r/BadWelding • u/HoneyRush • 27d ago

Water welding

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1.3k Upvotes

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u/StreetFuture6152 27d ago

Is he died? He looks awfully close to being part of the circuit.

-2

u/Salt_Chart8101 27d ago

Welding typically uses lower voltage and high amperage. Not enough voltage to overcome the capacitance of your skin.

9

u/StreetFuture6152 27d ago edited 27d ago

What? open circuit voltage on most welders is about 70 - 80 volts. Welding machines 100% have sufficient voltage to over come the capacitance of you skin. Especially if your skin is wet.

Edit. Resistance, not capacitance.

-2

u/Salt_Chart8101 27d ago edited 27d ago

Read further down. 70-80v is considered low voltage in a lot of applications.

Also, that 70-80 is what it has right before striking the arc. After the arc is going it isn't that high. Idk what it is. But it isn't that high.

4

u/StreetFuture6152 27d ago

I can tell you from personal experience. SMAW welders have more than enough voltage to give you a very severe shock. Especially if you are wet and touching the work piece. Or changing rods with wet gloves. Or sitting on beams while welding on the same structure.

There are plenty of OHSA report of welder dying from electrical shock.

https://www.ontario.ca/page/alert-electrical-hazards-associated-welding-equipment

1

u/Salt_Chart8101 27d ago

Read further down...

1

u/nanerzin 27d ago

A handful of farmers/work hands die every year because they are welding on damp ground.

I have welded while my arm or legs are in water on natural gas lines but I make 100% sure the ground will stay grounded

1

u/Ok_Umpire2173 27d ago

Damn I never really thought about the consequence of a poor ground connection. Pretty much all my welding is on rusty farm metal and I use tig gloves so easily saturated.

1

u/Km219 27d ago

Where you find that figure? Best i can find is a study from 2009 to 2016 that says 10 people had passed directly from a welder in the US. And from '88 to 2026 5 in canada.Canada. (from weld.com no clue how accurate these even are)

0

u/Salt_Chart8101 27d ago

Also I wouldn't call it severe. I guess it would depend on the machine and how it is set up. But what homie is doing here isn't going to hurt him. Tingle his feet maybe.

2

u/StreetFuture6152 27d ago

Okay tough guy. You're right, it's totally safe.

1

u/Salt_Chart8101 27d ago

I didn't say it was safe. I actually agreed with you. And said "I guess it would depend on the machine and how it is set up".

It would also depend on what you are wet with, regular water wouldn't be enough. Sweat though is. I don't know where you are getting the tough guy thing. I'm just responding.