Text 21578, 79 rader
Skriven 2006-01-09 16:12:43 av Roy Witt (1:1/22)
  Kommentar till text 21249 av FRANK SCHEIDT (1:123/140)
Ärende: WTC fire         (was; La
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07 Jan 06 00:10, FRANK SCHEIDT wrote to ROY WITT:

 FS> -=> Quoting Roy Witt to Michiel Van Der Vlist <=-

 MvdV>> I never claimed to be an experienced welder. In fact I am a lousy
 MvdV>> welder.You may remember me and Jack Yates discussing welding and
 MvdV>> me admitting to it. I am good at soldering though..

 RW>> I never wanted to be a welder, because you can lose your eyesight
 RW>> very easily. I've had 'sand' in my eyes more often than I care to.
 RW>> That's what it feels like if you've been overexposed to the bright
 RW>> light of an arc welder.

 FS> Prior to entering the army I worked as an arc welder in a defence
 FS> plant (later war plant), then, after the war I welded again for a
 FS> few months.  I worked only with mild steel so no particular skill
 FS> was needed.  However, the "sand-in-the-eyes" took place when
 FS> welders were careless WRT their eye-protection.  I *never* had a
 FS> case of "flashes".

I did, and prior to learning how to weld, per se'... As a Tool & Die
Maker, it was my job to setup pieces to be welded for a fixture I was
building, so the welder didn't screw up the project. :o) I never looked
directly at the flash, always looking away before the welder struck an
arc. What I got was 'flashes' off the walls. I didn't know it at the time,
but they're just as bad. The next morning, I was slated to go hunting and
got up at 4am to do so. The problem was that I couldn't open my eyes
because they were frozen shut. After soaking them in warm water for a few
minutes, I could see, but my eyes hurt like hell! I should have stayed
home, but I went hunting anyway. Big mistake, because as the sun came up,
my eyes hurt like crazy. It's a good thing my hunting buddy was driving,
because I couldn't have.

 FS>  I not only had darker glass in the helmet than most welders used but
 FS> I wore dark goggles (#2) under the helmet.  I could still see the arc
 FS> so that was OK.

I use a darker than normal filter too, but I don't use goggles. Of course,
I don't weld for a living, so the occasional times that I do any welding,
it's momentary.

 FS> Where I worked they saved money during the winter by not having
 FS> much ventilation.  The air was *always* cloudy.  I had a cough
 FS> all winter from the welding smoke.  When warmer weather arrived
 FS> they opened the windows and the cough went away.

My shop had two large vent windows in the roof and a couple of whirly-bird
vents over the weld shop. Best part was, California is 99% sunshine and
warm temps, so the doors could be open almost all of the time.

 FS> There was one welder there who apparently thought he was "tough"
 FS> for he welded without wearing leather gloves.  I wonder what the
 FS> final results were on his skin with that harsh radiation.

My uncle was a farm boy who learned how to stick weld. He wore a helmet
and leather gloves, but needed more, as he welded quite a bit. When he and
my dad opened a garage together, they built farm wagons, etc. One day, he
welded a trailer frame, with the frame rails between his legs. He didn't
wear any leather. He suffered with a burn that looked worse than a sun
burn on extremely white flesh. Don't know if it bothered him any, as he
died at the ripe old age of 58 with an oversized heart (a result of
'farmer's disease)...

 FS> Another idiot there would sometimes do a little welding without
 FS> wearing a helmet.  I suppose he went blind eventually, though I
 FS> don't know how often he pulled that stupid stunt.

That's common these days. The welder manufacturers give you a hand held
face mask and it's no better than welding without a helmet. I threw mine
away so even the casual watchers couldn't watch without a helmet.

 FS> That's a lousy way to earn a living.

It sure is. I wouldn't ever want to do it for a steady job.


Roy
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 * Origin: Hacienda de Rio de Guadalupe * South * Texas, USA * (1:1/22)