How Bad Will TIG Fry my Hide?

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GlennW
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Re: How Bad Will TIG Fry my Hide?

Post by GlennW »

The worst flash I ever got was when I was wearing a ball cap and set it on the table when I put on the mask. Took off the mask for something and then reached over and put on the ball cap and started the arc...

Potato juice will ease it if you wake up feeling like you have sand in your eyes. Just cut one in half and squeeze it in each eye.

I was in your neighborhood a couple of weeks ago and would have been happy to stop by for a few minutes and give you a little starter course in TIG, but didn't think about it.
Glenn

Operating machines is perfectly safe......until you forget how dangerous it really is!
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SteveHGraham
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Re: How Bad Will TIG Fry my Hide?

Post by SteveHGraham »

Your ball cap mistake is exactly what I fear doing. I am the most absent-minded non-institutionalized person on earth, so it's a real possibility. My absolute horror of all types of pain and even mild discomfort are helpful in keeping me safe.

RE the lesson, that's a very kind offer. Soon, however, my neighborhood will be a ways north of this miserable...north of the sun & fun capital of the world. That will be nice.

I have some dental painkillers stashed somewhere. If things get bad, I'll take half the bottle and wash them down with Knob Creek. An appropriate bourbon for a person whose TIG has 52 knobs.
Every hard-fried egg began life sunny-side up.
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warmstrong1955
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Re: How Bad Will TIG Fry my Hide?

Post by warmstrong1955 »

GlennW wrote:The worst flash I ever got was when I was wearing a ball cap and set it on the table when I put on the mask. Took off the mask for something and then reached over and put on the ball cap and started the arc...
Ahhh yes....the big bright dot is all you can see for a bit.... :roll: Been there....too often.... same with jammin' the rod a bit to quick when stick welding... :oops:

I have leather bibs on all my hoods. Cheap, and they come with clips to install easily.
Prevents a neck burn, as well as light coming under the hood.
I also have a long sleeve dark blue cotton shirt, hanging in the shop. Might be hot out, might not, but I wear it, or one like it, regardless. And gloves with cuffs.
Serious stuff, but never with TIG, I have leather, sleeves, shirt, & bibs, but not something I need much anymore.
I've had burns on my neck, arms, wrists....knees & legs from holes in my jeans.....you name it. Skin is showin', and you weld much at all, it'll get ya in short order.
Don't mess with it. Were the right stuff. Simple as that. Proper PPE.... :)

FYI, you can flash your eyes off of walls, and right through your eye lids. Closing your eyes & looking away, won't cut it. Found that out when I was doing a bunch of set up and hand held positioning years ago. After that, I wear & drop a hood too, even if I'm not the one doing the welding.

Bill
Today's solutions are tomorrow's problems.
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warmstrong1955
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Re: How Bad Will TIG Fry my Hide?

Post by warmstrong1955 »

FYI Steve....a quick flash without the hood....is not a big deal...assuming you don't do it too often in a day.
Go back to welding after you can see again... and all will be well.
A hazard welders face every day, and common to oops it now & then.

:)
Today's solutions are tomorrow's problems.
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SteveHGraham
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Re: How Bad Will TIG Fry my Hide?

Post by SteveHGraham »

Thanks for the help, gentlemen.

It has been over two hours, and I don't feel anything. Of course, I keep IMAGINING I feel something.

If it weren't for the near-flash, I would be focused on how amazed I am at the power of TIG welding. I think this is going to be everything I wanted MIG to be. I'm not knocking MIG, but the difference in control is like the difference between writing with a mop and a ball point pen.
Every hard-fried egg began life sunny-side up.
choprboy
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Re: How Bad Will TIG Fry my Hide?

Post by choprboy »

TIG just makes a burn faster/harder than MIG... but hurts about the same. A couple months ago I TIG'd closed about 45 cold shuts on some snow chains, bare armed and t-shirted, was something quick and I didn;t think about it. Minor redness on my arms (the splatter from zinc/steel bubbling hurt more), but had a bad sunburn on the top of my chest/right below the edge of my welding helmet. Didn't feel anything until the following day.
GlennW wrote:The worst flash I ever got was when I was wearing a ball cap and set it on the table when I put on the mask. Took off the mask for something and then reached over and put on the ball cap and started the arc...
I do that all the time... only it is with putting on the nice clear grinding face shield when switching between welding/grinding. Always seems so great to be able to see your arc strike setup, then buzzzzztt... oh yeah.
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SteveHGraham
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Re: How Bad Will TIG Fry my Hide?

Post by SteveHGraham »

Man, I love this thing. It only sucks 43 amps, maximum. It works on 120V AC for thin metal. It does aluminum. It does stick. For $700, I don't think you can beat it. If I get five years out of it and then it blows up, I will still feel like I did good.

I guess I dodged the UV bullet in spite of my best efforts to broil my corneas. Tomorrow I'm going to make this machine work.
Every hard-fried egg began life sunny-side up.
b4autodark
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Re: How Bad Will TIG Fry my Hide?

Post by b4autodark »

TIG is great! Been a pro welder over 40 years, there is so much info out on the net it isn't hard to find out what protection you have to wear when you are welding. Weather it's tig mig or stick the protection is the same. If you get burned because you wear a T shirt or sandles it's your own damned fault for being too lazy or stupid to wear the proper clothing. If you are smart enough to know how to weld, you are smart enough to know what to wear when you are doing it. Sorry for the rant but it is so dang simple its ridiculous. Go grind something without safety glasses, same common sense involved.
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GlennW
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Re: How Bad Will TIG Fry my Hide?

Post by GlennW »

warmstrong1955 wrote:FYI, you can flash your eyes off of walls, and right through your eye lids. Closing your eyes & looking away, won't cut it. Found that out when I was doing a bunch of set up and hand held positioning years ago. After that, I wear & drop a hood too, even if I'm not the one doing the welding.
That's the second worst flash I have ever had!

My old shop was 4000 sq ft and had white walls, ceiling, and floor. A friend was making something from pretty heavy aluminum and was welding for at least an hour. Although I never directly saw the arc, my eyes got cooked once again from the reflection from just being in the building.
Glenn

Operating machines is perfectly safe......until you forget how dangerous it really is!
hammermill
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Re: How Bad Will TIG Fry my Hide?

Post by hammermill »

steve the purchase of a set of safety glasses with a ir coating or check you perscription it may be already protected i keep a old set of glasses with
dark side shields with the tig welder. nothing is more irritating that splater on a new lense.

with many hour on the machine i am sure you will enjoy your machine
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10KPete
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Re: How Bad Will TIG Fry my Hide?

Post by 10KPete »

That's why safety glasses! Glass really kills UV. If you always have on safety glasses (not plastic!) reflected arc won't burn your eyes.

Pete
Just tryin'
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SteveHGraham
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Re: How Bad Will TIG Fry my Hide?

Post by SteveHGraham »

It looks like I'm okay.

I felt really stupid when I looked down and saw the glow. I felt stupid for more than one reason. First, I failed to think about the fact that I was welding something very close to me, above the height where I usually weld. It was like a foot from my chest, so the radiation had great access to the area under the helmet. Second, I felt stupid for failing to close the gap between me and the helmet. Third, I felt stupid for LOOKING AT THE LIGHT.

I don't have a welding table yet, so I just clamped the scrap to the rest on my belt grinder, which was at a convenient height.

I don't know if the glasses helped, since the reflected UV probably had a nice path under them until I actually looked down at the light. I was wearing them mostly to help with farsightedness. I made sure to use glass ones, though.
Every hard-fried egg began life sunny-side up.
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