How many of you guys like to weld without a hood? Im usually pretty good about wearing one but yesterday I didnt. I was shaving a tailgate on a customers truck, welding the perimiter in a series of tacks, as to not warp the piss out of it. I got it all welded up and ground down without too much warpage and decided to call it a day Last night, some buddys and I went out to partake in some live music and adult beverages, and about time it was time to call it a night my eyes were burning like hell I tried to play it off, as if it was the smokey bar that was gettin to my eyes. A couple hours later I was in the ER with some serious pain, beggin for someone to go ahead and cut my eyeballs out I didnt have a clue why the hell my eyes felt like they were full of sand untill the nurse asked me if I was a welder AAHHHHHH SHIT!!!!!! After 15 years of bodyshop welding, I FINALLY DID IT!!!!! Got me some flash burn!! I will never do this again!!! EXTREMELY PAINFULL FELLAS!!!!!!!
Man I have been there also , ONCE!, never will again , Hurt worse than kidney stones, God Bless and keep the ointment on , it will get better,,,,Sam
I have to admit I weld without a hood. I know I will pay the price someday. As I weld I look behind the cone. I can't seem to see the puddle while wearing a hood. Been told to get another helmet but I just got use to not wearing one.
been there done that- but that was when the new fangled auto darking shades came out,, just alittle to slow back then. hurts ;like a bitch dont it
you don`t ever weld without a hood, unless you want flashburn, i`ve only had it about a dozen times.........never went to the doctor for it though, what`d they tell ya/ do for ya, tell you to use a hood d-ass......lol.......i even got it one time when not welding, the flash off of like white walls and shiny stuff will do it to ya too......
Yep, thats what I was doin, I never looked directly at the arc. IT STILL GOT ME! Now im sittin in the dark with sunglasses on, surfing the HAMB, and munching on perkiset Iv never been accused of bein the brightest sonofabitch
an old guy told me to use spent (as in already used) teabags on your eyes to soothe them...if ya have access to them of course...either that or stumble around blind trying to make tea
I am sure glad you guys are using your eyes and not mine. If I caught an employee welding without a hood, he would be gone. I wouldn't want someone that stupid to be working for me. Some of these threads are beyond belief.
I had cataract surgery on BOTH eyes when I was still in my 30s....guess why..and i used a hood,but got flashed a lot by other welders
Arc flash, I've had it few times. It's a lot more susceptible to people with blue eyes and you can get it from reflections of the flash and in your peripheral vision. Feels like you're blinking with your eyes full of sand.
i got welders flash a couple of times, once just tacking shit together and once using a small 110 stick welder and it sucked like someone threw sand in my eyes, i actually just bougth a new helmet about 2 months ago after having my old one for like 10 years when the self darkening helmets came out
If you can't see the puddle with a hood, you certainly can't see it without one. Keep welding without proper eye protection and you will be welding Braille. Get a good hood and learn to use it. You can't weld what you can't see.
Ahh...flashburn. My old foe. Cut a potato and scrape the inside with a spoon and get the starch and juice on the spoon and place on your eye. The sand like feeling are tiny blisters. The starch will pop the blisters and soothe the pain. My grandfather was a welder at the Brooklyn Navy Yards and this is what he would use in the case of flashburn. He also drank a bit to numb the pain. HA I use this remedy and it works. Good luck and weld with a helmet. I was wearing a helmet and got flashburn from the guy behind me welding, the flash reflecting off the inside of my shield got me.
this may sound strange but YES it works you can also use new tea bags just keep them wet & cold as the heat from your eyes will heat them up also helps to have a wet rag (clean wet rag) to cover the top the last time I got arc eye I was holding steel while holding steel & a friend was welding got it from reflection I now use dark sunglases for this job & always use a hood if welding
I'd call you a dumbass, but that would make me a dumbass too because I've been there. Dug out a piece of grinding shrapnel the other night even though I had a shield on. I used to say I liked the build more than the drive, but I'm starting to enjoy the driving more, it doesn't hurt as much.
Yep. been there!! When I was a kid. I was ARC welding the exhaust on my Spitfire. I figured if I squinted real hard, it'd be okay. NOPE. Spent the night in the ER, and I still have the scars on my retinas. My eye DR's are freaked out every time I tell them the story, and they ask 'cause I guess they can see them when they examine my eyes. Don't be too surprised if there is some permanent damage. I've had 4 kidney stones and NONE have hurt like that. They say pain is relative, so... at least you can say "little else will hurt as bad in my life".
O/A is a lot less reflection than Arc (stick, mig, or tig). However, proper eye protection will allow you to be a better welder and protect you eyes from the glare and the hot sparks. There is no second chance for vision.
Got it once in my teens learning to weld I was using an old welders helmet from my Dad. Went to sleep that night and my eyes were hurting but not bad got up in the morning and I couldn't open my eyes ..puss had glued them shut . My Dad knew what to do and grabbed the eye cup and washed my eyes open . When I could see it felt like sand and salt were in my eyes. I always where a helmet lesson learned! Rob.
im the worst at welding without a helmet....i had like constant arc burn for a month...i know i know its stupid...i always seem to have arc burn on my face too....i gotta get better at wearing the helmet
been there once ,luckily gramps was a machinist and welder for C&O and was always on me that he better never catch me without a helmet or safety glasses. he worked for C&O for 47 years and finally had catarract surgery at the age of 72 so i guess i should remember his advice
I was at a job one time and a worker was welding to my side, I had shades on and I wasn't looking directly at it so I figured I was okay. I wasnt! Lol jokes on me!!!!! I learned my lesson that day.
This is my first and last time! I bitch at guys all the time for welding without a hood. My autodark hood has been goin to shit for a while, finally shit the bed yesterday. Hell, a new one would have been cheaper than my copay at the ER.
The Jalopy Journal
