5 Things To Consider When Looking For The Best Welding Gloves
When you're getting your welding supplies together, don't forget the safety essentials: a welding jacket, a welding mask and welding gloves. You need gloves that can both protect your hands from the heat of welding, but that also let you use your fingers for precise movements. That means you need gloves that fit you perfectly, and let you accomplish what you need to get done. We recommend doing some research and finding the gloves that fit you just right. Take a look below at these five tips from the metal experts at Eagle National Steel in Hutchins, TX!
5. Ensure They Fit Correctly
We can't recommend buying welding gloves online if you can't be confident of their fit. You should always try on welding gloves before purchasing. Gloves that are too big for you could have excess material that can get in the way; gloves that are too small might not provide sufficient protection for your wrist or compromise your dexterity. Both of those can be a safety hazard when a welding machine is involved!
At Eagle National Steel, you can visit our showroom and pick up all the welding supplies you need in person. Come find the welding gloves that fit you like a ... well, they'll fit you really well is what we're saying.
4. Get The Protection You Need For Your Preferred Welding Method
Some welding methods, like Stick and Oxy-Acetylene, generate a whole lot more heat and sparks than others, like TIG. For that reason, different welding gloves are designed for different welding needs. If you do a lot of TIG welding, dexterity in your hands is of particular importance. For that reason, TIG welding gloves are made of a thinner material that might not resist as much heat but give you better feel in your fingers. When Arc welding, you'll want extra thick, extra long gloves for maximum protection. Consider your normal welding set-up and get gloves suited for your specific needs.
3. Understand The Materials Available
Cow hide leather is sturdy and thick, and many heavy-duty welding gloves are made from it. But you'll also find gloves made from a thinner, more flexible goatskin. Goatskin is also slower to absorb oils from your hand and other liquids, so they won't become stiff and cracked as quickly as cow hide. They're also lightweight and soft for incredible comfort and tactile feel. Other materials available include deer hide, which can strike a fine balance between cow hide and goatskin, elk hide and synthetic fabrics too.
2. To Strap Or Not To Strap?
Some welding gloves feature a velcro wrist strap that ensures your gloves stay on no matter what or how you're welding -- but welding gloves can get hot fast. If your glove sits in the wrong spot for too long, it could get uncomfortably hot and you might need to get it off quick. With strapless welding gloves, you can sling a hot glove off your hand with just a flick of the wrist. With a wrist strap, this process could take a few seconds.
1. Keep More Than One Kind If You Do More Than One Type Of Welding
If you're going to do diverse kinds of welding, consider investing in multiple pairs of welding gloves. Super-thick Stick welding gloves, for example, are probably too thick for TIG welding -- you wouldn't be able to pick up a rod of filler material off the floor if you dropped it wearing those. On the flip side, doing Oxy-Acetylene welding while wearing relatively flimsy TIG welding gloves is a recipe for singed wrist hairs and burns.
Welding can be dangerous, and we urge all our customers to take their safety seriously. If you have any questions about welding, supplies, materials or the products we have in our extensive showroom inventory, give us a call or swing by and meet us in person. We're here to help at Eagle National Steel.