Welding Tips and Tricks

TRACKRANGER wrote:(OH&S inspectors, look away please)

My favorite is when you are laying down that absolutely perfect bead, and then some molten spatter gets inside your glove, or in your boot, and you haven't finished the fillet. And you don't dare give in, 'cause that fillet is looking really great. Only weak bastards would stop. And then you get to the end of the weld, and chuck the boot and/or the glove off faster than a Lamborghini can accelerate. And you'll only be in pain for a few days.

But the bead is sensational !!! Yes, it was worth it....

Boomer63 wrote:Cutoff wheels that shatter or other accidents involving them have cost me about 90 stitches over my career (when I tell the story now it is up to 102 stitches). Have had my eyes drilled out (because of particulates) four separate times (YES! Wearing eye protection)! [Mostly]. Arc burn from faulty hood once or twice, arc burn from bright, reflective surface behind me twice. Carbon monoxide and zinc poisoning, many times. (Ventilation, we don’t need no stinkin’ ventilation!) Lead poisoning from torching up nasty old iron with heavy coats of really old paint. Lit on fire because of frayed clothes, many times. Lit on fire because I was standing in high weeds that caught fire when I was doing some field welding, one time. No … two times. Fell off ladders, twice, with the end result various broken bones and concussion. Fell off building (was really messed up from that one! Had cracked ribs, broken shoulder and brain injury!) one time. Exposed to what we called ‘blast furnace gas’ at the steel mills in Gary and rendered unconscious twice. Lots more … it has been an adventure!

rick9345 wrote:nominate BOOMER63 OSHA poster child?

plantwelder wrote:

Boomer63 wrote:Cutoff wheels that shatter or other accidents involving them have cost me about 90 stitches over my career (when I tell the story now it is up to 102 stitches). Have had my eyes drilled out (because of particulates) four separate times (YES! Wearing eye protection)! [Mostly]. Arc burn from faulty hood once or twice, arc burn from bright, reflective surface behind me twice. Carbon monoxide and zinc poisoning, many times. (Ventilation, we don’t need no stinkin’ ventilation!) Lead poisoning from torching up nasty old iron with heavy coats of really old paint. Lit on fire because of frayed clothes, many times. Lit on fire because I was standing in high weeds that caught fire when I was doing some field welding, one time. No … two times. Fell off ladders, twice, with the end result various broken bones and concussion. Fell off building (was really messed up from that one! Had cracked ribs, broken shoulder and brain injury!) one time. Exposed to what we called ‘blast furnace gas’ at the steel mills in Gary and rendered unconscious twice. Lots more … it has been an adventure!

Is your middle name "Lucky", by any chance, Boomer? I've been caught in an explosion caused by someone else welding, had an acetylene leak explode and take most of my hair off, splinter in the eye while wearing goggles (this one keeps coming up) burns on my feet despite boots being laced up tight, metal fume poisoning from welding galvanised more times than I can remember, burnt fingers from nipping the end off 7018's, electric shock from using d.c. Welder a outside on damp days, electric shock from TIG when I've forgot to put the earth clamp on, so many metal shards in my hands that I can't walk in a straight line past a scrapyard magnet, long white blisters from picking up the wrong end of the filler wire, when you think about it mostly it's heat or electric shock. Damned dangerous job when you think about it.

Otto Nobedder wrote:My sleeve crept up while my glove cuff crept down. Didn't notice. Laid my wrist on a fresh weld.

That one's still healing, there's some of the scab left.

"Dumb-ass moment".

Steve S

Boomer63 wrote:@Kiwi - I have thought about goggles. I had an eye 'incident' a few weeks ago. I set down my 4" angle grinder (WITH blade guard!) upside down right in front of me on my work table. At that instant, all of the crap that normally clings to the inside of the blade guard choose to come loose and fly right up underneath my FACE SHIELD and SAFETY GLASSES! No real injury, but my eyes were burned a bit by the hot particulate. Went to the eye doc who looked me over and sent me home. I can't quite remember, but I think he advised a stiff shot of vodka, to prevent infection and ward off 'grinder depression'.

And they call them " safety guards !!?? I very rarely use a guard with my 115mm grinder with death wheels or grinding
discs.... Sometimes I will fuse a face shield, as well as the goggles, that is if I can find a shield you can see
through .

A few years ago, when I was still married, I got a small particulate in my eye while working the bench grinder. I had to go to the eye doc so he could scoop it out. When I got home, the ex was glaring at me, and to head off the argument, I told her that I WAS in fact wearing safety glasses. She kept staring at me, then finally asked WHERE the safety glasses were. I didn't want to lie, so I kind of indicated that they were in fact up above my forehead. Maybe that is one reason we are divorced?

You can never win........