Re: How Bad Will TIG Fry my Hide?
Posted: Mon Apr 10, 2017 8:23 pm
I have been reading this adventure, and think back to when I started welding stuff back on my dump truck. I welded in shorts, and sleeveless shirts and all that stuff.
Early on, I duct taped some jean denim for a light shild under the hood. Big help. Blue geans of heavy cotton, and denim snap front shirt with long sleves were standard wear, as I was running a tug boat anyway, so sun blocking became the norm, and it worked for theoccasional wleding spriints.
I eventually got several sets of greens from steel mill jobs, and that became standard fare for heavy grinding and fab work. Various shileds or even welding helm with the lens up were good for heavy grinding, and since I wore galsses all the time, flash was not a problem until I worked at Blaw Knox building M-60 tanks. There sutck in a crane with a hundred welders running you got BBQ'd in the cab, unless you wore sunglasses, and dark side shields. All welding would stop, before we made moves with the cranes, but eyedrops and ointments were regular fare for some, sensative to flash. I always thought it was poor protection choices, and did not have mny problems.
Working around melt furnaces, and pouring glowing steel and armor, we had 'heat' glasses that were blue. Glass blowers wear a similar eye protection against the over bright light.
For the occasional welder, even in hotter climes, you cant beat cotton. It soaks up sweat, is insulating from radiant heat, and wont burn well, unless its fluffed. I smeared a bit of RTV on my chin flap, to stop the edge fuzzing, and just tossed it for another piece when needed. I was too cheep to buy all the store gear, and just used what was handy that worked. Only when I got some serious welding repair jobs did I get professional gear to look the part. Then it paid many times over.
Early on, I duct taped some jean denim for a light shild under the hood. Big help. Blue geans of heavy cotton, and denim snap front shirt with long sleves were standard wear, as I was running a tug boat anyway, so sun blocking became the norm, and it worked for theoccasional wleding spriints.
I eventually got several sets of greens from steel mill jobs, and that became standard fare for heavy grinding and fab work. Various shileds or even welding helm with the lens up were good for heavy grinding, and since I wore galsses all the time, flash was not a problem until I worked at Blaw Knox building M-60 tanks. There sutck in a crane with a hundred welders running you got BBQ'd in the cab, unless you wore sunglasses, and dark side shields. All welding would stop, before we made moves with the cranes, but eyedrops and ointments were regular fare for some, sensative to flash. I always thought it was poor protection choices, and did not have mny problems.
Working around melt furnaces, and pouring glowing steel and armor, we had 'heat' glasses that were blue. Glass blowers wear a similar eye protection against the over bright light.
For the occasional welder, even in hotter climes, you cant beat cotton. It soaks up sweat, is insulating from radiant heat, and wont burn well, unless its fluffed. I smeared a bit of RTV on my chin flap, to stop the edge fuzzing, and just tossed it for another piece when needed. I was too cheep to buy all the store gear, and just used what was handy that worked. Only when I got some serious welding repair jobs did I get professional gear to look the part. Then it paid many times over.