BEHIND THE TUNGSTEN GLOVE: DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
We've always wanted to create a welding glove and it's sat in the back of our minds ever since we first stepped foot into the Earnest Workshop. Perhaps it's the countless tattered and beaten leather gloves lying around the place that we have become custom to when visiting workshops. Or it could be that fact that most of our nights are spent in the workshop with that blue glow coming from the corner for one reason or another.
We knew from the start that we didn't want to rush this project and that patience was always going to be key. Welding is like no other craft. If you are a welder, you already know you take huge pride in your metal work. Far more so than other aspects of work. There's no point us rushing into a project and the outcome not being just that... A glove that we take huge pride in.
So, how did we set off to create the best damn tig/mig glove we could? First, we talked to guys just like you. We already had a solid plan of attack, but we went on to visit key local welders that we have a huge respect for. Talking about key features, past gloves, things they like, things that let them down and anything else that we could include in the project to make the end result all it should be.
We then talked to the best. Guys around the world that many of us look up to daily. After a long design process, we finally had it. Our first gloves, ready to get on the first courier out the door and off to some of the hardest working welders and fabricators we know from around the world.
Now we could sit and relax, knowing that this solid crew were doing their very best to smash the gloves to within an inch of their usable life. With the amount these guys weld daily, we knew we were in good hands.
We continued this process a handful of times. Creating the glove, sending it out, collecting comments and recommendations, then doing it all again. It's the same process we carry out with all the gear we create.
It took 8 long months of constant daily welding from our friends all over the place. But it had sure as hell worked. Here you have it, the result of all the hard work. Our Tungsten Tig/Mig Welding glove.
Constructed from heat treated cowhide and double stitched tightly in weld-friendly Kevlar stitching. The Tungsten glove shape has been refined for a slimmer fit over traditional bulky gloves. You'll find carefully thought out reinforcement and resting panels added throughout.
We put a strong emphasis on material strength, comfort & the ability to go the distance under extreme heat. Our cowhide remained durable and flexible throughout the months of heat testing and reacted with far less shrinkage or pulling than ever before.
We have utilised reinforced double Kevlar stitching throughout so you can weld daily without fear of busting seams or misshaping stitching under extreme conditions.
There's one common theme to note from our discussions with the crew. All of which highlighted the fact that tig welding often requires the back of the hand and pinky finger to be rested on rapidly heating surfaces. The result is our uniquely shaped resting reinforcement panel. It features a Kevlar zig-zag stitch to keep the panel tight and increase feel when running your hand along flat surfaces and edges.
So there you have it, the Tungsten Glove.
A long project taken on by the Earnest Workshop Team and a handful of the most driven fabricators and welders around the world.
Also in THE EARNEST WORKSHOP BLOG
EARNEST CREATOR PROFILE: MIKE SQUIRE
EARNEST PROFILE: JULIAN JACOBS
It's the feeling of driving that has lead Julian to spend his nights tucked away in the workshop building some of the wildest machines you are likely to find at the track.
EARNEST PROFILE: SAM HARING
"If I'm not creating something, I feel like something is lacking in my life." Meet the hands and mind that is Sam Haring.
