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Step 1
Wear a full-face helmet when welding. The helmet should extend at least to your neck and cover the sides of your face. The helmet should also have a flip up visor. The flip up visor allows you to see through clear plastic when you're finished welding but still working on hot metal. A full-face welding helmet is the most important part of safety gear to wear for eye protection.
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Step 2
Buy heavy duty welding gloves, preferably made of leather. Leather gauntlet style of gloves will protect your hands and forearms from heat and burns from splatter and slag. Good gloves also offer good protection from electrical shocks when welding, and are the most important part of safety gear for your hands and forearms.
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Step 3
Choose natural fabrics for your shirt and pants. Leather is the best material to protect your arms and legs from burns, but it can be costly and heavy. Heavy cotton like heavy denim, is the next best choice for fabric because it will smolder instead of burn. Avoid any synthetic fabric, especially ones that contain nylon. Synthetic fabrics can melt and fuse to your skin, making any burn worse.
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Step 4
Wear heavy soled or steel-toe boots when welding. The steel toe boot gives protection if you drop a piece of hot, heavy metal on your foot. Heavy soles or steel soles also protect your feet from burns if you step on hot metal.
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Step 5
Buy the best quality safety gear that you can afford. Wear long sleeved shirts and button the shirt to your neck. Pant legs should be worn over top of the boots to give protection from falling hot metal when welding; the metal won't get into your boot if the pant leg is over the boot.
