47-55.1 Welding safety

[Matt_50]

What safety precautions are there for welding on a running vehicle?


I have some areas I might go over. I've noticed a crack in a fender and I was going to leave factory gas filler in cab for looks but I've decided to patch it.

I can't think of any other spots but now that it runs and there's gas in the tank... What do people do? I know people weld on running vehicles but I thought I'd check with you guys before I did anything.

Matt

[_Ogre]

disconnect battery and ground near where your welding

[Matt_50]

And just curious, what if your near gas tank? I won't be but just curious. I've heard ppl say fill the tank because empty tank is just vapors...

[dsraven]

like ogre says
just don't weld around the fuel tank or the fuel tank vent canister if you have one. full tank may be better than 1/4 full due to amount of vapor but really wouldn't matter if a spark is gonna get the vapor going from either scenario.
weld in well ventilated area as well. cover up the skin, wear gloves and possibly some arm covers if welding upside down stuff. there are alsoleather vests and coats available. welding respirator etc.

[jwhotrod]

DO NOT weld ANYWHERE around or on the gas tank with fuel in the tank. you have a bomb waiting to go off. The only safe way to weld on a gas tank is take all the fuel out and flood the tank with inert gas, Either argon or argon/co2, you can do this with a Y valve in your welding tank gas line, it is sort of the same as back flushing ss welds in tubing, get all the oxygen (atmosphere) out of the tank.

[mongocanfly]

I had 5 gallons of gas blow up in my face once....PULL THE TANK!!!!!!!.. a few extra minutes work can save you from a lifetime of misery..also..remember what happened to skymangs..

[mr48chev]

I have to agree with Mongcanfly. Take a few minutes and remove the tank and get it clear out of the work area.

Disconnect the battery if you are electric welding. That is any time you weld on it with stick, mig or tig. It really isn't the battery that much that is the issue but the electronic items on the truck that might be affected and the alternator.

Make sure that he back side of what you are welding on is relatively clean and free of anything that will burn. I had a heck of a bonfire on one of my rigs a number of years ago when some undercoating that was more tar than anything else caught fire while I was doing some welding on it. Fortunately a friend was there with me and spotted it and had the fire under control real quick.

With that have a fire extinguisher close at hand. One that is full.

Make sure you have nothing around the truck that will burn if it catches a spark, rags, paper towels or other stuff. I caught my jeans on fire a couple of months ago because I hadn't cleaned away some cheatgrass that was under the spot I usually weld at.

Have fun show us the results and maybe a few progress photos.

[dsraven]

the tanks come out of these trucks pretty easy and it is a great time to replace fuel lines and check fittings etc. maybe drain the tank and pull it before doing any welding as advised above. going back in you could install some new parts as required.
when welding always start with a clean area and have a fire extinguisher handy. remember that over time the powder in the extinguisher (dry chem style) will pack down and get hard so before you start give the cylinder a few knocks with a rubber mallet to loosen things up. check the pressure as well. set it where you will easily have access. what I always do as well is have a hand held pump spray bottle full of water handy as well. sometimes a bit of fluff or undercoating will ignite but the bottle is all it takes to extinguish. if you have ever used a dry chem extinguisher you will know how much mess they can make. if a water bottle does the trick it is waaay less mess. when welding outside or with the shop door open ensure there is no tree fluff or other flammables in the vicinity. the same goes for oily rags or gas cans, aerosols etc. wear flame resistant clothing and long sleeves. shoes or boots etc as well. if you have ever seen a person with synthetic clothing after a fire you would know what I mean. it burns onto your skin. clothing that has a brushed finish can also be quite flammable.

[Matt_50]

Thanks for the quick responses guys. I have mine sitting in a cradle behind the axle and since my bed isnt fulled bolted down and i dont have a wood floor I think I'll just take it out.

I was curious though what people do, I've seen ppl weld on vehicles and I know they can't always remove the tank nice and easy.

I'll prep the two areas before hand and then yank the tank.

[FAKKY]

Probably use multiple heavy duty welding blankets between welder and anything they dont want to come in contact with sparks.

Thats what I would do if I couldn't pull the tank or felt ok about it ....... but after seeing just what a gallon of fuel can do in sudden burst ...... Id pull it if I could.

[MARTINSR]

I have to say, I have welded on 23,427 cars with gas tanks in them in my career, I don't get it. If it's sealed, no spark gets in it!

I have been in body shops nearly every day of my life since June 1977 when I walked out of highschool into this trade. I have seen 95,241 cars being welded on in those years, no gas tanks removed.


If there is a chance of a spark actually getting INTO the tank somehow, then that area is covered with a welding blanket. But come on, if it can't get IN, it can't do anything! Just common sense, don't weld right next to filler cap, that sort of thing.

Brian

[joedoh]

i bought some fiberglass welding blankets at cardboard freight on a saturday sale when they were 10 bucks each. before that i just plopped sheetmetal on the gas tank. if you dont smell gas there arent any fumes. if you smell gas be careful to ventilate the area with a fan

[MARTINSR]

Now, protecting your SELF from sparks, that is important. Get a welding jacket and good gloves and of course a good helmet. DO NOT weld with a ring on your finger that isn't hidden inside a glove! Ask me how I know! Just a quick weld, no big deal, no need to get my gloves from 10 feet away.................got one of the worse weld burns I have ever gotten! A tiny little metal ball flew over and stuck to the ring. This photo was taken just minutes later, you should have seen what it looked like the next day. No kidding, that tiny spark COOKED my finger because it stuck there on the ring. I had to pry it off the ring with my pocket knife, it was STUCK there big time.

Yeah, your clothes, THERE is where a little red hot metal ball will start a fire! Had a few that I didn't notice until it was literally burning. LOL Had a guy put a fire out on me that I hadn't noticed because I was laying under a truck welding. Yeah, get a welding jacket and welding gloves. The TIG gloves are much thinner and way more easy to work with but don't last as long. They are WAY better though so worth it if you aren't MIG welding really heavy stuff. Most anything around body work, they work just fine though.

Brian

[68blackbird]

Originally Posted by MARTINSR

Now, protecting your SELF from sparks, that is important. Get a welding jacket and good gloves and of course a good helmet. DO NOT weld with a ring on your finger that isn't hidden inside a glove! Ask me how I know! Just a quick weld, no big deal, no need to get my gloves from 10 feet away.................got one of the worse weld burns I have ever gotten! A tiny little metal ball flew over and stuck to the ring. This photo was taken just minutes later, you should have seen what it looked like the next day. No kidding, that tiny spark COOKED my finger because it stuck there on the ring. I had to pry it off the ring with my pocket knife, it was STUCK there big time.

Yeah, your clothes, THERE is where a little red hot metal ball will start a fire! Had a few that I didn't notice until it was literally burning. LOL Had a guy put a fire out on me that I hadn't noticed because I was laying under a truck welding. Yeah, get a welding jacket and welding gloves. The TIG gloves are much thinner and way more easy to work with but don't last as long. They are WAY better though so worth it if you aren't MIG welding really heavy stuff. Most anything around body work, they work just fine though.

Brian

Damn!! Thanks for sharing. We all do those, "it'll only take a second" deed's, sooner or ltr, it will bite you. Great visual, I will remember this...Kel

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by 68blackbird

Damn!! Thanks for sharing. We all do those, "it'll only take a second" deed's, sooner or ltr, it will bite you. Great visual, I will remember this...Kel

You wouldn't believe how bad my finger looked days later. I couldn't wear the ring for a week or two, there was a third of an inch or so COOKED raw meat area there! No kidding, I have made a few mistakes in life over and over, not that one, OH NO BABY not that one!


Brian

[mr48chev]

Both of my brothers are journeymen electricians and one owned his own business for years. Both have had to have hard sit down talks with the wives of young electricians to tell them that NO their wedding rings were absolutely not allowed on the job and that hubby wasn't telling them a story to leave his ring at home. Same with metal watch bands.

I have to think that the big difference in welding in a production shop and in a home shop on a project truck is that normally in a production shop you can expect that in a production shop that the system is sealed and the cap is on the filler. Many of us at home don't have the filler neck connected to the tank or fuel lines hooked up and if it is a used tank there is a big chance of fumes floating around.

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

Both of my brothers are journeymen electricians and one owned his own business for years. Both have had to have hard sit down talks with the wives of young electricians to tell them that NO their wedding rings were absolutely not allowed on the job and that hubby wasn't telling them a story to leave his ring at home. Same with metal watch bands.

I have to think that the big difference in welding in a production shop and in a home shop on a project truck is that normally in a production shop you can expect that in a production shop that the system is sealed and the cap is on the filler. Many of us at home don't have the filler neck connected to the tank or fuel lines hooked up and if it is a used tank there is a big chance of fumes floating around.

That's different then, that is all I am saying. If it's sealed, it's safe.

Brian

[jwhotrod]

Jewelry is bad in a shop, as well as loose sleeves and long hair not only because of the burn factor but also getting caught in machinery and power tools. I caught a class ring in a drill press back in high school, luckily the belt was loose and I ended up with a sore finger and a bent up ring, but it could as easily tore my finger off. Be careful out there. If it doesn't feel right don't do it!!!!

[mr48chev]

The main thing is that we all take the time to check to see that we have anything that can readily catch fire cleaned up and out of the area we are welding in. Paper, (including in an open trash can) shop rags, sawdust if you use the same shop for wood working Stuff in the car. Make sure the carpet doesn't catch fire if you are welding close to the floorboards on exhaust or something else on a car with an interior. When I was at Midas we had a hose with a small diameter nozzle that hung from the reel next to the ox/act and the air hoses. Weld, wet the floor down and repeat.

Outside dry grass catches fire all too easily.

[MARTINSR]

Originally Posted by mr48chev

The main thing is that we all take the time to check to see that we have anything that can readily catch fire cleaned up and out of the area we are welding in. Paper, (including in an open trash can) shop rags, sawdust if you use the same shop for wood working Stuff in the car. Make sure the carpet doesn't catch fire if you are welding close to the floorboards on exhaust or something else on a car with an interior. When I was at Midas we had a hose with a small diameter nozzle that hung from the reel next to the ox/act and the air hoses. Weld, wet the floor down and repeat.

Outside dry grass catches fire all too easily.

Now that is some good advice!

THAT is something I have burnt or seen burn, things like interiors! I will never forget 40 years ago working at a body shop when I was 19 and a guy was welding on the fender of a car. That car (forget what it was) had it's drivers door taken apart, with the mirror being removed leaving a hole in the door. A spark from the MIG (first MIG I ever used!) went through the hole onto the carpet! I was wetting down the spray booth to paint something (very common back then to wet the booth floor with water to keep the dust down) and I hear the guy screaming. He opened the door and I put the fire out with the water hose! It burned the seat, the plastic dash was melted, it was NOT good.

Many years later I was working on a near new Honda (around 1985) and a spark went in and started one of the rear seat bolsters on fire. The good part is it was available from Honda for a cheap price so I was able to correct my mistake easily. I took the old burnt one, cut it open and removed the padding inside. I then used that cover to go over the Argon tank valve on my MIG when ever I wasn't using it. So that why, any time I opened the valve to weld I would see that burnt seat bolster cover and be reminded to be sure that didn't happen again!

And by the way, GLASS, protect glass! The sparks from a MIG will often throw those little red hot metal balls and they will stick to the glass like they stuck to my ring! I have seen glass ruined being covered with those little balls!

Brian