Picking the right type of welding safety equipment is the first step towards completing your next project. When you’re looking to do a project that requires a lot of intense welding, you’ll want to invest in the right kind of welding blanket. Welding can be a dangerous profession or hobby if you don’t take your safety seriously. The risks when you’re not cautious and careful can be burns, electrocution, and combustible materials among others. Whether you’re new to welding or a seasoned expert, safety is the first step of each project. You’ll need to evaluate the risks of your endeavor and take preventative safety measures. So, if you’re looking for the type of welding blanket that will be best for you, you’re already on the right track. Read along to find out how you can find the right welding blanket for your project.

Welding Safety Tips

Before we begin, here are some safety tips as a precursor to your next welding project.

1. Read the Owner’s Manual

The owner’s manual contains important safety information. Additionally, you’ll want to read any warnings and codes that might pertain to the safe use of your welding equipment.

2. Maintain Your Equipment

With any welding equipment, it’s imperative that you maintain it and take good care of it. Overuse can cause overheating. If your tools overheat, allow them time to cool off. If your equipment is damaged, replace it immediately.

3. Wear the Correct Gear

This is especially important when it comes to welding because you risk serious injury if you’re not wearing heat-resistant clothing and gear. You should wear heat-resistant clothing and stay away from wearing synthetic materials when you weld.

What is a Welding Blanket?

If you’re just starting out with welding and you don’t know about all of the equipment, a welding blanket is essentially a covering that protects a welder from molten metals. Welders wear these blankets while working to avoid burns and other serious injuries.

It’s very important to choose a blanket that is flame-resistant or flame-retardant because of the hot material you’ll be working with. In many cases, welding blankets are made of fiberglass, however, you’ll still be able to find leather and felt blankets on the market too. In the next section, we’ll get into the pros and cons of each material.

Pros and Cons of Welding Blanket Materials

As we mentioned before, welding blankets are generally made from fiberglass, leather, or felt. In the past, many welding blankets were made using asbestos. This was made illegal due to health concerns, but be careful and do your research if you’re buying second-hand.

Fiberglass

Fiberglass by far is the most popular option of the three materials used for welding blankets. The process of creating fiberglass is similar to the process of manufacturing glass. All of the material is mixed together, heated up, and spun into threads.

The high melting temperature of fiberglass makes it the perfect material for a welding blanket. You don’t want a fabric that will catch fire easily or melt, so fiberglass is a cheap and durable option. The only real con to fiberglass is that if it’s left uncoated it can shed and irritate your skin.

If you’re interested in buying a fiberglass welding blanket, check out our selection on our website. All Singer Safety welding blankets are designed with high-quality materials for maximum heat protection and thermal isolation and are available in standard and custom sizes.

Leather

Leather is another popular option for welding blanket material. This is because of its natural resistance to fire. This is also the reason why so many welding apparels, like jackets, gloves, and aprons, are made out of leather. While leather is good to work with, it can also be quite heavy to wear. If you don’t work well under heavy garments, we would suggest you find a different option.

Additionally, leather doesn’t require a coating and it feels smooth on your skin, so if you have irritable skin, the material might be your go-to. While leather makes a good welding blanket that is durable enough to get the job done, you also have to pay the price. Welding blankets made from leather can be rather expensive.

Felt

Our third option for welding blanket material is felt. Like leather and fiberglass, felt is also incredibly resistant to heat. Instead of weaving fibers, they are pressed together to make the material. If you are looking to protect yourself from heat up to about 1800 degrees Fahrenheit, you’ll probably want to go for a felt blanket, as this resistance is considerably higher than fiberglass and leather.

Felt is also very soft, so it feels comfortable against your skin. Unlike leather, though, it’s not super heavy. Unfortunately, felt does not last nearly as long as either fiberglass or leather. So, if you plan to use your welding blanket all the time, felt might not be for you. It could be better to invest in leather or fiberglass in this case. However, if welding is just a hobby you pick up now and again, felt might be right for you.

Best Welding Blankets

By far, you’ll find that the best welding blankets are made by brands like Singer Safety. We pride ourselves on producing the highest quality of welding safety materials. We make fiberglass TEMP/TEX welding blankets that provide protection up to 1000 degrees Fahrenheit. You can choose between our two standard options: TEMP/TEX 14 twill-weave fiberglass and TEMP/TEX 19 twill-weave fiberglass. Our standard sizes for welding blankets are 8’ x 10’, 6’ x 8’, and 6’ x 6’ but we also do custom orders. All of our blankets are sealed with double stitching, making them extra durable.

If you’re interested in learning more about welding blankets or any of our welding safety products, please feel free to reach out to us via our website. Our staff can help you find exactly what you’re looking for.