Attn: Welders...What takes away flash burn

Not being smart, but seriously, its experience and being more careful.

**Move slow and deliberately when you know you can arc out in a tight area.
Study your surroundings and know them, look at it like a chess game,...what are you welding, where do you need to go, where do you need to stay away from, etc.
Be calm, relaxed and focused.

If you got arc flash to your eyes over a 10 hour day, you're doing something wrong. I've been around welders in the field over my years AS a welder myself and never got arc flash (**note: arc flash can occur in a range of 40 feet! Everyone be careful, wear flash glasses if you're around a lot of welding!!**)

(welder for 5 years plus in the field,... confined space, boilers, duct work, etc. you name it. I love out of position welding, the more guys say they can't do it the more fun it is when you find a way to do it yourself! Its the simple satisfaction of overcoming the odds.)

 

I have heard it countless times and everybody says it works Tea Bags....wet tea bag in your eyes, somethin in the tea sooths it. or doctor and they give you numbing gell llike everybody says

 

Everyone is different and reacts differently due to body chemistry.
Tea Bags always seemed to work for about 5 times better than potatoes. Some guys are the opposite also got relief from cucumbers.
Your eyes will hurt with out the numbing drops, but the numbing drops will let you abuse your wounded eyes even more.

I agree with the previous posts that this is a dangerous condition.

I was welder for many years. I know the pain. When I was on the job and welding in a confined space or with other guys around I always had uv rated tinted safety glasses on my face and a shade lighter lens in my hood. That little bit of tint saves your eyes from the accidental self flashes and your buddies getting you from accross the shop or on the next beam over. The reflection from behind into your side of the lens can get you just as bad especialy if its stainless. 30 or 45 sunblock helps alot too, yea its not cool but neither is skin cancer.

Make sure you have all the insulators on the stinger. If Its that tight, I have cut the rods in half with a cut-off wheel, or Dipped the ends in wax to insulate the ends from the ground . All kinds of tricks.

Above all Things WORK SAFE OR GO THE FUCK HOME I had the priveledge of working with some fellas who thought they could save a couple hours by cutting corners. I should have left when I saw it. I didnt get to go home that day, took 2 months in the hospital and then another 12 weeks in a wheel chair.

 

A ounce of prevention is worth A pound of cure.

 

Staring at the computer makes it worse!

 

I've had arc flash probably about 3 times. It only lasted about 24 hours. It hurt like hell to have my eyes open and hurt the same to have them closed. The only thing that helped me, was just time. You can get it from a reflection of the flash or the actual flash and it is also more susceptible to blue eyes than it is to eyes that are brown.

 

Millk didn't help me.
The doc can tell the differance between an arc burn and a sunshine burn, don't ask me how though. Any doc's in the house?
Been to the ER many times at 3 in morn but I really believe I can see better as far as distance as opposed to others that can't see close up.
Plasma cutters can also do damage.

 

just a FYI guys it is still possible to get flash burn even if you are wearing a helmet. as long as you can see the src of the welder you are being burned i am a professional fabricator/ welder and a very close friend of mine is a structural welder for high rise buildings. yes the potato thing works ive done it, so does the vinegar. the best thing i cant say is use sunscreen it does work.

and worse than catching on fire and having to finish the pass is catching a hot one between your fingers and having to let it sizzle while you finish. in my case i have also hit the toes (due to my own stupidity..... the first last and only day i didnt wear my boots to work)

 

the guy i used to work for, used shaved potato not slices. run one through a cheese grader then make a ball and put it on your while you lay down

 

I've never hurt my eyes... but I burned the hell out of my chest once wearing a button up shirt with no undershirt... Welding burns hurt way worse than sunburns imo... don't know how it is possible though.

 

Wait till you get a welding spark down your eardrum, the potato/milk thing don't work!

 

Good luck with your eyes.But remember if you are in a confined area you need to think about your lungs stick welding puts off a lot of fumes .My 2 cents

 

I haven't been flashed in a while (and the wife doesn't count) which is a good thing. I have one of the auto dark helmets and they are the cat's nuts!

I believe that getting flashed in the past ruined my night driving vision, which is worse in the rain. I know too many welders who wear dark glasses most of the time, even indoors.

I did get a bad "sunburn" once while welding wearing a white t-shirt. The light bounced off the shirt and my arms and my neck under the helmet got it bad.

Bob

 

Cataract surgery in both eyes while I was still in my 30s,thanks to a shitty welding gun that liked to fire when my helmet was up,and I was close in positioning stuff..The folks at the hospital told me I was the youngest one they'd done lense replacement on,BY FAR,and the youngest ones were almost always welders..take care of your eyes,my dad had cataract surgery done in his 80s,his turned out fine....mine didn't do so well,and the docs said it was cause I was so YOUNG

 

I burnt my eyes fitting pipe back in my teens, a few times. The welder had a hood but I didn't. I wasn't looking at the welds, but just the indirect light burnt them. I got a hood of my own and used it finally after a half a dozen sand attacks in the middle of the night. I'm legally blind now, and I'm not sure if it had anything to do with the flash burns, but I'm sure it didn't help.

 

Thats too funny!! Been there ,done that. It hurts when your eyes are open and hurts when they are closed!
Nice thing is, 24 hrs and its pretty much all over.The Doc put some drops in my eyes but it only lasted 15 minutes. They said that the drops arent good for your eyes so just before I left he gave me another couple drops and some pain meds.

 

i've also heard about the potato never used it. i own a fab shop i always tell the guys good eye drops not visine something designed for people with irritation due to contacts. and for the discomfort a wet cold rag or a bag of boil in a bag peas usually help.

 

Been there, done that at least twice and the only thing I found that helps is beating your head on the ground until it quits burning. Makes it easier to blow air through your ears when it is over.

 

The potatoes do work.
I can verify that for a fact! The burn was severe. I could see with the lights off but any light was extremely painful. Used the slices of potato's an the symptoms were gone in minutes.

 

Taters do work, Ive been a welder & faber for, well uh..., er, ya know, um, since 1975. You can do steaks-too messy-, and too expensive, but taters and a cold rag over the eyes for a few hours while you sleep will work.....just wear dark glasses for awhile also helps......

 

Here a while back my brother in law and my son were helping me, I was not in a great mood and I was kind of being a bitch,,,,, They thought I was throwing a temper tantrum or something when I threw my shoe across the lot.... untill they realized it was in flames...

I spent the remainder of the Saturday wearing the half burnt shoe, this did not help my attitude one bit, but my brother in law and my son thought it was funny as hell.....

They were having one of those days where you try not to laugh but they just can't help it ....

 

The potatos may work, but not all potatos. Don't use juice from french fries it is hot and salty. Unless it is a stupid coworker who has got flash burned a few times...that may teach him a lesson and create an interesting video for tv.

 

Majority of people I know use a welding helmet. Seems to have worked for me so far. As for arms and what not. Long sleeve shirt and gloves, or maybe a welding coat, all seem to do the trick. Or you could farm out your welding to this Johny1210 or whatever he is. Seems like he's in the farming business last couple days.

 

I don't think I've ever seen anything that talked so much about,.... POTATOES!

The state of Idaho would be proud!

 

I have to admit while you think its fun welding, learning or whatever tickles you. You can damage your vision. I learned the hard way by not wearing a helmet just cause I couldnt see past the blurry glass. I now have 20/15 vision and sucks when I drive at night-NASTY GLARE ON EVERYTHING! I didnt realize it until one day I was looking past the door from my class room looking at the wall clock in the hallway.

Anyway what ever you do dont put Visine in your eyes.LOL!

 

Thats why im deaf in my right ear. Red hot little bugger went right down my ear, and rested on my eardrum. Also experianced the lobster arms, and red face too. Got it so bad on my face my eyelids were swollen shut.

 

The remedy when I worked in the shipyard was to put drops of butaline sulphate in your eye. It numbed the eyes and you could get some sleep. Don't know how or where to get the stuff.
Mike

 

I had these flash burns years ago the only remedy that worked was cold potato slices on my eyes changed frequently all through the night.

 

I feel for your burnt eyes, but burnt ear drums, belly buttons, fingers and toes aren't fun. I had another experience welding that almost killed me. Was in a tight spot and didn't have quite enough room to flip my hood down with my head (pre-auto darkening hood days) reached up to pull it down with my hand and stuck the end of the rod to my temple by accident. I was drenched in sweat, sitting on metal, and it blacked me out for a minute, it shocked me so hard. Left me weak and trembling for a couple of hours. Don't ever do that. Trust me, you will wish that all you did is burn your eyes.
Bob

 

If'n you don't have health insurance- Booze and sleeping pills. Nothing in your home will stop that pain, but you might as well get good and shitboxed and pass out until the morning.

If'n you've got health insurance, get thee to the ER and they'll give you some eye drops- that is the only thing that will ease the pain. I think it's got blow in it or something like dilaudid.