[TheForge] Arc Welding Protection

[Dann]

These days it is common practice for full-time  welders before they start 
their shift, to grease up with spf 45 sun block  lotion and still use 
protective clothing/ leathers.

I think welder ultra violet burns are many times worse than  sunburn.

On my Sr. Prom day, on a Saturday in early April  over 32 years ago,   I 
built  a pontoon boat from scratch/ using  oil drums...  while wearing only 
a welding helmet and shorts  made from   cut off blue- 
jeans.     Being  early  April  on the Iowa/ Minnesota boarder  I had no 
prior Sun-tan.   I remember  being able  suffer  through the banquet for my 
Senior Prom, but had to cancel out on after prom hoopla.

It is likely that most of us have received a arc-welder ultra-violet burn 
"lesson".

Dann Johnson

At 05:49 AM 7/6/2002 -0400, you wrote:
>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
>
>
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