If you weld, you should read this...

[IsaacHayes]

UV will go right through your eyelids as well... If at night after welding street lights have a halo or look cloudy, that's UV damage to your eyes.

The ozone from welding is nasty too, I'm not sure filters will filter that out, maybe if it reacts with the carbon in a filter since it's unstable it would.. Hmm. Ozone will make your throat sore/raw just like breathing burning tires at the racetrack. I've had sore throat from ozone from my high voltage experiments. It's best to keep air circulating. The sweet smell can be addicting though... lol

The damn elevators at work though you go inside and about die the ozone build up inside is so great. It burns my eyes and lungs. UGH.

Don't play games with UV radiation from welding. Even if you are subjecting yourself to small amounts of exposure. If it's too intense for you to look at without eye protection it's too intense to expose your skin to. Remember sunlight contributes the most to skin cancer for the general non welding public. It only takes a flash of exposure to alter DNA linking in the skin and it is the cumulative effect over time that can predispose you to even greater risk. It doesn't have to burn you to be harmful.

Skin cancer incidence is increasing, don't use your tools to help it along. We have enough on our plate as it is with the exceptionally high probability that several of us are going to develop prostate cancer if we live long enough.

[pocket-rocket]

Well, posting this has people thinking and that was the whole point of it. I would rather hear you guys chime in the keel over I've done my part to pass along the information

[robertisaar]

then just use alcohol. It works well and evaorates fast.

and assuming ethanol, it doesn't smell too bad when burned...

[geoffinbc]

I am a journeyman welder and I wear all the gear all the time. Your number one articles are obviously a welding helmet with a shade 10 or better but most people skip over the respirator. Even an N95 mask you pick up at your local hardware store will help ALOT but for full protection you should wear a 3M or NORTH half mask with P100 filters on it.

Now if you are just tacking something in then your not going to die. And maybe you could get away with a full day of welding with nothing more that a helmet and gloves. Hell I know guys that weld all their life and don't wear a respirator and they are still alive. But when I hear them hacking all day and looking like an 80 year old when they are only in their 50's is makes you aware of the damage that is done. Its just like smoking.

As for the Posgene gas. It is one of the thing you learn in trade school. If you have to degrease for some reason then just use alcohol. It works well and evaorates fast. Anything else like dirt, rust or milscale just grind or wire wheel it off.

[ForcedFirebird]

Acetone is one of the few chemicals that leaves virtually no trace at all. I have seen that article pop up on several forums.

I am guilty of spot/tack welding with my eyes closed, and also wear shorts (under the desk) while welding.

Got "uv burn" once though repairing the exhaust on my truck. It was high enough for me not to have to jack it up, but had to reach at a weird angle. With a t-shirt on and the angle, the entire inside of my arm was burned lol. Live and learn.

[pocket-rocket]

I've been using my carbon disc on my die grinder (no regular grinder) and a steel brush to clean before welding. I also use flux core (MIG is a bit fancy for my pocket book) so no argon. I'm not to sure what ends up being the byproduct of the flux core though... I wear a full set of coveralls that come just past my wrist and I've got a pair of welding gloves and a full face auto dim mask. I don't like to take chances on screwing myself up if I can avoid it. Especially something that can mess you up for life even if it saves me a couple minutes.

[slinky]

Bad idea, I haven't used a TIG welder yet but if the weld flash is as intense as that found with MIG welding you're being exposed to intense ultraviolet light which can damage the skin and predispose to skin cancer.

I had a lazy moment once and did a few minutes of welding without a mask by closing my eyes and tilting my head down while welding. I protected my eyes, but the next day my forehead felt like sandpaper. If I recall correctly the back of the leg is the most common location for melanoma in women and the back for men.

believe me i know all about welding, i have been doing it for about 4-5 hours a day for the past 5 years, but i have never gotten arc burn or welders flash and im usually sitting down while doing tig so my legs are under the table ect and never get arc burn, i usually wear short sleeved shirt and no welders jacket when doing tig because i only use tig to do thin metal under 1/8" so that means the amperage is very low meaning the UV isn't high which means its hard to get arc burn from it, but anything above 1/8" tig, mig, stick, underwater welding or any other welding i advise wearing a mask and protective clothing...

[bszopi]

I had a lazy moment once and did a few minutes of welding without a mask by closing my eyes and tilting my head down while welding.

Sadly, you see this ALL the time on TV...

i usually always wear shorts when tig welding because there are no sparks when tig welding

Bad idea, I haven't used a TIG welder yet but if the weld flash is as intense as that found with MIG welding you're being exposed to intense ultraviolet light which can damage the skin and predispose to skin cancer.

I had a lazy moment once and did a few minutes of welding without a mask by closing my eyes and tilting my head down while welding. I protected my eyes, but the next day my forehead felt like sandpaper. If I recall correctly the back of the leg is the most common location for melanoma in women and the back for men.

[slinky]

i usually always wear shorts when tig welding because there are no sparks when tig welding

[RednBlack]

Clean it with toluene. Evaporates completely. Or Denatured alcohol. Daysol, for the un-informed. Make sure you wear shorts with fringe. Just the interesting part.....welders...Hmph.

[IsaacHayes]

Saw this before too. I've burned brake cleaner before with a lighter, but not super hot temps and mixing with argon...

Don't ever ignite 134a and especially not R12. R12 IIRC. Phosgene and HF acid is the by products. I've literally dropped to my knees when I caught a wiff of 134a that was ignited. Horrible stuff.

[Superdave]

I usually sandblast surfaces to be welded.. or just sandpaper. screw the chemicals.


I saw this article a while back when it was posted on a local forum, crazy shit.

[Schmieder]

No kidding. i was an industrial/commercial painter for many years. 6 yrs residential, 4 years commercial/industrial.

At the age of 28 I was diagnosed with lymphoma.

6 months of chemo, and I was pumped up with large amounts twice a month for 6 months. Full body exposure, it was not localized chemo. After one week, ALL of my ass hair was blown out. The rest of my hair followed months later. I looked like a train wreck. If it wasn't for pain meds, i would have gone crazy.

many years later I am cured. I am expected to live my full natural life span. Aside from various effects later in life from the chemotherapy. And I was the lucky one. I beat the odds.

Do watch out, it can happen to you too. Even windex has toxic carcinogenic materials in it. But I was spraying some potent paints/epoxies. We used every safety precaution. Masks, respirators, paint suits, vaseline for eye line and even large glasses of milk after epoxy work (helps rid the body of crap from epoxy fumes)

Even motor oil I am careful with now. Gloves aren't a big deal until you don't use them. But motor oil isn't terribly toxic as Xylene and other nasty oil based compounds.