evfreek Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 Hi. I was welding in a shared facility yesterday, and was getting a lot of welding light from the next table. There is a tinted curtain separating the two areas, but someone had stacked some new sheet metal on the back wall and it was reflecting the arc through a gap in the curtain right into my eyes. I politely asked the other person if I could move the sheet metal. He said no, but I could move the curtain so that the reflection would be blocked. After several minutes, he pulled the curtain aside and came up to me while I was fitting up, stood a little too close to me, and started lecturing. It was then that I realized that I was dealing with an old curmudgeon. He told me that I ought to get over my fear of reflected arc light. He informed me that although you can get sunburned from a reflected arc, it is absolutely impossible to get flash burn. This sounded strange to me, since it seemed that one was kind of like another. Then he said that sunburn was nothing to worry about; only flash burn was really dangerous. Finally, he said I should be happy since he is quitting for the day. He then suggested that I get my own welder if I had my own shop so I wouldn't have to come in to the shared facility. This seemed kind of rude, since I didn't mention that my shop is more of a blacksmith shop and having an open front, it is not really suitable for a delicate TIG welder. Recently, there was an thread on this topic, but I am kind of afraid of UV radiation. I was very respectful, and did not disagree with him as the thread suggested, but, really, how does one deal with an insistent old curmudgeon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 I wouldn't call him a curmudgeon but a totoprocta if my geology latin is still working. Reflected flash is still dangerous and a curmudgeon would know that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notownkid Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 Too bad he was leaving that day, might have welded his lunch box to the table. He wasn't a curmudgeon just an old fashion Pain in the posterior. Hope you wished his a happy life, they hate that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 Dont blame us for his stupidity. there is a major difference between someone getting annoying at people not paying attention, and therefore asking the same questions over and over while ignoring the answers, and that grumpy old fool that is clueless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawnJockey Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 23 minutes ago, notownkid said: He wasn't a curmudgeon just an old fashion Pain in the posterior. Often they are one and the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Sells Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 On 2/7/2016 at 5:18 PM, LawnJockey said: Often they are one and the same. no, and for the record: we have never seen him at any of our weekly meetings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud in PA Posted February 8, 2016 Share Posted February 8, 2016 Steve you are a kind gentleman. I grew up back in the 50's and 60's in northeaster NJ, long before Tony Soprano made it famous. To deal with a PITA we would have handed him a quarter and told him to call someone who gives a #@%& about what you have to say about anything in this world. I'm glad that I mellowed in my old age. Although my wife would argue that point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jumbojak Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 Tell him that if he wants to do stupid, dangerous things that he should get his own shop. After you tell him to get out of your face. He was wrong, and what's more it was the kind of wrong that can lead to serious injury. If you are paying to use this shared space then you have a right to work in a safe environment and it's the responsibility of the management to remove idiots like that from the premises. Really, it's the management's responsibility even if you aren't paying, but I'll assume you haven't found free space like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 I wear safety glasses all the time in the shop now, I did not when I was younger and (more) foolish. I thought that migraine headaches just ran in my family, turned out that arc flash reflected off of the walls and ceiling from folks in curtain enclosed booths dozens of yards away were causing them. You do not need to look directly at the flash to suffer ill effects, the damage is proportional to the exposure. Smile politely, and tell him he needs to see a doctor about that cranial-rectal inversion problem. He may not be suffering from it, but the rest of the world sure is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 Sunburn=skin cancer and yes, reflected light can lead to arc flash. Not risking my eyes, skin or life over an idiot. I am getting airily close to the "I'm only going to try to enlighten you once" stage of my life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 You can tell people like that. But you can't tell the much. Actually, according to lectures I attended when they were trying to make me a supervisor you did the right thing. Let them say their piece, acknowledge you have heard what they had to say, and ignore them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 9, 2016 Share Posted February 9, 2016 In a shared space one idjit can get everyone thrown out. Ignoring them can be counterproductive in the long term. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evfreek Posted February 10, 2016 Author Share Posted February 10, 2016 Hi fellas. Thanks for the confirmation. I've been "sunburned" once (my fault) and I'm trying very hard to avoid it happening again. Good point about bringing it up with management. I'll do that the next time I go in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 Some of us grew up with the classic cartoons of yesteryear, Though I fear I fumble fingered it and it should be spelled idgit. One problem may be that some of the "old timers" don't hold with all the modern safety rules: dying young with Parkinson's, skin cancer, deafness, cataracts and a bad back was just part of the job....OTOH a lot of us curmudgeons will try to hammer into the young folk that IT'S NOT A GOOD IDEA TO AVOID THE SAFETY RULES and we have the scars, operations, expensive medical bills, etc to prove it! Of course being old enough that certain issues are too slow to have much effect or just not applicable---(eg: Reproductive toxins are not central to my worries anymore but I sure will come down like a ton of anvils on a young guy or girl not paying attention to them!!!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LawnJockey Posted February 10, 2016 Share Posted February 10, 2016 Although there is often valuable content contained in the statements of such a body orifice it is often diluted by the delivery. When I come into contact with such folks my first reaction is that I am glad I am not them. If I give them a second thought it is mere wonder as to what caused them to be the way they are. They certainly can't be happy in life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironmutt Posted March 26, 2016 Share Posted March 26, 2016 i needed a frame welded up for a fire pit since i didnt have a welder at the time took it up to a buddy at the shop he worked at he welded it right on the tail gate of my truck while he is zapping away i just turned around and smoked my cigg my diamond plate box reflecting it in to my eyes the whole time after that i dont even stand in same area with out proper ppe now that i got my own welder its not such a problem makeing sure i have ppe on . but if im visting some one and i even think they might be welding i wait outside tell i hear all clear nothing feels like arc flash in your eyes honestly think i would rather super glue my eyes open and then sit in a sand blasting cabinet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted March 27, 2016 Share Posted March 27, 2016 Well, if the reproductive toxins only caused sterility it would be a good thing for most... I think about half the women and 9 out of 10 guys should be sterilized, if not labotamized... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlotte Posted March 27, 2016 Share Posted March 27, 2016 43 minutes ago, Charles R. Stevens said: Well, if the reproductive toxins only caused sterility it would be a good thing for most... I think about half the women and 9 out of 10 guys should be sterilized, if not labotamized... The Older I get the more I sympathize with that point of view/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 I'm not sure if we could tell if all too many folk were lobotomized without xrays. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles R. Stevens Posted March 30, 2016 Share Posted March 30, 2016 yes master Frost, "average Inteligence" and "dumb as a box of rocks" seem to be one and the same most days... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natenaaron Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 some of my coworkers and I hold a firm belief that teachers should be in charge of deciding who should breed and who should not. We watch these kids grow up and interact with their parents. At the end of 7th grade all students are marked with a bar code and given a temporary sterility pill. On their 18th birthday every male must register with selective service and take another pill. 18yr old boys are not very bright these days. The girls sit through a lengthy interview process and those deemed mature enough are allowed off the pill. We all agreed that 18yr old girls, if both feet are on the ground, have made some very good parents. The rest are given the pill. When all of them turn 25 they are interviewed by their former teachers. If they pass they are allowed to reproduce and the barcode is removed. If not they are given a permanent pill. the bar code links to the person's school records, and interview outcomes. We came with this after a few particularly bad examples got pregnant between their 8th and 9th grade years. Of course we also thing ritalin should be sprayed at the student entrances like a mister, a Valium lick should be provided in the staff lounge and a masseuse should be on call for, one for each grade level, three times a year: The week before winter break, the week before spring break, and the two weeks before the end of the year.. It is a very dystopian universe we want to rule. I have met several folks like the guy the OP talked about. I am sure he had that attitude most of his life and would have most likely been a receiver of the permanent pill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 1, 2016 Share Posted April 1, 2016 I hate to curmudgeon on your concept there Nate but most kids are pretty bright BEFORE being exposed to teachers. I felt I learned in spite of all to many of my teachers. I'll admit a lot of that was attitude on my part but they had a poor attitude as well. Have you seen reading test scores for college entrance exams? Reading is THE single most important skill a human can have. If you can read you can teach yourself anything. If you can't you're a gang member, manual labor is about all you can realistically hope for. There are plenty of really good teachers but they have a huge professional inertia to overcome. I stopped going to college when I was informed with great patience that I wasn't there to learn the subjects I was there to be properly socialized. While I agree there should be a test program to determine who should pass on their genes I just have serious doubts about who you think should be in charge. Curmudgeon mode off. Frosty The Dispeptic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bud in PA Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 I graduated grammer school in 1958. I went to a Catholic Parochial school, and I was taught by Nuns. ( think Blues Brothers movie) I went to public high school and was almost immediately bored. It was many years before I realized that the education those Nuns pounded into me had me ready to enter college from the eighth grade. The dedication of those Nuns, I believe is what made the difference. To this day my wife who is younger than me doesn't use a dictionary, she asks me. When I reminisce like this I realize how old I am, so I'll stop now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notownkid Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 Most of the brightest young people I know were Home schooled and they have done super well in college and are well employed. Not sure where you get you're idea but you might want to rethink it. Public education today is a disaster at best, Who is responsible for the education our kids get THE TEACHERS. Makes one wonder if you would be around if this was in place when you parents were coming of age. A good friends grand daughter in 5th grade was told she would never be able to learn the math because she didn't have the aptitude for math by her teacher and the teacher refused to give extra help. They took her out of school and are teaching her at home after 4 months they had her tested by an outside agency and she had progressed an entire grade. They are now suing the school and filed a complaint with the State department of education to pull the teacher's license. My brother was a teacher for 27 yrs. retired early 20+ yrs ago and today says that the public education received by kids today is worthless. After dealing with young people we employed in my last job I decided what is needed is to make Birth Control Retroactive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsoldat Posted April 2, 2016 Share Posted April 2, 2016 Makes me think of a friend that home schools. She was having a xxxx of a time with math and her youngest. Then things started to click into place... A month later Mom realized she had grabbed the wrong book to work out of and now the kids a year ahead in her math. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.