Thinking about getting myself a welder, but...

deereman75 · May 11, 2012

Jesse masterson said:
And it's not hard to use a dc welder instead of ac. I know pro union welders that will not even make 1 weld with av

I am not saying anything bad about DC, I love my dc welder. Infact I havnt even turned on the old lincoln tombstone since I got it. DC is way better I agree, but the risk of getting zapped should have no part in choosing.

Oaktree · May 11, 2012

murphy1244 said:
GFI might not work,may trip when you strike a arc from surge.

My whole garage is on a GFI and I've never had it trip while welding. YMMV

greasemonkeyok · May 11, 2012

"March 29, 2012. Jorge Javier Rodriguez, 30, died Wednesday afternoon, electrocuted while he was doing welding work on his grandfather's house ...."

I weld, and am not a chicken little about it. But, the danger is real, and deaths do occur. To belittle those who issue words of caution is a disservice to the readers who are interested in getting into welding. The thing is, we don't know what the OP's level of sophistication is relative to electrical circuits. So, what is common sense to me, may not be obvious to him.

Take GFI for example. It does NOT protect you from being electrocuted by the electrical circuit going through the torch and ground clamp, if the circuit from the service to the welder is not compromised.

JDgreen227 · May 11, 2012

greasemonkeyok said:
"March 29, 2012. Jorge Javier Rodriguez, 30, died Wednesday afternoon, electrocuted while he was doing welding work on his grandfather's house ...."

I weld, and am not a chicken little about it. But, the danger is real, and deaths do occur. To belittle those who issue words of caution is a disservice to the readers who are interested in getting into welding. The thing is, we don't know what the OP's level of sophistication is relative to electrical circuits. So, what is common sense to me, may not be obvious to him.

Take GFI for example. It does NOT protect you from being electrocuted by the electrical circuit going through the torch and ground clamp, if the circuit from the service to the welder is not compromised.

VERY well stated...and I appreciate your input here, as well as those who pointed out the possible dangers. And for what it is worth I have had extensive experience with both rewiring homes and outbuildings and new construction wiring. The only thing I refuse to do is hook up the main panel in a house to utility wiring, for obvious reasons !!

Jesse masterson · May 11, 2012

This final post of mine to this thread is to those thatmade safety a joke it's no laughing matter when people die . You all can't learn anything because your to busy knowing everything. When I played baseball in college you were the guys on the bench telling everyone how great you were instead of learning the game. Do some research before you open yor mouths next time.

Soundguy · May 11, 2012

to add a little centricity to the far ends of the field.

yes.. there is SOME risk welding.

Generally.. with any power tool, you CAN get hurt. ( any tool period )

you generally have to avoid common sense safety to get hurt.

heck.. waking up is dangerous. Lookup the statistis on people having heart attacks in the morning upon waling and getting out of bed... I'm not kidding.

life is dangerous.

you can lock up inside the bubble.. or you can practice some common sense and safety and have at it.

soundguy

jake98 · May 11, 2012

DC shocks are not better for you than AC shocks, I believe the stats show the opposite. I doubt if it makes much difference which way the electrons are going thru you tho.

Jesse masterson · May 13, 2012

I personally have never heard of anyone dying from getting shocked by a coil on a car and that's thousands of volt and that's dc but many has been killed by ac

deereman75 · May 13, 2012

Jesse masterson said:
I personally have never heard of anyone dying from getting shocked by a coil on a car and that's thousands of volt and that's dc but many has been killed by ac

Part of that is that is a very low amperage dc. If they were the same voltage and amperage, they could kill you just the same. It depened on voltage to get through the body, and amperage to kill the heart. Doesnt matter if it is ac or dc. You really dont seem to know what your talking about.

Jesse masterson · May 13, 2012

Thanks for the compliment , do you talk to ur wife like that when you disagree or your ex wife are you an electrician by trade . I know if the amperage was the same dc could kill you to . But you don't have to insult to have a discussion