As female fabricators, sometimes it seems like metal fabrication gear is not designed for us. Gloves, welding helmets, hats, and work clothing can be hard to find in the right sizes.  We’ve tried all of the women’s welding apparel to assemble this guide to the gear you need to get job done.  In this blog post we’ll focus on welding gloves for women.

Lesson 1: You only get one set of hands.  Whether you work with metal all day at your job or occasionally as a hobby, working with metal glove-free is a recipe for lost digits. When in doubt, wear gloves.

Lesson 2: Save your welding gloves for welding.  The nature of your work will determine the right gloves for the job.  Most welding gloves won’t provide the dexterity to do pre-fab, while most fabrication gloves won’t provide the heat protection for welding

Lesson 3: You get what you pay for.  Paying a few dollars more means the difference in buying new gloves once a month and once a year.

Now that we got that out of the way, here are our top picks in gloves for female fabricators.

For general pre-fab, project layout, metal grinding, de-slagging, etc.:

WHAT TO LOOK FOR: A glove that can stand up to sharp edges and grinders, and provide the dexterity to keep your work precise.

TOP PICK: Miller Metalworker Gloves and Heavy Duty metalworker gloves

• Great all-purpose metalworking gloves
• Leather and spandex construction offer a good balance durability and dexterity
• Padded, reinforced palm and thumb saddle enhances comfort and extends wear
• For a couple bucks more, get the heavy duty gloves for longer life and increased protection, especially in the knuckles
• Not truly a product for women, as they’re only available in sizes M-XL, but we’ve used them and they’ll get the job done. Check the sizing guide to see if they’ll fit

For TIG welding and general metal fabrication for those with small hands:

WHAT TO LOOK FOR: A glove that provides enough dexterity to control your torch and filler rod in all environments, but also

provides heat resistance.

TOP PICK: Firefly™ Women’s Premium Flame Resistant TIG Welding Gloves

• Excellent dexterity for precise TIG welds
• Drag patch and thermal lining for added protection
• Available in sizes XS to XL
• Top choice for the woman TIG welder

For MIG / stick welding:

WHAT TO LOOK FOR: Extreme protection and durability without sacrificing comfort.

TOP PICK: UPDATED- We’ve just added the new Angel Fire Women’s Premium MIG Welding Gloves!

• Fitted design just for women
• Premium grain pig skin palm with side split cowhide back
• Leather reinforcement on the palm
• Padded drag patch for durability
• Available in Sizes XS-XL
• Top choice for the woman MIG welder

For all of these gloves, getting the right fit is imperative.  Make sure to check the glove sizing guide before ordering a pair.

Do you have gloves that you love? Let us know in comments.

Women are different than men, especially when it comes to personal
protective equipment for welding. Check out the newest additions to Revco’s line of AngelFire™ welding wear for women–  practical, sized right and stylish!

The new stick welding glove is designed exclusively for women and provides a great answer to a basic problem. Until recently, the common make-do glove solution for most women welders was to purchase men’s gloves in size small. Not only were they difficult to find, but they were typically of low quality and still failed to fit properly.

Just as practical, the new Hybrid™ welding jacket is tailored for a woman’s body so she no longer has to wear bulky men’s jackets or go without welding protection at all, neither of which are safe options.

Revco’s new LS50 women’s stick glove leverages the company’s extensive glove-making experience along with cutting-edge features from their performance BSX® line, which has become a favorite
among professional welders and hobbyists. The women’s design is embellished with a swirl decoration and includes features such as high quality genuine leathers, strategic reinforcements, Revco’s exclusive DragPatch®, and a pre-curved ergonomic construction that maximizes dexterity while helping to reduce fatigue.

The BW9C/PS Hybrid™ women’s welding jacket incorporates grain pigskin sleeves into the already popular AngelFire™ flame resistant jacket. It features adjustable waist straps to provide maximum fit, a stand-up welder’s collar, slant-opening scribe pockets, and a zippered inner pocket. Most
significantly, the grain pigskin sleeves add durability and protection where they count most. The warm chocolate brown of the FR cotton complemented by the strong black sleeves appeals to women welders everywhere.

The AngelFire™ line of women’s welding gear is available now through Arc-Zone.com. Details and information about AngelFire™ products can be found at www.angelfiregear.com.

About Revco Industries
Revco Industries, Inc., based in Santa Fe Springs, California, is a leading glove and protective apparel company with over 30 years of
service to the welding and industrial sectors. The company designs, develops, and distributes a full range of innovative protective wear
nationwide through welding supply distributors, tool and hardware retailers, and equipment rental dealers. Revco Industries markets its
products under the umbrella trade name Black Stallion®, which encompasses associated brands such as Tool Handz™, MightyMIG™,
Tigster™ and Hybrid™. More information about Revco Industries and its products can be found at www.revcoindustries.com.

I’ve been remiss in keeping this blog up to date on Arc-Zone.com news… LOTS going on to share.

First, we’ve added a ton of Welding Safety Gear from Miller, including welding  helmets, Respiratory Safety equipment, Heat Stress Gear, and Welding Gloves and Arc Armor Welding Apparel–  and this is in addition to all the Welding Safety Apparel we already had ready to ship!

As you’ll notice from the ad display on the left, Arc-Zone can also hook you up with a great deal:  $25 cash back if you buy a Miller Elite Series Helmet and gloves.  So if you’re in the market for a new helmet, consider doing your shopping before the September 30 deadline.

And in case you missed it, our June Newsletter has been posted online….  you’ll find tons of safety information there to help you celebrate (welding)  Safety Month!

I don’t think I’ve ever laughed so hard at work before!  This guy has a gift – if not for welding, then definitely for writing!

Attempting to weld in the age of duct tape

Al Batt, Tales from Exit 22
Published Wednesday, March 10, 2010

I don’t like to wear socks.

I wear them but I don’t like it.

I consider socks to be a fire hazard.

I took a welding class at a college that once thrived in Waseca.

It wasn’t my idea. It was my employer’s idea. He felt that the duct tape I used wasn’t as strong as a weld. He was annoyingly conscientious. Welding started during the Bronze Age, and it survives into the Duct Tape Age. I went to college during the day and worked nights. The welding class gave me something to fill those hours that I had been wasting on sleep.

My father had taught me how to weld with a derelict welder he had rescued from a junkyard. It was a serious stapler that performed basic farm welding with little attention paid to aesthetics.

On the farm, I welded broken wagon tongues and tractor hitches. I gave up welding once I quit breaking wagon tongues and tractor hitches.

I would have been happy not knowing anything more about welding. Welding isn’t even an Olympic event. It could be in the Winter Olympics. Replacing the brooms with welders would make curling a little more exciting.

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Crazy Germans and their sausage.  And I fully mean that as a compliment, because we here at Arc-Zone.com were all amazed and highly entertained by what happened next.

German welders + sausage + welding machine = Electric grill for men??

Adventurous Germans Grill Sausages with an Industrial Welder

“Eventually, the tube was so hot that the arc had to be shut down because the fat was on the verge of spontaneous combustion.”

By Vin Marshall  Posted 03.22.2010

Barbecue grills don’t typically require eye protection, but then, they’re typically not made from a giant TIG welder and an industrial sausage positioner either.

That’s something these Germans set out to change with the “Electric Grill For Men.”

What would you do if you needed to endurance-test a large industrial welding power supply?

You’d probably rig up something like the apparatus pictured here, in which a TIG welding torch draws a continuous arc along a slowly rotating piece of aluminum tubing mounted in a work positioner normally used for pipe welding.

As the long weld bead is laid down, the power supply is tested to verify that it can maintain its rated output and duty cycle without melting down. In the process, a great deal of heat is generated.

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