1st rule of welding, is?

[Jesse masterson]

I agree you don't burn your eyes that bad with one flash something else caused it. Many time if your doing a out of position weld it's possible to get burnt by your head position , the light comes under your hood , especially with short style hood that dosent flip down as far, also sometimes the hood may not flip all the way down exposing neck and chin, also I've always heard colored eyes like green and blue burn easier than dark brown eyes. I had an uncle that welded with no hood he would turn his head with the initial flash and then slowly look into the weld. I would never try that but he died with his eyesight in his 80s

 

[Jesse masterson]

Please nobody try that.

 

[Shield Arc]

Always protect your weenie!

Oh man ain't it the truth!

I think it was my second job right out of welding school, I had to climb up about 65-feet on this tower and cut it apart and shorten it. For some reason the only way I could make this one cut was towards me. No big deal I let the sparks fly over my shoulder. Well a chunk of red hot metal just laid there, so I bumped it with the torch, it landed right on my collar, and started burning my neck! I grabbed at it, but it went down my shirt, and stopped at my belt. Now remember I'm standing on a piece of 2" x 2" angle iron leaning back in a safety belt with my back towards a 65-feet fall to a concrete floor. I grabbed at the hot metal which by now was burning my belly! Well with welding gloves on I couldn't hold onto the hot metal, guess where it stopped? Talk about dancing a jig in the air:cool2:! Took months for that to heal!:laughing:

 

[weldermike]

Sorry shield, laughing hard bud! I just washed some clothes and folded the undies with the burn in the front. I may have to post a pic for laughs.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Speaking of hot sparks, one time I had to cut a hole inthe bottom of a shedule 160 8" Inconel header that was part of an Ethanol reforming furnace. The header had tubes coming off each side and 90 degree down kinda like centipede legs. The only way to get to the positioh was lay on my back and use the tubes to slide in which then put me directly under the header. I had some leather sleeves but knew this wasnt going to be enough. Luckily I found a thick rubber chemical apron one of the plant operators had left hanging and "borrowed" it. With the apron on and leather sleeves, I was pretty well fire proof from the front. We had built a scaffold under the header with plywood on it to stand when welding on those pigtails to the header (legs). So I got into position and my fitter handed me the plasma torch. This was the days before AD helmet so I had to position the torch with one hand and lower the hood with the other. WELL I didnt consider where all the sparks would go, so I hit the trigger on the plasma and proceeded to knock a hole into the over 1" thick Inconel header. I just got the hole thru when I realized where all that molten metal was going. It was hitting the plywood and rolling under me. Well I dropped that torch and grabbed double handfull of those little pigtail pipes and hoisted myself up in the air where I hung till the sparks cooled. There was so much molten metal hitting that plywood, that it had a perfect silouette of my body in unburnt wood and everything else was black. I had about 40 of these to do but you can bet I made me a bed of fire blanket to lay on for the rest of them. That chemical apron sure saved the rest of me.

 

[weldermike]

Funny stuff Gary. Iwas talkin with a buddy one time, and im looking across the shop while im listening, and I see this out of title guy welding something with my machine. Every time he struck an arc he would flip his mask up quick and look all around. He did this about 3or 4 times and im thinking what on earth is this chowder head doing. Well the last time he did it, while im staring at him I see a 2ft flame grow past the back of his head. He was wearing a quilted flanell shirt and he was on fire. Once he realized it the real comedy show started. He didnt get hurt, and I almost we my pants. Ill never forget that flame growing over head with this dumbfounded look on his face.

 

[chad22]

It was more than a little arc. It was still in the welding process when the glass fell out. That what burned my eyes.

 

[crazyal]

The first rule is welding with dynamite looks to be great fun but if you happen to be the type of person who's getting flash burnt while welding with an arc you should not try moving up to dynamite without adult supervision.

 

[k0ua]

I always though the first rule of welding is just exactly the same as the first rule for gunfights: Have a welder. Or in the case of gunfights, have a gun.. You would be surprised at the number of people that show up to a gunfight without a gun, and you might not be surprised at the number of people that need a welding job done, and don't have a welder

James K0UA

 

[weldermike]

Pic from the weenie roast. Granted, this isnt the first time this has happened, but the first time im sharing photos! LOL!

 

[chad22]

I've always heard colored eyes like green and blue burn easier than dark brown eyes.

That's interesting. I have blue eyes.

Chad

 

[weldermike]

My eyes are light blue, and although they are effected by any sort of bright light they are not bothered by welding at all. My sun visor in my truck actually stays all the way down, even at night.

 

[Shield Arc]

Pic from the weenie roast. Granted, this isnt the first time this has happened, but the first time im sharing photos! LOL!

View attachment 275578

That's OK Mike. I've run out of hands, and stuck the hot end of a Tig rod in my mouth before!

 

[chad22]

That's OK Mike. I've run out of hands, and stuck the hot end of a Tig rod in my mouth before!

OMG Now that's one hot Jalapeno.

Chad

 

[Gary Fowler]

Refer to my post #38. If the glass fell out, it obviously wasnt installed correctly or it had been tampered with since your last use and if it fell out of the hood then it was for absolutely surely leaking light inside for ever how long you were welding. Check your hood for leaks everytime before welding especially if you havent used it in a long period of time.

 

[Gary Fowler]

Guaranteed that if you get a piece of slag stuck to your lip, you WILL get burned twice. Once on the lip and once on the tongue when you automatically try flick it off.

 

[chad22]

Refer to my post #38. If the glass fell out, it obviously wasnt installed correctly or it had been tampered with since your last use and if it fell out of the hood then it was for absolutely surely leaking light inside for ever how long you were welding. Check your hood for leaks everytime before welding especially if you havent used it in a long period of time.

I agree. I don't think the glass was installed correctly. It was a helmet that a friend gave to me. So he might have have taken it out to clean around it and just didn't get it installed right when he put it back together as it shouldn't have come out.

Most I have seen have the clip on the inside but this helmet had the clip on the outside. It's the first I have seen with the clip on the outside. And the metal clip just suddenly popped out and along with it the glass.

Seems like it was bad design to put the clip on the outside. The one I have now, the clip is on the inside. There's no way the glass can just drop out.

I don't know. It baffled me when it happened.

Chad

 

[chad22]

Check your hood for leaks everytime before welding especially if you havent used it in a long period of time.

I'll definitely be sure to do that leak test everytime I use my helmet. Really great advice.

Thanks

Chad

 

[hizoot]

A good friend had a molten piece of steel go down into his ear while laying on his side....talk about gettin out of a pipe quick!!! I never seen a fat man move so quick


Also...a few months ago, I purchased a new Hypertherm 40. First timer ,with never having any instructions. I didnt use anything to shield my eyes, My eyes were swollen shut 5 hours later and in deep pain.They gave a solution at the hospital that provided immediate relief,but wore off to quickly. The nurse told me to rinse my eyes with milk periodically to sooth them, Also use raw potatos cut to fit the eyesocket,,,this helped draw the fire out

 

[Baby Grand]

Guaranteed that if you get a piece of slag stuck to your lip, you WILL get burned twice. Once on the lip and once on the tongue when you automatically try flick it off.

Having great fun reading all of these!
Gary's post reminds me of seeing a bit of slag bouncing around inside my helmet while doing some overhead stick welding. On the 3rd or 4th bounce it hit the inside surface of my eyeglasses lens and popped into my eye, like it had sand in it. I thought I had got it out by rinsing with water and continued working. Went home and noticed a scratchy feeling in my eye. Around 10 pm I went to the emergency room with what felt like a hot knife in my eye. The slag had stuck to the surface of the eyeball. Doctor looked at it, reached for a scalpel, said "don't even think about moving" and flicked it off with the blade.
So I started to wear safety eyeglasses when I weld - the old school kind - grey plastic Clark Kent style, with the folding screen cups on the sides of the frame.
That was years ago and my eyes have changed since, so it's time to get some new safety specs. I wonder if they make safety cheaters?