[Spridgets] Welder,caution

Wm. Severin Thompson wsthompson at thicko.com
Thu Jan 3 18:25:51 MST 2008


I worked for a year at a factory as a sheet metal worker, fabricator and
welder. I was earning enough dough to go to college. The place I worked made
chemical dryers. Mostly worked in stainless, but not always. The welding on
certain pieces was so critical that if you f'd up a bead even slightly, it
was junk. I can recall working in a bit of a precarious position doing some
vertical and overhead stick welding, and having a piece of hot slag roll
around in my helmet, and end up inside my nostril.

I used to have a permanent sunburn in the shape of a V on my chest where my
shirt was unbuttoned... and still have some burn scars there.

-----Original Message-----
From: spridgets-bounces+wsthompson=thicko.com at autox.team.net
[mailto:spridgets-bounces+wsthompson=thicko.com at autox.team.net] On Behalf Of
Glen Byrns
Sent: Thursday, January 03, 2008 3:01 PM
To: Spridgets
Subject: Re: [Spridgets] Welder,caution

To the below I would add,  NO sandals either. The hot spark always lands 
under the piece that goes across the top of your foot.

> Oh, don't weld things in shorts either.  The metal has a really neat way 
> of
> getting down your socks and burning your ankles.  I also have a fleece I
> wear that is obviously not a natural fiber because the stuff burns through
> it like a hot knife through... um human skin.
>
Summary:
NO flammables within 10 foot radius
NO synthetic clothing (think "molten plastic on my skin")
NO open toe shoes or sandals
YES Long sleeved shirt with collar buttoned.
YES Levis with pant leg covering shoe collar.
YES ballcap on head under helmet saves scalp scars and very unpleasant odors

I've violated every one of these safety rules and have at least one scar to 
go with every violation.
Please be smarter than me.

name witheld out of sheer embarrasment at the above 


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