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Shop safety equipment: what is your welding and grinding gear? (35%)

Lil'John

Lil'John

Former #278
Joined
May 20, 2020
Member Number
488
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Walking to the Rubicon
Title kind of states it.

Short:
What is your safety gear for welding? Helmet preference? Jacket, sleeves, gloves?
What is your safety gear for grinding? Full face shield brand? Sleeves? Gloves?

Long:
What is your favorite welding helmet? I'll take recommendations for auto dark and fixed shield. I had bad luck with HF autodarking 20 years ago and have been fixed since.

Do you do a jacket or sleeves? Any brand better than another?

What do you do for welding gloves?

What do you do for a full face shield? I haven't found one that doesn't fog like a mother.

Is there a good sleeve for grinding? Use the welding sleeves? During hot days, full jacket isn't always good.

Do you have a recommendation for grinding gloves? Imagine having to hold onto a piece while you grind or wire wheel.

Backstory:
I religiously wear safety glasses but had a mishap this afternoon that is making me rethink using just glasses. I had a grinder bind up, the disc lightly fragment, and then walk across my arm:
stiches1.jpg

That is six stitches. And it is making me re-think not wearing arm protection... just a little further up from the stitches is the wire wheel mark from last week:homer:
 
I wear tig gloves for just about everything. Long sleeve shirt, now that I need them regular glasses, face shield, and respirator. Add a respirator to your ppe, lung problems suck.
 
Dethmachinefab said:
I wear tig gloves for just about everything. Long sleeve shirt, now that I need them regular glasses, face shield, and respirator. Add a respirator to your ppe, lung problems suck.
Click to expand...

Who do you use for a face shield? I've had too many face shields that fog up and are basically worthless.
 
Not sure what brand, its an adjustable head part with a clear sheet that is replaceable. Never have a fogging issue. I do always have the respirator on under it so maybe it helps with it.
 
All the PPE in the world isn't gonna save you if you're the dumbass that is always one-handing the grinder.
 
One handing the grinder, and no guard :homer:

Did you have a guard on that grinder?

Paddle or switch?
 
Thanks for the input guys... any input on non-fogging face shield?
arse_sidewards said:
All the PPE in the world isn't gonna save you if you're the dumbass that is always one-handing the grinder.
Click to expand...
Fair point except in this case I believe having leather like would have prevented this.

Benny said:
One handing the grinder, and no guard :homer:

Did you have a guard on that grinder?

Paddle or switch?
Click to expand...

I absolutely had a guard on the grinder.

I was running a switch grinder. I know the argument for a paddle. I don't believe in this case a paddle would have helped.
 
I wear Tillman 1420xl gloves for welding and grinding. Prescription Wiley X safety glasses or sunglasses if I'm outside for both welding and grinding (in addition to HF auto-darkening helmet when welding of course) I usually don't run sleeves or a welding jacket when it is hot out. In the cooler months I will throw on a miller leather welding jacket if I'm doing a ton of welding, but mostly I'll just stick with my ruined shop hoodie until I completely fuck it up then I'll start on the next one.

I might be in the market for a new auto darkening welding helmet soon... a couple of the cheapo ones started flashing me recently. I modified them to take 9v batteries a long time ago when the little coin cell batteries on them died and that worked great for a long time. Maybe I just need to clean the sensors.
 
GGRR 4555 said:
How the F$@k are you hand notching tube, beveling tubes, or doing really any tube work with two hands on a grinder??
Click to expand...

Some combination of a bench vise, a pipe vise and propping the work up on something and putting a foot on it. :flipoff2:
 
Tillman tig gloves for me when welding or grinding. Saves that kinda bloodshed, at least on the wrists.

I do not run a guard for close quarters work but I do place both hands on the grinder behind the switch to keep control. Seen too many people overrun their bracing hand by accident. It only takes a instant for it to happen especially if it binds and starts to climb out of the cut. Vises and clamps are your friend

I wear a full face shield and a P100 mask along with a light cotton long sleeve button up shirt. With the Mask on the breath is concentrated low on the mask and the fog is not really seen much. When I am in the shop I'll post the brand. The big thing is to keep replacement shields around to swap in as soon as they get to the point where your vision is lessened.

Helmet is a Miller Digital Infinity. Love the lens but do not like the headband arrangement. The rear span swivels, in theory to make it easier to put your head in but I can't get it to sit tight when flipping the face up and down to see normally.
 
Check out the Uvex Bionic shield and smear Cat Crap on the lens. I like Elvex XTS glasses behind that shield.
 
Lil'John said:
Title kind of states it.

Short:
What is your safety gear for welding? Helmet preference? Jacket, sleeves, gloves?
What is your safety gear for grinding? Full face shield brand? Sleeves? Gloves?

Long:
What is your favorite welding helmet? I'll take recommendations for auto dark and fixed shield. I had bad luck with HF autodarking 20 years ago and have been fixed since.

Do you do a jacket or sleeves? Any brand better than another?

What do you do for welding gloves?

What do you do for a full face shield? I haven't found one that doesn't fog like a mother.

Is there a good sleeve for grinding? Use the welding sleeves? During hot days, full jacket isn't always good.

Do you have a recommendation for grinding gloves? Imagine having to hold onto a piece while you grind or wire wheel.

Backstory:
I religiously wear safety glasses but had a mishap this afternoon that is making me rethink using just glasses. I had a grinder bind up, the disc lightly fragment, and then walk across my arm:
filedata/fetch?id=185739&d=1604621106
That is six stitches. And it is making me re-think not wearing arm protection... just a little further up from the stitches is the wire wheel mark from last week:homer:
Click to expand...

Going with P U S S Y. . .
That's barely a nick and N O gore.
Not sure why we got a 35%.

When I get a 35%

I want TITS or a finger missing.:flipoff2::flipoff2:

Keep your shit in the clear when using power tools shit happens.

oh ya, I use a jacket, and not sure it would have stopped that.
 
Stingray said:
Going with P U S S Y. . .
That's barely a nick and N O gore.
Not sure why we got a 35%.

When I get a 35%

I want TITS or a finger missing.:flipoff2::flipoff2:

Keep your shit in the clear when using power tools shit happens.

oh ya, I use a jacket, and not sure it would have stopped that.
Click to expand...

preStitch1.jpg

Enough gore? :flipoff2: I will be first to say I was VERY lucky. No tendon damage. No nerve damage. And it actually stopped bleeding in about five minutes or less after I put a shop towel on it.

As for how a jacket would have prevented it, I'm not sure but I've had a few stops with welder gloves so I think the jacket could have stopped it.

preStitch1.jpg
 
I will wear a mask/ face shield if warranted, I'm grinding towards myself. Usually untry and make sure everything is blowing out the door and away from me. I generally don't wear gloves unless I'm doing something really dirty, (nitrate gloves) or a lot of welding/hot work(tig/mig gloves). I've found just don't put yourself in a position to injure yourself and if you do make sure your wearing ppe.
 
I've used a cutoff wheel without a guard, and it blows through my welding gloves and still nicks me, Maybe the thought on a jacket or sleeves is it will catch the looseness of the covering and give you some warning,
or the other way, it catches the looseness and bites you.

we get Nomex gear at work yearly, so the old stuff ends up in the garage, It's a pain, but long sleeves do help keep me cleaner, and less cut up from flying debris.

Looks like that arm has seen some damage:flipoff2:
 
I imagine Kevlar arm sleeves would give decent protection, though they may not be terribly comfortable to wear for extended periods.
 
Pocahontas said:
I will wear a mask/ face shield if warranted, I'm grinding towards myself. Usually untry and make sure everything is blowing out the door and away from me. I generally don't wear gloves unless I'm doing something really dirty, (nitrate gloves) or a lot of welding/hot work(tig/mig gloves). I've found just don't put yourself in a position to injure yourself and if you do make sure your wearing ppe.
Click to expand...
Aside from glasses/hearing, that has been my attitude for the most part... and it caught up to me this time:homer:

Stingray said:
I've used a cutoff wheel without a guard, and it blows through my welding gloves and still nicks me, Maybe the thought on a jacket or sleeves is it will catch the looseness of the covering and give you some warning,
or the other way, it catches the looseness and bites you.

we get Nomex gear at work yearly, so the old stuff ends up in the garage, It's a pain, but long sleeves do help keep me cleaner, and less cut up from flying debris.

Looks like that arm has seen some damage:flipoff2:
Click to expand...

I've had welder gloves catch grinder/wire wheel more than once. But it was always "near nicks" where the wire wheel fuzzed up and cleaned the glove:lmao: Or the cut wheel just barely goes through the glove.

And yup... a few minor nicks:homer:
 
Check out Fibre metal you can get a headgear for about 20 bucks, and you can buy replacement shields. You can also get tinted ones shade 4 i think for torch or plasma work. Much better for your eyes. Tig gloves and saftey glasses are my norm I have a 3m respirator with the pink p100 filters for grinding. Work gave us some nice custom molded ear plugs that work great but ive found that 3m spark plug style ear plugs work great for disposables. And a good welding cap thats deep and covers both the tops of your ears helps a ton. As far as welding hoods I have a cheaper miller that works great and I expensive speed glass at work both do the job with out any issues for a fixed shade its hard to beat a fiber metal pipeline.
 
Favorite welding helmet I've used is my Esab Sentinel a50. The difference between a cheap and expensive auto dark helmets beyond features is how much you can see when it isn't darkened. I have a cheap Jackson autodark that might as well be a fixed shade because I can't see shit with it on. I learned to weld with a fixed shade FibreMetal and used it for a long time, I only have that Jackson autodarkening helmet because it was hanging on my welder when I bought it. Nothing wrong with them at all other than it's a bitch to flip your helmet in a tight spot under a car.

As far as welding/grinding gear goes I have a face shield and safety glasses around here somewhere but I don't generally feel the need unless I'm cutting/grinding under a car or in a wheel well. I have some thick stick/mig welding gloves I'll use if I'm doing a bunch of welding, cheapos from the welding store that I've had for 15 years or so otherwise it's leather palmed Mechanix gloves.
 
Pony_Driver said:
I could fap to that. :flipoff2:



Grinder accident?
Click to expand...

Yep. Cutting a tack weld 15 minutes before quitting time on the Friday of my birthday weekend. I went to urgent care when the Dr. started digging out the fragments we sprang a leak and covered her table with blood. She turned pale white and sent me to the emergency room. This was on Monday apparently my boss didn’t think I had enough.

photo32899.gif
 
I am one of the idiots that is living on borrowed time. Rarely use goggles, never wear gloves unless its dirty or hot.

Have had many 4.5" wheels break, get lodged, kick back, etc. I need to start, because I know its a matter of time.

So a 4.5" gridning wheel really has that much power to cut through PPE and get to your skin?? I always thought it would bounce off :confused:
 
For grinding:
- Regular leather work gloves
- No guard on the grinder, took it off when I bought it many years ago
- Full UVEX face shield with tinted lens (#3?)
- Ear plugs

My hands are XL to XXL size and very strong from years of weight lifting. I have never had the grinder pop out of my hands.

Welding:
- Jackson fixed shade with gold coated #12 glass lens
- Lincoln gloves from Lowes
- Upper torso welding jacket thing with sleeves from HF
 
Last edited:
A thin cutoff wheel is the most dangerous tool in the shop. I've got 6 stiches right on the top of my knuckle from a similar bind and walk incident. You, like me, are lucky it didn't go deep enough to hit a tendon. A glove doesn't even slow that thing down.
 
Cutoff wheels don't explode on their own........99.999% of the time. They get snapped by the user putting them in a bind.

Just like positioning your body to run a long bead, you need to position your body for running a grinder. A little forethought goes a long way. Very rarely do I find myself taking the roost of a cutoff wheel to the face. If I do, I'll stop and reposition.

I say all that, because I've bound and blown up a couple cutoff wheels during my build. Never had a scratch from them. Buuut, I did find a piece of cutoff wheel stuck in the insulation 15' up on the wall about 50' from where I was cutting. Those chunks are hauling ass.
 
DannyK said:
For grinding:
- Regular leather work gloves
- No guard on the grinder, took it off when I bought it many years ago
- Full UVEX face shield with tinted lens (#3?)
- Ear plugs

My hands are XL to XXL size and very strong from years of weight lifting. I have never had the grinder pop out of my hands.

Welding:
- Jackson fixed shade with gold coated #12 glass lens
- Lincoln gloves from Lowes
- Upper torso welding jacket thing with sleeves from HF
Click to expand...

Your wife must be so proud of those "very strong from years of weight lifting" hands! :flipoff2::lmao:
 
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