Welding helmet caveat

[Guest]

I have been welding now for about 45 years. Something you don't hear too much about is what I call "weldors neck" injury. It happened to a co-worker, which made me take notice that my neck had been hurting some, but I tended to ignore it. It about then I bought a Speedglas hood to ease up on the constant flipping down action on my neck. I was too late...as it turned out after getting an MRI, I have two disks bulging from C4, C5, and C6 vertebrae in my neck. At this point, it is only an annoyance, but it will get worse in years to come, and will require surgery.

The good news is, it falls under Workman's Compensation. And I can still work as a weldor, and I will have medical coverage for it after I retire.

[Franz]

A good Chyropractor, who knows what he is doing can bring a lot of releif to welders neck.
I been dealin with it for years, and have learned it's a lot easier to loosen up the screws on the helmet so it falls easy.
There are times when it's a pain in the a$$ takin the helmet on & off more, but it beats the pain.

[Hobart Expert Rock]

ROCKY D............. MY FATHER WAS A WELDOR FOR ABOUT 20 YEARS AND THAT WAS A FAVORITE SUBJECT OF HIS WHEN WE WERE GROWING UP........... FLIPPING THAT #@$%^& HELMET AROUND AND CHIPPING THAT SLAG OFF OF THE WELD........ AND OF COURSE HOW HOT IT WAS, ETC................AS THE YEARS PROGRESSED THE HELMETS AND THE TECHNOLOGY IMPROVED, I BELIEVE THE BEST HELMET I EVER USED WAS ONE ATTACHED TO A HARD HAT.................THE LAST TIME I WAS AT THRALL CAR THEY WERE USEING THEM (THE WELDORS)........... SO I NOW HAVE A COUPLE DIFFERENT ONES ,WELL I THINK WE HAVE ABOUT 1/2 A DOZEN LAYING AROUND MY BROTHERS AND I.............SEEMS LIKE EVERYONE HAS THEIR FAVORITE.............WHICH THEY HIDE.......... ...........................ROCK
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[Arc Burn]

When i was in bridge construction,we had Speedglass helmets on hardhats,flipping your helmet up and down was not always an option working off of ladders and scaffolding.

[Mike Sherman]

We do some jobs where the helmet needs flipped a couple of hundred times a day. Like the last picture I showed, each welder had to flip hundreds of times a day. I taught my men to weld with one hand and keep the other one on the helmet to raise and lower it. It seems not everyone can weld one handed. I always have, it seems to give more flexibility.

[Guest]

Originally posted by Mike Sherman
We do some jobs where the helmet needs flipped a couple of hundred times a day. Like the last picture I showed, each welder had to flip hundreds of times a day. I taught my men to weld with one hand and keep the other one on the helmet to raise and lower it. It seems not everyone can weld one handed. I always have, it seems to give more flexibility.

As always from Mike Sherman...Excellent advice

[Arc Burn]

I to was taught to weld one handed, to hexx with the other hand flippin a helmet,we were holding on to ladders and scaffolding or I beams or anything else to keep from falling!