I have long been wearing a respirator when welding. If someone is welding anywhere near by me I will put my respirator on. This is SERIOUS stuff guys!

A little basics:

If you are welding ANY metal on late model cars, you are welding "galvanized" metal. The galvanizing process is where the metal is coated with a "sacrificial" metal. This sacrificial metal is designed to fail, instead of the metal it is protecting.

Galvanizing uses Zinc as it's sacrificial metal. Weld thru primer is 90+ ZINC!

Think about this, welding "Fumes" are airborne particles of METAL! When you are welding, you aren't breathing in harmless "smoke", you are taking into your lungs METAL.

The helmet I prefer has little room for a respirator so I have used a 3M disposable vareity for years. They cost about $22 each. But I recently found that they have one available for only about $13.49 available at your local ACE hardware stores part number 8515.

PLEASE guys, pick yourself up one of these masks and when not in use put it in a zip lock bag. And don't get it mixed up with a simple dust mask, it looks pretty similar. Don't be thinking that a regular old dust mask is going to do the job, spend the bucks and get the real thing.

https://www.conney.com/wcsstore/Conney/images/fullsize/z58338.gif

TURN ON THE FANS!

And get air movement, pickup a box fan that you can set near where you are working to make some air movement. You don't want the fan blowing on your work, that will blow away the shielding gas. Just setting it on the floor blowing "by" the work area will do wonders.

This is not for "comfort", this is serious business and your health may be at risk if you don't follow the simple rules of keeping air movement and wearing protection! PLEASE, you don't want to jeopardize your future health on some stupid car! You become an old man faster than you can imagine! Don't be stupid when you are young and feel invincible.

Edit: I want to make something clear. I presented this as a "future" health sort of thing because so many young guys think they are invincible and will abuse themselves thinking "old age" is something a million years away. This in no means makes zinc fumes like asbestos and not harmful without years of exposure. Zinc fumes can KILL YOU in ONE exposure!!! ONE time welding up a floor inside an inclosed car in a garage and your loved one could find you knocked out and near death with damaged lungs that will NEVER repair! THIS IS SERIOUS STUFF!!!

Brian

I had what I thought was a bitch of a sinus problem for almost three weeks. After not welding for about a week and a half it went away. I am now convinced of zinc poisoning from my use of weld-through primer and now use ventilation soon to be followed by a mask as well.

I'm glad you posted the info, it can't be said enough.
I,ve been doing that for about 20yrs....I was the one being laughed at by the "Old Guys" at the bodyshop I first to worked at for wearing a resperator while welding and doing bodywork. These are the same guys smoking while they were spraying paint and telling me that if filter in their cig was good enough to "filter" out the crap in the smoke they were breathing in, it was good enough to filter out the crap in the paint they were spraying!!!
Most, if not all of these type of folks with this mentallity are DEAD by now. The products we use are going to kill us if not used wisely and applied with the proper protection.

Brian

I tried those 8515's and still smelt the weld fumes. That bothered me so I went and bought a 3M half face piece 7503 silicone mask that uses p100 2097 filters that have a layer of carbon in them that filters out the smell, AND the harmful particles. Just an FYI. They are cheap (about $30 per 5 pairs of filters) and only $15 for the mask on ebay. It will last a lifetime and was highly recommended by the 3M rep I spoke to, and Steve (zulu28). I still thank him to this day...

I went for ammonia refrigeration training. In class they informed us that the Self Contained Breathing Apparatus would not seal against a beard and hazardous fumes would still get in. I assume this is the same. I for the most part find those "nuisance" dust mask useless, too much gets in around the sides. On a side note one of my best buds was sick for several weeks from welding.

Jeff

Good information here. I will ware one. Thanks for posting.

I understand there are WAY better ways to protect yourself. THESE masks are simply "better than nothing" and you should AT LEAST be using them!

To use something better is HIGHLY recommended, but PLEASE, at least use one of these thirteen dollar ones!

Brian

Good info, needs to be said over and over and over.

My father-in-law has had two heart attacks. Both times it was while welding galvanized metal. I convinced him of the dangers and after 15 years he hasn't had another. The only lifestyle change he has made was to quit welding!

When I used to work in the field we did alot of structural light gauge framing. All of the box headers, posts, etc were all field welded. The "Studs" were coated with zinc. Even with the resperator we were required to drink one pint of milk at each break. If we did not puke up green then we could continue on, if we did, it was off to the emergency room. Not sure why that indicator works, but it did. Generaly you would puke up the milk well before feeling the effects. (Kinda like the coal miners canary) NASTY stuff!