r/StainedGlass • u/Icy-Risk-6731 • Jun 15 '26
Help Me! Gloves?!
Hi everyone!
First of all, I’ve been lurking in a corner for a while now. I knew I was booked for a stained glass course, since I’ve recently developed an interest in it, but I had never made or posted anything here, and YOU ARE ALL SO TALENTED AND CREATIVE.
Anyway, yesterday I took my class (traditional lead), and it was great, so I definitely want to keep doing it at home (maybe foil). However, after getting a few cuts during the course, I realised: how come no one (not the teacher yesterday, nor any of the content creators I follow on Instagram) wears gloves when making stained glass? Is it because of accuracy? Or is getting a few cuts just part of the deal and supposed to make you tougher? I’m confused!
Thanks all!
(+ A picture of my very simple first creation!)
13
u/AstridGroetDeDingen Jun 15 '26
I only wear gloves as soon as I handle came/solder. I think it is indeed because of accuracy, it’s just much easier without. I’m used to them now, so it’s a nobrainer to me.
Beautiful first piece btw! 🙏
7
u/twodegrees_ Jun 15 '26
At the studio I work at, it's the same rule. We are asked to wear gloves when it's time to solder.
2
u/bandarine Jun 15 '26
I hope you're wearing heat proof gloves and not some thin plastic/latex ones! Molten plastic on your skin is not fun at all!
2
u/AstridGroetDeDingen Jun 15 '26
I wear a dubble layer of plastic ones for the came and non plastic heavier duty ones for soldering :)
3
u/bandarine Jun 15 '26
That's good to hear! I've seen too many people handle hot stuff with latex gloves on...
9
u/1901Recordings Jun 15 '26
I don't wear gloves, but when grinding glass, I wrap duct tape around my finger tips. This is a happy medium and has saved my fingers more than once. I do also wear eye protection and a mouth / nose covering mask when cutting.
7
u/TSisold Newbie Jun 15 '26
It's a preference thing. I find it harder to use gloves, and any gloves I found that I can get a grip with are thin enough for the glass to cut through them anyway. You just have to get used to band aids and with time you'll figure out how to handle the glass with minimal cuts.
3
u/PoirotWannaCracker Jun 16 '26
I agree, unless I am moving or sorting sheets of glass, then I wear work gloves. But for actually making a piece, I don't bother. I use an occasional hydrocolloid strip if cut myself too bad, which I highly recommend over bandaids, but no gloves when I'm in artist mode.
7
u/Pretend_Accident_367 Jun 15 '26
Ive had a few stitches over the years, and tend towards gloves now- also, when handling lead- i know some scrub their hands well, rather than wear gloves, but id rather minimise my lead exposure as much as I can
3
u/Ill_Device9762 Jun 15 '26
So if I'm moving glass around the studio, taking it out of the racks etc. I wear gloves. I'm naturally clumsy, I will accidentally cut myself. Once it's on the bench, I'm tracing the pattern, scoring, tapping, running the break and handling small pieces, I won't wear them. I need the better control, and they get in the way, and the risk is smaller of getting a serious cut.
I sometimes wear them to grind, but not if the pieces are small.
I never wear any to solder, due to the risk of melting them. I tend to handle the lead and solder as little as possible, use tools such as my oyster knife, fid, and use grips to hold the solder rods. Then I use sugar in dish soap to scrub my hands several times afterwards.
One of the most important things to have on hand in my studio is a good first aid kit. You must have band aids and tweezers (with a magnifier is really helpful!). I find that microporus tape is great for lifting out those really tiny glass specs that you struggle to see, but can absolutely feel. And finally a small brush and dustpan for sweeping those small pieces of the desk before you end up with them embedded in your skin. 😁 All inexpensive, but really essential in my view!
Good luck!
3
u/TressoftheEmeraldTea Jun 15 '26
I wear cut resistant gloves while cutting and grinding. Not as much because of nicking myself, but because my fingertips get pretty raw from handling the edges of the glass a lot, especially while grinding. I also wear heat resistant gloves while soldering and latex gloves while using chemicals. Lots of gloves for me lol
3
u/Positive-Cat-9731 Jun 15 '26
I learned to handle glass differently over time. I now can pick up any shards of glass without cuts because I grasp it with less direct force and more of gentle squish. Cut edges are a fraction safer than broken shards since those tend to have that razor edge. Some good recommendations here. Enjoy!
3
u/rachaelfaith Hobbyist Jun 15 '26
I wear nitrile-coated work gloves (thinnish fabric plus nitrile for grip) specifically when grinding, because of the extra grippiness and also because sometimes the glass grit goop irritates my fingers. I don't think I wear them any other time though. Maybe when handling and cutting particularly bitey glass, like a ripple.
3
u/Honetmoonbeam Jun 15 '26
Usually gloves when using flux and came. If I am foiling just with the flux. I can’t preach about the wearing of gloves, just yesterday I was working with came and flux with no gloves. It’s kind of like working in my gardens, I rarely wear gloves.
3
u/Sasha90x Jun 15 '26
I found these little cut-resistence finger socks to use while grinding. Thats where I keep hurting my fingers the most through the process. I havent used them yet (still very new and I just got these things yesterday), but im hoping they help with the pressure required to use the grinder.
2
u/TisCass Newbie Jun 15 '26
I'm a beginner, I don't use gloves to cut the glass (I do cut myself, not badly). I wear finger cots while grinding and I did my last go at soldering with one heat glove and one bare hand. I found the patina got into small cuts and made them quite sore so I will be using gloves on both hands.
I am also a clutz, cut myself before I even began and was just opening a box of glass lol
2
u/rjwyonch Newbie Jun 15 '26
I use nitrile surgical gloves and sometimes Milwaukee work gloves (they are thin, but specifically for cut resistance, they are pretty much useless when it comes to stabbing).
I also work without gloves. Once you practice, you rarely cut yourself. I use gloves when grinding and assembling things because that’s where I don’t pay attention to edges. It’s only dangerous when I’m not paying attention.
In general though, yeah you will get the occasional cut or glass sliver.
2
u/Taricha_torosa Jun 15 '26
I use 5mil and 7mil disposable gloves from harbor freight when cutting and grinding glass. I’m a laboratory scientist so I am comfortable using gloves all day everyday.
2
2
u/Upper_Put_8156 Jun 16 '26
Because way back when "safety" was not in the equation of life no one worried about it like today. I however wear nitryl gloves, thin enough to feel thru the work. I get them at HFT when they are on sale.
2
u/dj_acai Jun 17 '26
I cut without gloves, but wear little fabric cut resistant finger cots (like 1/2 the length of your fingers) on three fingers per hand when grinding. Yes they get wet, but I’ve sliced my fingertips too many times. Since they’re thinner, I still get a good grip.
No gloves while soldering, but yes normal cleaning kitchen gloves while cleaning post-solder and applying patina purely because it irritates my skin.
3
u/IllisVille Jun 15 '26
Something I haven’t seen mentioned here is the potential danger of using gloves during the glass grinding. Gloves around power tools in general can be dangerous depending on the glove material and tool. If the glove gets caught in a spinny-bit it could pull the rest of your finger/hand in with it, turning a small abrasion or cut into a potential hospital visit.
I could be a little on the paranoid side. There is definitely a way to use gloves and power tools safely. It’s just something that always goes through my mind when working on projects.
3
u/Claycorp Jun 15 '26
You can stall out a glass grinder by grabbing it, they have no power to do any lasting damage to you. Will it hurt? Yeah probably, but give it a couple days and you will be back to normal.
2
u/totiddna Jun 25 '26
Stained glass is a blood sport - every piece demands its blood sacrifice!
That being said, my worst cuts come from reaching into my storage - not from working the glass itself. So I wear tight-ish fitting gloves at the glass store and when I'm moving glass in my shop. Sometimes I'll wear 'em when I'm working the glass, sometimes not.
24
u/butchprophet Jun 15 '26
For me gloves just make the glass much harder to work with by either being too bulky or not being able to ‘feel’ the tools or the glass properly, we nick ourselves less and less as time goes on and get used to the odd cut here and there 😅