Protective gear for blacksmithing.

I know a few of you out there reading may have asked yourselves “should I wear this near fire?”. Well, this post will help you decided that. Lets start at the top (of your body) and go from there.

Your brain is the most important safety tool you have. It will often warn you something bad is about to happen (like in that question above) and it can be easily upgraded (by educating yourselves on what not to do). Use it first and always! That also means no playing in fire if your brain isn't fully functioning. Be it drink, cold medicine, a lack of sleep or just feeling off, if you aren't on your game, save forge work for another time.

Eye-wear is the single most essential safety item. Period. Why? Simple, a blind blacksmith doesn't know how hot his steel is, where to hit or if he is done. So much of the craft is visual, and most education to further your craft is visual. Good quality safety glasses, furnace glasses or some kind of impact rated goggle is a bare minimum. And they don't work on top of your head – WEAR THEM.

Hearing protection is a pretty close second. Hearing damage occurs over time, and by the time you finally realize there is a problem, it is way too late. And I can tell you first hand, it sucks. Ear plugs, shooting cans or a combination work well and aren't that hard to get used to. Sure, you might not look all that cool, but damn! You have hot metal and a hammer in your hands! That offsets any non cool look right there.

The constant ringing of the anvil, sharp noises from steel being dropped and other sounds can quickly damage hearing, but other sounds over time can as well. Things like a grinder, sander or even the blower can, over time, damage your hearing. Wear cans or plugs.

Next up is your torso. Sure, working bare chested is pretty cool, but a burned nipple will definitely screw up your day. And not just hot steel burns your skin. The infrared heat coming off the forge or a large, hot bar of steel can also cause surface burns pretty easily. If you will be doing any arc welding, these also can cause surface burns. Wear either a leather apron, or a heavy shirt made from natural fibers.

Here is a big thing on clothing to remember; natural fibers ONLY. No polyester, rayon or other synthetics, as these will turn to dripping napalm if they do catch fire. Natural fibers will not melt to your skin, and extinguish fairly easily or on their own (good quality wool in particular). Cotton and linen are also good choices, and many commonly available garments are 100 percent cotton (things like denim jeans for example). Also remember, you are going to sweat. Natural fibers will wick sweat away from your skin to help cool you. Thicker clothing will insulate some heat away from you as much as it holds your heat in.

On your legs, jeans are a good way to go, see notes above on natural fibers though.

On your hands... here is where it gets interesting. We generally don't wear gloves for forging or grinding, but do for welding. Gloves can get caught in rotating machines (that's bad by the way) and may allow things you are holding to slip. Often, you get a lot of physical feedback up through a set of tongs that can warn you a hot piece of steel is about to go on its own way that gloves will prevent you from feeling. Gloves can also give you a false sense of security, and if they get hot can be hard to get off in a hurry. That said, a lot of guys do wear tight fitting gloves with great success.

Gloves are one you are going to have to decide on for yourselves.

Boots or shoes; here is one we see a lot. People forging in tennis shoes. Uh... no. We prefer leather engineer boots, as they protect the feet from falling hot scale, bounced off bits of hot metal and other minor hazards, as well as supporting the ankle. Boots or shoes made of synthetics are just asking for trouble. Remember that bit about molten, burning plastic sticking to your arms and torso? It hurts more on your ankles and arch of your foot. Wear sturdy leather here, K? And steel toes are up to you. We usually aren't moving large, heavy objects, so the worse thing that falls on our feet is a dropped hammer or tongs. Sure steel toes would prevent some loud, bad words. But you get quick about moving when hammers fall.

So that covers the basics of what to wear when forging. We might do some more detailed posts later, who knows?

Have fun, be safe. Wear your safety gear!