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Grahame Collins
7th November 2007, 06:25 PM
Hi fellas,
These days, one of the modern buzz words used in describing the use of equipment is ergonomic.Well,bugger me ? Boilermakers have been using it for years and not known what to call it.

It gets back to comfort. You are going to weld your best only if you are relaxed and totally comfortable.
If you have to stretch out of your zone of comfort you will get shaky and jittery fairly quickly.

I used to tell the students to draw and imaginary line in the center of a job and roughly align that with the center of the body. The job is then welded within 2/3 to 1/2 of your stretched arm length capacity -meaning it should be within a comfortable reach.

OK then -all of us have not got flash electric helmets-if you haven't you can at least minimise helmet discomfort by adjusting it .Being on the way to baldness I wear a skull cap to stop burn holes in the noggin.It adds a degree of comfort.There are two adjustments in the head fit one for circumference and one over the top.

Also don't forget the little pegs at the side which allow the final position of the view thru the window. If this is not adjusted properly you are staring to see out the bottom or the top dependent on where it is adjusted for.

A checklist for comfort if you will

Sitting down
Centered on the job
Within easy reach
Helmet fitted correctly and adjusted
If you get piffed off -get up and have a rest from it


Thanks to Wheelingaround as I read his post about comfort and was reminded of those things we just do and don't think about.

Cheers
Grahame

patty
7th November 2007, 07:51 PM
Are yes comfort is a priority when welding I remember my mates ole man use to weld in the ole coin pocket stubbies Aka Warick Cappa shorts and steel cappers he was welding pretty well all day on one occassion and gee he had a nice ray burn right between the thighs from squatting he said it was almost fried sausages and potatoes!

dennford
7th November 2007, 08:45 PM
Are yes comfort is a priority when welding I remember my mates ole man use to weld in the ole coin pocket stubbies Aka Warick Cappa shorts and steel cappers he was welding pretty well all day on one occassion and gee he had a nice ray burn right between the thighs from squatting he said it was almost fried sausages and potatoes!

Oh no! I worked on the Gordon dam in Tas and it must have been that years sunny day because that is exactly what I was wearingwhilst welding pies at knee level - a eek later the burns had gone septic.

Most of the time on that job though we were welding in the south west rain showers -zap-zap-zap ad-infinitum.

Loved the job though, what a beautiful area in which to live and work.

Denn

dennford
7th November 2007, 08:46 PM
I was welding pipes - not pies!

Denn

BobL
7th November 2007, 09:53 PM
I'm a perpetual shorts wearer in summer thru winter and never feel comfortable in longs. When I'm metal working in the shed I usually wear steel caps, shorts, t-shirt and a leather apron and for welding long leather gloves - as SWMBO says - not a good look but who gives a fang. If I am going to be welding for an extended period I will put my overalls on, same for chainsaw milling especially when wearing chaps.

RE: If you get piffed off -get up and have a rest from it
I reckon thats a good tip for any job. If you push on regardless that's when big mistakes can happen.

Cheers

Chris Parks
12th November 2007, 11:42 PM
Something that a lot of people find difficult to deal with when arc welding (not MIG) is the weight of the lead hanging off the electrode holder. I put it over my shoulder or wrap it around my arm and this makes things easier. A long run can start to make the hand tired if you are supporting all the weight of a heavy lead.

NewLou
14th November 2007, 11:05 AM
Hey Grahame :wink:

Great subject to consider. Would be interested in your thoughts about tips on out of position welding. (Refering to vertical up down overhead anything other than sitting down comfortably at a workstation)

Some of the seasoned Welders have been teaching me a few tips n tricks about out of position welding. (The most common answer I get Is try different things and find out what works for you)

We do a lot of Mig work in heavy shed construction (Guess whos making the cleats :-) A few of the boys have been talking about some of their favourate techniques in regards to out of position work.

Some of which have been:

Tucking your elboys tight n close to body (As comfortably as possible) when required this can help steady the operator.
Using your secondary hand (The primary hand being the one used most to manipulate the electrode holder Mig Gun etc etc) as a support or pivit point
When using Mig start your weld as far away from you as is comfortably possible. So that as you get further into the weld (Pushing towards you) the Mig Gun is becoming more and more closer to you. Thus finishing the weld in a more comfortable position.
Always look for opportunities to support yourself during a weld run for example possible support or pivit points on a workpiece.In practice I've found so far that the use of these techniques have considerably improved the consistancy of my weld quality. As suggested these 'tips' may not work for everyone but might be worthwhile considering if the need arises..................As always be safe being wary not to become part of the welding circuit:oo:

REgards Lou :2tsup:

NewLou
14th November 2007, 11:18 AM
I put it over my shoulder or wrap it around my arm and this makes things easier. A long run can start to make the hand tired if you are supporting all the weight of a heavy lead.

At trade school they teach us not to do this for a number of safety reasons. Your much better to try and support the cable weight by other means.

A neat trick our teacher showed us was to use an electrode like a coathanger. Bend it into some kind of shape that can be used to help support the lead so that the operator dosent end up supporting all the leads weight when welding.

A bit of thought n 'nouce' will lead to quick soulutions to help support workleads. You can even make up a quick 'Jig' with c-clamps or custom design something for this purpose.

A few heavy metal coathangers in the 'kit' can also be really handy. The point being 'anything' is better than using your body as a support for the worklead.

REgards Lou:2tsup:

wheelinround
14th November 2007, 04:57 PM
Grahame I broke all the rules today welding a workstation for my pedestal drill & grinder
even before I ventured out I new it was going to turn into one of those days.

Uncomfortable, not enough space, shaky hand syndrome, almost forgot to clean paint of so I could weld, welding over a nylon piece of carpet, getting more and more frustrated with my self.:doh:

Its been a while since I welded just over a year.

Grahame Collins
15th November 2007, 06:36 AM
Some of the seasoned Welders have been teaching me a few tips n tricks about out of position welding. (The most common answer I get Is try different things and find out what works for you)


Hi Lou its great to hear from you.
You have it nailed old mate, ask the experienced hands.
Every one one of them has at least one tip that you can add to your repertoire.

You have obviously come to grips with the problems and overcome them.
It's basically about welding as close to the center of the body and imposing the least amount of strain on oneself for the the shortest time.

There are are heap of seemingly insignificant factors that come into it that we don't usually consciously take into account of. The fit of our helmets and gloves for instance.Little things like that probably won't seem important until you get a new set of gloves, one of which is badly made and does not quite fit due to a crooked seam or a helmet where the harness fit is not quite right.

Its a lot of little things really.

Mental attitude also plays a part in the equation as well.If you tell yourself "Oh! this is going to be hard to weld" without a doubt,it will be.

Its about analysis of what you are doing and thinking about how to improve upon it.

I saw an example of this years ago where a pipewelder understanding how difficult it is to steady himself on a pipe made up a tool to steady his hand.It was a motor cycle chain wrapped around the pipe as per a plumbers vice set up and had an adjustable arm with an extension pipe.

Regarding the comment made by the teacher about the electrode cable.Stick welders will appreciate a good light weight flexible cable when they are called upon weld difficult out of position jobs.

I was accused of being a prima dona by one mob of co workers when they found out I had my own cable and handpiece as it was a great deal more lighter and flexible than theirs .
Of course these buggers were not the ones that were asked to do the difficult stuff as they sat on their bums and welded downhand all day long.

It sounds like you are going great.

Cheers
Grahame

notenoughtoys
15th November 2007, 10:15 AM
At trade school they teach us not to do this for a number of safety reasons. Your much better to try and support the cable weight by other means.



That's interesting, I'm doing a welding course at TAFE at the moment and one of the first things the instructor did was throw the cable over his shoulder while telling us to "get yourself comfortable (and steady)", so that's a technique I have adopted.
What are the safety issues with doing this???

Bob K

NewLou
15th November 2007, 10:28 AM
The Teach said theres a lot of electromagnetic energy coming from the cord thats probably harmful in the medium to long term in short he said 'Why take the risk!'. Also particularly in onsight job situations in tricky or risky positions the potential to hook yourself up with the cord coupled with a slip or a fall speaks for itself.

If you wanna do it go ahead M8 ............... I aint!

As an operator for me its one of those good habits to get into just like brushing me teeth putting a seat belt on n checkin how my rigs hooked up before i run a weld!

U dont have to do it!.....................but theres a consequence if you dont!

IS interesting to hear how different teachers teach though............

REgards Lou :)