Recommend me some grinding gloves?

FriskyDingo

FriskyDingo

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I've been having trouble with my grinding gloves shredding because they were cut wrong and not providing enough insulation on my fingers. I'm suffering from pretty bad burns on my fingers, so I was just curious what works for y'all in terms of hand protection? I would assume something cut properly in kevlar would help insulate and protect from shredding yes?
 
I grind without gloves, and cool the blade in water often, usually (but not always) before it gets hot enough to burn my fingers. I'm not sure I could grind worth a crap with gloves on.
 
I don't grind with gloves either, it hurts your "feel" for the bevel. And when grinding or polishing after H.T., it's good to not let the blade get hot anyway. Using sharp belts helps... for roughing and profiling I get the steel pretty hot, but I use a push stick with a notch cut in the end to hold the blade steady. I'll hold the tang with my bare hand, and grind the bevels while supporting the other side and spine of the blade with the push stick so I can really lean in. My push sticks have scorch marks from the steel.
 
Steel's not so bad, it's the Ti I really have a problem with. I love using Titanium any chance I can get, especially because I have so much of it, but it's so conductive it's becoming a problem. I no longer have finger prints lol, which I guess to some might be a good thing :P

So sharp belts, high speed on the motor and push the blade with a handle should help then?
 
I don't grind with gloves either. I was always taught it can be a safety hazard around rotating machinery so I don't take chances with it. I just keep the part cool by having a large cup of water nearby.

For the smaller/thinner workpieces, I just use visegrips or some other tool so prevent me from getting any burns.
 
FriskyDingo said:
I've been having trouble with my grinding gloves shredding because they were cut wrong and not providing enough insulation on my fingers. I'm suffering from pretty bad burns on my fingers, so I was just curious what works for y'all in terms of hand protection? I would assume something cut properly in kevlar would help insulate and protect from shredding yes?
Click to expand...

I DO ALL MY GRINDING WITH OUT GLOVES,YOU HAVE TO FEEL WHAT YOUR DOING<PRESSURE APPLIED>,I HAVE A WATER CAN I DIP THE BLADE IN WHEN IT GETS HOT AFTER AWHILE YOUR FINGER TIPS GET USED TO THE HEAT,OR THERES ALWAY THE DUCT TAPE ON THE FINGER TIP TRICK,NEVER FELLS,BELEIVE ME IT WORKS,JUST LIKE A BANDAID,BUT BEFORE YOU NEED ONE,TRY IT:thumbup:
 
DON"T WEAR GLOVES!

I know some people do, but some people like to play Russian Roulette too.

Gloves and rotating equipment do NOT mix.
Ever...

Gloves and things that spin lead to Darwin awards.

The only time in a shop for gloves is during cleanup, after all the machines are powered down.

Toss the gloves and remember me when you are teaching your children, or grandchildren how to count to 10.

I'll leave it at that, since the last time I spoke up about this here, it didn't end well.
 
They make this stuff called "alligator tape" It's a wrap that you can put around your fingertips. I really really like it for when i'm hand sanding and the like. Never tried it with a grinder, but I'm willing to bet that It provides decent protection from heat and wear and also isn't at all saggy to be very dangerous.
 
Brian Fellhoelter Knives said:
DON"T WEAR GLOVES!

I know some people do, but some people like to play Russian Roulette too.

Gloves and rotating equipment do NOT mix.
Ever...
Click to expand...

"Ever" is a pretty strong statement. Even in close contact with spinning machinery, the protection offered by properly fitted gloves often outweighs the (very real) danger of getting the glove hung up.

Gloves are a tool. Like any other tool, they can be used to great advantage, as long as they're used with understanding, care, and caution.

Mostly I grind barehanded, but when I'm hogging metal I wear gloves. My Grizzly runs at 3600 fpm, so sticking my knuckle into a 36-grit belt is very much like dragging it on the curb at 45mph. Keeping that bit of leather in the way saves me a lot of grief.

Oh, yeah. What kind of gloves? $2.99-at-Home-Depot "White Mule" gloves. Except I don't think anybody calls 'em White Mule anymore....
 
I wear gloves too when hogging metal away. When they wear through I wrap masking tape around the holes. However, I do not use a tool rest which might allow a space for a glove to be caught. I don't know. I have always ground my blades free hand, even while hollow grinding. And yes, I can feel what I'm doing while grinding. You learn to feel through the gloves. More so than through a push stick. To say never use gloves is a far stretch, but you do need to use common sense as to when, where, and how. In 32 years of grinding with my Olympic Square Wheel grinder, I have never had even a hint of problem with wearing gloves, except on occassion my masking tape patch work has caught fire. Just a tad bit. If using a tool rest, grinding jigs, ect. it might be best to go bare handed, but if grinding on an open wheel, you would have to purposely stick your hand between the wheel and belt, and if you're that stupid, you should not be making knives.
 
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I love how threads with questions like this surface once or twice a year, and people line up on either side. It usually seems like a pretty simple thing to test...

Push your finger tip into a 36 grit belt at high rpm... what happens? You jerk your finger away, and usually the worst that happens is a nasty scuff you have to live with for a while that's stingy.
Now take the finger of a glove - WITHOUT YOUR HAND IN IT _ and slip it between the wheel of your grinder and the belt. Weight the worst possible scenarios, find out which is right for you, then keep about your business.
For myself, I think having knuckles is more important than temporarily living with scuffed knuckles. You might feel differently.
 
I use snug mechanics gloves, they allow you to feel the material and still give you protection. I figure if mechanics use them (around spinning, rotating equipment) they must be ok. They fit very comfortably and if I start to feel heat through them, I either switch to another blade, dip the blade or put the work down and do something else for a minute. I wouldnt use them around a lathe or mill but I have no issues with my grinder or drill.
 
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