Welding without a mask

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Co'mon Ali were hardly talking Victorian Mills, People should really take responsibility and get out of this lack of common sense, so sue em mentality, I think I had my own carpentry set from about 7 years old (with real tools!!!) and was using full powered, including welders from secondary school age, I learn't not to touch stuff thats sharp, pick up stuff thats hot, and not to put my face near large turning machines, Its a dose of common scene that will be instilled in my kids, and should be beaten into many adults in this country.....................Every Machine is pretentiously dangerous, and should be treated with respect.......... But to sanitize things to the extreme we have now is just breeding people who little can think for them selfs...

Well said !

 

[malcolm]

I see the Ali's point about being careful not to broadcast bad practice on the telly. Though legislatating everyone in their home workshop is another unwise extreme.

Common sense yes. But also readily available guidelines and information that are easy to find and that you don't have to pay for, setting good examples for others to follow. That's surely the way forward.

Of course anyone who tries to set such an example risks being sued by the numpties these days so it's not going to happen.

Best off with trial and error.

 

[peterd51]

Hi,

yes, I agree with all of that!

My two oldest grandsons are starting to take an interest in my workshop, they're 9 & 10.

I've let them watch a bit of welding, wearing full masks of course, and they've done a couple of small jobs with the safer kit like the bandsaw or pillar drill.

They understand my rule that they have to be 14 before they can handle anything like an angle grinder or a hand held drill under supervison and they have to be 16 before they can do it on their own.

Although I guess the older boy will have a go at welding soon, I'm waiting for him to ask.

Regards
Peter

 

[Ali]

Co'mon Ali ...to sanitize things to the extreme we have now is just breeding people who little can think for them selfs...

Fair enuff, I s'pose - didn't say I didn't believe in Natural Selection / Survival of the Fittest (or least stupid) etc... I suppose if your messing about, and you know it, you deserve everything you get as a result...

 

[hot rocks]

its all about self preservation i personally will bang about 15 tacks a day without the sheild purley because it a pain to work with the mask perched on your head and it slows you down .Anymore than that and your cooking yourself . if you aint working to a deadline allways use the sheild .

 

[Stuggi]

Co'mon Ali were hardly talking Victorian Mills, People should really take responsibility and get out of this lack of common sense, so sue em mentality, I think I had my own carpentry set from about 7 years old (with real tools!!!) and was using full powered, including welders from secondary school age, I learn't not to touch stuff thats sharp, pick up stuff thats hot, and not to put my face near large turning machines, Its a dose of common scene that will be instilled in my kids, and should be beaten into many adults in this country.....................Every Machine is pretentiously dangerous, and should be treated with respect.......... But to sanitize things to the extreme we have now is just breeding people who little can think for them selfs...

Yeah, I can totally see where you're coming from. I learned to carve wood with a knife at 5-6 or so, nearly cut my left thumb off on the first time I tried it (got the knife down to the bone, hurt a bit ), and I've never cut myself again on a tool since that day, and now I'm nearly 19. Sure, I have cut myself in the workshop, but only on workpieces and sharp edges on cars, but never tools.

Some of my friends who didn't grow up with a dad that thought building a two car garage from scratch isn't much of a deal are still afraid of ordinary harmless tools like hand-held belt-sanders and orbital-sanders, which nearly always shocks me, because I've never even imagined that you could harm yourself on something like that, even if you tried.

 

[Ali]

I've never even imagined that you could harm yourself on something like that, even if you tried.

Don't get too cocky - let your guard down and you will hurt yourself!

 

[Fixer]

i have an auto darkening mask and a clear, fip up mask for grinding etc. I made the mistake of forgetting which one I had on, fliped it down and started welding. For a moment, I thought, wow thats looks clear, and pretty and blue lol
Luckily, I realised I had the clear mask on and stopped. I'm glad I was using only 25a lol

gloves are pretty important too but the chopper lads don't ever use them...

 

[Ali]

Yeah, I'm not sure how I feel about gloves, haven't done enough welding for long periods for it to bother me I suppose but have some nasty scars from overhead arc welding (car exhaust, should have just bought a bloody new one) where blobs of weld burned straight through overalls and onto chest/arms etc. Couldn't move fast enough!! Not easy to escape with 2 inches of space above your head and a live electrode that keeps arcing off everything it touches!! Soon invested in an apron after that fiasco (and now got an old fire blanket to cover body parts with, should I ever need to get myself in such a situation again)! Gues that's why I need a decent Mig...

 

[marknotgeorge]

As for the HSE stuff, well wouldn't advise welding without a lid, BUT the US government (despite the suing culture) does let small business get on with making money.... something I wish the pricks who goven us could learn a lesson in, If you wanna blind Yourself in Your shop, surely that should be your own bussiness..........

But it's not just you that's affected. If you have an accident and are blinded because you weren't wearing a mask, then you'll be using healthcare resources unnecessarily (there might be a kid waiting for that ambulance you're using), you'll be depriving yourself and your family of your earning power unnecessarily, and you'll be subjecting yourself to all the trauma be becoming suddenly disabled. Unnecessarily.

As for the Chopper lads, it's a pity that Snap-On, Miller et al seem to be more interested in getting their products on the telly than promoting safe practice.

 

[snowcat]

But it's not just you that's affected. If you have an accident and are blinded because you weren't wearing a mask, then you'll be using healthcare resources unnecessarily (there might be a kid waiting for that ambulance you're using), you'll be depriving yourself and your family of your earning power unnecessarily, and you'll be subjecting yourself to all the trauma be becoming suddenly disabled. Unnecessarily.

As for the Chopper lads, it's a pity that Snap-On, Miller et al seem to be more interested in getting their products on the telly than promoting safe practice.

The point I was more trying to make is about taking responsibility for your own actions, Iv been involved in this job since I lift school, and have been welding and fabricating for around 17 years, much of this has had the added Danger of being around large plant, Ships and Cranes........ Without common sense, i would have been killed long ago.........I would not tempt fate by any smugness about injury's on here.

Safe practice, comes with experience and knowledge, not watching TV, this is probably the last place you should learn to weld......over legislation is becoming a massive overburden on a small business, Its a loose loose situation for everyone, The cost to the taxpayer for all this lovely paperwork, and the extra cost to you the punter whenever the simplest of tasks has to be carry ed out.....

I would say the idiots who use my road as a race track for there motorbikes every weekend are far more irresponsible and are scraped off the road with alarming reqularty...

I have my own feelings on the HS, and the general welfare system in this country, which I wont air on this forum.....but burden I'm certainly not... and as for the American chopper boys maybe they want some return for the $300+ there likely to be paying for medical.

 

[bigdavesproule]

im 17 and already my eyes are buggere from tacking and no mask, i have bought an auto mask now but sometimes i feel its not clear enough to see where the torch is so dont always use it, but its worth looking after ur eyes its no joke waking up and not bein able 2 open ur eyes for 5 mins lol

 

[Ali]

Blimey! I never intended for this to turn into a full blown political debate!! I was only wondering whether this is normal workshop practice or not...! Relax!

 

[Wozzaaah]

im 17 and already my eyes are buggere from tacking and no mask, i have bought an auto mask now but sometimes i feel its not clear enough to see where the torch is so dont always use it, but its worth looking after ur eyes its no joke waking up and not bein able 2 open ur eyes for 5 mins lol

Dave, if your inner and outer lens protectors are clean you should be able to see perfectly well through the auto mask, if not then get another. At 17 you've got a long, long time left on this earth with those eyes mate, makes sense to look after them!

I've had more than my fair share of UV burns, spatter burns, eye injuries and the like over the years, I'll do my utmost to prevent them now.

Ali, safety should be paramount during any welding and cutting operations, the risk of irreversible eye or skin damage is so high it's silly to take risks. If the OC boys do that then it's up to them but they certainly don't set a good example.
Snowy sums it up by talking about common sense, someone could be the most intelligent person in the world but without common sense they just don't have a hope.

 

[Fixer]

Casting my mind back a bit, the chaps who work for Boyd Coddington were like school kids, shocking eachother, filling cups with gas from the cutting torch and igniting it with a poke of mig wire and other pranks that I know go on but you'd think they would realise that they are on telly.
I worked in a sheet metal works when i left school. Just like every one else who was new, I got locked in the enameling stove (for a few minutes) and dodging studs fired from airlines was normal. I remeber that the guards were missing or broken on several lathes and pillar drills, people smoked everywhere and if you were about to kill yourself trying not to drop something you should never have lifted, the lads stood back and laughed.
I received a pair of nice goatskin welding gloves today and they are superb, straight thumb and seamless trigger finger - no loss of feel but plenty oif protection.
They are technicaly Tig gloves but hey lol

btw - I suffered no ill effects/pain from arc eye the other day...but I'm not trying it again lol

 

[bigdavesproule]

wozzah, even with a new outer lens and cleaned inner lens still seems very dark, maybe its just the lighting in the workshop not being adequate lol but i love the mask, means no more sleepless nites or sunburned face!

 

[marknotgeorge]

Typing this on my mobile as my laptop's broke and the kids are playing games.
Snowy, I've done H&S in the past, and it doesn't seen too onerous to me. Think about what you're doing, assess the risks and put in place procedures to minimise those risks. Then just keep on top of it. It may seem like obvious common sense, but there's too many idiots out there. And they're the sort of idiots who will be influenced by the OC boys, who should know better,
By the way, I can recommend Opera Mini on my Nokia N73. A good workout for the thumbs.

 

[snowcat]

Hmmmm not sure COSSH assessments on tea cups and kettles are quite the best use of my time, I kid you not...

 

[marknotgeorge]

Hmmmm not sure COSSH assessments on tea cups and kettles are quite the best use of my time, I kid you not...

COSHH assessments on kettles? What do you put in yer tea?

Seriously, stick a Caution Hot sticker on while you're standing there waiting for the brew and walk away.

 

[badpenny]

Once you lose an eye, you will learn just how frightening the prospect of living in darkness is.
My mate took my left eye out 12 years ago in an industrial accident when we worked in heavy engineering, stupid badstart tried to free a jammed press head with a claw hammer... it shattered!

Im just learning to weld, but my paranoia over being in darkness forever makes me extremely careful no matter what Im doing.
maybe these guys in American chopper and American hotrod etc need to have a serious accident to wake them up.

How paranoid am I?
well my safety specs are US rated for use on shooting ranges and ballistic impact... how paranoid and sad is that!