# Tarantula Gloves?



## Musicwolf (Dec 18, 2010)

This may be way out there, but since I'm in police work anyway . . . I've started working in my T enclosures with my kevlar gloves. I'm just curious if they would actually thwart a T bite or if I'm just making myself feel better with a placibo. I realize that no glove is completely "pierce proof", but kevlar is certainly resistant to needle sticks etc.

The differences I can think of are thickness of T fangs vs. hypodermic needles, purposeful biting by a T vs. accidental needle sticks, and on the opposite side, I'm a bit stronger than a T when I'm searching someone.

Any thoughts or info. that I haven't come up with?

Reactions: Face Palm 1


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## Scoolman (Dec 18, 2010)

If the weave of your gloves is dense enough to prevent a hypodermic needle from getting through I think they might work. Perhaps you should do a test with something of similar diameter to a tarantula fang to see how much force is needed to pierce the glove.


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## Poxicator (Dec 18, 2010)

Out of interest what species do you keep?
There's very little reason for protective gloves for most of the NW species.

I think a test with a strong strike with a needle would provide the answer.


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## Musicwolf (Dec 18, 2010)

Poxicator said:


> Out of interest what species do you keep?
> There's very little reason for protective gloves for most of the NW species.
> 
> I think a test with a strong strike with a needle would provide the answer.



I'm currently keeping 17 species of tarantulas - about half OW (complete list on my profile). My 4 species of Pokies, H. lividum, and my two Australians - Phlogius sp. "pq113" (no recorded bites, but they are Australian and could be significant) are the ones that most make me respectful of bite precautions.

Anyway, I know for a fact that a "strong" strike with a needle can pierce the gloves - they are only resistant. What I don't know is how strong tarantula bites are. I can get a needle through the gloves, but it does take a little effort.


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## Mez (Dec 18, 2010)

Hex Armor Gloves are war people are using with front fang venomous and they seem to work...there are YouTube demos with needles etc.


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## briarpatch10 (Dec 18, 2010)

I used hex armor gloves when I worked in corrections and they work like a charm...never got a stick and found several needles in pockets.. If any glove works on t fangs these will..


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## Scorpionking20 (Dec 18, 2010)

That's a great question.  If you have a scale, hold the needle on it and see where it gets to while you are pressing the glove on it.

If it climbs even to a half pound or even a pound or more, that should be sufficient.  I can't imagine a spider could come up with that kind of force with such a small amount of weight.  Speculation on my part?  Yes.  Fairly sound reasoning?  I think so.


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## Poxicator (Dec 18, 2010)

Scorpionking20 said:


> ...I can't imagine a spider could come up with that kind of force with such a small amount of weight.  Speculation on my part?  Yes.  Fairly sound reasoning?  I think so.


Force + velocity = ouch!
nothing to do with the weight behind it


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## Scorpionking20 (Dec 18, 2010)

Poxicator said:


> Force + velocity = ouch!
> nothing to do with the weight behind it


They don't move very fast.


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## Midknight xrs (Dec 18, 2010)

Poxicator said:


> Force + velocity = ouch!
> nothing to do with the weight behind it


Quick physics lesson here.
F=ma, F meaning force, m meaning mass and a meaning acceleration, which is the derivative of velocity.  So your statement is incorrect.  You were sort of on the right track though.

What we have to look at is the mass behind the fangs.  Is it a few grams, 20 grams?  How fast can the fangs be articulated?  We’ve seen in many cases on here in the bite reports that they can and will bite repeatedly and we also know the area the fangs displace is extremely small.  With all that in mind, we could calculate the force of the bite using a few equations.  

I would still put a bite at anywhere from 10 lbs on up of force.  Slings would definitely be different, but could still be up there.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Scorpionking20 (Dec 18, 2010)

It's too bad nobody has a way to check how much force is exerted during a bite.  I highly doubt any T has 10 lbs of force behind their bite.  Those angry Ts clinging onto something and don't want to be moved use a high amount of their entire musculature, yet even a pound of force exerted would certainly be overkill (Say...prodding a T with tongs during a rehouse and it doesn't want to move) and could easily harm the animal.

To the OP, stress test your' glove with a T-fang shaped needle, let us know what force is needed for a perforation.  Then put some Styrofoam or another filler in the glove and have an angry T go at it.  I'd love to see the comparison and know if a T indeed has enough force to penetrate such material.  

Also, somebody figure a means of measuring such a bite!  I really can't see how such a tiny weight with such tiny muscles could develop a 10 lbs force (unlike a bite force, there is no lower jaw, and hence nothing to aid increasing force.  It's just a tiny, light body, moving down at a relatively slow speed), but I'd be happy to get accurate data.


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## Midknight xrs (Dec 18, 2010)

From my observations, the fangs form a sort of quarter circle, one-eighth spherical movement.  The pictures in the TKG show the tips of the fangs to be hundredths of a millimeter wide, so with that known, the motion of the fangs and knowing how much pressure the blood system in a tarantula can produce, we could figure out how much force each fang can produce and that would give us an idea.  

Remember, just because it doesn't look fast to us, in their size scale, it could be fast enough to produce numbers that we would never believe.


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## Scorpionking20 (Dec 18, 2010)

I'm thinking the sharpness of the fangs doesn't necessitate a need for a lot of force!  Those suckers are sharp indeed!  If they are healthy, of course.

OP...get the sharpest needle possible!  lol...a scorpions stinger may help out in this little exercise.  You can tail a living scorpion and see if it penetrates the material.  That's at least as sharp as a T's fangs.


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## Midknight xrs (Dec 18, 2010)

i agree, maybe the OP can get a few gauges of needles and use those as measurments to similar fangs of T species and test those, or maybe someone else would like to.  The different gauges could represent sling to adult fangs.


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## Scorpionking20 (Dec 18, 2010)

LOL...Midknight, looks like we are going to have to get some of these gloves ourselves and come back with the results!


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## Musicwolf (Dec 18, 2010)

Hehe - - I may take the fangs off of my latest L. violaceopes 4" molt and test those - - it won't prove how much bite force the T has, but perhaps I can at least figure out what the gloves can withstand.


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## Midknight xrs (Dec 19, 2010)

Scorpionking20 said:


> LOL...Midknight, looks like we are going to have to get some of these gloves ourselves and come back with the results!


HAHA, you know what, i have a friend who works in the enforcement industry, i'll ask him for gloves, and a family friend for some different gauge needles. 



Musicwolf said:


> Hehe - - I may take the fangs off of my latest L. violaceopes 4" molt and test those - - it won't prove how much bite force the T has, but perhaps I can at least figure out what the gloves can withstand.


that's a great idea,  i only have slings under 3 inches but i might be able to test that.


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