picture worth a thousand words

[PILOON]

LOL

I have more than one garment that matches yours!

 

[KubotainNH]

I see duct tape already on the coat, just add more. Fire sometimes happens, never notice until you feel or smell it. I lit some leaves under a pallet ramp I had one time. Must have been comical to watch.

 

[dex3361]

Never wear synthetic clothing. I wear cotton or Fire Rated clothing or welding jacket cotton will burn but not melt to your skin. Get a hat for you head. Wear ear plugs if you are positioned in a way for slag to drop in your ear(hurts like crazy). Clean everything before you weld and practice on a scrap piece to get close to your settings. Practice practice practice.:thumbsup:

 

[MasseyWV]

I'm anything but a great welder myself but wanted to point out a couple of safety tips that I learned the hard way.

1. Don't weld wearing shorts, not even for a second. I learned that one the hard way after noticing that I had forgot to weld a small section of a project I had been working on a few days earlier. It was a small wire feed welder and I didn't think much of it so I started welding. Later, I had what looked like a sunburn on both my legs and as it turns out, I hadn't considered that welding puts out ultraviolet light which will burn your skin.

2. When using an angle grinder, never, never, never wear loose clothing. I learned that one the hard way when I was wearing a shirt that wasn't tucked in while using a small angle grinder and a wire cup brush to grind some paint off a garage door. The grinder caught the tail of my shirt and instantly hit me in the chest , knocking the wind out of me. Come to find out, it had also cracked a rib but I feel very lucky because it could have been much worse, especially if I had been using a larger grinder.

On both counts, I knew better but became careless and paid the price. Work safe!

 

[Mark @ Everlast]

Better yet see how fast you can remove your under shorts.
I sport a burn scar in that private area.
(can laugh now but sure howled back then.)

I have a scar on my thigh that started with a bit of stainless overhead welding. SS stick welding rods are known for their brimstone slag. A piece of it dropped onto my lap (I was seated) and rolled off the top of my leg, burning deeper as it rolled. It stopped just 1/2" short of doing some REAL damage. It took weeks for that scar to heal up...I think it went 1/4" deep .

 

[Haywire]

Finding scrap to weld on can be hard, at least if you don't have a pile of junk hanging around. What I did is go to the local welding shop, explain that you need to borrow some scrap to practice on and that you will bring it back once you're done sticking it together. I have free access to my place's scrap bin. I go and get a couple buckets full and drop off a couple of buckets from the last time I was there. Helps if you have bought metal there before and have at least a passing relationship with them.

Ian

 

[Shield Arc]

I have a scar on my thigh that started with a bit of stainless overhead welding. SS stick welding rods are known for their brimstone slag. A piece of it dropped onto my lap (I was seated) and rolled off the top of my leg, burning deeper as it rolled. It stopped just 1/2" short of doing some REAL damage. It took weeks for that scar to heal up...I think it went 1/4" deep .

Way, way back when I worked in a lot of food processing facilities, I ran a lot of stainless steel SMAW. Whenever the subject comes up I always caution people who haven't run any of it to always wear safety glasses. Back then safety glasses were like hen's teeth for us, now so many companies require them. The slag from a stainless steel SMAW weld can pop off just as soon as you lift your hood! Amazing I never got hit in the eye, very close at times tho!

 

[candyman]

wow, lots of good advise, thank you all.

welding school is to far away [ i am just at the edge of the sticks } nobody around that i can snag for help, so i`m pretty much on my own but i have lots of help here.

i`m using 7018 { new } 3/32 rod bought 10# of lincoln. my helment is a h. f. red one for $60. it has 9-13 variable adj. & grind mode. i started out at 12 then gradually turned it down to 9 but still can`t see the edge of metal to follow the arc, i can see the arc ok but can`t see where i`m going & i`m not in the smoke what is wrong. ??

do i need a better helment, if so which one i do not want to spend over 150 that is half the price of the welder.
i got at h. f. welder apron combo pack the gloves are for a giant & the apron & cuffs are for a midget.

if i need to get different rods i will, 6011 6010, 7014 which one to start with. ?
& no i did not clean the metal very good to start from now on i will grind it clean .
the local welding store doesn`t carry a whole lot of stuff any suggestions on a supplier i can call or web site that you fellows use.

i welded some cross pieces on my grapple last night, don`t know if i should post them, not pretty. i found out welding upside down doesn`t work...

thanks again, candyman

 

[deereman75]

For scrap, I go to metal supermarket, and they let me take a bunch of cutoffs from the bandsaw and ironworker. They are normally 5 inches long or less. I have actually made some usefull things with them.

 

[LD1]

if i need to get different rods i will, 6011 6010, 7014 which one to start with. ?
& no i did not clean the metal very good to start from now on i will grind it clean

I am sure others will disagree, But I would start with either 7014 or 6013 to learn/practice with. Those rods are by far the easiest to learn the process with IMO.