Welding area in metal space

#21

I will keep a look out for a old kitchen hood

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#22

I think this would be an excellent idea!

#23

Need to be careful with the power too. We don’t want it on the same phase or line as the laser as welding is Very noisy electricly.

Courty

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#24

Good plan - also we need a sign about pacemakers.

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#25

It will be on all 3
It is a bit of a beast

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#26

would it be preferable to run a new circuit for it?

Iirc there’s about 3kg of wire in the mig already, no regulators though I don’t think.

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#27

We could but no need for now , the wall of wires is kinda full, I think that we aer still inside the 32A capacity of the wood shop supply

But it would make sense to run in a second subbored if we keep getting big 3 phase kit in the messy side
I am thinking kiln ect
https://www.hot-clay.com/nabertherm-top-220-pottery-kiln-free-uk-delivery.html?gclid=CjwKCAiAvf3RBRBBEiwAH5XYqH0he6HQZi-4x_az51n2El0dGOHydK3J4LBKDHX-Aviv4H2rtqSkSRoCjqEQAvD_BwE

Only kidding

Prity sure it had two regulators when we picked it up

#28

I have been consumed with work recently so my apologies for my lack of getting the metal area up and running properly.

We need to set up tool control on the lathe before inductions can take place, and I need to order some electrical parts (@joeatkin2 what parts are they again?)

I really want the area to move forward and for us to have welding capabilities. Welding curtain would be the most ideal solution which is an easy thing to implement.

Apologies again for my lack of getting things moving.

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#29

And a box will measure the contacter when I get back

#30

+20 for welding, very little experience so far, but happy to help get an area setup if possible!

#31

Somehow my reply to this didn’t get posted.

Basically, the only expense for a test would be screening/curtains - as i have gas and we have ppe at makerspace as well as the welder etc.

For a test i suggest we just use sheets of scrap mdf/ply as we can easily move them around and experiment with where would be best to hang curtains to minimise reflected light and also keep access to rest of the space nice and easy.

Will be available from roughly 7th Jan for a test.

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#32

We also need to take into account the plywood floor. What are you wanting to gain from a “test”? If we are to go ahead and do it we should just do it properly, plywood/MDF sheets isn’t the most practical option and also increases the fire risk.

#33

First Google hit

#34

It would be good to prove that it’s is possible without causing it to rain frogs

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#35

As I see it the main issuers are:

  1. Flash distracting users through reflected light into dusty and clean workshops.
  2. Lack of risk assessment.
  3. Lack of induction process.
  4. Emission of dust particles which would damage the laser cutter or contaminate screen printing.

@nico.dejong.nz The benefit of the test would be to see how much of an issue if at all the reflected light would be. If there is a genuine fire risk from plywood we shouldn’t be doing welding at all until this can be mitigated as the floor is plywood.

However this does confirm that even for a test we should have an RA in place.

#36

For welding on - There is a sheet of steel in the corner i believe, definitely agree with not welding directly on the floor. For screening mdf/ply would be fine for a trial - it’s not in a position to accumulate dust and full sheets are very difficult to ignite - as well as this we will not be welding tight against it. Osh (american version) suggests wood sheets are fine as screens but may look messy in commercial plants - it is also not transparent thus not suited for longer term makerspace use (welding curtains are mostly intentionally a little transparent so folk outside the screen can tell that welding is ongoing and not walk inside the screens unprotected). Hse’s guidance is much more vague.

The floor mats joe suggested look great for a longer term solution for the floor, as well as curtains.

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#37

The main sticking issue when members looked at this before is that it they weren’t confident about poisonous fumes. IIRC the HSE guidance does allow short term work in confined spaces for some types of welding. I believe that’s a response to real world conditions that contractors have to work in, and probably not a good get-out clause for us.

If we have a clear idea in advance of the issues around fumes – if there are any – and we mitigate these, then the other risks from welding: burns, eye damage, electric shock, fire, dropping heavy lumps of metal, ‘suntan’…are standard fare to assess and deal with.

The issue of creating dust that would interfere with other activities – especially the laser cutter – is a big one as we’ve always said the messy room is to be dust free (even if that’s not always possible), and we’d need to be sure that not only do we have techniques that avoid airborne metal/smoke, but also that members stick to them. @Calum_Nicoll has recognised the need for this in his original post.

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#38

We have a beast of a extract fan
And we could organise to bring in clean air over the lazer

#39

Lots of activities are distracting, we can’t ban leds or bright colours

#40

It’s more that the whole room needs to stay clean, and that no one breathes in harmful fumes. If the laser cutter is at risk then presumably so are many things.