You will have trouble gaining if you wear the gloves to put you at 100 or greater.
Mining is an odd skill, in that it has TWO different scales to go by, depending on the function of the mining skill you are using....
The chance to gain Mining from DIGGING is based on chance of mining failure - which is 0 at 100 (and therefore you cannot gain from digging if gloves put you at 100 or better, no matter what ore you dig).
The chance to gain mining from REFINING ORE is based on your chance to successfully smelt the ore. At 95 real skill, you will not be able to gain from smelting Iron, Dull Copper, or Shadow Iron. You have a very small chance to gain from smelting Copper or Bronze, and have a decent chance to gain from smelting Gold, Agapite or Verite ore. IF you wear the gloves while smelting to put you at 100, you lose the ability to gain from Copper, bronze gains become harder, and you can gain more easily from smelting Gold - Valorite ore. However, you total skill being higher, you'll be slightly less able to gain.
Your best bet is to mine without the gloves, except when going specifically for valorite, and to smelt all your metals bronze and higher 1 ore piece at a time (2 if small ore), for gains.
Basara
currently homeless Moderator of the UO Mining & UO Smith forums....
