Welding jacket and protection - school/help me

So I am going to buy some welding protection (time to upgrade and add to my stuff).

Looking for advise on brands, style, do's and don'ts....

I will be doing some mig welding while under the car so I am looking for complete protection. - got a nice neck/chest burn today when slag founds its way into my shirt!

I have my eye on this jacket Any thoughts good or bad...?

Thanks in advance.

 

looks like a nice jacket, ****ons up the neck. i use .045 wire overhead so i feel your pain.

 

welding depoe has great stuff and their real cheap, i have this jaket, it wont brun through, use a bandana oround your neck and put a hat on backwards under your helmet

http://store.weldingdepot.com/cgi/weldingdepot/306130.html?id=YFAfEwjh

 

make sure its a wool or cotton bandana, and not synthetic. as you probably already know

 

I'd go with leather,nothing fancy, slag has a way of making holes in anything else.

 

hahah yea synsthetic= naypalm

 

ya napalm's terrible stuff, it sticks to kids!

 

Make sure to put the hat bill over the ear that is up, keeps the sizzlers out!! Leather jacket is best

 

Ear plugs, A full leather jacket, A nice big welding hat, Full gloves , A very good helmit .
If you go cheap youll pay the price.

 

Its nice to see that there are alternatives to the heavy leather welding jackets like I have. I get claustrophobic when I am underneath a car and the stiff sleeves prevent the ease of movement. My jacket also has no neck protection other than me taping the collar to my neck, which makes it even more uncomfortable.

I recommend spending the money on a good bill-less welding hat. Its hard to look up when your hat is on backwards.

I always use the soft rubber reusable earplugs. Anything to keep slag out of the ear c****s.

Dave

 

Leather would be the best way to go.. hot.. yes.. I have some sleeves that I wear with a thick Tshirt and I got a welding cap, I dont do alot of welding but it keeps me burn free.

 

this is the one i wear day in day out:http://www.toughweld.com/black-stallion-fr-jackets-and-shop-coats.html?productid=1992

but i get a new one every two weeks or so for $4 at work and the same brand glove last me about 3 days

 

I have the same BSX jacket.... 2X..... I also have a leather set up too! Guess which one gets used more. All that leather is heavy, and should only be used for the "***y Welder Man Role-Play Game" in the bedroom. HAHAHAHA

 

I was thinking of the XL - do these run small? My chest is 47"-48", but will toss this jacket over a t-shirt.

Thanks,

 

I'm a pipefitter...and I weld every single day for a living. Here's what we use: Those green jackets are a welding staple. They're great! But, they don't seem to last too long...especially around the inside of your elbows. Sparks and slag always pocket in there when you have your arms bent...and before you know it....you're burnt. So, I use a jacket made by Black Stallion. Its the same nomex fabric as those green ones, except it has leather sleeves. I've had the same jacket for a year.

If its hot outside, you can buy whats called a cape. Its literally just the top half of a jacket...but its leather.

That jacket that snaps all the way up is good in theory, but slag will ALWAYS find a way to burn you......always. I use a bandana tied around my neck.

A nice soft welding hat with a low crown is an absolute must. The pipeliner hats are real tall, and they collect sparks when you have your hood on....so buy the ones with the small crown. They'll fit tight like a skull cap, but the brim of the hat is the most crucial. Make sure its soft so it covers your ear.

I always wear a pair of those yellow sponge ear plugs. Both to keep the slag out of my ear, and to drown out the sound of a big diesel welder.

As far as pants go...blue jeans are king....but NO FRAYED CUFFS...ask me how I know that one. And, make sure you tuck your shirt in....always.

And the obvious...a nice THICK pair of leather gloves. Not those hobby/chore leather gloves you can buy at a gas station, but actual welding gloves. The chore gloves will be cooked in about 10 minutes.

Hope this helps.

 

I've had the same rawhide half jacket forever, much more maneuverable than a full coat under a car. Usually don't use the bib, just the sleeves and collar. Wouldn't go any other way.

 

Oh, be a man! Weld naked!

 

Also, when buying welding gloves, make sure to get a pair with a long gauntlet that will sit about halfway up your forearm. Whatever store you get your jacket from will have them. Also, if I'm in a tight spot, I will put one or two lentghs of duct tape over my boot laces. It's a cheesy solution, but will serve you fine for MIG welding. Overall, remember that slag usually doesn't burn unless it finds a place to sit.

 

I use a Nomex Jacket. It's the same stuff the firefighters use.

 

Thanks guys for all the feedback.

I found a local welding supplier that has the BSK gear and will be heading there today to try them on, and buy.

I currently have Tillman mig gloves, leather apron, professional welding helmet, just need to add more.

The advise on the hat is great, I will be looking to buy one. Oh yeah the ear plug rule...A must!

Someone mentioned ease of movement while under the car, this is a big one for me and I am worried a heavy leather get-up will restrict this, hence the FR jacket I am looking at.

Thanks again guys, you are the best.

I will report back on the jacket and gear I acquire and how it performs.

 

If you are going to be crawling around on the floor under a messy dirty car whilst welding overhead, I would strongly recommend you go with a leather Black Stallion jacket-
http://www.toughweld.com/black-stallion-standard-cowhide-welding-jacket.html?productid=1356
Trust me- it will last a hundred times longer than that cotton rag you are looking at. In my misspent youth I was a tankie, welding up 100,000+ barrel oil storage tanks, and part of that job was constructing floating steel roofs- which consisted of overhead welding for about two weeks straight. Trust me, get the leather.

 

I don't do a ton of out position mig welding....but when I do it usually looks like I have chicken pox for a few days Those green jackets are cheap so they get used a ton, but like 53SledSleeve said, they don't really last. And somehow the sparks find the same spot on your elbow over and over again until you want to scream!

-Josh

 

IMO you're looking at it the wrong way. It's not the weight of a leather coat that restricts movement, especially if sized properly and broken in. It's the fact when you're laying on the back of a waist length coat it restricts arm movement. Doesn't really matter what material. Covering your arms, shoulders, upper chest, and neck is sufficient for the majority of on the car welding, don't really need coverage on your back. Anyway, wanted to elaborate on why I love my rawhide half coat so much. Good luck.

 

Looks like a good shirt/jacket. Wish I had one last Saturday when I set myself on fire while grinding. The t shirt I had on had a 2" hole in it that caught the sparks and before I know it, I'm barb-b-q. Looks nice, let us know how you like it after you get it. Thanks.

 

Not sure if it matters to you, but I think the black stallion stuff is chinese made and tillman is us made. I use the tillman cape with the bib that snap on the front and also the green cotton jackets. don't be like the clowns on tv who weld in t-shirts, w/o gloves, etc. even if you don't get burned, you get a lot of uv exposure and that's not good.

 

392 Hemi is DEAD RIGHT on the UV exposure when welding. If you're a hobby welder, or just piddling around with a car....its probably no big deal. But I weld all day...and any part of my body that's left uncovered gets a HORRIBLE sunburn.

I wasn't aware that the Black Stallion stuff was made overseas. We get it free at work...its just what our company buys us and we can't ***** at free since we get all the welding gear we want. I've honestly never checked the origin of my welding gear before, so I'm glad that point was brought up.

I don't remember who made the comment about the gauntlet gloves...but he's right too. The gloves you want are leather gauntlet gloves that go up about half way to your elbow.

If you're gonna be doing a lot of welding....do yourself a favor and search though my posts. I made a post about a year or two ago about the hazards of the fumes. My dad now has Parkinsons from a career of welding and breathing the fumes. Burn marks go away with time, but the damage to your lungs will last forever and possibly kill you.

 

Regarding welding fumes, be especially careful when welding galvanized material, including automotive sheet metal (the modern stuff). It's very nasty and has long term effects that's aren't good. If you breath in the fumes, you get cold-like symptoms for a couple of days afterwards, and that's not a good sign. Wear an approved respritor and have adequate ventilation or suffer the consequences down the road.

 

Yup on the galvanized stuff, Don't fool around with it with out a respirator. Whether you're grinding the galvanizing off or welding through it. Of course if you feel you have to weld it without a respirator make sure you have plenty of milk around. People can tell when you you've been welding galvanized, because the smell of it carries on your breath for quite a while afterwards.

 

You can't go wrong with good old cowhide for a mig (or GMAW) welding jacket. And gloves intended for that welding process. You're local welding shop should have a range of gloves and jackets to choose from, and the oldest welder there can tell you which is best for what you are doing. The green jacket like SkoFord recommended is what I have for Tig (or GTAW), and I use Kidd (as in baby goat) skin gloves.

As far as covering everything else, you may want to look into some chinks (no, not the racist kind!). Chinks are thigh length chaps. I have a set, and I'll be damned if I can find them on line. They are nicer than an apron, since they are split. But still provide that ever important crotch protection with a flap of leather over that area. Not going all the way to your feet like chaps gave a better range of movement (so I found at least). And I rarely had a spark make it all the way to my shin unless I was kneeling. Chinks are also great if you're sitting at a bench welding. You don't need shin protection then. All I could find was these. You could cut them off at the knee, or just leave them the length they are:

http://www.boss-safety.com/shop/rawhyde-frontier-leather-waist-apron-p-674.html

I bought mine about 15 years ago at a welding shop in Alaska. Right after I had an errant spark find it's way through my 501's and my drawers. The rest I'll leave up to your own horrific imagination.

(And, yes, I recovered nicely back to working order.)

 

Great stuff guys... I like how this has gone into an open discussion of some 'best practices'. I am sure many on the board could use some "reminders".

I went and picked up the FR BSK jacket, a welding cap and some sleeves (for general arm coverage while not under the car, grinding and stuff, you know)

I will only be doing a little under the car welding - so there was no real need to go crazy on gear. I have been welding for some years now and have good named brand stuff that has protected me while upright welding. I am guilty of exposed skin and welding, I never weld without gloves or mask though (I am not on TV so.... )

I will report back soon on how the BSK gear works out.

Thanks again for all of you who chimed in, good stuff.