Helmet Safety Tips for Arc Welding

Series Summary

Metallurgy has existed for thousands of years, and welding, the joining of two metals, can be traced back to the Bronze Age - four thousand years before the birth of Christ. In the last 200 years, mankind has made considerable advances in welding, mastering different forms such as arc, laser, mig, and tig. This technology has been a useful tool in the hands of craftsmen, ushering in the Industrial Revolution, helping mass produce cars, build submarines, and design elaborate motorcycles.

One thing that has not changed much over time, however, is the inherent danger of bodily injury when combining metals, whether using high heat, pressurized flammable gas, or electricity. Many improvements have been made to welding equipment in recent years; nevertheless, safety gear and techniques must be employed to protect the welder, and those nearby, from the hazards of welding.

In this free instructional video series, learn both safety tips and beginning welding techniques for shielded metal arc welding. Perfect for novice welders, these lessons cover basics like running a bead of weld, closed vessel safety, electrode care and maintenance, helmet safety, and how to strike an arc every time. Learn how to weld the right way!

Video Transcript

" Hi! My name is Mac. On behalf of expertvillage.com, I am here to discuss arc welding. Arc welding in itself is broken down into several different processes. We will be discussing each one in turn, but before we begin that, I would like to discuss the aspects of safety that are all important to a welder. Your personal protective equipment that must be worn while you are welding are as follows. First you must have a good quality welding helmet. This shield is designed to protect your eyes from the extremely bright light of the arc and to help protect you from the sparks and spatter that fly out of the weld and from the slag that is chipped off the weld after the welding is finished. Now central to this is the dark filter plate, inside the filter plate holder. These are different strengths of dark tempered glass. They filter the light down to a level that you can actually see what is going on without being blinded. They start at shade 9 and go up to shade 13 and 14. Everyone’s eyes are different so you will need to select the appropriate filter plate for your eyes. The filter plate is protected by a clear lens cover that keeps the spatter of the weld from sticking to the glass plate. Also in this model of helmet, there is a flip up lens holder. Inside of here there is a Lexan plastic plate that while I am wearing this, I can chip the weld and not have the particles of hot slag hit my face or get into my eyes. It is also a really good idea to wear safety glasses under the welding helmet and they should have side shields to keep slag and spatter from migrating up in under the welding helmet and getting into your eyes."