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What Kind of Gloves and Apron for Angle Grinder Safety?

Steve H. Graham

Aluminum
Joined
Nov 6, 2007
Location
Miami
I've been reading about the horrors of angle grinder accidents, and I learned that the fragments can go through clothes and welding gloves. Here's what I'm wondering: what are you supposed to wear on your hands and body, if welding gloves won't do it?

I was thinking I might get a kevlar cut-resistant apron and some kevlar fillet gloves.
 
I usually use mechanix style gloves...I've never had a grinding disc explode and go through anything but my pride. I did have a small cutting wheel go poof and leave a parting gift in my nose lol, yay safety glasses though.
 
I never wear gloves when using a angle grinder
Why should I. I have the safety hood on all the time So any gloves will only limit the feel on the switch which is more of a risk as that a disc explodes and then a part takes a 180 dgr turnover and hits my hand
Gloves are a risk if used at the wrong occasions Gloves are only effective if its sharp or hot And if you dont want dirty hands of coarse

Peter
 
Don't keep the wheel/disk inline with your head and use the guard. Especially with cutoff wheels.

Sent from my XT1053 using Tapatalk
 
Full face shield with safety glasses under it, hard hat, full welding leathers(pants and jacket)over a flame retardant suit, kevlar gloves, safety shoes, and respirator. If out doors, polarized face shield for uv protection. Have a licensed "safety coordinator" watching from a safe distance to call authorities should you become incapacitated.
Get a good night's sleep the night before, and eat a good breakfast. If all goes well you will survive in one piece and be ready for your next adventure, a cordless 3/8" impact drill.
That about covers it.:willy_nilly:
 
My problems have been loose wires imbedding in skin/meat...One wire, almost an inch long, was imbedded in me for over a year, unknown, until it started coming out.

Those wires are a real problem, seems like almost every time I use a wire wheel on an angle grinder I get one stuck in me somewhere, they even go right through jeans. I've had a few jab pretty deep, hurt like hell coming out too. Never had one go that deep though, damn!
 
Champion subdural wire wheel wire guy!!

I've gotten a bunch but mostly stuck in clothing...damn
I had a wire brush in a 1/4 inch air die grinder that exploded.. Big coarse Osborne brush. I pulled a few out of my arms and legs, no major damage. A year of so later I noticed a little spot on my belly.. wire was sticking out a bit. Got some pliers and pulled the wire out.. not rusty, but it was tarnished black
 
I see this as a WebMD syndrome- every time I go on there, I am sure I have brain cancer, rabies, and the plague- I mean, just read the symptoms!

In realidad, as they say in my country, the danger from a grinding wheel breaking up and then penetrating a leather glove are pretty similar to you winning the PowerBall.
As Judy Tenuta used to say- "IT Could Happen!"

I own over a dozen 4 1/2" grinders, and have been using them daily for 35 years, and many times with a couple of employees doing it too.
We buy grinding discs by the dozen, and have NEVER had one disintegrate.
We do occasionally see a .045 cut disc shrapnel- but never seen one go thru jeans, much less leather.

I do wear gloves when I am grinding, most days. Leather drivers gloves is what we use- we have worn out hundreds of pairs of em.
The real danger is when some hotshot takes the guards off the grinder- those guys seldom get hired by me, but I have had a couple over the years. You can recognize em by the roadrash on their hands where they grind the skin off.
As the boss, one of my jobs is to but the guards back on, usually after I show them how you can do the exact same job, with the guard, that they swore needed grinding nekkid, standing in a puddle, with no guard, to be possible.

Anyway- if you are using thin cut discs, wear a full face shield, and a real shirt and gloves. For grinding, though, I really wouldnt worry about discs going thru walls and piercing steel toed boots.
 
It's great that there are people who use tools stupidly for years and don't get hurt, but respectfully, that information is not helpful at all. You don't judge a tool's safety by the number of times you use it without getting hurt. You judge it by looking at the times it hurts people.

You can be hurt by a grinder with the guard in place. Disks do blow up. Grinders do go through leather and work shirts. People have had their throats cut by small grinders. I'm asking what I should wear, not what I can get away with not wearing.

I have never had my life saved by a seat belt, anti-lock brakes, an air bag, or a motorcycle helmet, and I have never been in a situation where I had to use deadly force to protect myself, but I use seat belts, ABS, air bags, and motorcycle gear, and I carry a pistol everywhere. I'm not planning my life based on the times I was lucky.

My grandmother lived to the age of 92 and never needed a gun. A girl I dated was held down on the floor of a restaurant by a moron with a gun, and he put it to her head and told her to count down until he pulled the trigger. I would rather be prepared for rare accidents than end up in the ER with a nasty injury.
 
In reality the tool is only as safe as the person operating it. I understand you are trying to be proactive but I think you are reading into worst case scenario a bit much. Gloves, a face shield, and a thick Jean jacket and you are good to go.
 








 
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