will have to carpool to the hospital together because we don't wear them.Drivesector
Reply:Zapster, don't get me wrong.I'm not saying you're wrong.I'm just saying what I do, and saying how it's a viable alternative to keeping oils and dirt off the filler, when that's a concern.
Reply:i never said you or anyone else is wrong..its no big deal to me..i weld with a glove on my torch hand and thats it..to me it does make a diffrence..that is all.. ...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Originally Posted by orphan68The way I see, you have no right to be mad at anyone for wanting to protect their hands. What you do to your body is your busness, but don't be all high and mighty about someone wearing gloves. My responsibility is to me and me alone. Frankly, I could care less if you weld in shorts, barefoot, topless. and without a welding helmet. Theses are protective measures set in place for each individuals protection. We should encourage safety, not discourage safety. I have not been with the group for a long time and I do not know anyone personally. I have learned a couple of things and have contributed as well, but lately I have seen more negative posts than positive posts and this is a real turn off. I have freedom of choice, as does everyone else, nd I am about to exercise it. I no longer going to frequent this group. I don't care what anyone says, good or bad, but The level of negativity is way too high for me. The egos that go along with that negativity are too big for me to handle as well. You all might be great welders, but not great examples.So longTony
Reply:well I guess I will add my .02. I have been a professional tig welder for the past 23 years. I don't ( for the most part) wear a glove on my rod hand, I was taught that way when I was like 19, I am not saying it is right or wrong it just how I feel more comfortable welding. I worked at 1 outfit that required me to wear a white cotton glove on my rod hand as not to contaminate the filler rod with the oils from my hand, believe  it or not this happens,I had to get a new set of gloves every couple day, when you work in a industry that 90% of your work requires some type of Non Destructive inspection, the management wants to ensure everything is kept clean, we had a separate room to grind and sand the welds in, as to keep airborne particles to a minimum and not land in molten metal, thus failing xray. So bottom line the glove thing is more for weld cleanliness than for personal protection in my opinion ( others well differ ). These days I still do not use a glove while TIG welding, I posted a couple of pics where I welded some 1/2" plate, I hod no glove on while welding those, and had the amps cranked on the A/C, Ironically if I have a v neck shirt on while doing heavy a/c welding it will burn my neck, but never have a problem with my hand, and like I said I have been doing this 20+ years
Reply:i'm clapping my hands..thanks elder.....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:I wear a thin glove and use a tig pen, it works for me.
Reply:I tried one of those tig pens last time I had to re-cert, man I could not get he hang of it and it drove me crazy. I just went back to bare handed feeding. But hey if it works for you thats great. I still have that thing in my tool box, never use itThere are time where I am wearing heavy duty ( what I call stick welding gloves) on my torch hand , and nothing on my rod handLast edited by elderthewelder; 08-30-2006 at 10:40 PM.
Reply:My preference - glove: filler hand, no glove TIG hand. I always try to use every last bit of wire I can.John -  fabricator extraordinaire, car nut!-  bleeding Miller blue! http://www.weldfabzone.com
Reply:guess i ll have to  say  I go  Gloveless on filler hand  been welding  since 1974  an tigging since 1991 WOW ,  what a can o wormsboy, justin sure did get a firestorm going here. on all the job sites i've been on, my welders always fed bare handed even though they were susposed to be wearing an new glove each day. so when the weld was going in i make the fitter helper watch for the safety man. but it's personall preference i say. i wear gloves for stick and mig, but not for tig. but i, like bob, have hands that are harder than the hobs of hell. my daughter calls them meat hook, lol.just my personal opinion, but i think that because our hands are in the sun all day that they resist uv light. just like when i jet-ski, i burn like crazy in may, but come sep, all day in the water and no sun lotion at all."Retreat hell, were just fighting in the other direction"Miller Trailblazer 302, Extreme 12 VS, Dimension 400, Spectrum 375, HF 251D-1, Milermatic 251 w/ spoolgun  Hypertherm 1000Lincoln sp 1702000 F-450 to haul it
Reply:Must say I rarely use a glove on filler side and never on torch side.Though I do use a hand amptroller which would be hard to have feel when using gloves.Though using gloves has to be safer than not.Right handed and usually will only wear LHS when migging unless its big continuous stuff
Reply:It's a rare day I don't wear gloves when doing any welding, and that's on both hands.  At times on the Tig hand I'll be wearing a tig glove and also have a heavy glove folded over around the torch as well. Physically the pipe gets far to hot not to wear them on both hands (for me).As for the contaminated gloves thing, as far as I'm concerned thats a load of rot. I'm a welder not a mechanic, so why would I have oil on my gloves?When on Stainless I've got a special set of  gloves for welding, but then all the tools for Stainless are deadicated so there should be no cross contamination.StephenI'd rather be hunting........USE ENOUGH HEAT.......Drifting around Aussie welding more pipe up, for something different.....wanting to get home.
Reply:I don't wear glove on filler hand unless its cold. Ever tig 130 ft. in air on a balmy 30 degree day in Michigan.
Reply:I wear gloves whenever I weld, mig, stick, and tig.  For tig I have a set of gloves for aluminum and set for ms. For years I never used to wear gloves when tig welding, and I agree it is  easier to feel and to feed the rod without gloves. Just my preference...                                    Pete
Reply:If you can get them, you might try a pair of military pilot's Nomex gloves.  Great feel and they keep the oils from your hand from contaminating your filler.  We're required to wear a clean glove on our filler hand for certain repairs and fabrications we do because as slight and usually negligible as the contamination is from welding gloveless is, on some of the work we do it is unacceptable.  When this is the case the Nomex works quite well.  Though we keep a pair solely for filler, and use it for nothing else.As to the glove/no glove debate, for the most part it's whatever you're most comfortable with.  Myself, I wear a light pair of Tilman 25AL gloves for most of my TIG and MIG welding.  If I'm welding an aluminum or stainless steel boarding ladder the contamination is negligible.  If I'm welding some super-alloy compressor part then I'll put the Nomex on to handle the filler (after cleaning the filler rod with crocus (sp?) and acetone of course).Kalroy
Reply:we all know the safety aspects of gloves. i mean hot steel, chips and burrs. but to each his/her own."Retreat hell, were just fighting in the other direction"Miller Trailblazer 302, Extreme 12 VS, Dimension 400, Spectrum 375, HF 251D-1, Milermatic 251 w/ spoolgun  Hypertherm 1000Lincoln sp 1702000 F-450 to haul it
Reply:I have a left handed Tillman Tig glove that I cut the thumb, index finger and middle finger off at the first knuckle, use it when I am going to be welding alot of aluminum, the a/c and high amps will give me a sunburn on the underside of my wrist if welding for long amounts of time on the high a/c amperage.
Reply:Personally ..... why should I care if you burn your fingers or notAs for you Zap ..I can't understand why Orphan went off on you ... Justin is the one who started all the fuss......... Ar,ar,ar,ar Washman
Reply:i wear mechanix gloves for all type's of welding if there clean ill use both for tiging if not then i take off my filler handChuckASME Pressure Vessel welder
Reply:I would not dare  preach or  tell you blokes  what I think you should do. I merely report to you, of my own experiences and what I have gained by experiences and from text learning spanning nearly 40 years. I can only hope, my friends that you can  make a safe choice for yourself.I have been exposed to UV emissions since 1968 and only now am beginning to pay the price.For myself, I   won't argue against medical science that tells me that excess UV is bad for my skin. Maybe its not a problem for you US based fellows, but south of the Equator there is a band around the Tropic of CANCER which has produced  high rates of skin cancer to light skinned races. In these regions there is a much higher skin cancer rate than other areas of the planet.Consider that, welding with unprotected skin, rates higher than sun exposure levels, time for time.   South Americans, South Africans and Australians that live in that zone  well know about UV exposure levels, because we are visiting the skin doctors in droves after hitting a certain age. Add to this that UV emission from welding increases exponentially in this order. Stick, then Mig, and bloody hell where the level shoots up -Tig.Can any of us not argue that,  those of us who are experienced in all three processes that we haven't experienced a greater severity of burns when using Tig and unprotected skin. I have recently had a Cancer cut out of the skin at the base of my throat right where I have not had welding shieldt cover at the v of my button up shirt. I do a bit of welding still, as an instructor  teacher and I am still very careful. I can get new gloves when I need them. What price a new hand? But hey! why not listen to what your AWS says on the subject?   I’ll betcha its not too different to what I believe.Regards to all of youGrahame
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsteri posted this more than once..no i do not use a glove on my filler hand.. gloves are nothing more than a dirt/oil magnet that contaminates the filler as your adding it..never have never will..think what you want but adding filler is WAY easier without one......zap!
Reply:i'm glad everyone here has had their say...good pros..good cons..if i get cancer and die? big deal..i'm at the point right now where i dont care..there's 3 episodes in my life where ..well..i should'nt be here now anyway..but i am..and i'm not about to change..Originally Posted by zapsterif you were to come to work for me ..thats all you'd get too..dont like it?..theres the doorwell i'm not the boss but maybe i was outtaline there..look guys do what you think is best..you could get hit by a bus tomorrow...and i do firmly believe when its your time to go its your time to go..but i had a physical once over a month ago..i may need grease here and there and there's probably a screw loose or 2 but so far all is well..the end........it can come in a virarity of ways..but nonetheless be happy..its only a matter of time... ...zap!Last edited by zapster; 09-03-2006 at 03:31 PM.I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsterand i do firmly believe when its your time to go its your time to go
Reply:and you still could get hit by a bus tomorrow... seatbelts? whats that? 5 point harness in a race car...i use the one in my truck when i'm plowing..my '63 did'nt even come with them  i towed cars in the '70's i saw everythingthis seatbelt issue could go either way...the lord works in mysterious ways..even you should know that... enough with the hijack.....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:I think anyone can do whatever works for them.But you guys who dont wear gloves must be doing light gage stuff in nice clean horizontal welds- because the kind of stuff I have to do everyday, I wouldnt have hands anymore if I didnt wear gloves.In fact, right now, I have horizontal burns, about an inch long, on both wrists- looks like I tried to commit suicide- because I was welding last week with only shortie gloves on, instead of the long tig gauntlets.I find that often, the tig arc itself will cause my gloves to start smoking, usually the rod hand. My gloves only last a couple weeks at most, because the heat causes them to shrink a fair amount, and the heat also burns out the kevlar threads and then the seams fall open. Not to mention the actual burns- sometimes all the way thru. Yesterday I was welding a typical piece- a cylindrical wire mesh kind of shape made from half inch stainless round. 20 pieces of stainless round meet in a 12" circle, 8 welds per joint. The work piece is red hot for about an inch in each direction after I do 4 of the welds. Then I have to switch sides, to do the other 4. If I dont burn myself on the joint I am welding on, I sure as heck would on the last one I just did, which is only two inches away. In fact, burning myself on the last few welds is the most common thing- the way I got those two burns I have today. After working on this piece, I went back 10 minutes later, and the thing was still too hot to touch. This is common for me- putting lots of heat into small areas, and then having to keep working there, with my hands right next to the hot spots. But even just feeding rod, I burn my gloves all the time.A couple of years ago, I had a job tig welding 1/4" copper to copper schedule 40 pipe- had to use the big silver metallic welding/cutting gloves with 3/8" of padding inside, and even then, I could only weld for 10 minutes or so at time before the whole thing would get so hot you couldnt get within a foot of it, even with gloves on.And I have had to tig weld thick aluminum plate before- 3/4" and 1"- I have to preheat to 300 or 400 degrees with a rosebud, then crank up 300 amps of tig- try that with no glove.Sure there are itty bitty things I do from time to time where I could get away without a glove, but I burn myself enough with gloves on- I just am used to wearing em.Still, your mileage may vary.
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsterthis seatbelt issue could go either way...the lord works in mysterious ways..even you should know that... enough with the hijack.....zap!
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsterif i get cancer and die? big deal..i'm at the point right now where i dont care..there's 3 episodes in my life where ..well..i should'nt be here now anyway..
Reply:man this pot of stew is getting thick... ...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsterman this pot of stew is getting thick... ...zap!
Reply:Listen to Engloid the Prophet!!! You will die at work Tuesday if you don't wear tig gloves!!! The weight of the universe is on your shoulders!!! everyone that believes that stand on your head... thats what i like about this place we're all a bunch of freaks... ...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Hey Zap...you said that I didn't miss anything while I was racing!!!! Let me put my boots on and step into the sh!t...it's getting thick.I wear gloves on both of my hands regardless of what welding task I'm doing.Thick leathers for MIG and Kidskin's for TIG. No fear of contamination. One pair of gloves for each process no matter what material I'm welding....and God didn't tell me to wear them... but he did just help me save a bunch of money on my car insurance.http://all-a-cart.comWelding Cart Kits and accessories
Reply:Oh god how did I know when I said "Kinda like I cant feel what is going on while wearing them" Condoms would come up? I actually thought that to myself when I posted that. I don't were the gloves. Sorry to disappoint you and if I get Cancer from the UV rays and not the things I am exposed to everyday in the way of chemicals, oil, smoke, aerosols, or having smoked for 20 years (Recently quit) even better genetics. I guess it was in the cards for me. I am Italian also like Zap but am not dark skinned so I'm not saying its because of my complexion. I am saying i don't because i chose not to. There are many sides to this and when the safety police get involved there is many more. Do what you want because we are all going to die in the end. (Crap I'm sure i will regret saying that also) I myself am more afraid of getting triple E and or west Nial virus from doing nothing but drinking beer in my yard.Drivesector Hobart Handler 140Hobart Handler 180Ready Welder 2Hobart Air Force 400Airco Stinger 225Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most."OZZY"
Reply:Hey Zap...you said that I didn't miss anything while I was racing!!!! ok i lied... but such a simple question got blown all out of proportion..so blame me..everyone does anyway..  ...zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:Originally Posted by zapsterHey Zap...you said that I didn't miss anything while I was racing!!!! ok i lied... but such a simple question got blown all out of proportion..so blame me..everyone does anyway..  ...zap!