casting with gloves

[tenx]

some, if not most of us use gloves when casting but make sure the gloves are all leather and not some synthetic material. some gloves have a leather palm/fingers and the remainder synthetic, if you get molten lead on the synthetic part it will melt and leave a nasty burn. the synthetic material just sticks on your skin and cooks it. spend a few extra bucks and get all leather gloves. also when i cast i get blisters on my hands after casting all day so now i put some of the cloth backed (waterproof) white medical tape over the spots that i would get blisters . the tape takes the friction/rubbing inside of the gloves instead of my skin. just a little thought to pass along.

[Nocturnal Stumblebutt]

Agreed, in my experience nothing beats a basic pair of welding gloves (for some reason, probably dexterity, the fancier welding gloves tend to not be all leather). I use my welding gloves for welding and casting, and they are getting very worn out, but I think they only cost $7 at Menards, so I can just go get another pair whenever I get around to it.

[ReloaderFred]

I too found this out the hard way. I bought some really nice gloves from Duluth Trading Company that were some of the most comfortable working gloves I'd ever tried. I figured they would be good for casting, but the first splatter of lead went right through them, so it was back to the $4.00 leather and cloth utility gloves that I buy in the dozen packs. You can't beat leather for working around molten lead.

Hope this helps.

Fred

[2wheelDuke]

Somebody turned me onto the "Ove Glove" like you see on crappy late night TV commercials. I had one in the kitchen, it worked great on pots and pans and whatever, but I never thought of using them for casting/smelting until somebody told me that they used them. I got a couple online, and they're my main casting gloves now, but I still use big leather full gauntlet welding gloves to smelt.

They've got Nomex in them, which is synthetic, but very heat resistant, they use it in firefighting gear. The newer version has silicone gripping material all over. They work great for casting, but are a bit fragile in that a sharp edge may make a pull in the material.

They're kinda expensive if you buy them at Wally World, but you can get 2 shipped for that price if you shop around online.

[RCE1]

I also use the OveGlove. I find it just about perfect for most of the casting and melting chores I engage in. In fact, I was using a propane torch to preheat a mould I was working with yesterday and noticed my hand was directly behind the mould. I didn't even feel it, although I didn't allow it to stay there very long...they are remarkably effective. I never use a casting mallet any more, I just use my gloved hand to open, close and encourage bullets from the moulds if they are little sticky. Much easier on the mould over time.

One more caveat, however, is that if you use water as part of your casting process, cooling sprue plates or water quenching, for instance, you really have to be sure the OveGlove stays dry. Get it wet, then in contact with a hot mould and you get a serious jet of steam. Other than that and the afore-mentioned knitted nature of their construction, they are ideal.

Somebody turned me onto the "Ove Glove" like you see on crappy late night TV commercials. I had one in the kitchen, it worked great on pots and pans and whatever, but I never thought of using them for casting/smelting until somebody told me that they used them. I got a couple online, and they're my main casting gloves now, but I still use big leather full gauntlet welding gloves to smelt.

They've got Nomex in them, which is synthetic, but very heat resistant, they use it in firefighting gear. The newer version has silicone gripping material all over. They work great for casting, but are a bit fragile in that a sharp edge may make a pull in the material.

They're kinda expensive if you buy them at Wally World, but you can get 2 shipped for that price if you shop around online.

[I'll Make Mine]

From my reading about fire safety, I understand that leather isn't really much better than synthetics; yes, it'll turn splashes a bit better and take higher temperature than, say, nylon, but if you get a really serious exposure the leather will melt and stick just like any other polymer (leather is essentially a polymer of collagen and other proteins). If you want real fire protection, look for aramid (generic Kevlar) cut-resistant gloves or Nomex (don't recall the generic material name); these materials have far higher temperature tolerance than common synthetics and when they do fail, they char away instead of melting into a sticky goo. The cut resistant gloves are an open weave or knit, so probably would be best under a leather barrier glove -- but then one gets into dexterity issues.

For my own work, so far, I'm using a pair of TIG welding gloves (all leather) that I bought where I work with my employee discount; they're a good compromise between protection for minor to moderate lead splashes, and maintaining dexterity. I do have to remove a glove to pump the tank on my camp stove (which I have to do two or three times in a smelt), but I can do all my other casting and smelting tasks with the gloves on.

[buyobuyo]

I use the cheap leather welding gloves from Harbor Freight. You get 3 pairs for $12 or cheaper with a coupon or on sale.

[Dale53]

I do a LOT of casting. I'm on my third pair of leather welding gloves simply because I wear them out. They are relatively inexpensive and have gauntlets to protect my wrists and lower arms. I wouldn't work without them. I open my sprue plates with my hands.

Dale53

[blikseme300]

I use the cheap leather welding gloves from Harbor Freight. You get 3 pairs for $12 or cheaper with a coupon or on sale.

What I use. ^^^

I never need to pound the sprue plate and catch and drop the sprues into the pot as I go.