Thread: accidents whilst welding

A relative some years ago got a mate to do some welding on his Moggie Traveller,bloke doing the welding totally inaware that Moggie owner who had bucket of water had gone to the dunny, soundproofing caught light, bloke comes back grab's the blokes legs and pulls him from under the car, in a matter of seconds car gone.

Originally Posted by Brian Hjelm

The procedures used by my mate were the standard of the time and probably would have been thought a bit excessive by many.

Whilst steaming for 24 hours and then testing and being certified gas free may be today's best practice, I will bet that only major corporations, big shops, mines, etc. have the facility. I bet most small repair shops are still doing it the way it was done 50 years ago but with the added safety feature of the ready availability of welding gases like CO2 and argon and mixtures to flood the interior of the tank. Nobody outside heavy or specialist industry had mig/tig until recent times.

I did my time at a workshop employing less than ten people, back in the '70s. We used to send vessels out to be properly degassed, before we would consider welding them.

My worst ones are MIG spatter in the ears it bubbles as it burns through ya ear wax and feels like its rolling down your throat ..

Speared my thigh once with a red hot tig tungsten that hurt like a mofo and took a good while to heal up ..

Tho wost and maby one of the most painfull ive seen was a former work mate spear his knob with a red hot tig tungsten he was in major pain spent a week in hospital and a further 3 weeks off work porr bloke ..

Originally Posted by lokka

My worst ones are MIG spatter in the ears it bubbles as it burns through ya ear wax and feels like its rolling down your throat ..

Speared my thigh once with a red hot tig tungsten that hurt like a mofo and took a good while to heal up ..

Tho wost and maby one of the most painfull ive seen was a former work mate spear his knob with a red hot tig tungsten he was in major pain spent a week in hospital and a further 3 weeks off work porr bloke ..

Would have been peeing like a fountain in the bathroom.

Originally Posted by Slunnie

Would have been peeing like a fountain in the bathroom.

No fountain the hospital had him on a bag as the swelling made it that bad he could not piddle that's why he spent a week in there he had to be able to piddle before he could go home poor bugger

Ah - all those lovely workshop accidents.

The worst tool I saw for causing injuries in my time of ali and steel fabrication was the grinder. It cause more accidents and injuries then any other tool

Worst I ever did though was with the band saw. I was making a large flange to join pipe work together. Cutting a 20mm think piece of Aluiminuim plate on a blunt bandsaw on a hot day.

My finger slipped as I cut the last little bit. I did not realise I had cut my thumb off from just below the nail until when I was walking away and had someting squirted me in the face and I realised it was blood. My thumb was looking like a garden hose - squirting blood.

Fortunately the thumb was still attached by a few mm of flesh and that was enough blood supply to keep in it Ok condition for it be be attached

another one just come to mind. D9 cat dozer blade. Me and another boiler maker had just spent 8hrs plus refacing. We had been working non stop all night with stick welders. I was just starting to clean access to bring the dozer back in when there was a bloody great explosion. It tore away the face of the blade like a tin can (1/2" plate). The heat in the blade from continuios welding had built up enough pressure over time to cause this, so its not only fuel tanks that blow. Lucky no one was injured but sure made the undies a funny color
cheers
blaze

Spatter in the ears, down the shirt, down the glove, the rare time I wera them, in the boots. never had flash yet, well nothing substantial

Speedglass auto helmet, wouldn;t be without