The Welding Thread

[IronFreak]

Haha "sunburn". One day I was welding a heavy duty end dump together, and somehow my undershirt was pulled down enough to expose my neck down to the collar bones. Was doing a 20ft stringer overhead in a really awkward position and by the time I was done all the exposed skin was literally RAW. As in juicy, bubbly, and oozing plasma. It was the worst burn I have ever experienced.
So I started wearing these:

Keeps metal shavings and grinding dust out of your neck and ears, sparks and spatter bounce off it, and best of all, prevents your neck from getting fried.

Also, you can hold a blow torch to it for 3 minutes and nothing happens. When you're not wearing it, of course.

HAHA! Man I've had similar. When I first started working here I had no idea how intense the arc from high amperage dual shield flux core was.....wore a cutoff sleeve shirt......burned the shit out of me shoulder, bicep and forearms. After that warming long sleeves in the Nebraska summer heat wasn't so bad!

[4x4_e30]

Haha "sunburn". One day I was welding a heavy duty end dump together, and somehow my undershirt was pulled down enough to expose my neck down to the collar bones. Was doing a 20ft stringer overhead in a really awkward position and by the time I was done all the exposed skin was literally RAW. As in juicy, bubbly, and oozing plasma. It was the worst burn I have ever experienced.
So I started wearing these:

Keeps metal shavings and grinding dust out of your neck and ears, sparks and spatter bounce off it, and best of all, prevents your neck from getting fried.

Also, you can hold a blow torch to it for 3 minutes and nothing happens. When you're not wearing it, of course.

[IronFreak]

I've learned over the years to crouch instead of kneel when welding stuff on the ground or close to it.


You'll do a bit of dancing if you don't!

Yup I try to stay on my feet at all times.....and don't wear chucks....that canvas doesn't do shit against sparks haha!

[doorman]

I've learned over the years to crouch instead of kneel when welding stuff on the ground or close to it.


You'll do a bit of dancing if you don't!

[IronFreak]

Some pictures to capture how crazy it can be!

[DER E30]

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ouch!!!!!!!!

[marshallnoise]

When I was in the shop we did a lot of CJP welds. we had to carbon arc the backside to complete the weld. We were doing a job for a church with a cathedral ceiling so we had to CJP weld all the peaks. I had welded one side and had started back gouging the back side to finish. If you haven't seen the process look it up, it LOUD, and throws hella sparks/slag. I wore leathers head to toe, with this big thick-ass leather apron to protect my man bits.

I was sitting on a bucket, hood dropped going to town on this piece when a piece of the carbon rod broke off and landed in my lap on my apron. I didn't notice and kept on going. its glowing white hot, burns through the apron and hits my leg.

First reaction when something touches your junk region.....slam you thighs together. it seared through both pant legs into each thigh and got lodged.

Had to go to the emergency room......had to have the wounds scrapped 2x a week for 4-5 weeks after that.


screwed up my 3 year no accident record.....it was a bad time.

Ok. You win. Lol!

[IronFreak]

I once had a ball of hot slag go right through my shoe and onto my big toe. That sucked ass.

When I was in the shop we did a lot of CJP welds. we had to carbon arc the backside to complete the weld. We were doing a job for a church with a cathedral ceiling so we had to CJP weld all the peaks. I had welded one side and had started back gouging the back side to finish. If you haven't seen the process look it up, it LOUD, and throws hella sparks/slag. I wore leathers head to toe, with this big thick-ass leather apron to protect my man bits.

I was sitting on a bucket, hood dropped going to town on this piece when a piece of the carbon rod broke off and landed in my lap on my apron. I didn't notice and kept on going. its glowing white hot, burns through the apron and hits my leg.

First reaction when something touches your junk region.....slam you thighs together. it seared through both pant legs into each thigh and got lodged.

Had to go to the emergency room......had to have the wounds scrapped 2x a week for 4-5 weeks after that.


screwed up my 3 year no accident record.....it was a bad time.

[marshallnoise]

I once had a ball of hot slag go right through my shoe and onto my big toe. That sucked ass.

[DER E30]

Ouch!

I never wear gloves when welding as if you normally wear crappy cotton gloves like I do, the smoking hot little bits fall right through the cotton and get stuck on the skin... then the gloves prevent them from falling back out... SO no gloves is better for me...

[Northern]

I welded for a morning in a tshirt once. Never again.

[IronFreak]

sunburn?

Horrible haha! the wind blowing across my leg hair hurts!

[nando]

sunburn?

[IronFreak]

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT

Do not mig weld in shorts.

Yes.......I did that. I should have known better being I've welded for 10+ years. That morning when I left for the shop all I had planned on doing was wrenching and some light tig for a buddy.....I ended up digging into my chassis and one thing lead to another and I started mig welding like a fool in the trunk area.

I wake up in the middle of the night when I move my legs and can't walk in jeans without nearly tearing up! haha!

[E30 Wagen]

Welded aluminum for the first time this week! I've been MIG welding steel for almost 5 years now and for the purposes of my job I'd say I'm pretty damn good at it. Welding aluminum was certainly different but after a while I was able to lay down good weld. I'm hoping to start training to become a robotic weld technician soon and then try to focus on the aluminum side of things since more of our customers are moving to that material. We're actually trying to get BMW as a new customer so I've got my fingers crossed that maybe one day I will get to work on projects for my favorite automaker.

Meanwhile I don't even have my own welder yet, and I definitely need one if I want my e30 project to get anywhere.