As a professional welder, you spend significant time analyzing and deciding on your work equipment. From the welding machine to your helmet to the working environment, you make the best possible choices for yourself.
But you know, safety comes first. No matter how robust your welding machine may be, or how handy dandy and feature-rich helmet you wear, you are never going to win at welding if your body is not safe.
Therefore, choosing a welding suit that minimizes the risks of injuries and burns while also maximizing comfort is indispensable. Here is a guide to help you learn which welding cloth material is best as well as what choices you get to choose from.
Materials Used For Welding Clothes
As for materials used for making welding suits, there is a variety of options to choose from. After all, welding is a domain saturated with employees and welding clothes are a must-have.
Also, the working environment is not always one and the same; the workplace differs based on the flexibility of the job and the degree of protection needed. Therefore, the many options available in welding clothes material are:
- Leather
- Wool
- Denim
- Cotton
Each of these materials is made with unique fibers, which makes them different in various aspects such as weight, thickness, and degree of flame resistance. Also, it depends upon which cloth material you prefer to wear as it is your comfort and safety that matters the most at end of the day.
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What You Should Look for In A Welding Cloth Material?
While at work, you weld eminently for hours and hours. During this time, your body comes in contact with various injury risks such as open flames, sparks, UV radiation, grinding debris, melting-hot metal, as well as hazardous fire.
The only thing that can save you is a welding cloth made of good material; a fabric that can withstand all risks at the welding site, and is also lightweight and breathable to wear. Well, that’s not all; here is a list of all the characteristics of an ideal welding cloth material that you need to check off.
- The fabric should be machine washable
- It should be lightweight to carry and wear
- The material should be breathable and comfortable
- It must not be stiff but flexible
- The fabric has to be flame resistant
- It must also resist any harmful chemicals reaching through
- The stuff should be cooler so as to provide comfort in heated environments
- The welding cloth must not shrink after wash
- It should also be cut resistant
The Best Material For Welding Clothes
In light of all the above-mentioned points, the best material for welding clothes has to be cotton. It is a wonderful fabric for making welding suits since it checks off almost all the ideal characteristics. Here’s how.
Cotton Is Highly Flexible
When we say flexible, we not only mean it in terms of usage but also how breathable, lightweight, and easily washable a welding cloth material can be. Cotton is great at providing flexibility in all these terms.
Cotton Is Flame Retardant
One of the great risks while welding is having to work with burning-hot flames, that too under heated environments. But there is nothing to worry about if you are wearing an FR cotton welding suit. It can withstand flying sparks and flames. It is also cooler than leather and hence a better choice.
Cotton Is Composed Of Natural Fibers
Another great reason why cotton is considered the best material for welding clothes is that is entirely made of natural fibers. This means a welding suit made of 100% cotton will be less likely to catch flames, and even if it does, you can just pat it out with your glove.
Conclusion
Taking note of the above-discussed points, it is obvious that cotton is the best material for welding clothes. So now when you head on to buying a welding suit, you know what to choose.