Need recommendations for welding uniform:

[C-10 simplex]

Getting ready to go to school so, need recommendations for welding uniform and also importantly where to buy the stuff. (internet ok)

1) helmet: i'm strongly leaning towards the accu-strike:
http://www.accustrike.com/

i've also looked at Miller's elite and digital elite. And 3M's speedglas.

Money is not really an object as far as helmets go.

2) Gloves: i need a general purpose for stick, mig and tig

3) Jacket?

4) Safety glasses. i already have these, but any further comments/recommendations welcomed.

5) Cap: i'm thinking of wearing a hat backwards. Again, further comments/recommendations welcomed.

6) Hammer, brush, pliers etc.

[crushermechanic]

make sure whatever you wear if not leather is cotton. make sure you do not wear polyester. unless you plan on doing a lot of overhead welding or do it for a living you most likely wont need a set of leathers. i would also recomend a good set of cutting glasses. if you want an excellent helmet check out the optrell satilite. i will weld for 12-14 hours at a time and it is very comfortable. it also has the most shade adjustments i have seen. it goes from 5-14 shade

[Lee H]

If your instructor or school has not provided you with the requirements or suggested gear I would attend the first class and ask what will be needed/required. Hate to see you buy a bunch of stuff that you will not need or use, and have to buy different stuff.

[vin63]

X2 - the instructor might have his own list of items he wants you to get for the class...personally, I owned a Tillman jacket that was 20+ years old, and wore it out (mainly my wife hated seeing it with holes, etc.), and I received a BSX jacket this Christmas. My MIG gloves are just the plain heavy leather gloves that my welding supplier give me free every couple of years ($5 pr). My TIG gloves are goat/kid skin, but I can't remember the brand...they were around $20 pr. I'm mentioning what I use to give you a ballpark price of those items, but check with your local welding suppliers, etc. The helmets you listed will be fine. Good luck and enjoy the class.

[C-10 simplex]

He has provided a list, but didn't really make any recommendations as far as brands.

i'm the type that likes to be anal and thorough about equipment selection when it comes to anything, not just welding----cars, computers, appliances etc.

[vin63]

Check with your local welding supplier and try things on to see what you like and fits best, then you can check online to see if you can get a better price...but, a lot of suppliers will meet prices or provide good deals if you show them what you need. I'm home now and one pair of my TIG gloves is Tillman and the other is BSX. My new BSX jacket is around $20.

[Tx Firefighter]

I sometimes weld 12 hours a day building hay trailers and have found what works for me...

Wrangler cotton long sleeve shirt, heavy starch from the cleaner. Snap pockets with flaps to keep weld boogers out of them. The heavy starch makes the boogers roll right off and not burn in.

Wrangler jeans, again heavy starch

Redwing pull on boots. No laces.

Welder's cap under my hood.



This is basically standard fare for welders around here so the stores like Tractor Supply and Gibsons stock the pants and shirts all year round. In the winter, Carhart coat or coveralls if needed.

I have the normal heavy gauntlet arc welding gloves from the welding supply. But, I usually use just regular leather work gloves. I stop pretty often to replace welding rod so you're not subjected to as much heat as you might think.

[BossHogg69]

x2 on the Canadian Tuxedo and pull on Red Wings (I wear the #2231's around the house and the insulated #4445's at work) I have some gaunlet gloves also, but usually use regular leather work gloves. I don't weld for 12 hours at a time, but the heavy Wrangler denim is pretty tough and comfortable and the Red Wings with the 'comfort sole' insole are awesome if you have to wear boots all day.

[Gobbles]

I would recommend an auto darkening helmet, they are awesome, I use a Miller Elite.

X2 on the leathers if you do overhead, I tried using a heat resistant material but in overhead it just can't handle the spatter, leather is a must.

Get inexpensive gloves, when you grind with them you are gonna wreck them. Make sure they have enough play to be able to easily feel your triggers.

[glider_6969]

Many good points from every one here so far, sounds like experience talking, you also may want to look at a good pair of work boots that have the protective leather that cover over the laces. I sucks when you get some slag in the boot,,totally agree with the recommendation on the auto darkening helmet, very much worth the money, good luck.

[andyh1956]

i use a moresafe helmet. for $150 it is real good. also do yourself a favor & buy a dark cutting shield from northern. mine was $30 when i bought it. i also like welding mittens instead of gloves. they dont have fingers that will get hard from the heat when you are cutting. when i was a jr in high school we had to go to the jr college (no vo-tech) i wanted to do auto mechanics but all the rich kids got into it so i had to take welding trades. learning to weld properly has been a skill that i have used & earned a substantial amount of my income for the last 30 years. good luck!
andy

[rpmgroup]

miller elite is a good helmet, i have a jacket but use a leather apron most of the time, saves the front of my shirts.

[shortbed70]

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

I sometimes weld 12 hours a day building hay trailers and have found what works for me...

Wrangler cotton long sleeve shirt, heavy starch from the cleaner. Snap pockets with flaps to keep weld boogers out of them. The heavy starch makes the boogers roll right off and not burn in.

Wrangler jeans, again heavy starch

Redwing pull on boots. No laces.

Welder's cap under my hood.



This is basically standard fare for welders around here so the stores like Tractor Supply and Gibsons stock the pants and shirts all year round. In the winter, Carhart coat or coveralls if needed.

I have the normal heavy gauntlet arc welding gloves from the welding supply. But, I usually use just regular leather work gloves. I stop pretty often to replace welding rod so you're not subjected to as much heat as you might think.

Im almost the same but I weld using sleeves from lampton welding supply,tillman gloves,and wrangler jeans. Also I just man up and lose some hair every so often on my head and my boots are wolverines and miller performance series helmet.

[C-10 simplex]

Next, i'd like to get into safety glasses; i've just learned that these also further help shield against UV rays--even the clear lenses. But you've got shaded as well as clear.

Which should i go with?

i'll be starting off with stick and then moving to mig and tig and i'm planning on going with an auto-darkener helmet.

[rpmgroup]

I wear Rx safety glasses (photo grey, they change with the sunlite) at work every day and have a pair of clear Rx glasses for when i am welding. if i have be in the sun with the photo greys and then add the welding helmet (auto darkening) it get too dark. but yes safety glasses with uv protection are a must.

[donut]

Best pair of safety glasses are ones that are comfortable. they do NO good on top of your head or in a pocket.

Ear plugs are also a help. No sparks, slag, or "grinder grit" in your ears.

Lots of good info in this thread. Do check your local welding supply for gloves, hoods etc. and find what's comfortable. I'm sure the instructor will preach "get comfortable".

I believe it was Tillman for my gloves. Welding hood, I was a little more "old school", didn't do the auto hood. Huntsman, Jackson, Fibre-Metal.

[PanelDeland]

Originally Posted by C-10 simplex

Next, i'd like to get into safety glasses; i've just learned that these also further help shield against UV rays--even the clear lenses. But you've got shaded as well as clear.

Which should i go with?

i'll be starting off with stick and then moving to mig and tig and i'm planning on going with an auto-darkener helmet.

I don't know about the program you're entering but every one I'm familiar with starts you on gas welding,a great way to learn the "puddle".

Make sure the safety glasses have side sheilds,slag bounces(not so)funny.

[aggie91]

I agree with alot of the guys above. For safety glasses under your hood use a clear lens with UV protection and a pair that fits you comfortably. I wear a wrangler cotton work shirt (although not starched, but that is a good idea), and jeans. I wear slip on leather boots, mine current pair are steel toes from Georgia Boots and I like them better then the Red Wings I have used in the past and were less money. I have 2 different helmets I use. One is a large window Jackson with a gold lens. The other is a Miller elite. I like the Jackson when I am just doing a quick job and the large window makes viewing my work easier. My gloves are Tillman for TIG and standard long gantlet leather gloves for the rest. Sometime I use leather driver's gloves when doing light gauge sheetmetal mig welding. I use a cotton welders cap under my hood, no ball caps, they are uncomfortable to me..

Best advise is to find your stuff locally at the weld supply shop or a place like Tractor Supply. FR (fire retardent) clothing is good also, I have seen that at Tractor Supply and a local place called Baskins. FInd what fits you and is comfortable.

[C-10 simplex]

What i ended up with:

Miller elite autodarken $225ish
Jackson nemisis safety glasses $3 These are clear but provide 99%UV protection
Miller heavy duty mig/stick gloves $24

Miller full leather jacket $120

Wrangler jeans at walmart----$16 i think.

For boots i went with walmart's Brahma brand---hutch 2 wellington pullon boots; This was not planned but as i was shopping for jeans, i passed by the shoe dept just to take a look and decided to try these at $54. So far so good.

"Dakota grizzly" cotton long sleeve shirt. This is one of tractor supply's off brands. Normally i would shy away from anything made in china, but at $6.99 vs. $27.99 for the wrangler shirt, i decided to take a chance on it and so far so good.

miller beanie--$3

hobart hammer and brush.

The miller helmet works great; you will need to remember to press the reset button if you stop welding for a while as it turns itself off automatically after 15 mins to conserve battery power. This way you don't get flashed. Also, press the reset button when you first start welding as this is the same as turning it on. My only "complaint" is that i wish the helmet would extend further around the head to prevent stray sparks from getting in. But other than that it's a winner.