[TheForge] Arc Welding Protection

[Larry and Pat Brown]

To all who want to arc weld,
Consider the light from your welder the equivalent of standing out side on 
a very bright sunny day and then some. I think it sucks putting on leather 
sleeves with a bib front and sometimes also a leather apron in 90+ heat. 
That damn big bulky helmet is no picnic either. I have been welding for 25 
yrs and have seen guys end up in the hospital from arc burns. It usually 
says to be careful and cover up from the arc rays all over the machine and 
the instruction manual on any machine made in the last decade or so. I 
admit if I have a few small tacks I might not suit up, but once, I got a 
lovely burn through a hole that I tore in my leather that morning and 
didn't give much thought to. It was a good lesson.

Cover up, leathers aren't cheap but burns can put you out of work, Cape 
sleeves with a bib front run around $45 bucks here and if you are a part 
timer they will last you for years. I prefer these as they are cooler than 
a full jacket. They also cut down on burns from sparks and dripping flux 
and metal allowing you to pay attention to the weld instead of your burning 
flesh.

Drink lots of fluids, you can easily loose more fluids than you are used to 
when wearing these

If you over heat stop for a few minutes, its better than passing out and 
falling down

Guess what I'm doing today ;-)
Larry Brown

(sorry, but you grandfather could be right on this one  ;-)  Life is a 
learning experience, some lessons hurt more than others )

>It took me a while to figure out what the source of the sunburn was, but 
>rest assured... I got nicely cooked.  When I called my Grandfather to 
>check my theory he flat out said "Ya damn fool!", which I can't really 
>argue with. :-)
>
>So for what it's worth, remember to not only protect your eyes, but watch 
>out for your skin. The little spits and spatters aren't the only thing 
>that can damage our precious watersack. :-)
>
>Aaron Silver