The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area The Tool Chest Safety Minute - Welding

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Yesterday, while working on a welding project - after running a bead, lifted my helmet and had a fire under me ! My drill press is right next to the welding table vice. After drilling I use an old rag to wipe off filings and cutting oil before welding up the piece. I usually keep the rag on the drill press table, but for some reason tossed it over next to the vice. I'm using a MIG without gas, so lots of spatter. Never noticed the fire or smell but when I lifted my helmet the rag was on fire. I think because it was loaded with cutting oil it ignited quicker. I just tossed it on the floor and did a little jedd clampit dance on it. It could have caught my shirt on fire.

Lessons - don't have anything combustible near the welding table Duh, and 2nd before lowering your helmet make sure there is nothing underneath you that could ignite.

3rd, you're welding/making fire. Plan on things burning and catching on fire, then be prepared. Have a fire extinguisher in the room, know where it is, and how to use it. Hope that you never have to.

And 4th, I always keep a small squirt bottle of water near where I weld. Works great for putting out small flames.

Good topic Allen, things we should all keep in mind.

5th: Make sure you hang around the welding area for about 30 minutes after welding...sometimes little unseen embers take a while to start smoking.

What a timely topic.
What you guys have been describing is fire-watch duty.
In a Nuke plant, if there is any torch cutting, welding or grinding to be done.
There has to be a qualified person to watch the area as you weld.

http://www.falckproductions.com/resources/fire-safety-and-firewatch/what-is-a-firewatch/

I'll be welding/grinding on a dock ramp tomorrow morning about a foot over the water.
Someone will be with me, to keep an eye on things, the whole time.

Don

Don't forget the designated welding areas. If you're not welding in a designated area, you'll need your temporary hot work permit!

You are right Mark. Hot work permit and a log sheet.

Don

Thanks for posting that Allen. It's good to be reminded that welding has inherent dangers.

Hot embers will burn right through the top of a Nike tennis shoe. You will not be able to get the shoe off fast enough. It will evoke another version of the Jed Clampet dance. Wear appropriate shoes and sleeves.

Trust me. They'll find a way through leather, steel toe work boots!

I had one get through the tongue of my leather boot. Ruined my foot modeling career. It was all I had left after aging out of my teen modeling career.

Some job sites prohibit them but I always try to wear steel toed cowboy boots in the shop or when I was working oilfield. Easier to get on and off, plus no slag or sparks can get in them.

On the subject of welding.
I will eventually upgrade my welder to a Miller or Lincoln ### that uses 220V.
If say, my new welder has a top amperage dial setting of 210A, or 180A or whatever, I'm thinking it has an OUTPUT of that many amperes. It doesn't actually draw that many amperes from the circuit box, right?

I think I answered my own dumb question. Here's a SPEC sheet for a Miller 210. SPEC SHEET MILLER 210. Can it be that it really only draws 31 amps?

Lugnutz I know nothing about welding. But welding machines must use transformers. I don't know what the ratio of these transformers is. Lets say it's 1 to 10 or one amp in equals 10 amp out. This means that at 31 amps you have 310 amps out.

Allen, great post. Let me add two related safety posts--

I always wear steel toes whenever working on a Stovebolt engines on my engine stand. You can research some of HRL's posts as to why.

I have set my T-shirts on fire a few times when using my angle grinder and holding the work material in my vice. The sparks hit at just about my belly button. Easy to snuff out, but kinda scary when you feel your tummy getting warm and start to smell burning hair, then look down and have an OMG moment! Now I usually wear a shop apron, but I can't say that I don't sometimes get lazy about it. Just a couple weeks ago, my being lazy caught one of my favorite Nascar shop T-shirts on fire. The shirts don't look very good when they have about a 6" burn hole at the belly button!

Matt

I only weld and cut outside with a 5 gal. Bucket of water ready for any live sparks, unless there is snow on the ground.

Ed