Welder obtained.

[HRTKD]

I wear a breathing apparatus under my 3m SpeedGlas helmet. Finding the right power of reading glasses to use when welding has been a challenge.

TIG doesn't usually produce sparks (unless there's something wrong - been there), but the arc can definitely give you a sunburn.

 

[Daddy Tanuki]

when I talk about burns and welding, I am referring to the arc and the radiation burns. I halve welded all my life starting with gas and stick and graduating to Mig/Tig about 25 years ago. currently i use a miller dynasty 200 for tig work and a Daiden power180 for mig work.

I currently need to have "pre-cancerous skin lesions" removed from my forearms about once every three or four years... the Doc laid it out, you are fair skinned, you dunk your hands into all sorts of chemicals you weld all the time with just gloves and a helmet. Cover up is all I can say.

Another thing is Zinc poisoning.... Last month i was welding on a OWB boiler system that i was building for a customer... some of the pipes I used had been galvanized and I did not get all of the zinc galvanizing off prior to welding (did not sand deep enough/prep properly) ended up drinking about a gallon of milk a day for two days to stave off the bone aches I knew i was going to get when I realized it.
(zinc when inhaled has the ability to leach calcium out of your body as it binds to it naturally... as a result you literally go through a painful case of calcium being leached from your bones in a couple of hours, its painful as fark.

The remedy is to go to the hospital and get injections... that or consume copious amounts of calcium tablets, or just drink a shit ton of milk. if you choose the milk route and your joints are aching still go to the hospital and get the shots. The milk worked for me so GTG.
Basically the zinc will bind with any free calcium, and will take whatever is available and easiest to bind with so by ingesting a shit ton of calcium it binds with it as its easier to reach and then you piss funny for a couple of days pissing it out.

 

[pvdude]

I recently had to TIG some pieces of schedule 40 galvanized pipe together, making the frame for the PV panels.
I ground off the galvanize as well as I could, but knew the inside of the pipe would still produce fumes.
So I set up outside the shop door, put a fan blowing the fumes away from me, worked OK for a small job.
Next week, will be welding some Titanium, I like welding that stuff much better.

 

[HRTKD]

I recently had to TIG some pieces of schedule 40 galvanized pipe together, making the frame for the PV panels.
I ground off the galvanize as well as I could, but knew the inside of the pipe would still produce fumes.
So I set up outside the shop door, put a fan blowing the fumes away from me, worked OK for a small job.
Next week, will be welding some Titanium, I like welding that stuff much better.

How does welding Titanium compare to Aluminum? Aluminum is all I've ever done, so I have no perspective.

 

[Supervstech]

Ummm. Tig. I have seen it for years, I have used gas and stick, and then I got mig… fell in love with that, but know tig is where the best welding details are. SUCH a higher skill level needed for good tig welds.

 

[Supervstech]

Oh, and on that 75/25 mix for mig… that is STRICTLY for mild steel… the shield gas needs to match the base metal needs. Stainless needs argon, aluminum needs argon or helium… yes, you can mig weld aluminum… with skill.

 

[Short_Shot]

Oh, and on that 75/25 mix for mig… that is STRICTLY for mild steel… the shield gas needs to match the base metal needs. Stainless needs argon, aluminum needs argon or helium… yes, you can mig weld aluminum… with skill.

You can stick weld the stuff too.

With the right tools.

 

[Daddy Tanuki]

yeah I spend most my time on stainless and mild steel but occasionally I have to work with HY80, it just a very high grade alloy of steel but takes some prep and special rods. I have only dealt with aluminum in my hobbies funny enough...intercooler piping for my track cars, and an aluminum frame for my campers solar panels. I would guess to me that Monel is the biggest pain in the backside. needs to be welded perfect the first time as any grinding to repair will not pass Navy spec.

the HP lines on a 1200 PSI boiler on a ship or the HP lines that are tied in the secondary circuits/heat exchangers on a Nuke boat (I am not nuke weld qual'd) are often done in monel its a major PITA. screw up a weld and you are sectioning it back out and replacing it until you get it right the first time.

 

[Short_Shot]

Hoo boy you won't catch me messing with galvanized stuff.

I understand occupational hazards but I'd like to live long enough after retirement to get my money's worth out of my career lol

Welding is cool stuff though when a real professional is on the job. Amazing to see the difference between a welder fresh out of school with a few certs who runs more mouth than beads and someone who can stand on their head and hot glue huge schedule 160 pipe together with a flawless xray.

I'm not either of those guys, but any means, but I've seen both and the level of commitment is night and day.

I'd love to see photos if yall got em to share.