Choosing Welding Gloves

Armor has come in many forms across the centuries, and although much of it has been used in battle – where peril is most intense – some of it has also been adapted to less martial uses. The gleaming, fluted surfaces of late medieval plate armor, from which even the arrows of the dreaded longbow often glanced harmlessly, was one example of armor, one meant to defend against the malice of other human beings. The metal scale or chainmail barding of Renaissance hunting hounds, recorded in various paintings, is another type of armor meant to defend against angry, cornered beasts such as bears and wild boars.

In the modern era, most armor is designed to protect against the environment around us rather than a living adversary’s attacks. NBC suits are a type of armor for toxic cleanup crews and the like, allowing them to enter surroundings that would kill or sicken an unprotected person. In the same way, welding helmets and gloves are armor against intense heat and light generated by the arc welding process (and all other kinds of welding, as well).

Welding gloves are made out of leather due to the fact that this substance is naturally heat resistant, and, in the unfortunate event that it actually does catch fire, it will not fuse to your skin like synthetic substances will. The long cuff of most welding gloves covers the ends of your shirt sleeves, thus preventing spark buildup and the possibility of fires there.

As with much armor (though, historically, not all), there is a direct trade-off in welding gloves between the level of protection they give you and the amount of dexterity that you will have while wearing them. In short, you will be more dexterous with thin welding gloves than with thick ones. Thus, lighter gloves are more useful for complicated welding, but it will be necessary to choose your gloves by other factors as well, such as the position of the weld, the intensity at which the welder is operating, and so on. Always remember that your hands are the closest part of your body to the welding arc, and thus subject to the most intense heat.

Heavy gloves are needed for overhead welding, where all byproducts of the welding process – including drops of molten filler metal, cascades of sparks, and so forth – tend to be pulled downwards by gravity, directly onto your hands. Heavy gloves are also needed for intensive plasma cutting jobs, and any other major welding tasks. Medium-weights are suitable for flat and horizontal welding, while lightweight gloves are often sufficient for vertical welding (the safest welding position) as well as for using a TIG welder, which is exceptionally clean and controllable by welding standards – although TIG welding also needs considerable skill to be carried out properly.

A final consideration with welding gloves is that although they afford your hands excellent protection from normal welding hazards, they are not impenetrable. Direct application of an oxy-acetylene torch will penetrate them in moments, and heated metal should not be manipulated directly with the gloves, either – there should always be a pair of pliers between strongly heated metal and your hand, even if you are wearing gloves.