Here at my shop I'm welding a lot of stainless and aluminum. I always make sure everything is clean before I weld them together, but was curious if anyone else who does much welding can shed some light on the subject?

I've found my nostrils to be very dry and am wondering if it's from all the stainless I'm welding. I was reading some things about chromium that scare me!

 

I wear a reusable 3m respirator with p100 filters and i have a fume extractor. I wear the mask almost always because I have bad allergies and welding fumes seem to aggraate my symptoms.

 

Respiratos have trouble fitting under most welding helmets. I wear an esab 6-13 xl adc plus. Plenty of room in this helmet for respirators, and it has the best lens on the market IMO.

 

We have a portable vacuum extractor with boom arm that I use.

It's this plus a boom arm (similiar to a crane) for positioning: http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/WEL...xtractor-5YAL8

The guys don't seem to use it so much, but I notice a significant difference with my allergies when I weld.

 

Interesting.

My allergies are a bitch, but I'm more so concerned with my long term health. I'd rather not get lung cancer or anything of that sort. I wonder if i'm actually causing harm to myself from the chromium in the stainless that I've been reading about.

 

Yeah we have portable fume extractors too.

You are causing some harm by not using an extractor. I weld some super alloys that have high nickel and chromium content that I am pretty careful when working with. I bought the silicone mask and it is pretty comfortable and only $20. I usually wear it whenever i am welding, maybe overkill but i feel more healthy on the days i wear it vs the days i dont.

For a quick fix a disposable n95 respiraor is better than nothing.

 

Here you go. Great instructor showing you how to make a vent hood/downdraft table easily.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpT50...eature=g-all-u

 

I use the low profile mask pictured here. I'm not sure if it's enough but it is an N99 which claims to filter out 99% of airborne particles and is made to fit behind welding hoods.


http://www.mcmaster.com/#respirators/=hc97cn

 

Crappy pic, but we have these fume extractors where I weld. Nice thing about them is they have a sensor that turns on/off with your weld so it's not so noisy all the time.

 

Welding stainless for a long time can be dangerous I have read.

I wear this respirator

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...ls_o00_s00_i00

with these filters

https://www.amazon.com/gp/css/order-...74-0916202&sr=

Fits under my welding helmet just fine.

 

I use a 3M respirator with the disposable pink filters, I got this one

http://store.cyberweld.com/3mwereaswiod1.html

I have a harborfreight welding helmet, a 3M Speedglass 100v, and a Jackson HALO-X, and the respirator fits just dandy under all 3 [I think it was designed with fitting under welding hoods in mind]

I too worry about welding fumes and when I'm welding in the shop for a few hours without a respirator, my nose becomes horribly stuffy and I get black discharge, which is kind of disturbing. I always wear a respirator when welding now.