I love the clarity and large viewing area of my Jackson TrueSight II but the headgear sucks big time, constantly gets loose, won't stay raised and falls off sometimes. I remember paying like $300 for the hood, I see they are now over $400, you'd think they could invest a little more on the head gear.. Can't even do the old neck jerk to drop it.
All things welding
- Thread starter AirborneTexasRanger
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AirborneTexasRanger
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Jackson Safety 370 Replacement Headgear Part - Welding Helmet Accessories - Adjustable - Black/Grey - 20696 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B004RIFGE6?tag=wranglerorg-20
Isn't that the same one that came with it? I need to take a look tomorrow. Dealt with it all day today.
AirborneTexasRanger
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Probably, or you can get others. They're fairly inexpensive and most of them are universal
VIKING Headgear Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005H1JHS8?tag=wranglerorg-20
VIKING Headgear Kit https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005H1JHS8?tag=wranglerorg-20
I wouldn't have guessed there was enough voltage to actually kill but I wouldn't go touch a live electrode to my sweaty forehead with my other hand grounded, either.
AirborneTexasRanger
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Funny story, when I first started welding I worked for a company that manufactured metal gates, fences, etc. I was the mobile repair guy so I frequently worked outside in the Texas heat & occasionally the rain. I got paid extra if I completed the job under the quoted repair time. I was working on replacing the hinges on a gate in The Woodlands when it started to drizzle. As I was getting ready to lay down the final weld I was soaked. Grabbed my stick rod & as soon as I put it in the stinger I got a nice little shock which knocked me on my ass. I was only running about 90 amps which is only 89½ amps more than needed to kill me. I got lucky & learned a valuable lesson....electricity is a heartless bitch.
Since we're on the topic of safety, can you go into a little detail about noxious fumes, the effects brakleen, and any other common hazard that might not be realized by the amateur or uneducated welder?
Mu question about brakleen is, does the no weld rule only apply to when it's freshly applied and/or wet? What about parts that have been cleaned with brakleen and thrown in a scrap pile for a year?
Mu question about brakleen is, does the no weld rule only apply to when it's freshly applied and/or wet? What about parts that have been cleaned with brakleen and thrown in a scrap pile for a year?
I would guess that danger is more present with constant-current processes like stick and TIG, vs constant voltage like MIG and self-shield where the voltage output is usually well under 50V.
Have you read the story from Lance Brew or were you posting more as a generalization for others?
https://www.brewracingframes.com/safety-alert-brake-cleaner--phosgene-gas.html
AirborneTexasRanger
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Sure. Welding fumes can kill you & in California they will also give you cancer. All jokes aside, this stuff is really toxic. There's a boat load of chemicals inside welding fumes. Important ones to note are Arsenic, Lead, Chromium, Zinc, Carbon Monoxide, Ozone, etc. This does not include material that's already on the part i.e. paint, grease, glue, etc. The number one thing you can do to prevent this from getting in your lungs or eyes is to get your damn head out of the smoke. The most toxic welding process is FCAW followed closely by SMAW. GMAW & GTAW are still toxic they just don't have a flux additive.
If your inside a garage you need to have the doors all the way open. In my garage I installed an exhaust fan in the ceiling to vent outside. A lot of amateurs will place a fan to blow air towards them to help get the fumes away & cool off. Don't do this because it will push your shielding gas away from the arc and cause bad welds. Instead place the fan so the rear is towards you and pulling the fumes away from you. Shielding gas is also heavier than normal air so if your in a confined space it will quickly displace the oxygen, you'll fall asleep & not wake up. If your eyes start to hurt kind of like if you went swimming in a pool & opened your eyes under the water then you definitely need to take a break & get some fresh air. Also you might feel dizzy or light headed & if you're welding on anything with a protective coating like galvanizing or yellow zinc this will give you a terrible stomach ache later but some milk can help with that. Other hazards depend on what's inside your garage as welding & grinding emit hot sparks that can start a fire.
As far as your question about brakleen or any brake cleaner is that it will kill you. When that stuff is heated the vapors will decompose to hydrogen chloride and/or Phosgene gas. If you don't know, Phosgene gas was the chemical used in WW1 & Hydrogen Chloride will turn into hydrochloric acid when it comes in contact with water like from your body sweat or in your lungs.
Any metal from a scrap pile should have the rust removed prior to welding. If you think it had any contact with toxic chemicals then I'd suggest flushing it with acetone which will dry & not leave a residue. Again, welding shouldn't be a scary thing to attempt. Just reduce distractions, exercise appropriate cautions & be aware of your surroundings
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AirborneTexasRanger
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I've had this discussion many times with my Dad who has a master electricians license, mostly because I'm always shocking myself. Basically it's the amps that kill you (amps is the amount of electricity - Voltage is the pushing force). Technically, how many amperes flow through you depends on the voltage & your resistance. You need high voltage to get high amps but high voltage alone won't necessarily kill you if you are insulated well enough. It also depends on the path through your body that the electricity flows.
To further this...Static electricity (like from shuffling your feet on carpet) can be many thousands of volts. It takes about 2200 volts to jump a 1/4" gap...but there is NO current. So, its a little poke.
Can confirm
The grinding in my garage yesterday started a small ball of steel wool which I was using to remove a small imperfection on a rod to catch fire.
Can confirm
Also can confirm…grinding away and saw more smoke than I thought I should. Looked down and my flannel was on fire!
AirborneTexasRanger
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Let’s talk about weld preparation. This is the biggest factor when welding.
Every machine is different but they all have suggested voltage & wire feed speed either on the door of the machine or in the manual. These are guidelines to get you started. It may be necessary to increase or decrease voltage or wire feed speed depending on the overall size of the part your welding. I like to keep scrap pieces of varying thicknesses so I can get the machine dialed in to where I want it. It should sound like sizzling bacon.
Your machine might give suggested shielding gas flow rates typically expressed in cubic feet per hour CFH. Too little will cause tiny bubbles in the weld (porosity) while too much can cause turbulence & actually pull the atmosphere into the shielding gas also resulting in porosity. I keep mine around 15 CFH & rarely touch it unless I move outside where I might bump it up to 20 CFH.
Just as important as machine set up is joint preparation. Improper cleaning will make or break a weld. I can’t stress this enough, you need to have bright shiny clean metal to weld on. Rust, paint, grease, dirt, everything needs to be gone. Brand new metal even has to be cleaned. The reason new steel has a dull gray color is because when it is melted & formed all the impurities get pushed to the surface (mill scale) & you don’t want that in your weld. If there’s some type of rust, oil or grease on the metal I recommend a good wipe with acetone after your grind down to shiny metal. Another thing to consider is when you cut anything with a plasma cutter or an oxy fuel torch that surface will be saturated with oxygen and will need to be cleaned up before welding.
Every machine is different but they all have suggested voltage & wire feed speed either on the door of the machine or in the manual. These are guidelines to get you started. It may be necessary to increase or decrease voltage or wire feed speed depending on the overall size of the part your welding. I like to keep scrap pieces of varying thicknesses so I can get the machine dialed in to where I want it. It should sound like sizzling bacon.
Your machine might give suggested shielding gas flow rates typically expressed in cubic feet per hour CFH. Too little will cause tiny bubbles in the weld (porosity) while too much can cause turbulence & actually pull the atmosphere into the shielding gas also resulting in porosity. I keep mine around 15 CFH & rarely touch it unless I move outside where I might bump it up to 20 CFH.
Just as important as machine set up is joint preparation. Improper cleaning will make or break a weld. I can’t stress this enough, you need to have bright shiny clean metal to weld on. Rust, paint, grease, dirt, everything needs to be gone. Brand new metal even has to be cleaned. The reason new steel has a dull gray color is because when it is melted & formed all the impurities get pushed to the surface (mill scale) & you don’t want that in your weld. If there’s some type of rust, oil or grease on the metal I recommend a good wipe with acetone after your grind down to shiny metal. Another thing to consider is when you cut anything with a plasma cutter or an oxy fuel torch that surface will be saturated with oxygen and will need to be cleaned up before welding.
I did a project last year that was driving me crazy with how much time I was spending removing mill scale using mechanical means. I learned that soaking in a white vinegar bath for a day or two before you need to work on it will make the scale basically fall off and leave bright shiny clean metal. Muriatic acid will do the same at a much quicker pace, but brings an entirely different set of safe handling issues. The part needs to be completely submerged or the exposed areas will rust and you need to clean the acid off the part when you remove it from the bath or again, it will form rust within minutes. Also don't leave an open tub of vinegar in your shop or it will get into the air and rust your tools.
It's easily rinsed off with tap water and once dry should be ready to weld.
Get a good drill motor, a good mandrel for it, and then spend the money on the good 3M rust and paint removal wheels in 6". You'll bitch about the price, you'll never bitch about how fast they work to remove mill scale. The only downside is you can't be a moron using them. If you get over to an edge and cut against it instead of with it, you can blow a quarter inch off of the diameter in a heartbeat.
AirborneTexasRanger
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I feel your pain man, I hate mill scale. I've used a cup citric acid mixed in a 5 gal bucket of water for more delicate pieces. It's way less harmful than muriatic acid & you can dispose of it easier but it takes a little longer to work & you still have to rinse everything off.
I'm going to have to remember that. There's so many times where I've thought to myself "damn I wish I had a media blaster".
I have mine on a Milwaukee M18 Fuel drill. If you turn it much faster, it wears the wheel down without a corresponding increase in performance. The trick to longer life is just let the wheel do the work. Pushing harder doesn't make it work faster, just wears it out faster. Doesn't take much to figure it out and then it hauls ass.
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