Can You Get Electrocuted While Welding? Watch This...Don't Get Shocked!
Stay safe when electricity is unleashed in the weld shop.
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One of my most common questions is whether you can get shocked while using welding equipment. It's something good to talk about, for sure.
This guy: "Avoid welding in wet conditions." Welding divers: "Hold my beer."
😂😂😂😂❤ indeed
Thats why they can make up to 300k in some cases even more a year still no thank you if i had nuts thats big id sink to the bottom of the ocean
I once did some welding at home in the rain with a 220v welder. The input switch cut all power in off position so I turned it on and off with my foot, I was using totally soaked rods that were in a bucket of water. I put a rod in and turned the switch on with my foot being careful not to touch anything else. It worked okay but I sure had to be careful. A my job I have a tig welder that has high voltage start circuit capable of arcing about 3 inches. One time due to a cracked up gun casing and not enough black tape I got that high voltage arc right into my hand. I felt like my arm was going to fly off. I once knew a guy that did underwater welding. He said you are connected with radio to guy up top who controls the welder, you give the word when ready and he connects the juice. He said you can feel the charge while you're welding. I don't know how they can do it.
Welding in damp conditions is not fun. Really not fun replacing rods. My elbows hurt thinking about it.
@@Ian-of9oi I would imagine that welding in damp conditions might be worse than welding underwater. Underwater it's all grounded and the whole thing is a path to ground, so I imagine, even though there is a lot of electrons there is an even larger path to ground and it dissipates pretty quickly.
First time I've seen this discussed. Thank you.
Definitely a topic that deserves a lot more coverage. It’s hard to find anything about this on YT or the internet. I can find a thousand people telling me to “just give welding a try!” but finding information about how not to die is a hurdle. Seems backwards.
Thanks! I'm planning to make some more videos on safety topics.
Dont worry mate as a beginner you won't be using enough power to kill yourself, main little things to beware of are 1-Playing with the inside of the migwelder whilst its running, cheaper setups can zap you 2. Touching steel with both bare hands whilst someone else is welding on the connected pieces. 3. Touching yourself or changing the stick rod when its on a really high amperage with no gloves on will give you a buzz lol. In summer i weld in a singlet, no gloves and barefoot sometimes when im feeling lazy, its not dangerous at all
@@SH19922x well ... number 2 is wrong we do that all day
That's why it's a trade and not a hobbie you have to pay $$$$$$ to go to school
Its only a problem when you are soaking wet. Usually when your gloves get wet with sweat, most you will do is just buzz yourself if you are holding onto the material while welding or changing electrodes. I hate it but it isnt really painful or anything. The dangerous aspect is working around standing water, in confined spaces where you can get hung up and not get out, or climbing around soaking wet while holding your stinger and ground.
Not only is this an important topic you've presented, but I have to also say your presentation skills are excellent. You are very articulate, and always use complete, logical sentences. You make it very easy to learn. Thanks!
Tim is the consummate professional... Well presented, good examples, I learn from Tim. Thankyou for your straightforward & clear topics
In a previous life I was Shipyard welder and an Industrial site welder. 1. In Summer, don't hold the electrode under your arm pit to put it in the hand piece,(sweat/dampness), or if clothing is damp. If you have a weak/er heart (and you probably won't know that - until?) 2. Winter, if there are one or more welding cables connected to each other for distance, avoid stepping in puddles while you step onto the welding job, the current will travel through your knees and you will feel the current, or worse. That's two are worth mentioning, and I've felt many .
My buddies dad told me a story about how he almost died from electrocution once. He was a rig welder for 20 years, and he told me about how he used to think that welding machines weren't dangerous. Sure, they can give you a shock, but not enough to kill you, he said. One time he had to climb up into a pipe rack at a plant, and we live in south TX, hotter than hell here in the summer. He was soaking wet with sweat, had his ground connected to the structure he was climbing on, and had his stinger draped around his shoulder, carrying it around with the electrode in it. The stinger spun around and the electrode hit him square in the chest. Next think he remembers was being awoken on the ground of the scaffold just beneath him. His buddy was trying to give him CPR and said he wasn't breathing. Ever since then he had a new respect for the equipment and took safety a lot more seriously. That's the story he told me anyway. I could believe it, I've had the absolute shit shocked out of me before on old engine driven machines. I run an old 1963 Lincoln SA200 and she'll sting you if you're wet lol
Getting shocked from sweat is what I hear about all the time. I'm also in Tx (NE Tx). So I've heard about people catching the current through their table and sweaty clothes.
You can be killed by less than 28 volts under the right conditions. Right about where most consumer welders can put out a hundred amps until the thermal breaker trips.
so then the thermal breaker trips, after... potential death?@@stickyfox
Like I just commented. I met a guy who had his contacts fused to his corneas
Having been a sanitary pipe welder I can tell you that "not welding in wet conditions" is not an option. Back in about May 1995 I was doing a job at Arrowhead Water in Los Angeles. My foreman asked me to do something before I left as everybody else had bailed for the day. He called it the Chinese Water Torture Closet. It was a Stainless Steel enclosure that kind of looked like an outdoor water heater closet, it had an open top, a small door that gave access to the manual valves inside and there was about 18" of daylight underneath. I had to climb underneath to the inside and weld a new valve in place. As I'm inside holding my tig torch which was connected to an Airco 110v inverter welder the foreman tells me he's going to hook up my purge line from the top and he disconnects a 2" SS line that drenches me and sent a constant shock through me until he was able to shut the welder off.
Dear lord
And sometimes it rains. Hard. The family still gotta eat..
While I asked gpt... ''Yes, it could potentially be life-threatening. Any situation involving electric shock, especially when water is involved, can be extremely dangerous. In this case, the individual was working with welding equipment connected to an electrical power source, and the sudden contact with water could have resulted in severe injury or even death due to electrocution. Additionally, being drenched with water while working in a confined space could increase the risk of drowning or other injuries. Fortunately, the foreman was able to shut off the welder before serious harm occurred.'' (because I'm not familiar with the actual threat level)
This is the exact reason I was terrified of arc welding back in the day. They literally just handed you a stinger and rod and said giver bud!
I never thought of it beside it hot while welding haha
Low voltage.
You are hands down THE best. Currently doing a welding diploma and today is my first day of practical. I have been binge watching all your videos and the quality is amazing. Thank you sir and please keep up the good work. KZhead needs more people like you for all different aspects and occupations of life. SUBSCRIBED, LIKED, SHARED
Tim, this is an excellent, common-sense and important video. Well done on presenting a no-nonsense and clear overview on this topic, which is sadly not covered too often. Keep up the great work!!
I worked in the oilfield in southwest Virginia back in the late 80's. My crew was called in late evening to help the pipeline crew finish a section of pipeline on top of a mountain, in the pouring rain, of course. The welding truck they were using had just snapped the ring gear in the rear end, so they were dragging it around with a dozer, and the ditch they were welding in was almost waist deep in water. I held the end of the pipe, while the welder literally had half of his welding helmet below water. Every time he struck an arc I got the shit shocked out of me. Fun times.
I once welded some stuff in my driveway on rainy wet day. I knew I had to be aware of every move, I wore rubber boots and had wet welding rods. I would turn the welder on with my foot and weld then turn back off before touching anything. It worked out well but I sure had to pay attention.
Great videos I bought the dek pro machine from eBay never welded in my life for months I’ve been welding hear and there and because of you not gonna lie I sort of became a self taught good welder your lessons have helped me a lot. Thanks man I really appreciate ur videos
One of the smartest ways to prevent electric shock and it’s never brought up in welding channels, is to take the work clamp (ground) and attach it directly to the work piece. When clamping it to the table or vise, it just creates a longer path that the electrons flow through, thus leading to a potential “short” and traveling through one’s body.
That's what Old Black Pete the Saskatchewan cattle rancher taught me back when; of course, he did so with a little practical joke that ended with the comment: you kids today, you can't take any current!
I answered and said, "If I have found favor in thy sight, O Lord, show this also to thy servant: whether after death, as soon as every one of us yields up his soul, we shall be kept in rest until those times come when thou wilt renew the creation, or whether we shall be tormented at once?" 76 He answered me and said, "I will show you that also, but do not be associated with those who have shown scorn, nor number yourself among those who are tormented. 77 For you have a treasure of works laid up with the Most High; but it will not be shown to you until the last times. 78 Now, concerning death, the teaching is: When the decisive decree has gone forth from the Most High that a man shall die, as the spirit leaves the body to return again to him who gave it, first of all it adores the glory of the Most High. 79 And if it is one of those who have shown scorn and have not kept the way of the Most High, and who have despised his law, and who have hated those who fear the Most High -- 80 such spirits shall not enter into habitations, but shall immediately wander about in torments, ever grieving and sad, in seven ways. 81 The first way, because they have scorned the law of the Most High. 82 The second way, because they cannot now make a good repentance that they may live. 83 The third way, they shall see the reward laid up for those who have trusted the covenants of the Most High. 84 The fourth way, they shall consider the torment laid up for themselves in the last days. 85 The fifth way, they shall see how the habitations of the others are guarded by angels in profound quiet. 86 The sixth way, they shall see how some of them will pass over into torments. 87 The seventh way, which is worse than all the ways that have been mentioned, because they shall utterly waste away in confusion and be consumed with shame, and shall wither with fear at seeing the glory of the Most High before whom they sinned while they were alive, and before whom they are to be judged in the last times. 88 "Now this is the order of those who have kept the ways of the Most High, when they shall be separated from their mortal body. 89 During the time that they lived in it, they laboriously served the Most High, and withstood danger every hour, that they might keep the law of the Lawgiver perfectly. 90 Therefore this is the teaching concerning them: 91 First of all, they shall see with great joy the glory of him who receives them, for they shall have rest in seven orders. 92 The first order, because they have striven with great effort to overcome the evil thought which was formed with them, that it might not lead them astray from life into death. 93 The second order, because they see the perplexity in which the souls of the ungodly wander, and the punishment that awaits them. 94 The third order, they see the witness which he who formed them bears concerning them, that while they were alive they kept the law which was given them in trust. 95 The fourth order, they understand the rest which they now enjoy, being gathered into their chambers and guarded by angels in profound quiet, and the glory which awaits them in the last days. 96 The fifth order, they rejoice that they have now escaped what is corruptible, and shall inherit what is to come; and besides they see the straits and toil from which they have been delivered, and the spacious liberty which they are to receive and enjoy in immortality. 97 The sixth order, when it is shown to them how their face is to shine like the sun, and how they are to be made like the light of the stars, being incorruptible from then on. 98 The seventh order, which is greater than all that have been mentioned, because they shall rejoice with boldness, and shall be confident without confusion, and shall be glad without fear, for they hasten to behold the face of him whom they served in life and from whom they are to receive their reward when glorified. 99 This is the order of the souls of the righteous, as henceforth is announced; and the aforesaid are the ways of torment which those who would not give heed shall suffer hereafter." 100 I answered and said, "Will time therefore be given to the souls, after they have been separated from the bodies, to see what you have described to me?" 101 He said to me, "They shall have freedom for seven days, so that during these seven days they may see the things of which you have been told, and afterwards they shall be gathered in their habitations." 102 I answered and said, "If I have found favor in thy sight, show further to me, thy servant, whether on the day of judgment the righteous will be able to intercede for the ungodly or to entreat the Most High for them, 103 fathers for sons or sons for parents, brothers for brothers, relatives for their kinsmen, or friends for those who are most dear." 104 He answered me and said, "Since you have found favor in my sight, I will show you this also. The day of judgment is decisive and displays to all the seal of truth. Just as now a father does not send his son, or a son his father, or a master his servant, or a friend his dearest friend, to be ill or sleep or eat or be healed in his stead, 105 so no one shall ever pray for another on that day, neither shall any one lay a burden on another; for then every one shall bear his own righteousness and unrighteousness." 2 Esdras 2:31
I am an engineer and starting welding as an hobby. Your information is very helpful and too the point.
As a office junky and new to welding, I never thought about this. Thanks for your videos, helped me a lot to get going with this welding thingy
I quit my office job to become a structural welder. 😂😂😂😂❤❤❤❤❤🙋🏼♀️ I hear you
First thing I learned when I learned basic welding is to remove all jewelry. No rings, watches or chains.
Great video Tim! Loved the intro part about voltage and current.
You bet your life you can! Hot, sweating, clothes wet, welding 115 amps, sitting on brush hog. The handle of the rod holder had a bare screw. Not mine. Could not turn loose, could not jump or move to break loose. Finally: "Is this the way? Is this my time?". Cannot do a thing. Relaxed to accept things and fell loose. Fact, by the time I got to physician, an hour or so, almost sent me to ER. Replaced all rod holders on my units and all I used. Good video on safety. I am the user and my responsibility to check the equipment.
Thanks Tim..you have a knack for teaching, and pick some good topics, one doesn't always see on other welding channels. 👍😀
Thanks so much!
Great job of explaining electrical hazards; thank you.
Thanks a ton.
Was just thinking about this very question. Thanks for the information. We’ll done.
Dude, Tim, thank you for literally unloading onto us viewers the years and years of practical knowledge that takes a lifetime of experiences to gain on your own I have a Miller CST 280 stick/tig, a Titanium 170 mig, and a Deko pro stick just like yours, And I can tell you that from you I have learned so much more than I have from any other videos I watch and I just want to thank you for your wisdom buddy
I started following you, do to the fact that you very informative and helpful to new and existing welders. I thank you. Great videos
Deffinetly important content that needs more coverage 2 months ago my buddy and i were welding a hand rail that was sitting on the welding table and the metal table for the band saw due to its size in 1 pieces. And the ground clamp from the welding machine was hooked onto the metal hangar that is bolted to the machine. We got 7 inches welded until, THANKFULLY, the machine gave an error code. Ill let you troubleshooters figure out how we were able to weld, but it took me alot of researching. Safety third! Stay safe all!
My biggest fear while welding... As a novice who never went to school and is youtube thought. This freaks me the hell out! Thanks for the vid my guy!
Funny story. When I first started welding, some 25 years ago, the first question I asked to the person who was teaching me was to tell me how not to get shocked. He said, don't worry about it, you won't get shocked, however YOU WILL get burned. Lo and behold I did get burned numerous times by freshly welded pieces many, many times over the years. Fast forward 23 years, some two years ago I was welding the chasis of my son's pick up truck in less-than-ideal conditions. I was using a loaned off-brand decades old machine held together with baling wire, leads from unknown origin, a broken stinger and a cooling fan that you had to kick every now and then in order to keep it from falling apart. I don't even think OSHA was a thing when that machine was built. I was running 220 volts with the machine set at 160 amps. While changing positions underneath the truck and with a live stinger in my hand I accidentally put the electrode to the side of my head while holding the chasis with a bare hand. Needles to say that everything went blurry, that thing hit me like you have no idea, however I had to pretend that everything was cool since I didn't want my son to get scared. XD Moral to the story. Can you get shocked while welding? Absolutely, if you are a dumb a** like I was and act very carelessly. I was lucky enough that I didn't need medical treatment nor had any consequences, but it is better to be safe than sorry. So be safe out there and have fun welding!
What super powers did you end up with? :D
Lord Rayden@@flightographist
When i was in germany, we were tieing down tracked vehicles on flatcars. Trains run on 66000 volts (it may vary) carried by overhead wires. The power is supposed to be shut off prior to the operation. Ours wasnt. A guy, standing on top of bis vehicle, lost his balance and raised an arm upward to catch his balance. The overhead wires sent electricity arcing through him like a lightning strike.
and his life was over. damnit. sorry to hear.
As someone who has done most of my welding in the woods, in the rain, where I was usually standing on my work; why yes, yes you can! I have spent many days where as long as I had the stinger in my hand, I could feel current running through my feet. Also most of my bosses had janky stuff that would zap you in dry weather...
I was just wondering about this, I really am glad you posted this video, thank you!
Worst shock of my life was in welding school, and it wasn’t even on the welding circuit. We had breaker boxes in the back of each booth, with big 240v plugs on the underside. I was kneeling in the booth one day, chatting to a friend whilst clearing a birds nest. I began pulling the wire back out of the gun through the machine, and piling it on the floor behind me. It just so happens to find it’s way into a tiny gap between the plug and the outlet, and BAM. Genuinely the biggest spark I have ever seen, and my arm was numb the rest of the day. It’s amazing how much current can travel through several feet worth of .035, and I can’t imagine what would have happened if that was 1/8 inch tig filler. After that, I always turned off both the machine and the breaker anytime I did maintenance.
I appreciate your covering this topic. I think you did a very good job of getting the critical aspects of safety across. As an engineer, I'm not a great welding but I do have a very good understanding of electrical circuits. Voltage really does not hurt you but Amperage can indeed kill you if you provide the amperage a path through you. Welding is dangerous because a welder boosts a low amperage circuit into a high amperage circuit. When you ground your work to the welder, you are providing the welding arc the least resistant path from the welder, through the work, back to the welder. This is true regardless of the circuit path, as in electrode negative or electrode positive. This is why, if you are not grounded, you can touch your welding material while welding without getting electrocuted. It is also why you can put a new rod in a stinger without getting shocked. You need the proper clothing and equipment to make sure you are not providing a path or circuit through your body to a ground. The equipment needs to be suited for the environment you are working in. A dry location with rubber soles is the best condition. However, pipe fitters and farmers weld in wet conditions and marine welders weld while under water. So, the right equipment is needed for each condition.
Thank you for your information. I have a question though: if the path of least resistance is from the welder to the table and you put a stick in the stinger while it is live, why don't you become the new path of least resistance? We are mostly water with electrolytes. Are our shoes the sole (😉) reason we are not electrocuted?
@@rickb2267 Skin actually has a very high resistance so all that conductive material is below our skin , once your skin is pierced or your hands are wet , then it becomes dangerous
@@rickb2267 Good question Rick B. While we can conduct electricity very well, if we are not grounded, we are not a circuit for the electricity. The welding circuit is a big copper conductor from source to ground through the welding circuit. When you stop welding and touch the stinger, the welding circuit is "open" and there should not be a circuit through you to the ground. Now, if you were wearing the wrong kind of boots and standing in water, you would complete the circuit and blow your toenails off and likely stop your heart. I have seen electricians hold a hot, 200 AMP service entry in their hand, with no ill effect, because their other hand was in their rear pocket and their boots had rubber soles. No electrical path existed. So, wear good boots or shoes and when you change the rod do not hold the stinger/rod with one hand and touch your work with the other bare hand.
@@chucklynch8397 "When you ground your work to the welder, you are providing the welding arc the least resistant path from the welder, through the work, back to the welder. This is true regardless of the circuit path, as in electrode negative or electrode positive. This is why, if you are not grounded, you can touch your welding material while welding without getting electrocuted." Thanks for this... this is the single most important thing to understand about electrocution risk.
@@rickb2267 _"why don't you become the new path of least resistance?"_ You can, and sometimes do. When I'm welding in the rain, I'll clamp onto the new rod from where it lays. Just pull a few out staggered a bit, like offering someone a c¡garette in the olden days..
Great educational procedure and informations for all welding beginers and people rounds the welder, thank you very much.GBU.
Have never heard of a welding teacher say you could be injured or killed by a welder .Sounds like they should.
Tim, great video. Now would you consider a video on HF TIG welding hazards including stray HF causing security alarms being activated, risk to anyone nearby with a pacemaker or heaven forbid a pacemaker with defibrillator. HF TIG is great but can really cause localized problems you may not be aware of as you are welding. Yes, I’ve been shocked stick welding farm machinery outside in pouring rain. Gloves get wet, even gum boots aren’t foolproof in those conditions.
Very interesting view of VRD in clear simple,easy to understand english, thanks
Thanks - another really clear and useful video.
Tim you are the best instructor. BASICS that we don't think about newbies 🥇🏆⚡ Thanks.
Thanks a ton!
Thanks, I have thought a bit about this and why I never heard anyone worrying about it. Very good info. I guess in general if I use the protection you always should wear like good gloves and proper shoes, it is ok most of the time.
My welding teacher use to work in ship yards on the east coast. He told some interesting stories and one was about working in the rain on the ships deck and having wet gloves and every time he put a new rod in the stinger he could feel tingling in his hands from the electricity
This happened to me haha, no one ever told me to stop welding in the rain so... Just kept going.
@@showerball5376 they can weld under water
@@davidjones-vx9ju that's a special kind of welding built solely for the underwater. Of course man can weld underwater but not what I was equip with. What you trying to prove?
@@showerball5376 wet places
@@davidjones-vx9ju dude you are comparing drops of water with a massive body of water.
DUDE! im just learn how all of this stuff works and that was the best description of voltage and current i have heard! i never understood it like this until now! Thank You! also do you know what kind of welding i should learn? i want to get one of those cheap welders from harbor freight , but i dont know if i should go with a stick or flux core welder (the reason i chose these is because i dont want any gas tanks to deal with), i kinda wanna go stick, based off what i know, you cant weld very thin material with a flux core, it will just burn through, because you cant go for thinner wire since there has to be flux inside (i could be super wrong about this tho), and since on a stick welding rod the flux is outside, this wont be a problem (i think), i am just a hobbyist/car guy, i just want to be able to repair/make parts (not just for cars tho), and maybe do some furniture projects. i just want something versatile so i can solve most problems a average joe would come across. thank you for these great videos
Good info and a topic I haven’t seen discussed on here before. I remember being a 12-13 year old kid and helping my brother in law when he was welding on his truck. Telling me to put pressure on the panels to hold together while he welded and using a hammer to do so. I was so scared I was going to get zapped! Lol. Years later, I worked as an electrician and then years after that, teach Taser training. Even with having a much better understanding of how it all works now, I still find myself being extra cautious when setting up a weld. Nothing like pulling the trigger or hitting the pedal and realizing you moved your setup and forgot to reattach the ground clamp! Lol
At my job I have tig welder that is quite new. It is usually very kind to me. Sometimes I have to weld things off the table and hook the ground clamp right to them. If I forget the ground, it just makes tiny sparks and not much else. The old machine I had if you forgot the ground clamp it would blast the hell out of you.
Thank You for this Very Informative Video!
Oh, Yea!!! Started welding back in 1962. Never gave it a thought to getting shocked. Started working for a fabricating company that preached speed over safety. I started wearing brown cotton gloves instead of my welding gloves so I could increase my speed having more flexible gloves. At about 2:00 pm my gloves had become damp from sweat. I picked up my stinger from the rod end and boy did I meet my lesson. I literally thought my life had ended..
Thank you for the video, it was very informative and important. I recently got zapped, Tig welding. Never happened before with Tig, mig, or stick. Scared the cr@p out of me. I was in a hurry trying to do a quick fix for my brother who needed it done ASAP. I forget to put my glove on and touched the part near the ground while welding. Somehow I became the ground. No more rushing while welding for me.
lucky to be a alive still. let's Never never hurry. Again.
hi, gud video, i have a few questions. 1 when we metal tables for welding and the clamp is connected to the table. while i lean on to weld a part of my body touches the table will i get a shock. 2 is it safe to have the metal fabrication table on a wooden base, will that help to cut paths for the electricity to flow. 3 can we have the ac on in the workshop when we are welding. usually have it on low when am woodworking. am new to welding and just learning from youtube. so asked
Good topic overall but especially for newbie welders!!!
You sold me on your stick razor blade vid. and I subbed. But this is a question that I think many new welders have. Even those of us who have done gas welding before, but never touched electrical welding, like me. I mean I've seen people actively handle parts even with bare hands while welding and I always thought, "well, it seems safer than I thought". And modern welding is, absolutely, thank's to technology. But it was still one of those knawing questions, that I had in the back of my head. Like "under what conditions does it become really dangerous?" and you helped answer that. Cool!
Great stuff, Tim! Thanks Also, there's always the old RTFM (read the'manual). Those Safety pages at the front that we all blow past are full of machine-specific cautions. A few minutes spent there is not a bad idea. Even if you don't learn something new, it's good to review.
or cheaper, 'foreign' models where the instructions [for those of us who DO read them] are woefully lacking in specifics.
I can't read Mandarin, and can't afford things with English..
thanks Tim! Awesome video! 🔥🔥🔥👍👍👍
On a flux core non live torch is it ok to to test (hold ) the wire at the end of torch when setting the wire feed roller resistance as many say to hold the wire then set the roller tension ? And as you will have to pull the trigger to feed the wire it will be live will it not ?
YES you can. When I was in high school in my Ag class welding shop on rainy days on a concrete floor you got a mild shock EVERY time you put a rod into the electrode. So we would lay the rod on the table with the end sticking out past the table edge then we picked the rod up with the electrode. Later as a pipeline welders helper on rain soaked ground I had to wear rubber boots or I would be shocked every time I touched the ground clamp.
Not an expert but.... Sounds like the ground from the welding machine to the power outlet may have been poor. As far as I know, the grounded parts of the machine and the grounded work should be at ground potential and all the same. There should not be a voltage difference between the grounded work and the actual ground, or the soil, or the concrete in contact with soil, etc. Were the grounded table at the same electric potential as the concrete there should not have been a current flow and you would not have got zapped. Same reason that helicopter maintenance people flying next to super high voltage lines tie off to those lines to do repairs - then there is no potential difference.
Geezers, I am just mystified your even welding with/on a rainwater soaked high-school floor. Correct to say you too were loading the rods with bare hands into the electrode holder & with no PPE like welding gloves. Proper welding equipment could of prevented a circuit from developing. Just a side note, some electrode coatings are more electrically conductive than others. Those rich in iron powder coatings would be prime candidates. Otherwise, coatings have acceptable electrical insulating qualities. Also, solid grounding is vital to isolating a clean/strong arc.
@@miszced nope I was wearing leather gloves and the rain was outside the building. The floor was not rain soaked, the concrete was damp from condensation Don’t get your pantries in a wad. This was 45 years ago and safety has improved.
@@keithsargent6963 and you did a better job explaining yourself than earlier.
@@miszced well as I said things have Improved, BUT when money is on the line companies will STILL try and get you to ignore safety, even today. My son is a professional welder.
Nice tips, thank you Tim
Anyone! Few questions I have that no one seems to talk about are: 1. The grounding clamp. Is it safe to have two; one for the table and one for the project? 2. If I only have the table clamped, do I have to make sure NOT to lift my project off the table and weld? 3. Perhaps it's just safer to clamp my project? 4. Is it required to have a metal welding table? Will a wood table be ok? Thanks! I'm interested in little welding as a hobby. Little sculptures.
Thanks for saving my life.
Very good info….I’ve often wondered as ‘everyone’ says it’s safe but I’ve had enough shocks for one lifetime 😁. Thanks for posting 👍🏴
Thanks Tim! Always enjoy your videos, straight to the point. Earned a sub 👍
"straight to the point" - LOL So was his answer yes or no ??????
Any title with a question, and the answer is almost always 'No.'
Yes you can. And there are people that have been killed welding. It may not be as common as being killed in other industrial accidents. 35 or so years ago i was welding new metal in an underground coal mine surge bin. It was hot summer, was wearing good leather welding gloves and laying on the angled bed of the surge bin, soaking wet sweating. I had to put the Rods in my pit cap and put them into holder without touching the rod. Found that out the hard way. The OCV ( open circut voltage) rating of the machine is what you are exposed to in that situtation. And not uncommon to see 80 v in some older machines have not paid any atention to newer ones. But 1/4 amp can start the greaving process for your family and friends.
Great tutorials. Thank you for sharing.
Omygashhh, we have a report tomorrow and i need to know thiss hayss thanksss, you really help me so muchhhhh
Simple and good exolanation video.
very helpful, informed but respectfully if you simplify the answer to your premise and then get into details it will be more useful to people seeking the answer stated in your title
Tim your videos are great, thank you! Subscribed 👍🏼
Ive seen a bloke get shocked from an air fitting. Air arc gouging hand piece, he was looking at the air fitting while the machine was on and rested his other arm against the job.
Good stuff. Worst path for electricity is through your heart. Avoid using two bare hands when working with electricity. Use your right hand preferably to minimize current flow through your heart.
I got 240 v from hand to hand ,I actually felt my heart twitch ,ouch .No lasting damage thankfully. Keep safe.
@@John-vf5rs Within two years, 100 of the original 100 dead? I wouldn't repeat that story. Sounds like something an electrician without formal training might say.
Technically the correct advice (not necessarily for welding but following on from this post) is to put one hand in your back pocket so you can't accidentally use both hands at the same time, and touch with the back of your hand as this lets you move your hand away, otherwise at certain levels your hand could contract around the conductor keeping you electrified and potentially leading to electrocution. It's also completely different for high frequency high voltage, you will feel the discharge as it arcs through the air but if you touched the conductor you most likely wouldn't feel it as it's operating at a higher frequency than what your nerves can respond to, resulting potentially in internal burns which again you may not initially feel due to lack of appropriate nerves in the area being burned. Also worth noting that a particular electric shock may not be enough to put your heart in to fibrillation it may easily be able to disrupt the operation of medical devices such as pacemakers or hearing implants, and particularly for the aforementioned hfhv shocks, any metal such as plates and screws holding bones together can be a focal point leading to concentrated burns. Electricity is fascinating stuff, and there's so much more to it once you scratch the surface :) Normal water also isn't the best conductor, add some salt though (or seawater) and then it's a different ball game 😉. Stay safe and enjoy!
Working on tube amplifiers the rule is one hand behind your back and a chopstick in the other. Never EVER stick your fingers in a tube amp even after the power has been disconnected as the filter caps will dump +600vAC killing you if you touch em.
@@raychambers3646 your heart probably literally skipped a beat and your lucky to be alive... your heart doing this can put you in to cardiac arrest.
Would be better if you showed us scenario's during welding where it may be hazardous to electric shock or other problems usually from improper use
During the actual metal rod burning metal transfer is for the biggest part is the safest time of the process. Electricty takes the easiest path. Installing rods into stinger. Holding rod in a gloved hand provides some protection not foolproof. Or having the stinger layed down and rolling over and accidently sticking the rod into you while you are sweaty or wet. That is the most dangerous times. The end of a rod loaded into a stinger can leave a lasting impression on a person when improperly handeled.
The scenario of when it's dangerous is : Any time the machine's on..
Yes! I have!! Both stick AND mig. Gloves were wet and I was touching the end. Wasn’t really that bad, only 125amp; welder is a 250v 50a welder lol
I have a super old 120V stick welder that is I think some sort of auto-transformer there is no isolation from the primary to the secondary, seems to like to trip GFCIs too. My Craftsman and Century stick welders both seemed to run open circuit at about 50V AC. The craftsman unit is rated for like 240A output, but shorted I tested with good clamp meter and it put out about 340 amps.
I am 75 years old I am a retired Diesel mechanic/welder. O C V almost killed me, I was the concreet paveinmg mechanic for a large construction company out of K C Kansas. We were doing a leveling overlay on I 70 west of ST Louis Mo. the paver broke down and needed wilding < viabtratoe bars under the paver> they pulled it out of the mud and washed it out and then insisted that I would crawl under and weld the broken part. I refused and insisted that they would move the paver to dry base and they would not. After the intense arguement compleet with screeming and hollering, you need to have been around concreet paveing to uenderstand, I put on a pair of rubber gloves and crawled unmder the paver. My welder a lincon diesel SA 250 wouild not reve up fron idle when you srtrike your arc, so I had to plip the switch and make the welder run at weld speed this made the OCV go to 90 volts DC. The current went through me arm to arm, it was like a bomb went off in my chest, I couldent talk, I managed to roll out from under the paver. All I could do was wrap my arms around myself and I thought I was going to die. I finally got to where I could talk and the superintendant drove up after another arguement he told them to move the paver to dry base and I welded the broken part and went somewhere else and by God's grace made it through the day. years later a stress test revieled that I had had a heart attack and my heart muscle had torne and healed on it's own everythinmg ok by the GRACE of GOD. Yes a welder can kill you ! Good video thank you
Just got a pretty gnarly shock yesterday from a 480v mig machine was helping a kid from school hold a small trailer housing stable he wasn't welding I was just waiting for him put right hand down on our press brake table and got a bad one thru the arms still hurting today... Tiny muscle in my arms chest and neck kept spasming pretty much the whole night, heart started beating kinda funny still is tonight like 24hr after neck is super tight my muscles got hit hard feel sore like just had hard workout still slightly tastes like I stuck my tongue on a 9v battery be careful I never knew that this could happen... ✌️
I know its an old post but for future watchers, please understand a welder is a very high powered electron pump. What is referred to as a ground clamp in comments below is no such thing. It is the return path for the current to the welder. Electricity leaves the source and has to go back to the source (it is a circuit). There is no ground (earth) in the welding circuit (secondary as called in the video). The ground is at the primary side of the equipment only and is only there to protect you against an equipment fault and hopefully trip a breaker. You must protect yourself from getting in circuit of the secondary and thus potentially becoming a second path back to the source. The electricity will only flow through you if it has a path back to the source.
You can absolutely get shocked while you are welding. When I was an apprentice, I was helping a welder in the shop at work, and he took great pleasure in messing with apprentices. He had me hold a piece he was welding on a piece of equipment in such a way, so when he stuck an arc, I was the ground, so I got a pretty good jolt. It was a good learning event because I always made sure it didn't happen again. Later, when I was working for the railroad and one day, my job was to watch the guy welding steel H-beams to reinforce a trestle. It was pouring down rain, and we didn't have any cover, and all day long, I would see him spasm occasionally when he would get bit from water leaking into his gloves or down his neck.
Yes and pretty badly I recently got shocked been welding for 20 plus years been mildly shocked many times but this time was different a air hose was leaking water from the compressor not being drained the night before but I stepped in the small puddle and got lit up it came through my foot and out my pointer finger and when it passed through it damaged part of the bone in the joint and it started healing straight and this was 3weeks ago so I will probably have to have surgery to bend it again after it heals because yay it's also infected still working everyday since
When I was a welders helper we were welding on a metal recycling machine as part of a big project to rebuild the machine. One night me and my boss were there late at night, it was raining, and the ground clamp fell off one of the beams of the machine. I went down the stairs to find a new ground, and as I was attaching the ground to a thicker part of the beam, it shocked the hell out of me. My arm holding the ground convulsed and I unintentionally threw the clamp. Evidently he didn’t do a good job of making sure the rod wasn’t making contact with the machine as I was trying to reground. Called him from two stories below pretty pissed off telling him to get that rod off the machine
thank you sir, very informative 😀
Thank you for this, I am surprised it's not a more common topic. Anyone that has been electrocuted, (Not Shocked, but full on electrocuted) will ask about the safety of this right away. It's not something you forget.
perfect, thank you
Nice.Thank you so much
When welding items at home, do you need to do so on top of a metal table or it can be done on top of a wooden table as well?
Hey Tim. Great video bro. I wanted to ask a question if u have a minute to answer. I'd very much appreciate it bcos I'm new to welding. My shop is always cold. I don't have any heating in there so I wanted to ask about heating the spots of the metal I'm about to weld up using stick. Is it at all helpful to have the metal heated before beginning my welding on the area? I use a fair bit of Square tubing so I clean the areas with a flap diec on the grinder before welding. I have a small gas bottle torch so I wanted to ask if it was a good idea to heat the area 1st? What I have found in my short time welding is when the metal is hot the arc tends to begin a lit quicker with the heat of the metal or am I asking a dumb question? If anybody in the comments could give me advice too I'd be super grateful to u guys also. Thanks for a great vide4o again Tim man. Take care bro and same to all in the comments
Brilliant. Been a welder off and on through my young adult life. But recently picked up more work. No one has explained this to me. Great video.
Your damm right you can I done been shocked so hard I tacked two fillings together
One time I was stick welding using a cracker box on a trailer frame in a heavy fog/light drizzle, and while sitting on the frame (wet pants seat) I went to install a new stick into my stinger and I got the peawaddy knocked out of me. Time to roll 'em up for the day.
Always a pleasure.
Good to know! Thanks!
“We probably better talk about this” is damn right Lolol
Theres a Miller Machine at my work that has a sub par ground connection in the wall its plugged into due to the way the building was wired, it causes the machine to shock you more than normal. Another thing that will cause any machine to shock you is a worn torch body. Any small hole in that, though you may not see it, does expose metal right near your hand that runs current, this will definitely cause a shock often.
Most arc potential is in the 12 to 24 volt range. Just enough to start and maintain but quite enough to be dangerous. Stick welding in extreme heat, where you’re sweating like a horse and also quite intimate with ground, inserting new rods using welpers is advisable so you don’t get annoying little shocks all day long. Also, it’s amazing to see just how far a TIG arc (on a remote control system with high voltage start) can stretch if you back the torch away from the work before powering down (a common rookie error), that’s an arc that you don’t want to be part of and I demonstrate this to trainees right off so that they take it seriously.
thanks you sir it was awesome video, keep the good work.
Excellent video and very important and relevant content. Taught me a lot about the dangers associated with welding, much appreciated. Liked & subbed. 👍
Interesting info about modern welders. 50 years ago I certainly got tingled off Dad’s Forney C-6 buzz box working outdoors in wet weather. Don’t know its open circuit or arc voltage, and quite likely I rested a damp arm or knee against the work. BTW electricity doesn’t just take the path of least resistance, it takes ALL paths, just the most current through the lowest resistance path. Most of your body’s resistance is in your skin. Tangle with electrified barbed wire where a point pierces skin, and you’ll KNOW you have been zapped.😮
Yeah dont weld in wet with open wounds, or you loose that resistance real quick and electricity gets inside of your body.
I get shocked at work every week or so during the summer because I get too sweaty.
Try wearing rubber gloves under your welding gloves Or use an insulated stinger
What if you stand on a rubber mat?
It's a good tingly jumpstart like an espresso red bull
Anyone who welds regularly gets shocks - wet ground, sweat, moisture on the metal, whatever. Most are minor, just a really good reminder to ALWAYS PAY ATTENTION.
on a need-to-know basis, i literally don't need to know about your personal hygene issues.
I havent welding since high school 40 years ago,will grounding right to the project be ok, even if ots on a wooden table with metal legs. I just want to do a little flux welding
I tried to play the eye blink game with you and i loose everytime, and i absolutley love your videos.
Thank you
i dont see this mentioned for some reason, but i generally keep my welder off until im going to strike an arc. maybe kind of annoying for some setups, but its usually close by. is this something yall do?
lol, i have a burn on my thumb from the HF start on my tig jumping through a seam in the torch handle when I was adjusting gas... 10 feet from the ground... also, trying to light an arc on something insulated that you complete the circuit to is fun. I work on big round tanks, and I have to weld baffles inside, so they go on rollers on my bench... that are rubber... so when I lay in it and forget to put a jumper from my table to the tank... the plums get zapped... I also once complete a path with a stick welder from one hand to the other... that wasn't fun either...
Sooo, I shouldn’t be fitting a fresh electrode to my arc welder (without gloves) while it’s on? ....or just not while in contact with the job and/or the earth?
I have several times with mig and tig. Mig because we had to use an anti-spatter spray on our stainless to mild steel parts and my glove had a hole. Then with tig, somehow manage to touch my tungsten to my filler rod.
I work in a shipyard as a fitter,, kinda hard to not get shocked when sometimes your welding in about 2 or 3 inches of water!! especially when u have to crawl through the crap