Welders flash?

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zacksrx

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Long story short someone who wasn't a welder got it by walking through the shop.

Do some people get it real easy? I have been welding for 4 years and have never got it once. Others have been welding for 30 years. Never got it once.

Is this similar to a deer caught in a headlight? Or is there some other reason.
 

what is it????? I've been welding for 17 and I never heard of it?????
 
zacksrx said:
Long story short someone who wasn't a welder got it by walking through the shop.

Do some people get it real easy? I have been welding for 4 years and have never got it once. Others have been welding for 30 years. Never got it once.

Is this similar to a deer caught in a headlight? Or is there some other reason.
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You can get welders flash easily by not wearing saftey glasses and yes by being caught off guard of someone welding close by ,-less than 50 feet- I know from experience I flashed my wife and she got a mild case of flash burn nad bitched a bunch about itchy/irrritated eyes. I have flashed myself and had to deal with looking through a dark spot or when you look at something dark yu see a bright spot. You have to remember that there is Infra red, UV, and the thermal factor that come from an arc flash that causes flash burn. T
 
I've been a welder so far for only a year and a half... never got flash, got a helping hand hired and within three weeks I flashed the **** out of him and he couldn't make it to work for a few days. I have been caught (mostly by my boss who just loves to wait until you look to see what he's doing... then all of a sudden... ahh my fricken eyes!! lol) and have never got the flash. I think some people must get it easier than others but it doesn't make sense to me. I would think that an eye is an eye and all the stuff in there that makes you see shouldn't have too much difference in sensitivity........ but - That's why I'm a welder and not a surgeon!
 
I was thinking he might have contacts on. But I have never ever seen him wear glasses. But who knows.
 
You should NEVER wear contacts if you are in a welding shop. if you get a bad enough flash the contacts can stick to your eye. wearing safety glasses will eliminate a flash because the polycarbonate lense will filter out the harmful light. a welding flash basicly dryes out your eye so the best thing to do if you get one is to try and moisten it with something like eye drops. i have been a welder for about 8 years and so far i have only gotten one flash and it was like getting my eyes sraped out with a rusty fork. not fun.
 
my cousin decided to weld a muffler onto his car and not use the welding mask, needless to say he was lucky to get away with only flash and not to lose his eyesight. he said that it didnt hurt when he looked at it first so he just kept going. i mean seriously, some people are just to stupid for there own good.
 
LOL!!!! Homer says: "There, and I did it all without wasting money on one of those stupid welder's masks". Your cousin just reminded me of that. That's funny, but good to hear that he's not seriously hurt.
 
redsnake3 said:
my cousin decided to weld a muffler onto his car and not use the welding mask, needless to say he was lucky to get away with only flash and not to lose his eyesight. he said that it didnt hurt when he looked at it first so he just kept going. i mean seriously, some people are just to stupid for there own good.
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Wow, that is just crazy. I tack with out a helmet, BUT I can position my hand over the nozzle to block the arc. However, there are times when I just can't have my hand there, so I close my eyes or turn my head and tack. After only a couple of these, I look like a raccoon. My safety glasses block the UV rays, but the rest of my face get a bit red. I couldn't imagine how red this guys face must have been.
 
I was a Pipe Fitter in a local Paper Mill for years and got flashed a few times and was informed by a couple of co-workers who were ex shipbuilders to put potato peels on my eye sockets! It really did help sooth the pain and kept me from rubbing them. We also had to remove old galvanized piping from the basement of the machines to replace with stainless steel piping. As you all know galvanize poisning is very serious, if you do inhale smoke from welding or cutting galvanized pipe drink milk to coat your stomach lining immediately.

Cobalt
:WayCool:
 
nosboy said:
what is it????? I've been welding for 17 and I never heard of it?????
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I got it bad once. It feels like someone threw a handful of sand in your eyes. It usually don't get you until you want to close your eyes. Like at night when you want to sleep. Imagine trying to sleep with sand under your eyelids. Not a fun time!
 
Cobalt-that info about the milk is incorrect-OSHA and the Canadian MOL did say that for a few years, but now they know milk is the WORST thing you can drink as it coats the stomach, but at the same time absorbs the zinc, and then holds it against the lining of your stomach so it can absorb more!!! Now they say to avoid milk, and drink copious amounts of water to flush it out of your system. BTW in extremely sever cases of Zinc poisoning, it will kill you if you do not go to the hospital and get a neutralizing shot. For anyone this happens to, the precursor symptoms are extreme hot flashes alternating immediatley with extreme cold spells. If anyone gets these symptoms, get to the hospital ASAP.
For the flash, you can also wet tea bags and put them on your eyes, but there is no real good relief, I've had it a few times. As others said, not fun at all!
 
SRxr THANK YOU for clearing that up!! I have not been a Pipe fitter for about 10 years and left the Paper mill 7 years ago so I had no idea about the zinc. I should also have mentioned the need to seek medical attention A.S.A.P.
We had a company nurse who would monitor our condition if we were exposed to even a small amount. I actually would hope that a moderator would remove my post about the milk due to the seriousness of the effects of galvanize poisoning.

Thanks,

Cobalt
 
ever run a plasma cuter with just tinted safety glases or goggles on? every now and again i'd do that for a couple of hours at a time and instant raccoon face burn. hurts like crazy for the first day afterwards especilly if its sunny out :oops:
 
the first time i got it was so bad that i woke up in the middle of the night screaming in pain and throwing punches. hurt my hands and messed up a wall a bit too. hurt so bad i coulndt keep my eyes open or closed them doesnt leave u much options. lol up to that point the 2nd degree burns on my face from my sled over heating and popping the cap was the worse pain i have ever felt but flash was 10 times worse. ive gotten the itchy eyes a few times after wards and like cobalt said but potatoes in ur eyes it works dont know how or why but it does.
 
oh and forgot to add for thoes of u that havent gotten it. after having it id much rather get a good old full blown kick in the junk then get flash as bad as u did again. so wear ur masks not worth the risk
 
I have had it numorus times welding on race cars. It is more prevelant with stick welding. Race cars can be hard to get your head into with a helmet on, and you are ussually in a hurry too. it feels like hot sand in your eyes. i have also welded in tight spaces with short sleeves on, and got skin flash burns.. They make a sun burn feel nice. Maxdlx
 
pretty nasty stuff, I have had it a few times over the years, last one was the worst, had to have gel put in my eyes and eye patchs put on for 2 days. Once you get it, you get it more easily the next time as the damage is done already. Like others have said its like sand in your eyes but my eyes were dripping tears out of them, solid red sides, and painfull, all you want to do is sleep and not blink, but when you close your eyes it hurts more...LOL

I got it the first time working for a fabrication shop, welding racks for GM to ship fenders and doors in/on, I used to light of a shield in my welding helmet and got it, was a fast paced job, paid you by the amount you got done in your shift and I tried to cut a corner by not having to flip my helmet as much as the lens wasnt black and you could see your start spot, well guess what....I lost, and paid the price....LOL
 
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