Welding Tips and Tricks

You know that triangle burn you can sometimes get on the bottom of your neck or top of your chest? I got around it this way.

I had an old set of leathers that were worn out more from sitting around. So I cut a rectangle out and got some velcro tape on the bottom edge of the helmet. I cut it the width of bottom edge about 6 or 7 inches long. Then I cut it about 8" wide so it hangs about 6 to 7" down.

I put one piece of velcro on the leather and the other half of the velcro on the helmet. When that gets worn out of falls apart its easy enough to take it off and replace it. You could install snaps on the helmet and use snaps on the leather. I may do that with mine.

I bought a bottle of SPF 45 sunblock. I can TIG aluminum in short sleeve v-necks all day with two applications...

Just sayin'

Steve S

You probably won't believe this. On a site I was working, the safety officer stated that the welding helmet was manufactured to comply with the relevent Australian Standard and that any user modification such as the addition of flaps meant that the helmet no longer complied with the standard and had to be restored to as manufactured or removed from site. Some guys had flaps taped to their helmet and could peel it off and continue. Those that had drilled holes for screw or rivets had to buy new helmets!
Guys who had their names on their helmets had to remove the paint/ink which was considered a modification.

coldman wrote:You probably won't believe this. On a site I was working, the safety officer stated that the welding helmet was manufactured to comply with the relevent Australian Standard and that any user modification such as the addition of flaps meant that the helmet no longer complied with the standard and had to be restored to as manufactured or removed from site. Some guys had flaps taped to their helmet and could peel it off and continue. Those that had drilled holes for screw or rivets had to buy new helmets!
Guys who had their names on their helmets had to remove the paint/ink which was considered a modification.

BS!!!!
WoW!!!
I feel sorry for you guys....
~John

We had an individual tell us we couldn't write our names on our hard hats at work for the same reason. But then again we're also required to wear the chin strap when working up high. It says on the tag that it's not intended to keep the helmet on your head in the event of a fall but instead it's for windy conditions. It's been pointed out to the safety folks a few times but they don't care. Another example of military ignorance.

That's like my old supervisor told me to never take the guard of my 4 1/2 cutting wheel....
One day when he wasn't around I was cutting a bunch of 1in square tubing, 8ft wheels (like I made my round bale feeder out of)
That day the wheel grabbed and got the wheel tangled up in my Junk"!!!
Never told the boss though
It was a side switch lock on type DeWalt....
No blood , hurt like hell....

Oh yeah that was not a happy site. One guy was told to get a scissor lift and attach a stay wire/carabina to a pole. Battery was flat so to save time he shimmied up the pole, attached the carabina and slid down to be greeted by this safety officer who awarded him the DCM. The whole site went out in support until safety officer was removed. Us contractors were told to keep working. I "needed" some gear from my workshop and didn't go back for a few days until it smoothed over then finished as fast as I could and got the hell out of there, you could cut the air with a knife on that site. Very oppressive feeling. I know the safety officer stayed...

Ok so just in case I won't be adding any snaps to mine wow.

Here in Ontario Canada workers always like to put stickers on their lid skids. Personal statements and things. Stickers from the union companies they worked for their names things like that.

One year the Ministry of Labour got it in their heads that this was in violation of the safety on the hard hats. For a couple years they went around and threatened to fine anyone that had a sticker on their hats with a fine unless they went right then and there and got a new hat.

Then after consulting with the major hard hat makers they decided it was ok. What a piss off that was.

I have been told you mustnt write on a plastic hard hat with a permanant texta (sharpy) because the chemicals in the ink degrade the plastic... But if you put a sticker on and write on the sticker, your golden...

Mick

I use the leather bibs on my helmets when I don't want to get chest/neck burn. They are the clip on type not Velcro.
Tillman 566
http://www.amazon.com/John-Tillman-Co-5 ... illman+566
Black Stallion
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Stallion-Co ... B003L19POC
-Jonathan

Thats cool I didn't know they made them.

Thats funny about the stickers on hard hats because alot of jobs/companies these days issue you a sticker with your employee number for that job, and if you don't have that sticker, there not suppose to let you on site.

Also, remember your hard hats are only good for 5 years, so you gotta throw away your hard hat with all your badass stickers on it after that time. lol.

I use an Optrel E680 helmet and they make a bib that fit to the bottom edge of the helmet with what looks like an older style windshield rubber

I used to suffer from chest burn on a regular basis , but this has eliminated it all together...

The one job I worked at I had to make a safety guide of some sort and weld it on the rig derrick about 20 feet up so we fired up the Ranger and put a pallet on the forklift and I was standing on the pallet, 20 feet up, no safety harness welding on an oil service rig which was covered in oil and grease by myself. The guy who lifted me up with the forklift left after he got me to the height i needed. It was a very safe work environment.

Our job offers us welders the chin flap to protect our chest from that burn since alot of work is done kneeling and bent over exposing the chest alot. Works great. Ours are held on with velcro as well. Have also seen some people that are outside contractors cut up an old welding sleeve and use part of that with a little tape on the inside for the same purpose. Just watch it while welding overhead alot.

As far as hardhats and stickers/writing.... We are mandated to have the company issued Name/Clock Number sticker and are allowed to have one 3x5" american flag sticker as well as one sticker supporting our local Boilermakers Union. Used to be able to load them with stickers but the Navy now claims that upon inspection the stickers are potentially covering up cracks and other things that would render the hardhat useless or junk without ever knowing it because it cant be seen under the stickers. Makes sense and people who already decorated theirs were "grandfathered" in until they were issued a new hardhat. Same thing about the writing, said some chemicals can degrade the plastics. We are allowed to write our locker combinations on the inside of the hardhats but only with certain paint markers that are approved to do so.

I bought the Tillman 567's (velcro version) earlier.
I don't know if mine had been on the shelf too long or what, but when I removed the paper backing to stick the strip on, all the glue came with it. Bout to fix that right meow.
Mines going on the top, I haven't had much trouble up front.
But when I get the spare mulah, gonna get this. http://www.usaweld.com/Optrel-Leather-C ... /k5931.htm
Local welding supply price was $20.

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I cut 2 rectangles about 5” x 11” from a soft leather off cut and stuck them on the rim of both my helmets with carpet adhesive. Makes me look like TXSVIKING or Kevin Carron - I’m waiting to see if it will help me to weld like them!