Ordinary Gloves, Extraordinary Lives

One of the most versatile tools in the history of man, the glove has made it’s mark from as far back as prehistoric days, when it was no more than a crude mitten. Since then, it has evolved to it’s many forms of today.

Traditionally, the glove is considered a garment that covers the hand with five distinct openings for fingers and a thumb. If you remove the ‘fingers’ from the glove, you’re left with what is referred to as a fingerless glove – no surprise there.

Now, if you were to remove the separate openings, creating one large hole to fit your fingers through, you’d have a gauntlet on your hands, as it were. This is the opposite end of the spectrum from the warm and encompassing mitten, which covers the entire hand in one pouch, save for the thumb, which is afforded it’s own private sheathing.

Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s talk usability. Obviously, gloves offer you a certain degree of protection from the elements, but what specific jobs have they evolved to support?

• Entertainment
• Medical
• Industrial
• Agricultural
• Personal
• Sport

Entertainment

As children, we fancy that gloves where originally made with the sole intent of covering cartoon character’s hands. As we grow, we realize that not only do these white gloves cover their hands, but are also made to instigate duels (at times with a brick hidden inside), and can take on a life entirely their own, dancing about to music or playing vicious pranks.

Medical

When working in a medical environment, there are possibly hundreds of wet substances that one comes into contact with on a daily basis that are hazardous… or just plain gross. This is the basis for the thinking behind the outfits you’ll see nurses and doctors parading around in: scrubs and vinyl gloves. The scrubs provide protection from splashes and such, while the gloves allow the workers to delve deep into disgusting messes without exposing their skin to harmful bacteria or chemicals.

While latex gloves were once the standard among the medical industry, a rising rate of latex allergy in both the health professionals and the masses called for a change. This change came in the form of vinyl and nitrile gloves.

Industrial

Most industrial jobs require some type of glove. Welders are a prime example. These detail oriented men and women must work very close to heat and open flames. A sturdy pair of leather gloves with a tough gauntlet helps to protect from the heated metal and sparks.

Foundry workers are no strangers to heat and open flame. They pour super heated liquid metal into castings. Working so near to molten metal is quite the hazard, and as you might presume, much of the equipment is quite hot. Aside from their thick clothing, foundry workers equip themselves with a heavy pair (or two) of well insulated gloves. Here you’ll find gloves like the Kevlar-backed flame retardant bandtops – possibly with a pair of Kevlar sleeves covering the arms.

Agricultural

Working with flora and fauna can often times be a perilous task. Weeds, brambles, thorns and poisonous insects are often found patrolling the ground. Farmers and home gardeners alike must dig through the dirt and weeds to cultivate their respective soils. Depending on their level of risk and involvement, the grower could take advantage of several types of gardening gloves.

Variety is the name of the game with home gardening gloves. Go to any hardware store or flower shop and you’ll find a plethora of designs and styles, ranging from thin cloth gloves covered with simplistic and amusing designs to heavy duty leather palm gloves with safety cuffs to ward off aggressive plants.


Personal

Fashion! Though they might not hold the same sway they once did, gloves still hold an important key to the fashion world today. Keep an eye open for people wearing driving gloves, they’re out there. Easter Sunday service at church draws in a large number of dress gloves on women. Dress Military uniforms employ gloves as well.

A side note on personal fashion, regarding gloves: Skiers, snowboarders and snowmobilers all wear some form of glove to keep their digits warm. You’d be foolish to think that fashion doesn’t play some role in their choices.

Sport

Gloves are synonymous with sports. Just about every major professional sport allows for the use of them (even soccer!). For instance, on the baseball field, players wear giant glove to catch the ball. Turn on the television any given Sunday to find a field of burly football players, many of which wear gloves – especially when it’s so cold that their breath steams out from their helmets like a dragon’s breath.

Can you imagine a boxing match without two pairs of giant red boxing gloves batting back and forth at one another? Perhaps back in the day of our grandfathers such an activity was condoned, but not today. The list of sports utilizing gloves grows! Soccer’s goal keepers, Ice Hockey, Fencing…

So there you have it: A small list of gloves uses in today’s world. It’s inspiring how they have evolved with mankind, fitting into so many niches. So long as our skin needs protection from outside forces, the glove will undoubtedly be linked to our society.

For more information on gloves, and a wide selection of useful gloves, visit http://www.unitedglove.com.