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Safety never goes out of style

With the popularity of the “do-it-yourself” and “handmade” movements come both hope and fear. Hope for our future is represented by bright young minds learning a virtual cornucopia of new skills. In some instances, they even find a niche they are passionate about and, thus, excel in. The fear takes hold as we watch them livestream their first time lighting a torch or grinding with a 6-in. cutoff wheel. A novice’s confidence in their own raw ability often races past their understanding of technique, method, and tools.

In art or in fabrication, sometimes trial and error and failure are beautiful paths to knowledge. That aluminum weld on your Camaro’s turbo system might look like an angry beaver chewed it up, but it’s not structural, and you certainly learned a lot through the process. You’ll be a little bit better the next time you sit down with your TIG torch.

However, turning your garage into a bomb with acetylene is not beautiful, nor is it really a path to anywhere but a closed casket. Right away you should be taught to keep the PSI below 15 or the gas could, and I quote, “violently decompose,” one of the most elegant and brutal warning phrases ever penned. Keep the bottle open only a quarter-turn. Make sure the torch tips are clean, the hoses uncompromised, and the knobs don’t accidentally twist open when you set the torch down. Keep both bottles upright and secure. Stay alive.

Burning out a power tool because you’re using the wrong extension cord is not exactly pretty, either. It may not have the immediate catastrophic potential of an oxyacetylene setup, but using a cord that’s an undersized gauge, too long, or damaged in any way is asking for trouble. Any of these things increase electrical resistance and cause heat; and heat is the enemy of motors. In extreme circumstances, a coiled-up extension cord that’s pulling power could heat up like an induction coil and cause a fire. Destroying a power tool is a much more likely effect, but a heavy-duty cord at the right length and in proper working condition is cheap insurance against either.

This is a good time for newbies to take a few notes and for old-timers to refresh their mindset. I know I need reminders from time to time. So here are a handful of other shop-related health and safety items to consider.

Angle Grinders, Air Compressors, and Arc Flash: Oh My!

Let’s look at the angle grinder, a must-have in every shop. It packs a lot of motion in a small package, and if you’re not careful, the force its creates can cause a lot of pain in an instant. First and foremost, the safety guard is there for a reason. I’d be lying if I said I have never removed one… I think we all have. But with a disc that’s made to cut through steel and flying at tens of thousands of RPMs spinning this close to your body, that’s not a good habit to get into.

There’s also a reason you’re not supposed to use a cutting wheel for grinding: The discs are designed to exert forces on the workpiece a certain way. If you press a cut-only disc against the metal as you would a grinding wheel, the pressure might cause the disc to shatter. I’ve seen it happen. A co-worker at Chrysler had one break apart at speed and it punched his stomach. Luckily, the pieces ricocheted off and only severely bruised him. In other cases, they’ve been known to penetrate the skin, causing massive injuries. It’s not a pretty picture.

You need to pay attention to the direction you’re cutting too. If you “roll under” the metal and the wheel catches, it’ll snap the grinder back much too quickly for you to react. This could happen with a wire wheel, a grinding wheel, or a cutoff disc. None of those feel good when shot into your body. Some new grinders, like my Metabo 6-in. WEPBA 17-150, have a clutch to stop the motor when a wheel “catches” to stop it from snapping back. It also has a brake to stop the wheel from spinning nearly immediately after release of the trigger, which also increases grinder safety.

Draining your air compressor on the regular provides peace of mind. Many people don’t, which is the main reason I suggest skipping those listed on Craigslist and instead putting money down for a new compressor. A friend of mine used to search garage sales and websites for deals on equipment that he could clean up and use or flip. One day at work he was telling me about an old air compressor he picked up. He drained it and rebuilt the pump. He didn’t show up for work the next day. Or the next day. Or the one after that. Then Friday he showed up and looked like Mike Tyson used him for a punching bag. His face was black, blue, and green, and he had stitches everywhere, including a long slice on his neck under his chin stretching from ear to ear.

He’d gone out to fire up the old compressor and the tank exploded. His neighbor, thinking a bomb had gone off, ran over, called 911, and got him to an emergency room. See, air compressors rust from the inside out. They might look solid, but in this case enough of the wall thickness was compromised that it gave way under the built-up air pressure. Air compressors are no joke when they let go. I made sure to drain my last compressor every day, and I have an automatic drain set up on my new one.

Another thing to consider when it comes to air compressors and safety is the noise they make. When I bought my 80-gallon two-stage Eaton compressor to replace my old Husky that had been rebuilt three times in 10 years, I went from over 90 decibels running nearly nonstop to 70 decibels running a fraction of the time. The ear-rattling noise, along with the intermittent screaming from the tools my compressor ran and my electric grinders, cost me permanent hearing damage. Now a siren wails in my ears nearly nonstop, and it was avoidable. Buying a quieter compressor, or even building an insulated chamber for it, would have done wonders. That, and now I wear earplugs all the time so the ringing doesn’t get worse.

Because we are welders, let’s end on this. Very few welders I’ve talked with haven’t experienced welder’s flash, also known as arc flash, a condition in which ultraviolet (UV) rays inflame the eye, or more specifically, the cornea. Popular theory dictates that it’s the result of forgetting to drop your hood, the lens not darkening, or using the wrong type of shade. While all of those theories hold true, one other major cause is peripheral UV exposure.

In a setting with multiple welding stations, or where one person is welding without a curtain or some other barrier to shield the light, a cumulative effect can occur that isn’t immediately obvious. One of my past instructors went as far as to say that’s how most eye damage occurs because you just don’t realize it’s happening. As a welder, it’s important to make sure everyone around you is safe from the welding light you’re creating. Also, keep eyedrops in your toolbox. UV rays dry out your eyes, but if you combat that immediately with drops, there’s a good chance you won’t get that “sand” or “needles” in the eye feeling later in the day. Anytime I think I’ve been hit with the light, I put drops in my eyes. In 16 years I’ve never had the painful symptoms.

With so many builders and makers getting into blue-collar work in nontraditional ways, specifically welding, it’s important to preach health and safety. While these aren’t the topics that make for exciting “how-to” videos or Instagram posts, if you see someone living dangerously, don’t be afraid to mention it, preferably in a friendly manner. These are things I feel can go a long way in keeping us all healthy, wealthy, and wise.

About the Author
Brown Dog Welding

Josh Welton

Owner, Brown Dog Welding

(586) 258-8255