Welding Tips and Tricks

I'm starting to feel like I have unusual hands compared to most welders, I don't have baby hands, I usually measure for at least a large according to most MFG's palm measurement guides but I don't have big sausage fingers. So I generally either get a whole lot of loose material around the fingers or a glove that catches at my finger tips and restricts movement quite a bit, often both. I've generally used the Hobart premium mig/Kontour gloves you can get at Tractor Supply. I tried the higher end Lincoln gloves you can find at Home Depot, and they were just made for someone with a whole lot shorter and fatter fingers than I have, I thought they would break in some but the stitching is just ripping out and they're getting slightly stiffer the more heat they're exposed to. So I'm looking for new gloves.

Have you guys found any that you prefer far above other gloves?

I have a number of gloves, and a few different types. Depends on what process I'm doing.

Most of mine are Tillman as that is what my LWS carries.

750 - Thick Elkskin, I use these for stick, in XL, prefer them loose so I can throw them off quick if needed.
24B - Thin Deerskin, these are great tig gloves, not very durable, mine have a couple snags. Poor heat resistance.
24C - Slightly thicker Kidskin, I use these most of the time, they just seem like a good compromise.
1328 - Goatskin, similar thickness to the 24Cs, but not as comfortable so I haven't worn them too much.
G7520 - Black Stallians with split reverse, index/middle fingers no double cover. Too thick for tig for me.

I also usually use a Tig Finger XL.

I use the 24Cs the most, and would like to try the gloves that Jody has at Weldmonger, they're $15. He has them in black or white, but they look very similar to the 24Cs that I use mostly, so I haven't bought them yet. I would probably get the black ones, just because they may not show dirt as easy.

EDIT: a pic says it all

My favorites:

TIG: Tillman 1488 & Tillman 24D
MIG/Stick: Tillman 50

For low current stuff, 120A and under, I use the cheap goat skin gloves from Harbor Freight. Great dexterity, but very little heat protection. That covers most of my tig work here at home. When the torch gets hot I'll throw on something heavier.

I don't always wear both gloves just so I can feel the filler rod. I like the thinner tig gloves but there is nothing that says you must use thin gloves over regular welding gloves.
Well today, while I was welding using one glove to hold the torch, I went to set the torch down to move some metal around for welding, the torch got away and I grabbed it with my bare hand on the cup. I'm here to tell y'all that it didn't take to long to realize that damned thing is heavy. Made a quick trip for the liquid soap and cool water. IF my bride is talkin to me (after the face cream ordeal) I will have to ask her if we have any cider.
gramps

OUCH!
I can own up do doing something similar with a stainless steel BBQ lid on my boat. D@mn lid is attached to the boat by cable but when I fumbled I still reached out and grabbed it. Was probably in the 450 degree range. Second degree burns on the pads of my thumb, index and middle fingers. Fortunately, the ocean was 54 degrees so I just stuck my hand in...

Since I have been using amptrol sliders more and more often with stick and MIG welding, I found myself looking for very "limber" gloves, as you need a good amount of dexterity to work the slider button. For MIG, got these at the LWS, even though I could have gotten them for less after trying them out there, but I would've felt guilty:

Tillman Onyx

For MIG, they offer decent protection, except for very high-amp welding, so I use them with cheapie heat-deflector shields. And the dexterity they offer me is awesome. Not TIG glove-live dexterity, but still very very good.

I have a pair of Steiner Ironflex TIG gloves, but they aren't that good as even the L-size fits my hands very tight, and I don't have large hands. The dexterity is not that good, but I still use them for TIG because I bought them and need to wear them out to justify throwing them out.

For TIG, my favorite is Tillman 25BM's, but I think I'm just gonna stick with these for everything once the rest wear out. I have tons of the heat-deflector shields since I bought 12 at one time to get free shipping from Cyberweld, and the added dexterity is worth it to me.

BillE.Dee wrote:I don't always wear both gloves just so I can feel the filler rod. I like the thinner tig gloves but there is nothing that says you must use thin gloves over regular welding gloves.
Well today, while I was welding using one glove to hold the torch, I went to set the torch down to move some metal around for welding, the torch got away and I grabbed it with my bare hand on the cup. I'm here to tell y'all that it didn't take to long to realize that damned thing is heavy. Made a quick trip for the liquid soap and cool water. IF my bride is talkin to me (after the face cream ordeal) I will have to ask her if we have any cider.
gramps

I have a hard and fast rule that I wear gloves anytime I strike an arc. I diligently put this rule in place after each time I get burned. Only problem is, I seem to keep forgetting the rule after a couple weeks or so in between the burns

Oscar,,,,do you use any particular glove to operate your torches that you equipped with the "button" ?? I try using mine with the thinnest glove I have and still get erratic results. Kinda like getting fly poop out of pepper.

I have the same problem. For tig I use your standard gloves. Big in the fingers. As you break them in they will shrink up to a perfect fit from the heat. Doesn’t take long

BillE.Dee wrote: ↑Tue Jun 09, 2020 6:08 am Oscar,,,,do you use any particular glove to operate your torches that you equipped with the "button" ?? I try using mine with the thinnest glove I have and still get erratic results. Kinda like getting fly poop out of pepper.

Now a day's I only use the Tillman 25BMs. TIG, MIG, or stick, ALL amperages. It's all in how you hold and support your torch/stinger. IOW don't hold it close to the heat source, and be smart about using the most muscle dexterity you are endowed with: your wrist and fingers.

I used to occasionally tig bare handed or with just a torch glove on, and I'll still sometimes do it if I'm somewhere and forgot my tig gloves and only have my thickest stick/mig gloves with me, but on AC I've had enough threatening tingles run through my filler hand when feeding that I'll always use some sort of glove when welding aluminum.

As for my choice of tig gloves, I continue to be impressed with the Tillman 24CMs for a moderately priced found everywhere type glove, and If I'm willing to spluge, the Tillman 1488Ls have been fantastic, for some reason while I like a medium in the 24s the 1488s fit perfectly in large, they hug your hand perfectly but without restricting movement.


For heavier gloves besides the Hobart Kontour gloves, I've grown quite fond of the TIllman 50s, they fit snugly and hold up very well, they might not be the most over insulated glove on the market, but they'll work just fine for most any stick or mig welding you'll do, at the jetboat shop which was ALL mig aluminum at 200-300 amps it was all we ever used.

Honestly, for stick welding I'm at least half way on board with Oscar, I've thrown on an older pair of tig gloves numerous times to lay down a bead or two with absolutely no issues. As long as you're not a rod miser and burn down to an inch long stub, your gloves will see a lot less heat than they do mig welding in my experience.

In my experience it's mig that just absolutely KILLS gloves, you'll be fine if you're using an industrial size torch at hobby short circuit level settings, but run longer stringers with a small little h10 gun or load that machine with some .45 dual shield and burn some beads in at around 300 amps and you'll feel the heat burning through your insulated gloves within moments. I've burnt a chunk out of a tig finger XL using it as a finger shield when using a smaller mig gun for extended periods before.

Not suggesting it's a good idea, but I've also tig welded very comfortably in those type of knit poly dipped work gloves you see, especially if they're cut resistant, they're usually thick enough to insulate you quite well, Now I'd advise against it because if you're not careful you'll have molten plastic stuck all over your hands. But in a pinch they've insulated and protected my hands wonderfully.

For tig I use elliot tigmasters, real nice. And use the unimig rogue tig glove for.........cycling. yup they are cheaper and more comfy than the cycle gloves that come unstitched all the time.

Every time I buy a set I really like, either the price triples, or they're no longer available when I go to get another set.

My favorites are the Mars gloves. Especially the high-temp ones that will take (and protect you from) 800F for 30 seconds. Awesome gloves. I really don't use them for welding that often, but they're simply the best ever for kitchen gloves and they make great gifts...

BugHunter wrote: ↑Tue Aug 31, 2021 4:32 pm Every time I buy a set I really like, either the price triples, or they're no longer available when I go to get another set.

My favorites are the Mars gloves. Especially the high-temp ones that will take (and protect you from) 800F for 30 seconds. Awesome gloves. I really don't use them for welding that often, but they're simply the best ever for kitchen gloves and they make great gifts...

Am Always looking for a decent glove...

Got a link or model or anything more descriptive to search? Mars glove on Google returns a bunch of space related stuff.

Here's the set I have at home in the kitchen now. Not quite as 'high temp' as another set I had, but they will definitely work nicer than any kitchen mitts.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BH ... UTF8&psc=1

Of course they're not available... Or if you find em, sit down before adding to cart.

Then for Tig, these are so far my all time favorite. Not super-lightweight like you might expect, but you also don't get burnt through these like I do with many of the really light tig gloves I've got. After using high-temp gloves for so long, I simply grab parts like they're cold (when they're not).

These are actually available. I do everything I can to keep my gloves clean, and get about 4 years out of a set of these. They're pretty tough. I'm sure there's nicer gloves, but at this price point, these are ideal for me.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003J ... UTF8&psc=1

Then these they no longer say 800f for 30 seconds, but at one time that was the claim. To test them, I put a large steel part in the furnace at 800f and grabbed it and held on. I was able to make it 30 seconds, but believe me you wanted to put it down. That's an insane amount of time to hang on to anything hot, so even if they won't make it a full 30 seconds any more, I consider these the best high temp gloves I've ever used. Now, I'm not comparing to zillion $ gloves and price being no object. More talking about running a business, need a good glove, and don't want a mortgage on em.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004G ... UTF8&psc=1
In 2016, I bought these for $21.90...

cheap ones! Tillman all the way for me (or equivalent)... Deerskin ones are nice but they're all fine. Never had any luck with fancy expensive gloves, they cost 2 or 3 times as much as the TIllman's, and don't last nearly as long.. so what's the point? Yeah, they're nice looking and look cool, but I've never had any luck with them lasting... $10 to $15 for a pair of Tillman gloves compared to $25 and up for the fancy gloves. You could go bare handed too (if you're not welding thick (hot) aluminum), I've tried, but I'm just too much of a space case, I always forget I'm not wearing gloves and then grab the piece after welding... then dive for the sink and cold water lol.