Almost self-immolated myself today

[Guzrik]

Lidl Leather bbq apron

 

[4String.]

Each to their own but it's fire retardant overalls or leather apron for me as well as welding gloves, whatever eye protection the job requires, and heavy duty footwear.

Even if I only put all that lot on for a five minute job it's less of a chore than sitting in my local A&E waiting for a skin graft .

 

[Morris]

I have a couple of pairs of FR overalls. Yes they can be a bit warm in summer but I'm a retired hobbyist, I can always leave it for another day.

 

[CompoSimmonite]

Denim is as good as anything for resisting sparks, avoid polyester and fleece at any cost they melt and stick to you.

Many years ago (1974) I worked with a chap who had a friend that was in an airplane crash. He said his body was terribly scarred due to wearing nylon shirts and crimplene trousers that had melted

 

[MysterG]

...and *nothing* else

Well obviously I'd have my steel toecaps on too

 

[Onoff]

Well obviously I'd have my steel toecaps on too

Maybe a thimble too?

 

[daleyd]

Many years ago (1974) I worked with a chap who had a friend that was in an airplane crash. He said his body was terribly scarred due to wearing nylon shirts and crimplene trousers that had melted

After the Falklands the navy went from man made fibres to FR cotton working dress, lots of people got badly burned due to unsatisfactory clothing when escaping/fighting fires on board ships.

 

[Bobupndown]

...and *nothing* else

Nope fully dressed under the leather apron.

 

[rtcosic]

If I'm doing sustained grinding I make sure the sparks are angled away from me, if I can't avoid the sparks I use a leather welding apron

I had a leather apron with an A4 sized sheet of 1mm plate rivetted onto the most vulnerable area, as even the leather gave up after a while.

 

[Ed.]

Generally, I just wear a ratty old pair of jeans plus the usual safety gear such as steel caps, gauntlets and long shirt however in Queensland (Oz) where I live, my welding/grinding sessions are quite short in summer, (which is 6 months of the year) I will probably start at 7:00am and only be able to put in 2-3 hours before I am totally drenched in sweat and feel the effects of heat exhaustion. If I have to do some serious welding/grinding then I strip off to my jocks and put on a pair of overalls and hope that no sparks make it through and the time frame is still the same. Winter isn't much of a problem in overalls and wearing clothes under them (depending on how cold it is in the morning) and I can put in 4-6 hours of heavy work, by which time I am too ******** to continue anyway.

 

[Robotstar5]

I had a leather apron with an A4 sized sheet of 1mm plate rivetted onto the most vulnerable area, as even the leather gave up after a while.

View attachment 347567

Is the photo for inspiration to form your plain looking 1mm plate into a decorative codpiece?

 

[rtcosic]

Is the photo for inspiration to form your plain looking 1mm plate into a decorative codpiece?

Maybe...but more likely to inspire @chunkolini ?

 

[pedrobedro]

Is the photo for inspiration to form your plain looking 1mm plate into a decorative codpiece?

It looks like an armoured bear from "His Dark Materials" to me.

 

[bricol]

The main issue is going to be continually directing red hot bits of metal at whatever you are wearing - direct it away, or keep it moving, and less chance of stuff catching fire.

Along the same lines, in a previous life we used to make a machine that sprayed metal at frying pans (to give a surface for the non-stick coating to wrap around and stay stuck to) - our sales guy used to demonstrate that each molten globule of metal, looking very much like sparks from welding/grinding, was surrounded by a bubble of air and would pass his hand through the metal spray - as long as you kept moving, it was fine . . .

 

[Morrisman]

Denim is as good as anything for resisting sparks, avoid polyester and fleece at any cost they melt and stick to you.

I set fire to a scruffy pair of frayed jeans when I was taking welding classes at a local college, many years ago. I had two pairs on, as I was a scruffy biker then and it was winter, and the top pair caught alight. I remember feeling something 'tickling' my leg while was welding, so I finished the weld run and looked down....
..... to see a bunch of flames licking up my lower leg.

Soon beaten out with a gloved hand, but a little alarming at the time.

 

[redlig]

Leather jacket or apron depending on the weather.

while singing" I am what I am" by Gloria Gaynor.

As I always have worn sandals AND socks I have a large collection of socks with burn holes and feet to match.

 

[AVI_8]

I think you’ve maybe just been
unlucky, grinding does not normally set your clothes on fire, a set of welding overalls are not expensive, for your piece of mind maybe thats the way to go.

 

[rtcosic]

It looks like an armoured bear from "His Dark Materials" to me.

Er....that was the intention!

 

[hermetic]

Merrily grinding away, sparks hitting my overalls, my leg started to get a bit warm... I look down and i'm on fire. Cue grinder rapidly goes down and I start hopping about like a madman trying to pat out the fire. A clean hole in my overalls and a burn mark on my trackies is the result. Lucky it wasn't worse.

What do you wear when grinding?

Chanel No5 Dahling!

 

[mcostello]

Or He wears nothing at all.