I use to use a regular welding glove. I am not into spending a lot of money in falconry. I would buy a pair of welding gloves from Home Depot and my buddy who is left handed would give me half the money for the other glove. The golves worked perfectly even for large RT hens.
What can I say us oldguys seem to put money where it counts and if we can save somewhere we do. That said I've been using welding gloves for a couple of years and the work fine just avoid the ones with a seame on the top of the index finger. My birds seem to find that seem with pin prick accurassy when called to the glove.
I use to use a regular welding glove. I am not into spending a lot of money in falconry. I would buy a pair of welding gloves from Home Depot and my buddy who is left handed would give me half the money for the other glove. The golves worked perfectly even for large RT hens.
...And then he got an eagle. Suddenly, a nice thick glove seemed very nice...
Give a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day. Light a man on fire and he'll be warm for a lifetime.
Post by shortwingn on Oct 24, 2005 21:52:30 GMT -5
Not for nothing but you could buy a nice kangaroo hide for about 70 bucks or so (even pick your own color). If you cut it right you could make a glove or two, anklets, jesses, interim jess, and a nice leather leash. Heck if your like me you will have a lot of nice leather to stuff your new lure with! If you cut it nicely you might get two sets? I screw up my projects a lot! Now, as for the "Barge cement, Glovers needles, and ONT button & carpet thread" that might cost you another five dollars. Or you could send your money off to a fancy catalog. You wont get as much. Other falconers will wonder how to get your money in the future. Most importantly everyone will know you didn't make it yourself. How much do apprentice kits go for lately? Well, the most important thing is everyone will look at you wondering why you didnt make it yourself? I would tell them you piss money...don't care of tradition...or (if they have mail order stuff) I am like you...thats why! Just a thought?
The welding gloves works WELL at least they did for the 2 mins in totaly i help Eclipse 2day! (Aarons bird!). you cant get a hold of things easily, though...
hey reizo eagles, rts there's a big difference and if I could find a welding glove that would handle the strength and power of an eagle And has the same equivalant cost of welding gloves compared to custom falconry gloves I'd use the welding glove. Have you priced an eagle glove recently? Holy cow I could buy alot of other stuff for that. As for the life span of the glove I get over a yer out of a welding glove so that's 8 bucks a year that I spend on a gloves so in ten years I've spent the same as one specialty glove. Now if I could figure out how to reverse the right handed glove I could cut the cost in half.Hmmmmm
When I went for my first eagle, I ordered a glove from my friend. I had been looking for a while and most of the gloves were in the $200 plus range. that was for the glove and the sheath that goes with the glove. The sheath slids over the glove and is leather that extends the glove up to your shoulder. My friend made me a custom glove out of elk and buffalo with the sheath for $150. I have never had to use the sheath, but, at the time I didn't know that. The glove has lasted 3 years but is now getting so stiff on the fingers that it is hard to hold on to the leash. I am currently looking for another glove that will work but is not going to cost me an arm and a leg.
I used a modified welder (riveted D ring) for first redtail. They really can find that top seam with a talon, but a little turn of the wrist would make him readjust his grip.
My mistake was not paying attention to the glove after I released the bird. I picked it up out of the box of stuff after three months or so... green with mold !
To the trash it went. Fingers were getting stiff anyway. Had to wipe everything in the box down with vinegar to kill any mold spores. Contacted Traditions Gloves in Worley, Idaho and sent him an elkskin I had. He was gracious enough to make two beautiful gauntlets out of it for me, but admitted he preferred goatskin. Wonderful fit and fast service. Half the price of the "big" guys.
Jim Spohn. Give him a call at (208) 686-1936.
Probably not a problem with southern latitude falconers, but my fingers always got cold inside a leather glove. I solved that by purchasing a pair of silk liner gloves to wear under gauntlet. They never wear out and really keep your fingers warm on a cold day.
All things being equal, I would use welders through apprenticeship and put $$$ into scales and such.
Our winters here are nasty so the first glove I bought was an insulated welders glove. THat's also where I learned about the seams. And usually she found the seam when she was hitting the glove off a long call. Now I actually have a thin wool glove to go inside my welding glove The new gloves don't have a lining.
