Gloves, hands, welding safety

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I've never welded without wearing some sort of gloves, whether work gloves, or my tig or heavy mig gloves, as I guess I'm too nervous to do so.So I'm watching Orange County Choppers part 2, and I see that these guys don't wear any sort of gloves while welding, mig, tig, whatever.  I see the same in other fabrication shows like Gas Monkey Garage, The misfits spin-off, etc.Since I've never tig welded, what are the dangers with tig welding, and skin exposure??Is it less dangerous on your skin to tig weld, than mig. Weld?    Or are the guys in the show just showing off?Just curiosity.  Not looking to do it that way.ThanksT man.15 + years working for myself, and by golly, I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up.


Reply:Skin cancer.  TIG has more UV than anything but MIG (which is about the same).
Reply:I only wear a left glove. Anyone want to buy a bunch of Tillman right handers in as new condition ?
Reply:For Tig welding, I like to use the Ove Glove. Easy to feel the rod in your hand, and they take a lot of heat.

Attached Images

Don’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!

CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST

3 SA-200sVantage 400


Reply:

Originally Posted by rlitman

Skin cancer.  TIG has more UV than anything but MIG (which is about the same).
Reply:To me it is too easy to become part of the welding circuit if you are holding TIG filler rod in a bare hand. And if I am putting on the left one, I may as well put the right one on too
Reply:

Originally Posted by T man

Well, I guess the reality TV folks are making too much money to care about their future skin cancer.Lol.Since I'm a suspenders and belt kind of fatguy, I'll probably be the first to go from sun exposure than they will.  Gotta love 97*f weather and wearing a woolie hat.lol.
Reply:I almost always wear gloves. But there are times I don't, low amp quick weld stuff.12v battery, jumper cables, and a 6013.I only have a facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/pages/VPT/244788508917829
Reply:

Originally Posted by Louie1961

To me it is too easy to become part of the welding circuit if you are holding TIG filler rod in a bare hand. And if I am putting on the left one, I may as well put the right one on too
Reply:I wear gloves, both of them, for all processes. I try to wear them during general fab and just moving stuff around, keeps the little dings off. Also, I found out a little late, that being able to pick up hotter and hotter stuff isnt just you getting sed to it, it is irreparable nerve damage.
Reply:you guys could come down to downunder where we have some of the highest rates of skin cancer in the world and thats before you start welding.you cover up even in the heat.
Reply:I got short fat fingers. I burst large nitrile gloves while an inch of glove finger dangles. It ain't all bad, I can break handles off Klein lineman's pliers. In summation, I can't buy gloves that fit. I love OVE GLOVE like CEP they stretch to fit. Over that I use TIG Finger, or TIG finger XL from Weld Monger. I'd guess hands are less vulnerable to "sunburn", but TIG gets HOT!!!!! with aluminum.A couple weeks ago, I switched stools, mine was too high for what I was working on. The lower one Mrs. B gave me for Christmas (I forgot) had castersAn optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.
Reply:The ove-gloves are porous though, like wearing a thin shirt in the sun and still getting sunburnt?I wear goat skin gloves.12v battery, jumper cables, and a 6013.I only have a facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/pages/VPT/244788508917829
Reply:

Originally Posted by walker

I wear gloves, both of them, for all processes. I try to wear them during general fab and just moving stuff around, keeps the little dings off. Also, I found out a little late, that being able to pick up hotter and hotter stuff isnt just you getting sed to it, it is irreparable nerve damage.
Reply:the only welding related things i did without gloves is maybe flip the on off switch. i started my welding career with ten fingers and no skin cancer and that's the way i finished it. tacking or welding/cutting without gloves is asking for trouble.i.u.o.e. # 15queens, ny and sunny fla
Reply:

Originally Posted by VPT

The ove-gloves are porous though, like wearing a thin shirt in the sun and still getting sunburnt?I wear goat skin gloves.
Reply:Hot day, quick short O/A weld, material shifted, instinctively reached out to steady it...Now wear gloves ANY TIME heat is applied.

Attached Images

Dillon/Henrob/Cobra 2000, Victor 100FC, Meco-N-Midget, Hobart HH187, Miller Thunderbolt 225AC, Razorweld Vipercut 30A Plasma, and lots of grinders


Reply:Ouch! Yeah, “quick and short”...  it can seem like a pain when the procedure you’re doing will take less time than putting all your PPE on, but I have found out more than once that the consequences are far and away the larger inconvenience!I’ve also learned that gloves aren’t something to run thread bare before getting a new pair out, they work way better when they aren’t crispy, stiff, curled up at the cuffs, and full of tiny holes from changing the wire wheel/cup.-Mark SmithMiller Bobcat 250Vulcan ProTig200Vulcan MigMax215Everlast PowerArc 210STLHypertherm PowerMax45 Xp
Reply:Yes, gloves are a necessity. I choose OVE GLOVE because it is made from NOMEX, and KEVLAR. I love it because it fits my oddly proportioned hand, and I can't beat the heat resistance. I also have reflective heat shields I use only with DUALSHIELD MIG, And TIG FINGER for TIG welding. I find my filler hand needs only the glove, but I like to steady the torch hand by rubbing unused fingers on the work. Aluminum is a hot metal to weld!An optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.
Reply:Had a night class with a 19 year old that had been welding dumpsters for a year.  Trained by his father and grandfather at same company.  They told him he didn't need gloves until he learned to weld.  His hands were so sun damaged they looked like they belonged on someone about 90+ years old!  Is it hazing or child abuse when your family makes you permanently damage yourself like that?
Reply:sometimes i should take my own advice.called into family place yesterday and got sidetracked trying to fix an issue with a mig.didn't have spare gloves, used their crappy helmet.didn't notice it until i got home last night, i got a real good case of sunburn on one hand.(and i didn't sort the mig. checking today they seam to be running some werid wire which seams to be to low a heat range for what they are trying to do with it.)
Reply:I recently bought these gloves for TIG welding and so far I'm VERY impressed with them!!https://www.ebay.com/itm/Steiner-026...itleDesc=0%7C0-DoogieMiller 350PMiller Trailblazer 325 EFI w/ Excel PowerLincoln LN25 suitcase welderXMT 304/22a feederMiller Syncrowave 350LXMiller EconotigHobart Handler 140(2) Uni-Hydro 42-14Hypertherm 65 plasmaWEBB Gap bed lathe
Reply:

Originally Posted by jmmorriso

Had a night class with a 19 year old that had been welding dumpsters for a year.  Trained by his father and grandfather at same company.  They told him he didn't need gloves until he learned to weld.  His hands were so sun damaged they looked like they belonged on someone about 90+ years old!  Is it hazing or child abuse when your family makes you permanently damage yourself like that?
Reply:I always wear leather gloves when welding (stick).  For tack welding pieces, I often just wear leather work gloves, but use heavier welding gloves for running beads.
Reply:Gloves are important. I believe they are always a compromise. I want heat resistance, but some level of dexterity. My father used the expression: "like a cub bear with boxing gloves."A greater concern to me is a good helmet. I've had 10 or more. Each has it's shortcomings. My Miller digital elite needs to be readjusted each time circumstances change. I recently was welding thin, rusty metal in bright sun. I couldn't seem to find a compromise between it darkening in bright sun, and flashing me. I am concerned about UV damage to eyes.An optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.I mostly use split leather fencer gloves for cutting/grinding/welding unless I am working with 1/4" and up making long beads.  I'll put on some long stick welding gloves for the heat with an extra silver heat pad over my guide hand.Lincoln, ESAB, Thermal Dynamics, Victor, Miller, Dewalt, Makita, Kalamzoo.  Hand tools, power tools, welding and cutting tools.
Reply:While Mig welding I wear a Hobart welding glove on my left hand and a Tillman mig welding glove on my right hand. The Hobart glove is thicker and lets me stand the heat awhile longer than the Tillman glove does. When Stick welding I wear the Hobart gloves on both hands.
Reply:safety gear:These glasses are GREAT.  wear them all the time. mirrored are only on the outside...   they are clear to look through. https://www.amazon.com/Gateway-Safet...ef=ast_p_pc_bsMiller 211Hypertherm PM 451961 Lincoln Idealarc 250HTP 221  True Wisdom only comes from Pain.
Reply:Hate to be realistic here but us guys who chose this line of work are constantly bombarded with shiit thatll futtyupp. Paints, solvents, blasting,sanding, grinding dust,smoke from all different processes, fluxes, steels and a lot of stuff we dont even know wft it is. !OH wait ! I cleaned that with brake clean....in your 1/2 car garage in lower arctic circle.....beside a wood stove full of pitch.Almost makes a guy want to go to law school

. NAH. I think I'll go rosebud some tar off this kettle so I can replace the ring gear tomorrow. Doubt I'll tote a respirator either.Left glove only. I cant throttle that trigger on the Victor with a glove.Most of my mentors checked out at 75-80. that will work for me oK too. Baddest airline man that ever fired a "heli-arc" . Thats what he called it. That's what I call it.Want a wing. Pass me a beer. I'll buck. you get inside.

Last edited by Bonzoo; 07-21-2018 at 04:05 AM.
Reply:

Originally Posted by Bonzoo

Hate to be realistic here but us guys who chose this line of work are constantly bombarded with shiit thatll futtyupp. Paints, solvents, blasting,sanding, grinding dust,smoke from all different processes, fluxes, steels and a lot of stuff we dont even know wft it is. !OH wait ! I cleaned that with brake clean....in your 1/2 car garage in lower arctic circle.....beside a wood stove full of pitch.Almost makes a guy want to go to law school

. NAH. I think I'll go rosebud some tar off this kettle so I can replace the ring gear tomorrow. Doubt I'll tote a respirator either.Left glove only. I cant throttle that trigger on the Victor with a glove.Most of my mentors checked out at 75-80. that will work for me oK too. Baddest airline man that ever fired a "heli-arc" . Thats what he called it. That's what I call it.Want a wing. Pass me a beer. I'll buck. you get inside.


Reply:Wear gloves constantly.Steel gets hot in the sun.  Gets hot when you run the grinder, and is definitely hot after welding.Split cowhide work gloves in general, and Black Stallion 320's for welding.  Doggone things are the coolest (temp wise) that I've ever used."Any day above ground is a good day"

http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:However...…….when tanning my long sinewy legs for K'kins enjoyment...…...the gloves are off

"Any day above ground is a good day"

http://www.farmersamm.com/
Reply:

Originally Posted by Willie B

A greater concern to me is a good helmet. I've had 10 or more. Each has it's shortcomings. My Miller digital elite needs to be readjusted each time circumstances change. I recently was welding thin, rusty metal in bright sun. I couldn't seem to find a compromise between it darkening in bright sun, and flashing me. I am concerned about UV damage to eyes.
Reply:

Originally Posted by farmersamm

However...…….when tanning my long sinewy legs for K'kins enjoyment...…...the gloves are off


Reply:The major difference between Mig and Tig welding is that one process uses a continuously feeding wire (MIG) and the other you use long welding rods and slowly feed them into the weld puddle (TIG). TIG Welding, also known as Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW), is a process that joins metals by heating them with an arc between a tungsten electrode (non-consumable) and the work piece. The process is used with a shielding gas and its done in surrounding of welding Shield Curtains. So that Gas and sparks may not effect the other co-workers.I would not say it is more or less dangerous as the light spectrum given off will do significant damage within both the process.
Reply:I always wore ball caps to protect my head from the sun but it didn't work well, I got a nasty 2nd * burn on top of my head right where the little metal button is, that later turned into a cancer and still bugs me.IMPEACH BIDEN!NRA LIFE MEMBERUNITWELD 175 AMP 3 IN1 DCMIDSTATES 300 AMP AC MACHINEGOD HELP AMERICA!“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction.We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream".RONALD REAGAN
Reply:

Originally Posted by T man

So I'm watching Orange County Choppers part 2, and I see that these guys don't wear any sort of gloves while welding, mig, tig, whatever.  I see the same in other fabrication shows like Gas Monkey Garage, The misfits spin-off, etc. Is it less dangerous on your skin to tig weld, than mig. Weld?    Or are the guys in the show just showing off?
Reply:Yes, it's always better to wear gloves while doing welding. These welding gloves protect the hands from electrical shock, extreme heat and Ultraviolet & infrared radiations. Well, it's always important to required safety measures for both workers involved in the process and by the bystanders. For safety measures welding curtains are used to protect against sparks, ultraviolet light and spatter, and reducing the chance of injury. Moreover, welding curtains protect the workers by containing high temperatures and also from a high level of noise.
Reply:Gloves and safety glasses is the first thing I put on and the last I take off when I get to the shop (and change into / out off my work clothes, that is). I don't touch any tool without those items on. Respirator whenever I spray paint or doing intensive grinding and ear muffs for heavy grinding.Some member of the welding community seem to take pride in how hard and inherently dangerous our job/hobby is. Well, I personally think it is irresponsible not to take all available safety measures (to a certain extent, that is) to prevent health issues.  There are ways arround all the issues mentioned up to now. Thinner dexterous gloves, light long sleeve protective clothing (no need to wear leathers all the time), etc.To each his own....
Reply:

Originally Posted by Mikel_24

Gloves and safety glasses is the first thing I put on and the last I take off when I get to the shop (and change into / out off my work clothes, that is). I don't touch any tool without those items on. Respirator whenever I spray paint or doing intensive grinding and ear muffs for heavy grinding.Some member of the welding community seem to take pride in how hard and inherently dangerous our job/hobby is. Well, I personally think it is irresponsible not to take all available safety measures (to a certain extent, that is) to prevent health issues.  There are ways arround all the issues mentioned up to now. Thinner dexterous gloves, light long sleeve protective clothing (no need to wear leathers all the time), etc.To each his own....
Reply:

Originally Posted by Bonzoo

I only wear a left glove. Anyone want to buy a bunch of Tillman right handers in as new condition ?
Reply:

Originally Posted by Popeye an old miner

How many you got? Im left handed and burn up the right hand glove in 2 days, I got maybe 20 jillion left handed gloves.  I guess leading with my right and squeezing the trigger on the gun with my left and running a 10 to 15 foot bead will do that while runnin about 320 amps. Actually me and another fella who is right handed swap gloves a lot he gets my nice lefties and I get his nice righties.On another note when I was about 19 or 20 something I was wearing my ring from a girlfeind it was a US Army ring she bought for me for Christmas or my birthday.  So im out there welding a bucket or something and I get a hot one down in my glove on that ring....YOWZA did that hurt it took everything I had to get that ring off my finger and it made a nasty mess out of it for about 2 months got infected got blood poison damn near lost that finger. Never wore it again. So I get married and have a wedding ring it was pretty chunky when she put it on me. I never took that one off until one day I was changing bogeys on a dozer. Over the years I guess the ring wore down and got pretty thin, and so we were married about 17 or 18 years then. I am pullin on a 3 foot pipe on a ratchet about 10 oclock. I got em all out. About 2 o clock my finger starts getting numb, I pulled that hard on that pipe I squeezed the ring down into my finger and its startin to turn purple. Well with a bunch of grease and some GOJO I finally got it off.  She asked where it was I pulled it out of my pocket and showed it to her, she couldn't believe how thin it got and the way it bent.  I cant even get either one of them rings on my hand now
Reply:

Originally Posted by docwelder

before i got smart and started leaving my ring in the locker i lost a claddah ring my mother gave me on my 16th birthday someplace at work. i tore the place apart in my spare time for weeks;hung signs,offered money;i even stuck my hand in the nasty azz gang shower drain before i discovered it inside the burnt and shriveled finger tip of the welding gloves i was using.
Reply:

Originally Posted by Popeye an old miner

damn how did you not know it was in there when you were wearing the glove, i'm thinkin that would drive me bonkers. Whats a claddah ring? never heard of one
Reply:Yup, yup you can't put a price on safety. A few years ago when i worked in an off road fabrication shop in LV, If you weren't wearing gloves and eye pro while in his shop at all times, he started to dock your pay... Not to mention if you did not use "flush cut" snips on zip ties, your wallet would be lighter..he would inspect and run his hands over all the zip ties on the trucks and buggies....I didn't mind it at all. His shop, his rules..Not only that, a lot of his fabbed trucks and buggies went to actors and sports stars... Nothing wrong with rules, discipline and attention to detail...After all that is what 20 years active duty Army taught me....Welds last longer than Love...
Reply:Ever had a 20K RPM wire wheel grab a t-shirt ? I havent worn a T-shirt in 40 years. Buttons please.
Reply:

Originally Posted by Bonzoo

Ever had a 20K RPM wire wheel grab a t-shirt ? I havent worn a T-shirt in 40 years. Buttons please.
Reply:Yup! As a teenager I was less consumed with safety. I rarely wore a shirt in summer. My 9" Milwaukee 16? amp grinder was a hog, 5000 RPM of power. No pictures, (I can't remember if cameras were a thing then). Dug a trench 3/8" deep into my (then) skinny belly.An optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.