When picturing a welder, one of the first images that comes to mind is an oversized darkened face shield to protect the face. But the face shield isn’t the only protective gear worn by a welder. Just as important for this potentially dangerous work is a pair of protective flame-resistant Kevlar lined gloves to protect your hands.
Hand protection is so important that the ANSI Z49. 1 standard requires all welders to wear protective flame-resistant and cut-resistant gloves. And according to OSHA, “Helmets and hand shields shall be arranged to protect the face, neck and ears from direct radiant heat from the arc.”
Thankfully, Kevlar is an excellent way for welders to be compliant and stay safe.
Burns and cuts are two of the most common welding injuries on a welder’s face. The good news is, using proper personal protective equipment can greatly reduce and even eliminate your risk to these and other welding-related injuries and even death.
With that in mind, by wearing Kevlar lined welding gloves you can greatly lower your risk to burns, cuts, and abrasions no matter what type of welding work you’re doing.
What is Kevlar?
Kevlar (aka poly-paraphenylene terephthalamide) was invented in 1965 by Stephanie Kwolek, an organic chemist working at DuPont de Nemours, Inc., one of the world's largest producers of chemicals and science-based products today.
The chemical itself is made by creating a reaction between an acid and a chemical solution containing nitrogen and hydrogen. The result is a high strength, heat-resistant fiber that is typically spun into fabric sheets or rope.
The tensile strength synthetic fiber is typically used as a reinforcing agent in the manufacture of protective gear like gloves, helmets and bulletproof vests; extreme sports equipment; compositive aircraft construction; and rubber products like tires.
This game-changing technology has proven not only to be an internationally accepted safety solution for PPE like welding gloves and gear for firefighters but is used in other industries including aerospace and automotive, mining, fiber optics, and countless manufacturing and consumer products.
What are Kevlar Lined Welding Gloves?
Considered a type of personal protective equipment (PPE) Kevlar lined gloves protect welders’ hands.
Typically sewn into leather gloves, the highly durable, synthetic, and lightweight Kevlar lining provides incredible cut-resistance and heat resistance. This added sense of safety actually works to improve performance giving welders a sense of protection while doing their job.
How do Kevlar Welding Gloves Protect Your Hands Better Other Liners?
Kevlar lined gloves are a triple threat when it comes to protecting your hands from flame/heat, cuts, and abrasions resulting from potentially dangerous machinery.
Kevlar lined gloves work to protect your hands from flames and heat associated with welding because of Kevlar’s proven capability of heat resistance up to 800°F.
Kevlar welding gloves are not only heat resistant, but cut resistant, too. Woven Kevlar, in particular, prevents cuts thanks to the strength of the fibers and tightness of the weave, providing you with ultimate puncture resistance.
Another advantage of wearing welding gloves is they provide great dexterity. This is important for welders to be able to perform your work without having to deal with ill-fitting, bulky gloves that are not only uncomfortable, but can pose as a safety hazard around machinery.
Kevlar lined gloves are durable, too, which means less time and money wasted replacing them as often as you will need to with other types of gloves. You can count on these super-strength welding gloves to last longer.
How to Choose the Right Gloves for the Job
Now that you know why Kevlar gloves are the best fit for the job, here are a few things to consider when choosing the right gloves to protect your hands.
Your choice of welding gloves will depend on:
Type: The type of welding you do which will determine the type of lining you may require. Kevlar lined gloves are usually a safe bet for most types of welding.
Size: Preferred size and fit for comfort, flexibility, and function (which may also be based on the type of welding you’ll be doing). For example, metal insert gas (MIG) welding uses electricity to fuse metals together so bigger, more heavily padded gloves are preferred to prevent electrocution. First Place Supply offers offer a selection of gloves specific to MIG welding.
Fabric: Type of exterior fabric which typically includes a variety of leather (everything from cowhide to pigskin to goatskin).
By choosing to wear Kevlar lined welding gloves, you are protecting yourself from a variety of hazards present during welding procedures. As with any type of work involving the use of potentially dangerous equipment requiring the use of PPE, training sessions and regular inspection of welding equipment is critical to maximizing safety while minimizing health issues and injuries at worksites.
FAQs
Are Kevlar lined welding gloves appropriate for arc welding?
Yes. Thick leather welding gloves with Kevlar lining are recommended for Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW), Flux-Cored Arc Welding (FCAW), Tungsten Insert Gas (TIG), and Metal Insert Gas (MIG) among other types of welding that involve hot metal sparks and excessive heat to provide maximum heat and flame-resistant protection. The Endura Puncture Resistant Blended Kevlar Lined Goatskin MIG Welding Glove with right hand andleft hand options is designed specifically for MIG welding and features ASTM Level 5 hypodermic puncture protection on the thumb and index finger.
How should welding gloves fit? What sizes are available?
In general, welding gloves should fit loosely over the hand allowing you the ability to remove your hand from the glove quickly in case a piece of hot metal were to get into the glove. An easy way to size your welding gloves is to measure around your hand above the V of the thumb which gives you the circumference in inches. Another option is to measure across and around the palm of your dominant hand with a tape measure.
Are Kevlar welding gloves considered as PPE?
Yes, Kevlar lined welding gloves welding gloves are a type of personal protective equipment to protect the hands of welders from a variety of hazards including extreme heat, cuts, abrasions, and electrical shock among other things.
What is the preferred material for welding gloves?
High-quality leather (elk skin, cowhide, deerskin, pigskin, and goatskin) is going to outlast and provide better protection than other materials. Choosing a good lining such as Kevlar will help to preserve your welding gloves longer. Many welders prefer goatskin which has a high tensile strength and abrasion-resistant properties. The Endura Goatskin Arc Flash & Cut-Resistant Driver Glove is fully lined with Kevlar for the added bonus of cut resistance.
How does ANSI influence welding equipment requirements?
The American Welding Society’s codes, recommended practices, and guides are written in accordance with American National Standards Institute (ANSI) practices, including 1-2012, Safety in Welding, Cutting, and Allied Processes, Z49. 1, which provides guidance in the safe setup and use of welding and cutting equipment and operations. This is why all Kevlar lined welding gloves are ANSI certified.