Should you wear gloves when soldering?

Generally, no — not ordinary fabric or bulky work gloves. Soldering is fine, close-up work, and thick gloves reduce the dexterity and feel you need to hold small components and wires accurately, which increases the chance of a slip. Fabric gloves also don't meaningfully protect against a genuine touch from a 300–400°C tip, and in the worst case a flammable glove material near a hot iron is its own hazard.

What actually reduces injury risk during soldering is different: keep the iron in its stand whenever it's not in your hand, work on a heat-proof mat, keep the cable routed away from where you're working so you can't drag the hot tip across your hand, and use safety glasses to protect against flux spatter and stray solder. If you want hand protection for handling a board that's just been worked on, a thin, snug-fitting glove (not bulky) is more sensible than none at all.

See how hot does a soldering iron tip get and, if the worst happens, what if you accidentally touch a soldering iron.