WeldingGauntlet.com

ABOUT US

Rick Dawson developed the Gauntlet™ while studying for his welding certification with a 232 flux-core wire. This certification is for a Cal-Trans certification, used by structural steel welders.

RICK'S STORY

I got tired of burning my gloves. They would get too stiff and hard to use. I thought there should be a better way to save my gloves from burning, wrinkling, and drying out. I was spending more time and money buying gloves than I believed was necessary.

I developed the Gauntlet™, which is a shield, with the idea of saving my gloves and hands from getting burned. The products I found available would last 1-3 hours and were directly in contact with my glove. And at $8 - $9 each, this wasn't cost effective. I would use up 2 to 3 of these shields within an eight hour period. I had to buy gloves almost every day. I wasn't able to concentrate on my welding.

I thought I could build a better product. I asked myself, "What could I build that would be user-friendly?" The concept was to keep the heat from transferring from the shield to the glove and protect the wearer from the heat. My first prototypes were made from galvanized metal. It worked for a short time, but began to melt and break down. It was too thin and weak. The shields were rectangular, bulky, and awkward to use. Also, they failed to dissipate the heat and allow for the slag to roll off.

So, what reflects heat? What would dissipate heat quickly? What shape would aid in getting the slag to roll off the shield?

I came up with a concave shape of aluminum that would attach to a frame. I found 3/16" cold rolled steel strong enough as the frame component. Stainless steel springs allow for fingers and wrist to bend as needed. I added lines (ridges) in the concave shape to use as a guild for straight seams. I call it the Gauntlet™.