When you guys tig weld do you usually leave a door open for fresh air? I was just practicing welding again. I welded up this thing for my trailer for my 4 wheeler and I have the worst headache again just like last time I was welding for a while in the garage. I had my heater on so I did not want to open the doors and let the cold air in.

Is it okay to weld in a closed garage for a while? My dad said it was prob the argon gas giving me a headache. When you come into the garage you can smell it.

 

I hope you know the answer now.Pain is suppose to be the best teacher.
Glenn

 

It was probably the welding fumes you were breathing in, wich can cause cancer. I woulda opened the garage...

 

i weld in a basement with the window open some times above where my table is and run a fan , but when the window is closed i dont have a problem with headaches normaly, but when i toch the tungsten to the work and it contaminates it puts off some nasty fumes wich make me kinda sick feeling , but i learned fast not to contaminate the tungsten , lol

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by B18C1CYA &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i weld in a basement with the window open some times above where my table is and run a fan , but when the window is closed i dont have a problem with headaches normaly, but when i toch the tungsten to the work and it contaminates it puts off some nasty fumes wich make me kinda sick feeling , but i learned fast not to contaminate the tungsten , lol </TD></TR></TABLE>

Well you know me and contamination maybe that is what is bothering me so much.

 

it ***** with me bad , cus the fumes are diffrent when that happens , can you tell the diffrence in the fumes ?????

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by B18C1CYA &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">it ***** with me bad , cus the fumes are diffrent when that happens , can you tell the diffrence in the fumes ?????</TD></TR></TABLE>


Nah not really. They all smell the same to me.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by B18C1CYA &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">it ***** with me bad , cus the fumes are diffrent when that happens , can you tell the diffrence in the fumes ?????</TD></TR></TABLE>
I usually only have to open a door or something when I'm doing a lot of welding or welding something that has oil on it or something that smokes a lot. You mentioned that you have the heater on...is it a propane or kerosene heater that you have in the garage? They can be really bad about giving headaches due to lowering the oxygen level in the room...as well as raising carbon monoxide. It seems that the propane blowers are the worst.

 

good point , i didnt even think of that , and also if it is a salamander type heater , it makes a draft and could cus you some of your contamination ,

 

The heater is a kerosene heater that we run. But it is not a bullet heater or one of those kerosene heaters that smoke when you turn it on. It is an electronic kerosene heater that is designed for in the house use. We just use it in the garage. It has its own exhaust going outside of the garage. I know kerosene heaters can take the oxygen out of the rooms espically the bullet heaters. I never get headaches when I work in the garage all weekend long with the heater on that is why I figured it was from welding.

 

Many beginners will put their head directly in the "plume" of smoke that rises from the weld. Make sure you're not going that. If you get smoke in your hood, move.

Only way to find out is to open the door and weld a bit to see if it gives you a headache.

 

Well I am about as beginer as you can get.

I keep my face pretty close to where I am welding to see it better.

 

Whenever I take out the welder, that garage goes up and the side door stays open. Its just safer than not.

Rich

 

welding with argon indoors is pretty safe, but c02 can be dangerous in a small place. i think it displaces oxygen, sorta like huffing in and out of a paper bag.

 

The argon will displace o2 aswell.

I get these headaches too...huge ones in the back of my head...I'm buring up lots of metal and contaminating lots of tungstens learning


Modified by essex at 1:02 PM 2/7/2005

 

it's really simple to fab up a small exhaust hood (even a flexable one u can move around) with a small commercial fan, exhausting up out the roof, or out the side of the garage. This is one we use at our shop (we weld alot of galvanized steel)
Just pull it over and position it, flip the switch and ur good.

 

I have a vent fan but I don't think its grabing the fumes I'm going to try that Legendboy. Thanks for the pic boss

 

man up chad, Those fumes put hair on your chest. How come i didn't get a headache when i was there?

 

The argon is a heavy gas and will usually sink to the bottom most portions of the room, if there is no breeze or airflow. I highly suggest getting some ventilation. Once i was making a big, approx 300gal 316 SS tank for a coolant tower that cleans/stores cutting coolant, and i got inside of it and starting going to town. Apparently no one seen me get inside of the enclosure and my breaths seemed to be getting shorter and shorter until finally i couldnt really take any deep breaths and i went and talked to the journeyman about wtf i was feeling.

They made me stand on my hands to "get the Ar out of my lungs". To this day i didnt know if they were just ****** with the new apprentice or if they were serious, but i do know a lil while after that i was fine.

&lt;-- loser.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by untitled &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The argon is a heavy gas and will usually sink to the bottom most portions of the room, if there is no breeze or airflow. I highly suggest getting some ventilation. Once i was making a big, approx 300gal 316 SS tank for a coolant tower that cleans/stores cutting coolant, and i got inside of it and starting going to town. Apparently no one seen me get inside of the enclosure and my breaths seemed to be getting shorter and shorter until finally i couldnt really take any deep breaths and i went and talked to the journeyman about wtf i was feeling.

They made me stand on my hands to "get the Ar out of my lungs". To this day i didnt know if they were just ****** with the new apprentice or if they were serious, but i do know a lil while after that i was fine.


&lt;-- loser.</TD></TR></TABLE>
That is the funniest thing i have ever learned. My buddy, when he first got on the police force, was showing a bunch of his superiors his new gun. So they disassembled the gun and were taking out " Useless stuff" as they called it. He almost **** a brick when he saw all the stuff they took out of the gun. In reality what they really did was pull a bunch of springs out of pens and stretch a few to make them look different and slowly made a nice pile of them as they took the gun apart.

Damn experienced people and their games.

edited for me being an idiot


Modified by snoochtodanooch at 2:35 AM 2/9/2005

 

Ive had similar headaches when welding for long periods of time. It has been alot worse with the addition of a propane heater. Lately I will weld for while then take a break and get fresh air. I like that idea of a exhaust vent, just might have to do that.

 

BTW: jsut fyi, if you weld on galvanized, drink some milk when your done, the journeyman also told me this helps with the ?headaches?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by untitled &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">BTW: jsut fyi, if you weld on galvanized, drink some milk when your done, the journeyman also told me this helps with the ?headaches?</TD></TR></TABLE>

I was told the same.. Im sure most people should know the milk trick. ( yes, no joke )

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by essex &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The argon will displace o2 aswell.</TD></TR></TABLE>

i think youre right. with more thought, i THINK that i was told or read that co2 shielding creates a percentage of carbon monoxide in the arc. all i know for sure is i read something that made me think "ill never use c02 with the garage door shut again.


<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by untitled &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">They made me stand on my hands to "get the Ar out of my lungs". To this day i didnt know if they were just ****** with the new apprentice or if they were serious </TD></TR></TABLE>

when i was in the marines i worked in avionics vans,, like climate controlled tractor trailor boxes linked together on the ground with all kindsa sensitive test equipment inside. my first week i had to take "air samples" by swooshing a trash bag in the air and then tying it off so i had a nice trash bag balloon.. like 30 of them. then bring them to another hanger for a guy in production control to "read with the meter." carried them right past a duty section formation of about 80 people. about 40 people coordinated the prank on lucky me. i was impressed.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by untitled &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Once i was making a big, approx 300gal 316 SS tank for a coolant tower that cleans/stores cutting coolant, and i got inside of it and starting going to town. Apparently no one seen me get inside of the enclosure and my breaths seemed to be getting shorter and shorter until finally i couldnt really take any deep breaths and i went and talked to the journeyman about wtf i was feeling.

They made me stand on my hands to "get the Ar out of my lungs". To this day i didnt know if they were just ****** with the new apprentice or if they were serious, but i do know a lil while after that i was fine.

&lt;-- loser.</TD></TR></TABLE>

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by snoochtodanooch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">That is the funniest thing i have ever learned. My buddy, when he first got on the police force, was showing a bunch of his superiors his new gun. So they disassembled the gun and were taking out " Useless stuff" as they called it. He almost **** a brick when he saw all the stuff they took out of the gun. In reality what they really did was pull a bunch of springs out of pens and stretch a few to make them look different and slowly made a nice pile of them as they took the gun apart.

Damn experienced people and their games.</TD></TR></TABLE>

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by mike_belben@yahoo.com &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">when i was in the marines i worked in avionics vans,, like climate controlled tractor trailor boxes linked together on the ground with all kindsa sensitive test equipment inside. my first week i had to take "air samples" by swooshing a trash bag in the air and then tying it off so i had a nice trash bag balloon.. like 30 of them. then bring them to another hanger for a guy in production control to "read with the meter." carried them right past a duty section formation of about 80 people. about 40 people coordinated the prank on lucky me. i was impressed. </TD></TR></TABLE>

These stories are classic