New to welding: Safety Questions

[3Ts]

Thanks for the explanation of the voltage aspects of the welder. I was unaware of this and will have to re-read all this and digest it. I'm assuming if the stinger contacts (with no rod in it) touch the worktable/workpiece it would try to arc? Contact unlikely I know, but just trying to understand where NOT to put my fingers.

Assuming the electrical system the welder is plugged into is good, the welder is using the ground of this system by being plugged into it. On the back of my welder there is a ground connection bolt. Should this be connected to something? Is driving a stake in the ground and connecting the welder to that safer than not? Should the weld table be connected to a stake in the ground for added safety?

Keep in mind that the welding process is about bringing the stinger and ground together. Anything that gets between these 2 items closely or causes them to come together will cause an arc. Otherwise, you're pretty safe. Since the output voltage is so low (about 30 to 50 v as previously stated) the stinger or rod has to get really close to the grounded metal for current to flow.

 

[Deere Dude]

I try not to weld in the rain or standing in water, other than that, the shock hazard from a functioning DC welder is very low with or without the leather/sweaty glove. However while th shock hazard from a good working AC welder is also very low, there is a condition where the AC welder is defective where the primary and secondary windings have a "short", it is possible for 230 volts to be present on the secondary winding of the transformer and that can endanger the welder. Especially if standing in a puddle of water or getting between the stinger and a grounded table. This is a very rare condition, but it can and has happened. So bottom line is getting shocked is the least of your worries, getting burned, getting arc flashed, setting a fire, those are all of much more likely concerns. Having plastic (or any) gasoline cans setting around or rags or sawdust, or anything flammable, Yeah, watch out.

Maybe I am paranoid but I throw the breaker when I move my welder from one spot to another in the shop. Not trying to rile anyone, but I had a 26 yo close cousin who got electrocuted by relocating a plugged in welder. This was an old torpedo style and in a canning factory. Somehow he was carrying it and leaned onto a speed rack to catch his balance and he was down for the count. OSHA came in and lawsuits were flying around and I never heard the actual reason behind the malfunction. No one would speak up as part of a settlement procedure and I still don't know, but I am extremely careful with my welder, maybe to careful.

 

[California]

... take note and NEVER weld on a rim with a tire mounted on it...!

... And that explains why my elderly 2wd Yanmar came with an original, worn 3-rib tire on one side in front, and a near-new I-1 (harvester etc) tire of the same size on the other side. The I-1 was on a wheel that had clearly been welded. I think there's a story there ...

Photo of the weld-repaired wheel when I ground it flat to make a grinder pedestal. I'll bet that welding project cost him the original tire.

 

[Industrial Toys]

My Welding Injuries:

Touching hot stuff

Welding sparks going into shoes or boots.

Getting bad sunburn on unprotected skin, like arms and shoulders. I mean BAD sunburn.

Getting confused between welding and grinding and starting to weld with clear goggles.

Wearing a frayed cotton jacket and setting fire to myself, welding Galvanized! Actually, that was more fun, no pain or injury!


You also want to watch electrical grounds vs your welding ground. If you are welding on a grounded metal workbench, say, grounded via an outlet, if you loose your welding ground, the high current could try and go through your electrical ground.

 

[rangerfredbob]

One year I was welding my Ford Ranger back together after I rolled it... was using a cheesy HFT 90A flux core welder in shorts because it was either July or August and BURNED THE HECK out of my shins, took a week for it to peel and hurt for a month...

That said, I agree with everything above, the main risks are fire and heat/light not electricity. If you are welding with gloves (I'm not wearing gloves most of the time) don't touch the ground and rod at the same time, other than that there's no real issues. My main injuries are from being in awkward angles that is shielding the solar panel on the auto darkening helmet or from spatter getting where I don't want it.

If your welder has DC, use it, DC welds so much better unless the rod needs AC... less spatter, better feel.

Don't be too afraid of it, welding seems scary at first but is simpler after you get into it and realize how easy it is to make things... I've been taking the easy route most of the time lately with flux core but anything heavy I run my stick welder on DCEP with 7018 rod, or 6011 if it's rusty and gets frustrating...

 

[k0ua]

Thanks very much for the tips. I will check the gauge of the wire and if necessary install a short run of 6 gauge to a new outlet. Running new wire the to existing outlets would be way too hard as all the walls are sheetrocked and I'd have to swim through blown-in insulation to do anything.

Thanks again.

Before you start running any new wire, tell us about what welder you have, and the maximum current it draws from the 240 volt circuit as stated in its manual or data plate. NOT the welding current it can be set to.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

Welding in the rain; not impossible just more cumbersome. You need to keep your gloves and your had dry. We used to just hang a tarp above the work to shield the welder. Rain running down weld area is not a problem. You will know when your gloves get wet the minute you put the rod into the stinger.

In my pipe-fitter days we never let rain stop work. I have had safety inspectors stop the work but they were not welders and had no frame of reference but their books.

Had that happen when I was with a Seabee Battalion in Vietnam. We had an ongoing project building large welded steel aircraft fuel tanks, very high priority project. I was sitting in the weekly OPS meeting when the OPS officer stated he had stopped that project when the monsoon started due to electrical safety concerns. I tried to explain to him the procedures to keep the job going. He had a closed mind. I even offered to go the the job and show how to set up. They lost 2 weeks of the schedule and had an unhappy Air Force General.

Unknown to him my Maintenance Company welders had been out every day doing some repair work that was critical after I showed them how to do it. One other thing we did was put a set of thin rubber loves inside the leather ones (well kept secret).

Ron

 

[k0ua]

Maybe I am paranoid but I throw the breaker when I move my welder from one spot to another in the shop. Not trying to rile anyone, but I had a 26 yo close cousin who got electrocuted by relocating a plugged in welder. This was an old torpedo style and in a canning factory. Somehow he was carrying it and leaned onto a speed rack to catch his balance and he was down for the count. OSHA came in and lawsuits were flying around and I never heard the actual reason behind the malfunction. No one would speak up as part of a settlement procedure and I still don't know, but I am extremely careful with my welder, maybe to careful.

If I was to guess: The case of the welder became "hot" probably by a failure of the main transformer insulation or another component touching the case. The metal case of the welder is supposed to be grounded, but apparently this didn't happen. Then when he transported the welder in his hands and accidently came in contact with rack which was grounded, current flowed between the "hot" case and the ground thru his body. He became "part of the circuit" and that is a bad thing.

 

[coxhaus]

I am no pro welder but I have taken a couple of welding classes at my local college. I always wear gloves welding and I wear a blue jean jacket. Good face protection is a must. When I was welding MIG dual shield 5/8 plate running just under 300 amps I wore heavy gloves. It gets real hot welding.

PS
Don't wear any synthetic clothes and always wear boots. You need a fire extinguisher in case of fire. One hot August day I started my yard on fire and it moved under my Jeep. I put it out before my Jeep started on fire.

 

[BrianWansle]

I always wear Caiman White Goatskin when welding. What I like about them are their durability, toughness and comfort.