Construction Clothing
This will seem silly to some people, but it’s worth talking about. What kind of clothing should you be wearing if you're in the construction industry? Especially if you're new to welding or are often around grinding/sparks?
When I started welding professionally, I didn't know what clothes would protect me from burns, scrapes, and even sunburn from being outside all day.
I'll start by saying, if you're working with anything hot, and especially if you're welding/grinding, you should not be wearing synthetic materials. They don’t self-extinguish fire the same way a natural fiber would AND they will melt and stick to your skin, which is at the very least, a nuisance. If you really ended up catching fire, they could make the situation far worse than it needs to be.
So, let's go over some materials that work well for high heat applications:
Cotton
A common material for shirts, not the best option but it's readily accessible and cheap.
Wool
The superman of clothing materials. Warm in the winter and cool in the summer, very flame retardant, typically expensive.
Denim
An offshoot of cotton, reasonably durable, and a very good option for work clothing.
Canvas
A very heavy duty material, also tends to be fairly hot in the summer.
Duck
A form of canvas but it is much stiffer and tightly woven. Carhartt and Tough Duck are two very common brands. No, it is not made from ducks.
Leather
Common for heavy welding jackets. This is the best option for stick welding and is a good idea for overhead welding of any kind. I am not saying wear your motorcycle jacket to weld in.
Flame resistant
This can be made from a few different materials but typically it’s a cotton mix. They come in a wide range of clothing and thicknesses for different seasons. This clothing isn't necessarily the best for welding though, it's usually very expensive compared to the other materials listed and the treatment applied to the garment won't actually protect you from sparks, only from catching on fire.
Daily wear
For daily wear (as seen above) regular jeans and a cotton t-shirt is usually the move. I personally like button up shirts or flannel shirts (cotton) but a hoodie is just as applicable. I would recommend you either cut off or tie up the strings on the hood if you do decide to wear a hoodie.
Cold Weather
It gets tricky as it starts getting cold. Finding outerwear that is made of material that doesn't burn is getting more difficult every year as companies try to make all the clothing in the world stretchy. I recommend plenty of thin layers to hold in heat like long johns or thermal underwear. If you don't own a pair of bib overalls or coveralls, you're just doing yourself a disservice in all honesty. Wear a fairly substantial coat for those mornings where your beard has ice in it. The rest is up to you. Some people can't stand to wear gloves or hats and some people don't like to see their fingers turn blue, so that's a personal choice. You just need to know how you respond to the cold and the heat and figure out what works for you.
Stuff I have had good experience with:
I like double front pants because I tend to blow the left knee out of my pants from kneeling on concrete constantly. If the temperature is below 65 degrees, I’ll wear a yellow weld t-shirt underneath a flannel nearly everyday. If it is chilly out but not extremely cold, I'd rather wear a vest than a coat because it doesn't restrict me from moving my arms or make me feel like the Michelin man. Muck boots are the best thing ever if you're working in mud or heavy snow (I've heard good things about Baffin as well).
Sean’s Guide to Workwear Brands:
Carhartt ★★★★☆
Big brand. Their older stuff is very heavy duty, but they have rested on their laurels for a long time in my opinion. I have a jacket that is older than I am and it's my favorite thing to wear in the cold winters around here.
Round House ★★★★☆
Similar to what Carhartt was in the 80’s (high quality duck workwear)
Tough Duck ★★★★★
Canadian brand, think 80’s Carhartt similar to Round House but can be hard to find stores that carry them in the U.S.
Patagonia ★★★☆☆
Their hemp workwear is really nice stuff, but it's on the pricey side. (runs small)
Ariat ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
The Rebar series is what you want. Some of my favorite flannel shirts and pants, enough said since that's basically 90% of my wardrobe.
Walls ★★☆☆☆
A little hit or miss but generally good quality and fairly inexpensive. Their trucker jacket not only looks good but it's also quite warm.
Dickies ★★★★☆
They sell it at Walmart, not what I’d choose but if you're on a budget it's your best option. The only shorts I wear are dickies relaxed fit 13”
Helly Hansen ★★☆☆☆
High quality, high price, but worth it for the rain gear.
Timberland ★★☆☆☆
The Pro Series is nice stuff but honestly they have become a bit of a fashion brand in my opinion.
Tingley ★☆☆☆☆
Heavy duty rain gear on a budget. It's going to make you sweat though since it doesn't breathe at all.
Key ★★☆☆☆
Very old school brand. Can be found easily at Tractor Supply (TSC) for pretty cheap. If you want to dress like your great grandpa did when he built the train track in your hometown, this is the brand to wear.
Muck ★★★★★
Best water, mud, and snow boots I've tried. Heavy as can be but basically bulletproof workwear.
Under Armour ★★★★☆
Okay so this one is synthetic, but their storm beanie is perfect for under a welding hood or hardhat and it doesn't make my head itchy like the (carhartt) acrylic beanies.
Wigwam ★★★★☆
Great socks and hats. Union made, if that matters to you.
Darn Tough ★★★☆☆
Great socks with an unbeatable warranty.
Fox River ★★★★★
My favorite socks, a bit pricey but nothing wears better than these bad boys.
Wrangler ★★★★☆
The Pro Rodeo is a serious pair of pants, with a super heavy construction that won't rip open when you kneel down. Let's be honest, they’re built to be thrown off of a bull so they should take a beating.
Arborwear ★★★☆☆
Great pants for a good price, although most of their other stuff is synthetic and isn't appropriate for high heat applications.
1620 Workwear ★★★★★
Their hoodie looks like it means business but it ain't cheap.
Up In Smoke Welding ★★★★★
Best hoodie ever if you are a welder, their welding jacket is also very popular for a reason, pretty pricey but less likely to have a big hole in it after grinding all day.
Western Welder Outfitting ★★★★★
Best button up welding shirts, good price, and great quality. (they don't look bad either) David has a yellow one and it's the coolest looking thing he owns.
*All ratings are just my opinion and recommend what I like and what I believe works.*
