dealing with welding fumes?

Taking a metal sculpture class this semester mainly to learn and practice welding. Started with oxy-acetalyne but for the current project moved to the school's cantankerous mig welder. So far its been all mild steel and a little high carbon rod, usually in the studio for 4-8 hours and actually welding for maybe 1/4-1/2 of the time. There's almost always some other activities going on too, plasma cutters, chop saws, grinding, etc.

To put it plainly, I usually feel like E36 M3 afterwards, particularly with the mig. Its more than just being tired (and tired of starting into a bright puddle of metal), usually end up feeling somewhat nauseous so I'm guessing its something to do with the fumes and smoke from the whole process. The black snot, occasional nosebleeds (could be from the weather too) and feeling like I went out and smoked a bunch sucks too. Any suggestions on mitigating the effects? I don't think I can get a respirator under my helmet, and I'd be somewhat concerned with the regular paper masks actually doing anything other than potentially catching fire or just choking me like the usually do. The's a 20ft wide garage door to the back of the metals area that I always have open when I'm welding and usually turn the ventilation fans on too. Unfortunately "do less welding at one time" isn't really an option, my schedule is pretty packed this semester and I have to maximize whatever studio time I have and get as much as possible done on each visit especially now that they lock the buildings after midnight.

First of all, let me just say...

you're not the only one.

I hate welding fumes with the power of a thousand suns. It's to the point where I am actually scared of them. It really sucks because, my welding teacher really wanted me to continue because I was picking up the skill much faster than anyone else in my class.

Anyway, for what it's worth, the 3m 2097 paired with a half mask in your size will handle most of whatever welding will throw at you. If you have sensitive skin you can get a half mask with a silicone sealing surface. These are said to be FAR more comfortable, have an exhaust valve that points down (out of the mask) instead of forward, but cost slightly more.

Good luck. I wish welding had no fumes. I love it but find myself avoiding it because of the fumes.

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/Health/Safety/Products/Catalog/?PC_7_RJH9U5230GE3E02LES9MG812H2_nid=PM45PK8S2VbeF3RH7CD92Ngl

specific for welding fumes

Hold your breath while welding. Right when you're about to pass out, go take a breather outside for a few minutes. Repeat as necessary.

Also works for underwater welding!

Bryce

What kind of metals? Only time I had trouble was welding galvanized. Never had any problems with steel. Maybe an allergy thing?

cwh wrote: Only time I had trouble was welding galvanized.

Galvanized can be a real problem besides the nausea. An old time welder told me breathing those fumes are linked to prostate cancer.

I'm hesitant to even bring up the 'A' word again but Muriatic Acid will strip galvanized, cadmium, zinc coating as well as rust from steel... just dip the steel outdoors or in a controlled well ventilated space and don't breathe the fumes.

Or, just grind the coating off... and breathe the poison that way.. or just weld it and breathe the fumes under the hood and drink milk to soothe the symptoms.

I know I'll prolly draw some criticism over using acid but I swear by it.

Hexavalent Chromium fumes are created by most welding processes involving galvanized and stainless. That stuff is super super bad for you. Lung, kidney, and intestine cancer.

My welding and metals fabrication school thankfully had great ventilation and enough masks on hand for everyone. The instructors were really strict on safety as well.

Any mask or respirator is better than nothing. A good modern welding shield should be designed to fit a mask/respirator beneath it. I went out and bought a low end Huntsman (like $30-$40) welding helmet and spent the good money on a fantastic auto darkening lens and a breather mask with replaceable cartridges.

OSHA info

Another welding thing that drives me crazy is seeing people TIG weld with no gloves on. The process gives off crazy amounts of harmful UV light! Skin cancer is such a dangerous disease, I've watched it kill so many members of my family. Easily preventable and treatable if caught early enough, but can turn deadly quickly without detection.

neck protectair packhelmet

and this neck protect

I have a pedestal fan that I position to blow fumes away from my face (don't aim it at the welding though), works pretty good. I have used a respirator as well and try not to be right over the welding so the fumes don't come straight up at you.

never noticed.

You could spring for an Adflo welding mask. Get ready to be proverbially raped by the price though.

Your school needs to install vent hoods before they have a big OSHA issue.

Make sure when you set up the door/ vent that you are actually creating a draft. For example, a very large door opening with welding sat ground level and a vent fan blowing out high on the oPposite wall would be bad. It would short cycle the venting and pull air high through the door, missing the welding fumes entirely.

Similarly, a fan pulling in with windows nearby might blow straight out the windows without pulling through the shop.

Sometimes, you need to partially close the doors/ windows to create a good draft. E You can have it set up perfectly, then have someone open a door without you realizing it and ruin your draft.

You should be able to see it bend a piece of paper in the area you are working.

Whatever it takes, take care of your health first and foremost. No job, school class, project, or hobby/pursuit is worth diminishing your health. I have yet to meet anyone who has wished they would not have taken better care of their health when they were younger.

My school has this huge expensive vented hood over the welding table.

The part I don't understand is why you can't even tell that it's on when you flip the switch.

Who spends all the money and time to build a 8' x 4' hood with a 12" diameter stack and then stick a CPU fan in it?

When ever I weld regardless of the temperature.

Garage door and side door are open. I also run a fan in my direction.

A.

Taiden wrote: My school has this huge expensive vented hood over the welding table. The part I don't understand is why you can't even tell that it's on when you flip the switch. Who spends all the money and time to build a 8' x 4' hood with a 12" diameter stack and then stick a CPU fan in it?

Not acceptable.

That's what testing equipment for measuring the cfm's is for.

OSHA has required levels of cfm exchange.

SVreX wrote: Not acceptable. That's what testing equipment for measuring the cfm's is for. OSHA has required levels of cfm exchange.

Could you help me locate the language for this requirement? I'm not sure where to look for it.

AndreGT6 wrote: When ever I weld regardless of the temperature. Garage door and side door are open. I also run a fan in my direction. A.

I'm sure you thought of this, but you'd want to be careful that it doesn't blow away your shielding gas.

Taiden wrote:

SVreX wrote: Not acceptable. That's what testing equipment for measuring the cfm's is for. OSHA has required levels of cfm exchange.

Could you help me locate the language for this requirement? I'm not sure where to look for it.

Best way would be to call the DOL or OSHA.

Here's a related summary that's not bad:

Welding ventilation

I think a standard N95 mask is what most people recommend. Either that or supplied air.

We weld stainless or carbon steel flanges to S/S hose and braid daily.

People always ask for me to have us weld galvanized flanges to our hoses.

"No can do.......creates dangerous fumes". Guy always gets pissed off at us. This is what I like about the GRM family; you'all understand this stuff.

Spent another 2 hours at it today. Was able to rig up some more active ventilation plus got the overhead vent working. Feel a million times better than I did Sunday. Welds are still atrocious looking, but uniformly so at least so I guess its gonna be ok for an art project lol. Finding I like using the oxy torch better even if the mig is a berkeley load faster.

You must post pictures of the completed art project! Bonus points for a GRM theme and/or wanky non-obvious symbolism .

Ugh, I hate showing the stuff I'm working on. Both of these look far worse in person...

First project had to be made up of linear and planar elements and done on the oxy-acetylene torch.

I've finished filling in the upper portion (the small gap on the back of the rider and done a bunch more grinding) and headed both of the arc's with the torch to patina them more evenly with the heat marks. There's a lot of other small detail work I'd really like to do to it, but I found out today that I have to submit something for the student show and with the deadline tomorrow, its the only choice I have.

"Motorcycle with rider"

Second project had to be a hollow form, and we can use the MIG or the torch on it. I chose MIG, welds are fuuuuugggglllly. I have panels to cover up the sides with the frankenstein looking welds, will probably use the torch for it as I can get those cleaner from the get-go so less grinding. Really wish we had better tools and equipment for working sheetmetal into nice curves, or a professor who was more interested in showing up how the few bits we have actually work, but...

Loosely based on and inspired by a harley davidson peanut tank. Mainly a chance to play with the school's crappy MIG welder and get pissed off trying to use it to weld 14ga sheet metal.

Nice work!

If you're luckier than me, your shop will have a sandbag with rubber teardrop mallets. You can make some really crazy stuff with that setup.