What kind of gloves should I buy so my hands don't get burned as much.

[Conner Michaux 271]

I get burned almost every time I go to grab something out of the forge. So I was wondering if I should get some kind of heat resistant gloves.Any suggestions?

 

[AJ Chalifoux 57]

Okay well the first line of defense is tongs. 

Joking aside, a welding glove on your non-dominant hand is good, and if you keep getting blisters on your hammer hand, some cut resistance level 5 gloves are a good idea too. Stay away from welding gloves with both hands; I believe they can cause carpal tunnel.

[AndrewB 151]

I actually bought a set of thick leather welding gloves from harbor freight for about 4 or 5 bucks.  They actually work great.

[Conner Michaux 271]

Alright thanks.

[Vern Wimmer 472]

A little advice about long gloves. If you are going hot and heavy forging and your tongs get too hot on your bare hands you know it's time to cool the tongs or switch tongs. With gloves on you won't notice until the gloves get too hot. If you are wearing long welding gloves it can cause a Mr. Bean/Jerry Lewis/ jazz hands moment. At least it did for me. My dog was the only audience but seemed down right entertained.

[Conner Michaux 271]

Yeah dogs have a weird sense of entertainment..

[jheinen 41]

I wear a cheap harbor freight leather work glove on my left (tong) hand. They're eight bucks for a pack of five pairs. I also cool my tongs in the slack tub after every heat or two.

[Troels Saabye 42]

Bought some cut/stab resistant gloves works great ! Bit a of learning curve to forge with a stiffer glove but it is doable

[Pieter-Paul Derks 230]

I always advice against using gloves, for they require you to grip harder which will quickly mess up your hands.

Tongs are the best option, when you don't leave them on the piece while in the forge they stay cool. 

When forging on the end of a longer bar I Just cool of the end which i'm holding periodically.

 

[Gerald Boggs 227]

At the risk of sounding like a parent, just be more careful.  I seldom wear gloves and other then the occasional bit of scale, very seldom burn myself.  About the only time I wear a glove, is on my holding hand when fire welding axes. 

If glove you will wear, then cotton gloves with cuff, I recommend.

Edited May 28, 2018 by Gerald Boggs

[Alan Longmire 2,830]

I agree with Gerald, except I like the ultralight suede TIG welding gloves.  Only on the tong hand except when welding axes/hawks.  Gloves will hurt you on the hammer hand, either by tendonitis or by throwing the hammer across the shop.

There is no place in the world for those heavy welder's gloves except overhead stick welding on heavy plate.  

If I remember I'll look at the brand of thin suede gloves I like, they're cheap at the welding supply store.

[GPrimmer 20]

As a glove distributor in Ontario, I can tell you there are some amazing options out there that give you Heat Resistance and Cut protection WITHOUT sacrificing dexterity. That's typically been the hard part -- leathers tend to be thick and cause gloves to lose the tactile function needed for finer work. Goat skin offers high tensile strength of traditional leathers, but in a thinner format; add the heat and cut resistance of kevlar (and/or other proprietary blends out there) and you have something like this:

https://www.superiorglove.com/en/endura-goat-grain-driver-gloves-with-kevlar-lining

These gloves retail for around $13-15 USD

 

[Alan Longmire 2,830]

Here's the ones I like:

 http://www.airgas.com/product/Safety-Products/Gloves/Welders-Gloves/p/TIL25BM

Note that these come in sizes.  That's important.  

[Will Wilcox 262]

If your tongs are getting too hot, make longer tongs. All of mine are about 25"-30" from tip to back, and even when forge welding damascus all day, the tongs only get warm. Circumvent the whole glove issue from the get-go.

I literally *never* wear gloves, because it doesnt matter what kind they are or how tight they are to your wrist, hot scale and molten flux are going to find theyre way in there eventually. 

[Alan Longmire 2,830]

I just realized you said you were getting burned taking things out of the forge, not necessarily while forging.  Are you by chance using charcoal?  If so, longer tongs and turn off the air before grabbing the steel.  Do that with any solid fuel forge, in fact.  Saves fuel and the forge lasts longer.

[Al Massey 65]

I've always used cheap gloves from Princess Auto. If my hands have gotten burns it usually was because I was doing something stupid to begin with. Also, to add to what Alan was saying, get a sprinkler can and keep the coals outside of the actual area you are heating the steel in dampened down. Saves fuel as well.

[Conner Michaux 271]

I use propane. The tongs are not the problem, Its just the fire spiting far out of the forge that burns me

[Alan Longmire 2,830]

Ah, the dreaded dragon's breath effect!  Turn the pressure down.  Or use longer tongs.  Or invest in a small fan that blows across the forge opening.  All three options work.  I prefer the fan, preferably a small blower hooked to an old canister vacuum cleaner hose and nozzle.  The nozzle (that used to be the part that swept the floor) acts as a diffuser to make a wide air curtain that won't disturb the flame inside the forge.  It just blows the dragon's breath to the side, or straight up if that's how you mount it.

 But a thin glove on your tong hand is cheaper if you don't want to turn the pressure down.

[Conner Michaux 271]

Using a fan would make one of my problems worse. The propane always travels up the forge body at has started to melt the propane hose.

So having the propane blown to the side or blown upwards would make it worse.

Thats why Im making a new one. Because mine right now is about as unsafe you can get with forges.

I also can't make more tongs right now because my forge is packed up to move also I don't have any money to buy longer tongs.

Edited May 29, 2018 by Conner Michaux

[ethanknott 9]

Might I suggest a pair of fireplace tongs, or some bbq tongs? Sounds like you just need something to get the piece far enough away from the fire to comfortably grab it. 

I keep a chunk of cinderblock about a foot in front of my forge so i can grab a piece and pop it out of the forge real qyick before my hand melts, set it on the cinder block and situate my gril at my leisure. Also, coming in from the side of the fire instead of reaching straight in helps.

[Al Massey 65]

Your propane hose has started to melt? Seriously?

Man, turn that thing off and quit unless you're a big fan of open-air cremations. 

[Gerald Boggs 227]

I just turn the forge off as I put in or take out stuff.  Some folks have even a foot pedal switch for just that purpose.

[Jeroen Zuiderwijk 232]

How big is the opening of your forge? It should be no larger then necessary to pass your work piece through. Any bigger, and you are heating the countryside, rather then your work piece, as well as yourself if you get close.  

[Conner Michaux 271]

Well when I first made it a made a really stupid decision, I cut the front in hope of making a door but that idea did not work.. also the when I cut the front off I did a very uneven job. And when I rest something up against it to keep the fire out it comes through all the uneven cut areas. Pictures will come when I can get the forge out again.