PSA: Welder Flash Burns Suck

[GSPHUNTER]

Any of you welders have suggestions for gifts for a young welder?

I'm gonna put a tool box together for him with the basics, but he asked to take welding in school and seems to really like it.

14yo boy.

A nice leather welding jacket, and gloves.

 

[np307]

Any of you welders have suggestions for gifts for a young welder?

I'm gonna put a tool box together for him with the basics, but he asked to take welding in school and seems to really like it.

14yo boy.

Estwing chipping hammer. I'm primarily welding stainless TIG and I still keep one in my boxes. Super handy for plenty of stuff.

Can never have enough clamps. I have harbor freight f style clamps, swivel pad vise grips, regular vise grips, ratchet straps, cam buckle straps, and c clamps in my boxes and I still occasionally will get into a spot where just one more clamp would be nice.

I like black stallion GM1611 gloves for mig and stick, t50 for tig. He'll kill plenty of gloves just learning though.

Buy him a box of safety glasses. It's a good habit to get in early. Safety glasses aren't just for debris. They block UV, thus preventing arc flash.

 

[Wrench]

Bessey clamps. Sterrett squares. A quality grinder that stops when you let go of it.

 

[np307]

Nah, I've owned a half dozen auto hoods. One was like $400. They all go bad eventually, and they are all extremely fragile in an industrial environment. You'll find some mig and tig guys that like them, but there is hardly anyone running flux & alloy core or burning rod in the field that will trust an auto hood. The only use auto hoods have is jumping from joint to joint without lifting your hood. If you're doing full-pen welds, you have to chip slag, power brush, grind, check temp, etc. You're probably taking your hood off after every pass, so the auto lens serves no purpose.

They say you can tell if a welder has structural experience and if he has much time on the job based on whether or not he runs an auto hood. New welders think it's industry standard or even a requirement. If you've been doing it long enough, you've already learned that autos are unreliable and a waste of money. A Jackson shell and an 11 or 12 lens is the way to go.

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Are you actually in the field? My experience is different. When I'm doing structural or stick pipe my hood never comes off. Auto lens, flip up style. When chipping slag or grinding, lens is flipped up and my hood is my face shield. Lincoln 2x4 auto lens in a tigerhood. Plenty of guys with autos in their pipeliners and pancakes too.

Now I obviously have a fixed shade in my box but I haven't had to pull it out.

 

[IdahoBeav]

Are you actually in the field? My experience is different. When I'm doing structural or stick pipe my hood never comes off. Auto lens, flip up style. When chipping slag or grinding, lens is flipped up and my hood is my face shield. Lincoln 2x4 auto lens in a tigerhood. Plenty of guys with autos in their pipeliners and pancakes too.

Now I obviously have a fixed shade in my box but I haven't had to pull it out.

I am not currently in the field, but I have been in the past. I never had a flip lens hood, but for the ones with grind mode, I don't want to work through a shade 3 (even darker after you smoke up the outer lens), and I don't want to push a button to deactivate the weld shade. I also don't want to have to look through a small 2x4 window, and yes, some hoods offer a larger lense, but it's not like a face sheild. I prefer to switch between 3 hard hats- one with a hood attached, one with a face sheild, and another full brim with nothing attached. Another issue I have with autos is the fragility. Hoods are always falling off tables, getting dropped, tools thrown on them, etc. Those lense cartridges don't hold up to that too well, and they're a lot more expensive than a 4 1/2 x 5 1/4 shade lense, which, also, is a larger window than almost all auto hoods.

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[Q child]

Ugh. I'm sorry to hear that man. I hope you feel better soon. Eye injuries are the worst.

 

[np307]

I am not currently in the field, but I have been in the past. I never had a flip lens hood, but for the ones with grind mode, I don't want to work through a shade 3 (even darker after you smoke up the outer lens), and I don't want to push a button to deactivate the weld shade. I also don't want to have to look through a small 2x4 window, and yes, some hoods offer a larger lense, but it's not like a face sheild. I prefer to switch between 3 hard hats- one with a hood attached, one with a face sheild, and another full brim with nothing attached. Another issue I have with autos is the fragility. Hoods are always falling off tables, getting dropped, tools thrown on them, etc. Those lense cartridges don't hold up to that too well, and they're a lot more expensive than a 4 1/2 x 5 1/4 shade lense, which, also, is a larger window than almost all auto hoods.

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You gotta do what works for you. I havent broken my auto and haven't seen one broken in a while. In and out of plants, shops, etc. My main point was just that plenty of guys in the field are using auto lenses. It's not a mark of a great welder which style of lens they use.

 

[Rich M]

I did welding/metals in high school no-one was allowed to wear contacts cause can sear them to yer eyes if get flashed. Loved welding and torch work -was fun.

My dad was a pipe welder for a while. He taught me how to sweat fit, solder, and braze by making me watch him work all the time.

 

[MojaveJim]

Any of you welders have suggestions for gifts for a young welder?

I'm gonna put a tool box together for him with the basics, but he asked to take welding in school and seems to really like it.

14yo boy.

Lincoln has a great selection of books available.

 

[Weldor]

Any of you welders have suggestions for gifts for a young welder?

I'm gonna put a tool box together for him with the basics, but he asked to take welding in school and seems to really like it.

14yo boy.

A good grinder.

 

[robtattoo]

Ah yes, the quintessential "know it all, one upper". Classic.

Oh, I know a guy who's way worse......

 

[DRUSS]

Any of you welders have suggestions for gifts for a young welder?

I'm gonna put a tool box together for him with the basics, but he asked to take welding in school and seems to really like it.

14yo boy.

How about a welders cap? I really appreciate mine. Keeps some of ghe sparks off the head. And a gift card for clothes. If he's learning he will burn up clothes fairly quickly.

 

[Azone]

Pretty happy with the 3M speedglas. Had some cheaper autos that sucked and the old huntsman 951 I bought when I was 16 is always on standby.
I’ve been anywhere from custom fabrication/R&D projects with customers or doing it in house for companies, a few code jobs, to now welding on anything from broken guardrails to CAT 795 frame cracks.
I’ve met some damn good hands geared up with the cheapest they can find and I’ve ran into a few subpar contractors where nothing would save their work or their attitude.
I’ve never understood why 90 percent of weldors think they are gods gift to humanity.
I work with a few knuckleheads right now that definitely give me a good laugh with the shit that comes out of their mouths. The guys that are humble and can perform, those are the guys I’ve always genuinely loved working with, you can learn so much from guys like that.

How many of guys on here are CWI’s?
Been considering chasing one of those down to have another card to play in the future.

@Fatcamp
Get him a good magnetic torpedo level. Flange wizard makes a good one. Bessy for sliding camps, and a few vise grip c clamps.
And tell him to be patient and it takes a lot of practice to be good and perform at a journeyman level.
But my best piece of advice would be go pursue a career as anything else but a damn weldor.

 

[Fatcamp]

Pretty happy with the 3M speedglas. Had some cheaper autos that sucked and the old huntsman 951 I bought when I was 16 is always on standby.
I’ve been anywhere from custom fabrication/R&D projects with customers or doing it in house for companies, a few code jobs, to now welding on anything from broken guardrails to CAT 795 frame cracks.
I’ve met some damn good hands geared up with the cheapest they can find and I’ve ran into a few subpar contractors where nothing would save their work or their attitude.
I’ve never understood why 90 percent of weldors think they are gods gift to humanity.
I work with a few knuckleheads right now that definitely give me a good laugh with the shit that comes out of their mouths. The guys that are humble and can perform, those are the guys I’ve always genuinely loved working with, you can learn so much from guys like that.

How many of guys on here are CWI’s?
Been considering chasing one of those down to have another card to play in the future.

@Fatcamp
Get him a good magnetic torpedo level. Flange wizard makes a good one. Bessy for sliding camps, and a few vise grip c clamps.
And tell him to be patient and it takes a lot of practice to be good and perform at a journeyman level.
But my best piece of advice would be go pursue a career as anything else but a damn weldor.

LOL. I've known a bunch of welders and was a tradesman for many years. My primary goal for him is to learn some skills and take away from it what benefits him as he moves forward.

We do a bunch of mechanic and fabrication work around the house and I think he really enjoys it.

I was explaining to him what a mobile welder/fabricator was, he seemed to like that idea.

Great ideas, fellas. I think a good 4 1/2" grinder and a welders hat.

 

[Azone]

LOL. I've known a bunch of welders and was a tradesman for many years. My primary goal for him is to learn some skills and take away from it what benefits him as he moves forward.

We do a bunch of mechanic and fabrication work around the house and I think he really enjoys it.

I was explaining to him what a mobile welder/fabricator was, he seemed to like that idea.

Great ideas, fellas. I think a good 4 1/2" grinder and a welders hat.

13amp Milwaukee for the grinder.
Fab work is awesome, it got in my blood at a young age and it hasn’t let go for 17 years. I pursued more fab/mechanic based jobs then just straight welding jobs because of it and getting to do something different day in and day out versus the same old thing all the time. I believe all grown men should have a trade skill in their back pocket so I wish him the best. Any questions feel free to send a PM.

 

[OMF]

But my best piece of advice would be go pursue a career as anything else but a damn weldor.

Yeah, have him get a 4 year degree in gender studies, or English. That way he can always get a job as a barista.

 

[GoatPackr]

UA fitter welder for 25 years. Worked in plenty paper mills, refineries, brewery, fab work you name it. Auto hood or bust. Currently running a 12 year old miller digital elite. Only hood I own. Constantly position welding where I'm wedged in and no way to flip a hood down. I've never had flash burned eyes. Mostly welded stainless TIG. The key is wearing good safety glasses. They prevent that arc from getting you from the sides and behind even when working in large stainless tanks with 4 other welders.

Kris

 

[Fatcamp]

UA fitter welder for 25 years. Worked in plenty paper mills, refineries, brewery, fab work you name it. Auto hood or bust. Currently running a 12 year old miller digital elite. Only hood I own. Constantly position welding where I'm wedged in and no way to flip a hood down. I've never had flash burned eyes. Mostly welded stainless TIG. The key is wearing good safety glasses. They prevent that arc from getting you from the sides and behind even when working in large stainless tanks with 4 other welders.

Kris

So you wear safety glasses under your hood?

 

[WeiserBucks]

So you wear safety glasses under your hood?

Absolutely.

 

[Azone]

So you wear safety glasses under your hood?

Required on most sites.
I would also advise you have him get in the habit of using foam earplugs at all times. Getting a red hot bb in your ear is painful