eseemann Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 Hi all, I have a cheap plasma cutter from Amazon and when I use it I have the same PPE on that I have for stick or wire welding. I have a flame resistant long sleeve shirt, long pants, welding gauntlets and a auto darkening hood set to 10 or 11. I keep seeing people on YouTube working on short sleeves and no gloves. Am I being overly cautious or are these folks asking for trouble. As a point of fact I do see a good number of people (also on YouTube wire welding in short sleeves with a hood and gloves (sometimes). I see people using a plasma cutter with what look like O/A welding goggles. If you look at the "Ready Welder" website the promo photos show everyone in short sleeves and the "DIY action shots" sent in by owners show one guy in a t-shirt, shorts with no gloves. When I was reading up on welding I recall that welding arcs+human skin=very bad thing (if you make a habit this type of thing). So (to get back on topic) am I nuts or does having the 4th state of matter 12 inches from you arm mean you should at least use a long sleeve t-shirt? Ernest has exited the soap box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 On a piece of paper make a list of all the body parts you can do without and sign your name. Next on the same piece of paper, say that you will protect everything NOT listed above, and sign your name. Bad air is the first concern in plasma cutting. You DO NOT want to breathe the air produced by the cutter as it is full of dust, metal particles, and junk from the cutting operation. A bucket of water under the cutting operation for sparks etc, and a fan to remove any bad air is suggested. A fan blowing shoulder to shoulder on top of the cutting operation should keep you in good air on the top side. Just be sure you do not move bottom air up to the top. Next would be lower body protection, jeans, socks, leather shoes, and secondary protection such as an apron, chaps, spats, etc. Lots of sparks are being produced so prepare for them. Upper body protection would be long sleeve shirt,(welding sleeves), gloves to protect against sparks and the heated metal parts after cutting, the proper welding goggles, a FULL face shield, and ear plugs for both noise and to keep things out of the ears. Other PPE as needed for the specific job at hand. Overkill ? Maybe, but I have grown accustom to the full list of body parts I was supplied with at birth. (grin) YMMV And yes I have used a plasma cutter. Lots of bad air and dust are produced. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eseemann Posted June 19, 2016 Author Share Posted June 19, 2016 Glenn, I have a large (28") fan running at all times right now due to being in North Alabama and not wanting to pass out due to the heat from the PPE. From what you are saying the people that don't use PPE when "just plasma cutting" are asking to end up a cautionary tale on email, is that about right? I use n95 masks for all cutting and grinding, is that good enough for plasma when used along with a big fan to blow the fumes atway? When I was stick welding and it was not too hot I had the fan on the other side of the work drawing the smoke away from me. I do all this in a garage with the door open and most of the time in at or just outside of the garage threshold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmccustomknives Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 Long sleeve shirt, leather gloves (mig or tig gloves will work better as they are lighter), Shade 3 or 5 glasses, the darker the better for your eyes. Like Glenn said, list your body parts you want to keep. A plasma doesn't throw out the UV's that welding does but it does through them out. Also keep in mind a plasma will cut anything that will conduct electricity, including you. I was talking with the Miller rep one day and he shared an incident where he was doing a demo by making a jack-o-lantern out of a coke can. A good customer of the place he was at told him to let the customer make one. Long story short, the customer cut off one of his fingers. Yep, once it came off there was no putting it back either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eseemann Posted June 19, 2016 Author Share Posted June 19, 2016 JM, OUCH!!!!!!! He not only cut off a finger he cauterized would (I would think) killings all the, well, all the anything that you need to make a finger work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 Time to re-read A0030 Jim PPW Wilson shop and Working with Zinc or galvanized Look at the size of Jim's shop. Zinc fumes are NOT the same as plasma, but bad air is bad air. Move the plasma operation OUTSIDE if possible. Your call. 59 minutes ago, jmccustomknives said: leather gloves (mig or tig gloves will work better as they are lighter), Shade 3 or 5 glasses, the darker the better for your eyes. Thanks for bringing up the tig gloves and the shade 3 or 5 glasses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eseemann Posted June 19, 2016 Author Share Posted June 19, 2016 Glenn, I have always (tried) to default to what seems to be the safest way to do things. I did not go to all the pain and trouble to stop smoking after 20 years in 2007 to die before my time some other way. I just wanted to make sure that i was not missing something. You think I can get away with shade 5 goggles and still be safe? If so that would be great because it is hard to see the cut at shade 10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmccustomknives Posted June 19, 2016 Share Posted June 19, 2016 It's an amperage thing with the goggles. Your machine is probably under 20 amps? You could probably get away with shade 3 if you can't see with the 5's. Your machines instructions should have come with instructions that would have told you what lens you need. I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eseemann Posted June 20, 2016 Author Share Posted June 20, 2016 JM, they sure did send an instruction book, in Engrish! The cutter has a max of 40 amps but anything over 17 blows the breaker. I think sticking with 5 sounds like a safe bet. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yahoo2 Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 shade 5 is the standard for 20-40 amps. Do you have a cut/grind or off setting for the auto helmet, that should be a shade 5 or 6 (when it does not auto darken) the shade 3 safety welding glasses are for working around the area without looking at the arc from a close distance. Say if you have an offsider or are running an CNC or automated cutter at low power. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eseemann Posted June 21, 2016 Author Share Posted June 21, 2016 Yahoo2, I do have the cut/grind but I am not sure that that is set to. I think I will stick with the shade 5 goggles since I know what they are set to. Thanks for the information. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
natenaaron Posted June 21, 2016 Share Posted June 21, 2016 No need to wear full leather armor. The worst is below the metal or out the end of the pipe/tube. Always wear jeans and leather shoes. It depends on what you are cutting. If I am doing super thin clean metal I am not going to get blow back so I am fine in a short sleeved shirt on top, tig gloves and cutting shades and a dust mask. This is super quick going and usually done outside. If I am inside I wear the respirator. As the metal thickness goes up the slower you will be going. How dirty the metal is plays a factor too. If I am cutting dirty metal or over 1/8 inch I am in a respirator, sleeves, glasses, and face shield. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eseemann Posted June 22, 2016 Author Share Posted June 22, 2016 Nate, Thanks for the info, I will put it to good use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eseemann Posted July 22, 2016 Author Share Posted July 22, 2016 Can anyone recommend a good place for chaps or spats? thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 Not a request I expected in a blacksmith's forum, but it takes all kinds, I guess. Online not a lot of dealers sell leather welding and hot work pants. Tillman is one. Steiner and Black Stallion are also out there. Google is your friend, but make sure "Safe Search" is on before you type in chaps. Just sayin'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eseemann Posted July 22, 2016 Author Share Posted July 22, 2016 John, I agree it sounds strange but I am not looking for hat+coat+tails+walking stick type of spats. Companies like J Tillman make what are basically leather sleeves (like when welding) for you shoes so a stick welding berry can't get stuck in your boot laces. I agree, you don't want to shop for what could be called "adult fun" stuff at work!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 A decent welding supplier will carry spats. Duct tape works in a pinch. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eseemann Posted July 24, 2016 Author Share Posted July 24, 2016 Frosty, The people that own the local welding shop also own a safety shoe shop right next door so I will check them out. Ernest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 Cutting over a clean barrel or metal trash can keeps the sparks and metal dross contained, as well as saving your pants. We designed and built cutting tables with slat tops and clean out trays for our school shop, but most folks don't have the luxury of a dedicated cutting area with an overhead ventilation system. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eseemann Posted July 24, 2016 Author Share Posted July 24, 2016 John, I bet that same trick could be adapted to keep stick welding berries out of the way as well. I was thinking about using a sheet of thick leather or fiberglass blanket as a partition between me and the work. As a short term fix I have attached some leather to some old (heavy) leather shoes. My problem is that I have 14 EEE feet so finding the right boots under $100.00 can be a challenge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John McPherson Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 Horrible Fright sells fiberglass welding blankets that could be used as a low curtain or drop cloth around your cutting area, darned handy for masking off areas and items in the shop that you can't easily move for one quick job. Wetting down a canvas painter's drop cloth will work as a temporary fix as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eseemann Posted July 24, 2016 Author Share Posted July 24, 2016 I do have one of these blankets from HF so I might just give that a try. I used my "cut 50" for the first time today on 240 volts and I was impressed at how well it started an arc on steel that still had mill scale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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