You might be aware of how tough, and risky welding is. And surely, the welders have a lot of courage that they risk their lives and safety while doing their job. Over the years, there have been a lot of safety measures taken for welders; for example, a few years ago, welding gloves were invented, and now the whole welding gear is available in markets!
Welding Gear came into existence to protect welders’ bodies from getting bruised and injured because of the excessive heat of metals, corrosive substances, flames, and sparks that are emitted during melting. Some welding processes involve melting electrodes, while some involve melting metals. Obviously, melting these substances involves a lot of heat and other equipment that puts welders’ lives at risk or, at the least, damages their skin.
Choosing the correct welding equipment depends on the welder’s working conditions totally. If the welder works in an extremely intense environment where there is an extreme buildup of heat, he will need extremely layered and padded equipment, which will protect the welder’s hands and face from being exposed to the heat. There is a lot of variation in welding gear available in stores, with different designs, styles, and sizes.
So, today, we will be discussing some of the equipment that will ensure welders remain safe from all the sharp materials, fire, and intense heat. So, stay tuned and walk through the end of this article with us to know more about gear that will protect welders and ensure their safety!
Welding Jackets
A good welding jacket is one that will be incombustible; for that, it needs to be made of flame-resistant material. This material is crucial because it protects the welders from heat, molten metal, and sparks. Commonly, welding jackets are made from leather and cotton, both resistant to flames. Now we will be assessing some of the properties of jackets made with flame-resistant cotton and jackets made with flame-resistant leather.
Flame-Resistant Cotton
Cotton is an inexpensive, lightweight, and breathable material that is highly used in welding jackets. The specialty of this flame-resistant material is that this is treated with a chemical that pushes all gases away from the flame-resistant material. Thus, these jackets can successfully survive in an environment that contains flames and heat because the jacket is washed with a chemical that deprives the environment of oxygen; thus, even if flames or heat are there, due to lack of oxygen, combustion is impossible.
Moreover, 100% cotton that is made with natural fibers is highly recommended for welding simply because this material hardly catches fire. Even if cotton does catch fire, then extinguishing the fire is easy with cotton as compared to synthetic fibers. Flame-resistant jackets can easily resist fire and flames; however, they might be burnt and blackened when the jackets come in contact with molten metal and spatter. You can just pat out the fire with your glove on the cotton jacket and the fire will be completely extinguished. To protect against these substances, better base cotton with more layering is the solution, as it will increase the jacket’s durability and improve its quality.
The flame-resistant jacket made with cotton is good gear to wear when welding in mild conditions, where the heat isn’t too intense and scorching, and the flames are relatively lower. The flame-resistant cotton jacket might not be able to protect the welders in situations where heat is extremely high. Typically, these jackets will last around for a couple of months because they are used in mild situations. The best part is that they can be washed off with soap as well, so in case the welders want to get rid of excessive dirt and other material, they can easily wash it off!
Flame-Resistant Leather
Leather has been the leading flame-resistant material for a long now. Leather’s thickness makes it the best possible solution for offering protection against intense heat. The leather won’t be abrased or punctured because of its high resistance.
Leather comes in a lot of variety of grades and cuts. Different types of leather offer different levels of comfort and protection for the welder. Take grain leather as an example, which is found on an animal’s hide. Grain leather is the best for protection as it is rough, strong, and durable. Many companies use this leather and apply treatments on it in order to make it thin and comfortable to wear.
Grain leather is also great for preventing the welder from sparks and spatter. This leather has a quality that repels hazardous stuff.
Welding Gloves
Welding Gloves are used to protect the hands and arms of the welders while they are working in an intense heat environment and are melting metals or working with electrodes. While doing this work, there is a high chance that the welder’s hands come in contact with hot metals or sharp objects. You might have seen a lot of cuts and burn marks on workers’ hands. To ensure the worker’s safety and health don’t go uncompromised because of their work, welding gloves were introduced to shield workers against hazardous metals and substances.
There are 4 types of welding gloves: TIG, MIG, Stick Welding Gloves and Cut Resistant Gloves.
TIG Welding Gloves
Tungsten Inert Gas, or TIG for short, is an incombustible electrode comprised of tungsten and a welding component. This kind of welding frequently involves intense heat; therefore, welders must exercise caution to keep themselves safe. Kevlar thread is used specifically to sew these gloves, protecting the hands of welders.
These TIG gloves stand out because they offer additional heat protection. To give welders’ hands comfort and protection, these gloves are fashioned from goatskin or any other soft, malleable material.
These gloves are also designed to be exceptionally comfortable by having significant padding all the way around the section of the gloves that wrap the hand.
MIG Welding Gloves
Metal Inert Gas is referred to as MIG. Both novice and seasoned welders favor the MIG welding technique. Intense heat is used to melt a metal structure during this welding process, and the molten metals are then soldered together. This procedure is riskier than the TIG method since it involves heat and flames a lot more.
The introduction of MIG Welding Gloves, developed exclusively for MIG welders, was the brilliant concept of some bright minds in response to the significant level of risk associated with the MIG technique. These gloves are constructed from the softest goat and sheepskin available. The gloves are thickly cushioned with layers upon layers of material to offer the appropriate thickness and protection.
Stick Welding Gloves
Stick welding gloves were created as a result of the several employees who suffered hand and arm injuries from welding shielded metal arc materials. Electricity is used in this sort of melting, increasing the welders’ risk.
The electrodes become liquid as a result of powerful electrical sparks. This procedure involves first melting the metal and electrode together, then mixing them. This process is typically carried out while erecting flyovers, bridges, buildings, billboards, and pipelines.
Cut Resistant Gloves
The Cut Resistant Gloves were created to shield the welder’s hands from bruising and harm from pointed, aggressive metals.
Welders used to often deal with metals and have minor hand and finger bruising from small incisions. The wound did not seem terrible initially, but it gradually spread the infection across the entire hand and even the arm, leading to a significant issue. Therefore, specialized Cut Resistant Gloves were developed to shield the hands of welders from these dangerous illnesses.
All in all, welding gloves and jackets were essentially made to offer protection to workers. Thus, workers should choose gear according to their needs in order to get maximum safety and benefits.