Protective Gloves

[Smithy]

What type of gloves is the best to use to prevent small cuts and abrasions. I am taking a heavy duty blood thinner and any little "nick" results in a LOT a blood flow. I have searched and found a ton of gloves with no explanation about their protective qualities.

If you have any experience, or can recommend a specific item, I would really like to know. As always, TIA. ...Teddy

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Teddy,
I use the woven cotton "metal worker's gloves" that I get by the gross from a local safety equipment and apparel company. They are like these:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/300-PAIR-SIZE-LARGE-GRAY-STRING-KNIT-WORK-GLOVES-/230324521113

I wear them doing all sorts of tasks, yard work, and moving wood/but mainly while grinding/sanding. The belt grinder wears them down at the finger tips, but I still have my skin. I toss them in the waste bin when they get holes worn in them, but into the wash if they are only dirty from yard work.

I have kevlar gloves to wear when buffing the edge on a freshly sharpened blade.

Before anyone gets panicked, I only wear these while sanding, buffing, and doing hand work on blades and wood in the shop.
NEVER WEAR ANY GLOVES LIKE THESE WHEN OPERATING ROTATING EQUIPMENT LIKE LATHES, DRILLS, MILLS, AND DIE GRINDERS.

Now with all that said, I think working with knives is a bit risky while taking blood thinners. Maybe doing some filing and bevel sanding is OK, but once equipment gets turned on and things get sharp, the risk outweighs the benefit. One medium size cut that would normally take a little super glue and a band aid can end up in the ER.

 

[Mahoney]

Even powered sanding and grinding with gloves on can be risky, it's not just rotating machinery that can pull you in, a belt sander will trap a glove between the belt and rest or platen given the chance.

I have done some tests over the years on "cut resistant" gloves, and the only gloves that really held up to a sharp edge were the ones made completely out of stainless steel wire, or had stainless steel wire combined with Kevlar or other aramid fibers. These gloves can still be pierced or cut, but it takes enough force that you'd have other problems besides being cut... Needless to say, these are not the gloves offering the best dexterity, and they are not cheap, but a casual pass across them with a razor blade won't open a cut the way it usually will on a plain Kevlar glove

Kevlar gloves with a nitrile coating on the palm are pretty good as general work gloves, and offer some protection from burrs on sheet metal and such, but they are not much protection from a knife edge

 

[theHobbyist]

I have a pair of gloves much like the ones that Mahoney suggests "Nitrile Dipped Kevlar Large Work Gloves" they're advertised as "cut resistant". I haven't tested them, but I have put a mildly sharp knife to it and laid some pressure on it (hand sanding/buffing the ugly out of a blade).

Honestly, gloves are a double edged sword for me (no pun intended). Time and time again they've protected my hands from injury. But I did get caught in a lathe once, damn near took my hand off, before tearing the glove off. So now I'm extra extra careful gloved or not...