# Welding Safety



## Cheeseking (Mar 2, 2016)

What's wrong with this picture?


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## jpfabricator (Mar 2, 2016)

Welding hoods ate sooooo over-rated! How do you think they keep those nice tans! 

Sent from somewhere in East Texas Jake Parker


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## Cheeseking (Mar 2, 2016)

I'm sure they were blind prior to being assigned to the task.   
Trade publication I was reading at work today where I lifted the photo...
http://www.manufacturing.net/news/2016/03/china-expected-lay-millions-state-owned-industrial-firms


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## roadie33 (Mar 2, 2016)

I believe the Lens is built into the gun. 
It doesn't have to be that big to shield the arc that way.


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## Tony Wells (Mar 2, 2016)

It must be contagious


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## Cheeseking (Mar 2, 2016)

roadie33 said:


> I believe the Lens is built into the gun.
> It doesn't have to be that big to shield the arc that way.



Ha. Does it protect the other guy across the table?
I have to admit tho on occasion I will grab my tig torch and don only the calf skin gloves and a 4" pc of filter glass in other hand just to make a small (fusion) weld or two.     Of course its just me and myself in the basement.  Come to think of it my hands and arms got s few liver spots going on


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## TOOLMASTER (Mar 2, 2016)

that's going to burn like a sob after they eat curry


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## planeflyer21 (Mar 3, 2016)

I believe it is in those fancy safety glasses.  On youtube, one of Dan Gelbert's videos he starts welding with only his eye glasses on after stating something like "The radiation that damages your eyes are the UV rays and these glasses are 100% UVA and UVB blocking."

Shocked me.


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## TommyD (Mar 3, 2016)

If I look at anything bright for even a glance, when I look away all I can see is a big, blue dot. Don't think I'd take a chance without a welding bucket. Besides, my burning beard smells awful when I get some sparks in it.


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## British Steel (Mar 3, 2016)

TommyD said:


> If I look at anything bright for even a glance, when I look away all I can see is a big, blue dot. Don't think I'd take a chance without a welding bucket. Besides, my burning beard smells awful when I get some sparks in it.



I get the same problem with pissistence of vision - and if you think burning beard smells bad, try a few sparks "tidying" your nasal hairs...

Dave H. (the other one)


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## British Steel (Mar 3, 2016)

On another note re welding safety, I really hope EVERYONE knows that chlorinated solvents (e.g. brake cleaner) and welding arcs is a LETHAL cocktail, even the UV radiated (never mind the spark and red/white heat) creates phosgene, a nasty war gas that almost took my grandpa - if you get even a whiff of new-mown grass while welding you probably need immediate medical attention 

Dave H. (the other one)


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## dlane (Mar 3, 2016)

Brake cleaner and welding = BAD fumes


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## stupoty (Mar 4, 2016)

planeflyer21 said:


> I believe it is in those fancy safety glasses.  On youtube, one of Dan Gelbert's videos he starts welding with only his eye glasses on after stating something like "The radiation that damages your eyes are the UV rays and these glasses are 100% UVA and UVB blocking."
> 
> Shocked me.



Thats quite shocking, he dosn't normaly come accross as a total idiot  

I had my hood on grind mode (stupidly) and i struck an arc, the yellow dots disapeared after about 5 minuits so yes the shade 4 and 100% uv block will stop you going blind from igniting an arc but safty glasses only?? Hummm.

I have some funny pics of welds that i think were mig welded by some idiot using the look away method, sorta wanted to say , "do you think thats why you missed all your welds?"

Stuart


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## Steve Shannon (Mar 4, 2016)

I was shopping at Enco today and I was surprised to find safety glasses from uvex, I believe, that were for welding.  I suspect they were just for accidental flash protection. I'm with you; I want more protection. 


 Steve Shannon, P.E.


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## FOMOGO (Mar 4, 2016)

Real men weld naked. At least for a "short" while. Mike


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## roadie33 (Mar 4, 2016)

Could be shorter when done......


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## TommyD (Mar 5, 2016)

I hate the spatter when I weld naked.....BUT I always have my welding bucket on


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## jpfabricator (Mar 5, 2016)

Welding, and fring food are best done fully clothed! Period.

Sent from somewhere in East Texas Jake Parker


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## jim18655 (Mar 5, 2016)

When all else fails...


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## tweinke (Mar 5, 2016)

Real men cook bacon naked, from the looks of the picture welding should be done that way too, guess I'm not a real man.


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## jpfabricator (Mar 5, 2016)

tweinke said:


> Real men cook bacon naked, from the looks of the picture welding should be done that way too, guess I'm not a real man.



Real STUPID men! LOL

Sent from somewhere in East Texas Jake Parker


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## MrFixIt (Mar 13, 2016)




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## JimDawson (Mar 13, 2016)

That's a new one


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## Eddyde (Mar 13, 2016)

MrFixIt said:


> View attachment 124708
> 
> 
> View attachment 124709


And Sandals Ouch!


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## savarin (Mar 13, 2016)

I saw a good one in the Philippines once. (only 6 years ago)
Bamboo scaffolding tied up with string ending up with one tall vertical pole. Four floor high.
The welder was hanging off the pole with one hand whilst he welded something I couldn't see.
All the while the pole flexed back and forth. I had no camera with me that day unfortunately.


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## rwm (Mar 13, 2016)

Until I got my auto darkening helmet I had several corneal arc ray burns (AKA photokeratitis). Not serious but spending 12+ hours in a darkened room will  make you think twice. How many here have done it? 
R


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## dlane (Mar 14, 2016)

I've had cucumber slices on my eyes before, takes the grind out, that was a long time ago.
Don't do that no, mo.


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## TommyD (Mar 14, 2016)

Doing some welding the other day and must have hit the darkening switch on my welding bucket when I flipped it up. Got all set to strike another arc, nodded my head to lower the bucket and struck the arc. Normally I have issues finding the seam,my glasses aren't quite in the right position but this time everything was crystal clear, until I figgered out the lense didn't darken. Luckily the glass was just dark enough and I realized what was going on before too long.

Another time I was welding in a shop I worked at, I lifted the bucket to notice the guys looking at me and laughing. Somehow a spark shot out a few feet off to the side of me, catching a 5 gallon bucket of garbage on fire.


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## roadie33 (Mar 14, 2016)

And everyone just stood there watching while it burned. 
That is so typical. 
And we wonder why no one will help themselves or another person in need.


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## astjp2 (Mar 18, 2016)

We had someone write up as a safety near miss an orange peel on the floor in an office area, they picked it up but wrote it up, I would have been embarrassed to call it a safety problem let alone mention that I picked it up.


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## coolidge (Mar 18, 2016)

I don't like that there are two ground clamps being used one at each end.


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## 4GSR (Mar 19, 2016)

coolidge said:


> I don't like that there are two ground clamps being used one at each end.



Wait until someone reverses the polarity on one of them!


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## Grumpy Gator (Mar 19, 2016)

_I remember more than one occasion of getting flash burn. I used to weld Tuna Towers on some big boats. 38'-64'.Hanging off the side welding over head with a very touchie micro switch taped to the torch head on a rocking boat and no auto darkening hat it was hard not to flash your self._
_ I used wet tea bags to take the sand paper sting out. Worked good but left a funny stain on my face._
_******************Just Saying******************G***************************_


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## jpfabricator (Mar 19, 2016)

Vicks, smeared very thinly on your cheek bones and lower eyelid right before bed will pull the sting out of flash burned eyes.

Sent from somewhere in East Texas Jake Parker


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## cs696 (Mar 20, 2016)

I was working on a job and there was this older guy (was a college prof. once) was welding some iron stair railings with no helmet. When I asked him shouldn't he be wearing a helmet he said no "I 'm used to it". Same guy was using 12 ga. romex as an extension for his welder (220 V)!


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## Bi11Hudson (Feb 28, 2017)

Near enough to 70 to sneeze at it. But I still got all 10 fingers and 10 toes and I can still see. Must be doing something right. Been a maintenance man since *before* OSHA existed, where we had to wear steel toed shoes and hard hats while working around melted iron. The "pipe shop" (foundry) days... 
I wanted to comment on protecting your eyes. My family had a blind person (from childhood) and until I started grammar school I thought some people could see and some couldn't. Then I started school and found out how strange that made me. Wanna try it? Wear a blindfold for a full day, from rising till bedtime. That's what being blind is. If you can stand it, you're a better man than me.


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## ericc (Feb 28, 2017)

Don't buy that stuff about not needing a helmet.  The UV radiation is very bad, including for ungloved hands.  I was working at the Techshop (a cooperative workspace), and there was this old curmudgeon welding in the space next to me.  He had the curtain pulled back so I was getting reflections from some shiny sheet metal stacked on the wall.  When I walked over and pulled the curtain all the way shut, he came up real close to me and tried to school me on how reflected rays are harmless.  Rather than argue with him, I just said it was distracting, and I was one of those easily distracted younger generation types (snowflakes, I guess you call them).  Really, UV rays are strange. They can reflect off things that you would never suspect, then you gat that horrid gritty feeling in your eyes.


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## Cheeseking (Feb 28, 2017)

I know I get that gritty eye burn feeling after sunny days out on my boat.  Reflects off the water.


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## eugene13 (Feb 28, 2017)

Cucumbers? Tea bags? I've always used slices of Potato, I suppose you could use a Rutabaga in a pinch, anything cool and damp makes the sand paper go away.  We had some stuff at work called Eye-Ease, it had tetrahydrozolene as the active ingredient, the same thing as in Visene eye drops but much stronger.  Best not to get burned in the first place, my eye doctor said long term UV exposure can cause cataracts.


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## Ironken (Apr 1, 2017)

British Steel said:


> On another note re welding safety, I really hope EVERYONE knows that chlorinated solvents (e.g. brake cleaner) and welding arcs is a LETHAL cocktail, even the UV radiated (never mind the spark and red/white heat) creates phosgene, a nasty war gas that almost took my grandpa - if you get even a whiff of new-mown grass while welding you probably need immediate medical attention
> 
> Dave H. (the other one)


Im glad you mentioned this.....its surprising how many guys aren't aware of this.


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## Ironken (Apr 1, 2017)

TommyD said:


> Doing some welding the other day and must have hit the darkening switch on my welding bucket when I flipped it up. Got all set to strike another arc, nodded my head to lower the bucket and struck the arc. Normally I have issues finding the seam,my glasses aren't quite in the right position but this time everything was crystal clear, until I figgered out the lense didn't darken. Luckily the glass was just dark enough and I realized what was going on before too long.
> 
> Another time I was welding in a shop I worked at, I lifted the bucket to notice the guys looking at me and laughing. Somehow a spark shot out a few feet off to the side of me, catching a 5 gallon bucket of garbage on fire.



We used to get a bit mean spirited at a railcar shop I worked at. I was sitting on the floor inside of a steel coal car welding in a stiffener. For some reason, I looked up and saw one of my buddies looking into the car over the side grinning. I went back to welding......then it hit! It felt like a wasp stung my butt and kept getting worse. I started rolling around cussing and confused. What those a-holes were doing goes like this......one guy was on a ladder watching me and guiding another guy with a BIG rosebud under the car. He finally hit his mark and heated my butt up.

Vengeance was promptly dealt. The rosebud guy got die penetrant sprayed into a hot pile of slag under him while under a car scarfing out some crap. He came rolling out from under the car in a hurry when it flamed up. The guy guiding him got an ammonia inhaler crunched up in the intake of his PAPR (air hood) while he was welding some manganese. I have never seen a hood come off that fast in my life.


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