Thread: gloves for metalworking?

put it this way. you've spent your whole life using your hands and you know EXACTLY where every finger tip is, you have a feel for things. put a glove on and you lose that feel for where your fingertips are.

My left hand on the cross slide wheel, my right hand on the traverse wheel. I have all the feel I need. What are you feeling pray tell?

everybody says "oh im keeping my hands away from the chuck blah blah blah" but for me, any rotating mechanical equipment, bare hands all the way and tight fitting clothing. i have worked in 4 machine shops ( most were work experience, one is my current job as a fitter and machinist) and every single one had said no gloves on lathes, millers, bench grinders and drills. both my tafe workshops have the same rule, my old school workshop had the same rule.

You don't trust yourself. Ok fine. Good decision. Whats the bet you would change your mind if you suffered as I do?

Of course they had that rule. The lowest...... You have to follow their rules.

Dean

I wear tight fitting knitted kevlar gloves for all my metalworking (and working on anything mechanical and often even "heavy" woodworking). The only time I take them off is when I need to "feel" what I am doing, but because the gloves are snug fitting they have great "feel", so I don't often have them off.

I understand there are risks to wearing gloves around rotating machinery, but for me it's a calculated risk (isn't everything really) and I do everything in my power to minimise those risks.

I'm throwing in my two cents worth!

If you want to wear gloves when working with metal go ahead, if you don't want to don't. We all know the risks. Its your fingers/thumbs/hand. Do as you will.

Ben.

Originally Posted by Oldneweng

My left hand on the cross slide wheel, my right hand on the traverse wheel. I have all the feel I need. What are you feeling pray tell?



You don't trust yourself. Ok fine. Good decision. Whats the bet you would change your mind if you suffered as I do?

Of course they had that rule. The lowest...... You have to follow their rules.

Dean

what about when you change tools, pull the tailstock up the bed, change feeds/leads, adjust your coolant pipe or light. you cant have you hands on the handwheels then?

righto mate do what you want but all i know is that i will never wear gloves and loose clothes near lathes, millers and drills and grinders.

and im pretty sure i trust myself to be safe btw

righto mate do what you want

Proof that you haven't even read my posts! Read them and see if you can see what I am talking about, or get off my back.

I am disappointed that there is a lack or original thought out there. All I am hearing is convention and it all comes from somewhere else. I can read safety manuals myself so I don't need you to do it. What I would prefer is original thought from your minds. Lots of negatives but very little indication of broad mindedness to the point of actually considering that I have an issue and not one idea to deal with it except "DON'T WEAR GLOVES".

The fabricator. Don't bother reading my posts. I will repeat what I have said.

"I don't want to wear gloves, I have to!"

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions to help me out!

Dean

Horses for courses.

I have a 1/2 HP grinder with 150x13mm oxide wheels. There isn't a snowball's chance in hell of my skin-tight thin synthetic fibre gloves getting caught between the wheels and the toolrests. Even if they did, the wheels would come to a stop pretty quick. If I had a industrial grinding monster I might have a different view.

The jury is still out for me on gloves and my lathe (3/4HP Hercus 260).

How many people do what they do because "that's what I was taught" or because of folk-law/legend? Plenty I reckon. How many people approach life from an evidence-based perspective? Very few in my experience.

In post #71 there's a link to a photo of a lathe accident with the comment "this will definitely change your ways of using gloves" However, there is nothing to indicate that the accident was caused by a glove. A classic case of confirmation bias

Anyway, if nothing else, I've learned a lot about seatbelts from this thread.

I suppose it's worth putting up with a bit of ranting and sniping if threads like this get newcomers thinking about safety. Many people don't have the advantage of industry training or experience.

Originally Posted by jack620

Horses for courses.

I have a 1/2 HP grinder with 150x13mm oxide wheels. There isn't a snowball's chance in hell of my skin-tight thin synthetic fibre gloves getting caught between the wheels and the toolrests. Even if they did, the wheels would come to a stop pretty quick. If I had a industrial grinding monster I might have a different view.

The jury is still out for me on gloves and my lathe (3/4HP Hercus 260).

How many people do what they do because "that's what I was taught" or because of folk-law/legend? Plenty I reckon. How many people approach life from an evidence-based perspective? Very few in my experience.

In post #71 there's a link to a photo of a lathe accident with the comment "this will definitely change your ways of using gloves" However, there is nothing to indicate that the accident was caused by a glove. A classic case of confirmation bias

Anyway, if nothing else, I've learned a lot about seatbelts from this thread.

That picture went around earlier this year or last year and from what I understand it was caused from filing in a lathe, as someone had a circle around the file in one picture.
Whether that was true I don't know, but unless we read the accident report we will never know.

Dave

I'm throwing in my two cents worth!

If you want to wear gloves when working with metal go ahead, if you don't want to don't. We all know the risks. Its your fingers/thumbs/hand. Do as you will.

Ben.

I'm with you, Ben.

I missed that reply, well said.
When it comes down to it we are all responsible for our own safety in the home shop.

Dave

Originally Posted by Oldneweng

Proof that you haven't even read my posts! Read them and see if you can see what I am talking about, or get off my back.

I am disappointed that there is a lack or original thought out there. All I am hearing is convention and it all comes from somewhere else. I can read safety manuals myself so I don't need you to do it. What I would prefer is original thought from your minds. Lots of negatives but very little indication of broad mindedness to the point of actually considering that I have an issue and not one idea to deal with it except "DON'T WEAR GLOVES".

The fabricator. Don't bother reading my posts. I will repeat what I have said.

"I don't want to wear gloves, I have to!"

Thanks for all the wonderful suggestions to help me out!

Dean

i dont bother reading them anyway bro.

Attachment browser: bench grinder and glove together.jpg by CornelP - RC Groups

i WAS told the story behind this one, so yeah its not fake

and my thoughts are as original as they can be. when around machines I like to be a sleek as possible ( no ########, glasses and clothes)

and im not even on your back man, proof that you dont read my posts as i said " this is the opinion of a first year apprentice"

A little bit of civility please Kiddies.

Dean, for what it is worth and I have no idea if it would work in your case.

I used to suffer from cracks and splits in my fingertips (generally in winter) but I found that using Vaseline intensive care lotion 3 times a day (Before, lunch and after work) has cured it.

Originally Posted by

A little bit of civility please Kiddies.

Dean, for what it is worth and I have no idea if it would work in your case.

I used to suffer from cracks and splits in my fingertips (generally in winter) but I found that using Vaseline intensive care lotion 3 times a day (Before, lunch and after work) has cured it.

I use skin moisturiser as often as possible.

"The fabricator"

i dont bother reading them anyway bro.

Not the most mature answer I have read.

I am going to rest my case at this point. I think that too many people are missing the point. This is a forum for the betterment of members, not to allow slinging off and character assasination. Positive criticism is fine but what has been happenning here is immature.

Dean

Originally Posted by Oldneweng

I am disappointed that there is a lack or original thought out there. All I am hearing is convention and it all comes from somewhere else. I can read safety manuals myself so I don't need you to do it. What I would prefer is original thought from your minds. Lots of negatives but very little indication of broad mindedness to the point of actually considering that I have an issue and not one idea to deal with it except "DON'T WEAR GLOVES".
Dean

I'm totally with you on this one. Apart from the glove and clothing debate, I remember back in trade school some time ago we were told never to clamp anything that was not round in a 3 jaw self centering chuck because it would load up one jaw.
At the time, I thought about this and came to the conclusion that it was perfectly OK to clamp rough castings, or any material that was odd shaped. A different story if the chuck is a 4 jaw self centering unit.
Goes to show that even institusional instructors don't think!!