Heard a guy at the scrap yard say he never wears gloves for fine work

I was picking up some mild steel in Portland last week and overheard a guy telling his buddy he never wears gloves when doing finish filing or grinding. He said he needs to 'feel the heat' to know when to stop. That made me really nervous because I've seen what happens when a piece gets grabbed by a wheel. What's your rule on gloves for different jobs?

2 comments

2 Comments

lee.casey1mo ago

Yeah, that safety sheet is right about spinning stuff, but it's more about getting caught. The real danger with gloves and grinders is the material itself. A cotton glove won't protect you from heat, but it can get snagged by a burr or a sharp edge and pull your hand in. For filing, I go barehanded to feel the work, but for any grinding, I make sure the piece is clamped down tight so my hands are nowhere near it. Feeling the heat on the metal is one thing, but you don't want to feel it on your skin because your hand got dragged into the wheel.

brown.olivia1mo ago

That "feel the heat" logic is wild. I read a safety sheet that said no gloves near anything spinning, but heat is a different kind of stupid.