TIG Welding Gloves
Up to now all my welding has been done using heavy welding gauntlets such as those you can get from the likes of B&Q or Machine Mart. So I was quite pleased when Ed from R-Tech welding sent me a couple of pairs of “Super Touch TIG Welding Gloves” to have a look at.
As you can see the main body of these are more like driving gloves with a heavy cuff similar to the cheaper gauntlets. N.B. Don’t use driving gloves for welding as they typically have holes in them and the polish on them might be flamable. Around the thumb is a re-enforcing strip to reduce wear and heat from the torch. There is no lining to these gloves so they are not so suited to hot work such as casting or brazing.
I found the gloves comfortable to use and the thinner leather means that you can perform actions like adjusting the tungsten or grinding without needing to take off the gloves. Even picking up the filler rod is much much easier.
The gloves did a good job of protecting me from the welding heat and UV.
However, as I discovered you can’t go around picking up red hot steel bar with them. There was a nasty smell and some equally nasty looking smoke. My fingers were protected from any harm but shortly after the gloves cracked so I won’t be able to use those again as they are no-longer light tight. However I do have a second pair that I can use and will be more sensible with them. I believe this is an issue with all TIG gloves so like all tools it’s a case of using them correctly. I’ll let you know in a few months how they stand up to repeated use.
The gloves are good value for money and I’d recommend them to anyone getting started with TIG welding.
Metal sculpture in brass, mounted on an 1800s French Coin
They cover a worker’s hands, wrists and forearms. One disadvantage to wearing these stiff safety gloves is the limited dexterity, according to WC Welding.
The sleeves are stiffer material but the hand sections are quite flexible and I did not find any issues with dexterity.