Is it safe?

[Rambozo]

Hi there. I have been looking at inverter welders for a little while. Between all the added features and not needing a forklift to move them around, plus the space savings, I think it would be perfect for me. The lower power consumption is the icing on the cake. I could never justify the cost of blue or red, but green is looking pretty good to me.

[ncsugrad2006]

Of course they are safe

[performance]

Welding is an unsafe occupation....Let's make that clear to begin with. People die each year due to electrocution, and severe burns received related to welding. Yes, in some conditions, you can receive a lethal shock form almost any welder...but not more or less so with ours.

[Rambozo]

Actually, I was just quoting the movie "Marathon Man".

[hokiefd]

Welding is an unsafe occupation....Let's make that clear to begin with. People die each year due to electrocution, and severe burns received related to welding. Yes, in some conditions, you can receive a lethal shock form almost any welder...but not more or less so with ours.

Common sense goes a long way.

Actually, I was just quoting the movie "Marathon Man".

. Great scene!

[Rodsmachineshop]

So i guess standing in a bucket of water while welding is unsafe lol

[bobwills]

If you feel you are sweating much and shirt and gloves get damp just switch it out with another shirt.

[Brian Ski]

Speaking of safe and welding... I was always wondering about getting a shock. I have heard and seen guy that would change out rods on a stick welder without gloves while it is on... Does the flux insulate the rod or are these guys just lucky??? What do you stick welders do???

[undercut]

Welding is an unsafe occupation....Let's make that clear to begin with. People die each year due to electrocution, and severe burns received related to welding. Yes, in some conditions, you can receive a lethal shock form almost any welder...but not more or less so with ours.

Never ceases to amaze me how product material needs to loudly pronounce what I think is a bit obvious. Using temperatures high enough to melt metal by utilizing electrical arcs that create blindingly bright light. How can anyone NOT think it is dangerous!

I was reading a label the other day on a can of peanuts. In large print it said, * ALLERGY WARNING - CONTAINS PEANUTS *.

[performance]

Never ceases to amaze me how product material needs to loudly pronounce what I think is a bit obvious. Using temperatures high enough to melt metal by utilizing electrical arcs that create blindingly bright light. How can anyone NOT think it is dangerous!

I was reading a label the other day on a can of peanuts. In large print it said, * ALLERGY WARNING - CONTAINS PEANUTS *.

With the light regard given toward welding safety and the trivial way it is presented in so many reality shows that feature fabrication and welding, most people glamorize it and along the way forget the shear danger of it. FWIW, you do NOT need to be standing in a bucket of water to get a lethal shock...just a little sweaty or find your heart in the path the electricity decides to take to finding ground.

[Rodsmachineshop]

I have got zapped with my sweaty arm laying on the metal mig welding it wakes you up lol arm was numb for about a half and hour . really i have more problems catching myself on fire when welding always ether have a pant leg on fire or my shirt

[posixPilot]

I have heard and seen guy that would change out rods on a stick welder without gloves while it is on... Does the flux insulate the rod or are these guys just lucky???

Definitely wear gloves, and if I think my gloves may be sweaty, I'll turn the machine off to swap rods ( and gloves). Remember that when you do not have an arc struck, you are holding and open, high resistance circuit in your hands. All you need to do is provide the electricity with a lower resistance path via your sweaty or ungloved hand.

Here's an interesting article that puts things in perspective: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/stateface/mi/03mi193.html

With everything this poor guy did wrong, it appears that changing rods with out gloves killed him.

Cheers
Mike

[Winky]

Definitely wear gloves, and if I think my gloves may be sweaty, I'll turn the machine off to swap rods ( and gloves). Remember that when you do not have an arc struck, you are holding and open, high resistance circuit in your hands. All you need to do is provide the electricity with a lower resistance path via your sweaty or ungloved hand.

Here's an interesting article that puts things in perspective: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/face/stateface/mi/03mi193.html

With everything this poor guy did wrong, it appears that changing rods with out gloves killed him.

Cheers
Mike

The link is amazing ... it's like I was telling someone the other day ... you can get away with not following safety guidelines maybe a hundred times but that 101 time will get ya ... best to work smart.

[undercut]

Any of you guys go to the effort of putting down plywood or rubber mats to stand on while welding?

[posixPilot]

Any of you guys go to the effort of putting down plywood or rubber mats to stand on while welding?

I usually put down a 2x4' sheet of 1/2" plywood if the ground is damp. I figure that increases my odds of not getting in the ground path.

[Rambozo]

"Ground" is something of a misnomer when it comes to welding and getting shocked. The circuit is between the electrode and the work lead. Neither of which are coupled to ground at the welding machine. Depending on what you are welding you might have coupled the work lead to ground, then you can have a path to ground. But you might very well be touching the metal that the work clamp is connected to so even if you are not "grounded" you can still receive a shock from the electrode. For example if you are welding on a car sitting on it's tires, the car will not be grounded. You can stand on an insulating mat and not be grounded as well. Yet leaning over a fender with a sweaty shirt you might have a real good connection to the work lead and be able to get a shock from the electrode. This kinda ties in to the thread on grounding your work table, and why it is generally not a good idea to do that. Welding is an independent circuit that can have AC, or DC in either polarity. In addition to all the variations of squarewaves, and in any frequency. Not to mention high frequency start current, which will find it's way to the work lead through what would normally be good insulators, such as clothes, gloves or even a good distance of air.

[posixPilot]

"Ground" is something of a misnomer when it comes to welding and getting shocked.

There is no misnomer in the way that I am using the term ... I'm referring to earth ground (i.e.dirt). The work piece ground that you are talking about is the "apparent" circuit; one that is easy to protect against. When I put an insulator on the ground, I'm protecting against the unknown circuit.

Electricity is much smarter than we give it credit for, as it can examine all possible paths back to the source. Hopefully that path is always back through the intended equipment, but other paths can exist. Undetected ground faults in the utility or site wiring are an example, or (as you pointed out) a place where the work ground and the earth ground intersect would be another example (e.g. welding a fence post). We talk about wearing insulated boots, but what happens when you kneel to weld something close to the ground?

Cheers
Mike

[everlastsupport]

We talk about wearing insulated boots, but what happens when you kneel to weld something close to the ground?

Very true. Knee on ground hand on pipe, clamp on the end. There will probably be a little zap there.