Welding in garage?

[itsmyid01]

I would like to be able to weld in my garage, but don't want to burn down the house.

What do you do to safely weld in your garage?

[DesertRider33]

I normally only MIG and TIG inside the garage, as the stick arc is just too smokey and spattery for use inside. I try not to do too much with the oxy/fuel torch inside either but have used it safely inside plenty of times. I put on a small fan and leave the roll-up door open for MIG (or only cracked open a bit for TIG if it's windy out) for fume ventilation and keep anything flammable/combustible away from the welding area and a couple fire extinguishers handy just in case. Been doing it for years and no problems so far. At work, we weld inside all day and none of us has burned the place down so far, though we have caught ourselves on fire many times .

[Bobcatter]

1) remove any gasoline containers, lawn mowers, etc
2) clear out any flammable debris: I get leaves that blow in, some sawdust from a previous wood project, cardboard boxes, that kind of thing
3) close cupboards, cover openings where sparks might wander
4) put up a barrier. I want to make some rectangular screens to slide over in a V shape with the open end toward the open garage door. With my table, they would only need to be about 4 feet high to block most of the sparks. I see Harbor Freight has welding curtains for low dollars.
5) don't forget about the sparks from grinding
6) don't run out of the garage as soon as you finish. Stick around for a while, clean up ....... admire your work........ plan the next project..... all the while looking for any trouble

I think all of us need to have luck on our side with this topic!

[stevinator]

I do what Bobcatter does and if I have to use the chop saw or cut off wheels on the grinder I jump out the back door for that.

[mtncrawler]

I "partitioned" off 1/2 of my 2 car garage using welding curtains. I rigged some track on the ceiling and hung two, 8' x 12' yellow curtains so they were just off the floor. I retract them when the garage door is open (up) and pull them to the opening with the garage door shut.

Everything on the "shop" side is kept in metal storage units (if need be)

I've been using TIG, OA (weld & cutting), grinding & using a metal chop saw. So far, so good. Even with curtains, its tough to contain everything. Very expensive toys in the other half, so I'm pretty diligent.

I always double check where I'm setup, and that I'm adequately shielding my surroundings, depending on what I'm doing. Sometimes I'll block up some pieces around my chop saw to keep the sparks/dust contained a little more.

FIRE EXTINGUISHER IS READILY MOUNTED FOR QUICK RETRIEVAL IF NEED BE!!!

No fires to date (ok..maybe some slight glove ignition..)!

[tapwelder]

sparks go everywhere, grinding and chop saw create sparks too.. All great advice, given above. There are some design on this site that show chopsaw stations that direct sparks into a metal container.

Of course burning down your house would be a terrible thing, however, the dust and soot deposited everywhere is something to deal with also.

[IEATRICE]

mtncrawler, what material are your curtains made of? I saw your (i think) pics on another thread

[mark8310]

Like mtncrawler said,,,,,, in addition to everything else,,,,, HAVE FIRE EXTINGUISHERS HANDY!!!!!! Most common error or mistake I've seen over the years. You should have SEVERAL of them,,,,,, scattered around the garage (shop), PROMINENTLY mounted and located. My philosophy has always been,,,,, by each exit, near (but not too close to), each work area, and also in every blind corner. Relatively speaking,,,,, they are cheap; Remember,,,, every fire starts small.

AND KEEP THEM UP-TO-DATE !!!!!!

And, in addition to the regular chemical extinguishers,,,,, doesn't hurt to have a couple of water cannons available also, especially in a wood-framed structure.

I'm portable,,,,,, the truck has 5 chemical extinguishers on it (two for DOT rules, the rest for my rules), and two pressurized water extinguishers.

[mark8310]

And "partitioning" off parts of the garage,,,,, is false security. Sparks have a way of going over, under, and around panels. Hiding a gas can behind a piece of plywood????? Uh-uh. I like it open, the minute something starts, I know. Take the gas can out, put it in the backyard, whatever,,,,, don't try to hide it.

[A_DAB_will_do]

I bought some welding screens from the LWS, 4' wide by 6' long panels. Hung them from a PVC pipe railing that's suspended from the ceiling. If need be I can 'box' in 3 walls with curtain to contain sparks, UV light, etc. I also have a couple PVC pipe frames that I can mount a curtain section in, for portable screens. 1.5" sch 80 PVC pipe is relatively inexpensive, can be filled with sand for weight, and with the elbows and Tees, can be knocked down and stored away when not in use.

Always work with the garage door at least partially open. Use a 30 gallon galvanized steel trashcan, with 40lbs of playsand in the bottom, as a container for oxy-fuel cutting slag and sparks. I have a small 5 gallon metal pail, with lid, that I throw all rod stubs and hot scraps into.

As others have said, clear all debris before starting, put away all flammables, keep a fire extinguisher handy, and keep a firewatch for at least 20 minutes after you stop welding.

If your garage is like mine, the studs that form the sill plates for the walls are visible below the drywall, where they sit on the foundation block. This little gap is a great place to trap sparks and start a fire. So I have a heavy piece of angle iron sitting against the base of the wall to block any sparks from settling into that small space.

I'm aware of the direction I'm throwing sparks when I use a grinder. I try to keep them aimed at a wall, welding curtain, or out the door.

I opted for bandsaws for 99% of my metal cutting. They're slow, but they throw no sparks, and don't make nearly so much noise.

One last, non-fire safety tip. If you're going to do metal work in the garage, you need to look out for others. Don't flash your neighbors as they walk by, let people in the house know to beware before coming into the garage. Always sweep up or shop vac up all the floor when you're done. Otherwise, someone will nip into the garage barefoot, for something they need, and get a foot full of metal slivers. Either that or you'll carry them into the house on your shoes, for people to find as they walk barefoot around the house. Just some of my own experiences from working in the attached garage...

[mike r]

VERY GOOD ADVICE HERE! ALSO do NOT forget to move the vehicles out of the garage,because that grinding dust HAS metal grindings in it, and, if the humidity is right, that dust WILL RUST STAIN the paint, trust me on this. after four hours of buffing and color sanding I know, and at best, mediocre results, so it is easier to take the 2 minutes to move your vehicles out of the area, ESSPECIALLY your wifes car LOL!

[IEATRICE]

^^^^or if the vehicle cant be moved (in my case) have a car cover over it and then a protective fire resistant layer over top. Of what material, i havent thought of it yet lol maybe you guys can chime in

[Donald Branscom]

It is the same rules all the time when welding.

Remove ALL hazards within 50 ft.
Make sure you have ventalation or doors open.
Use welding screens to contain sparks or grinding debris.
Welding screens also protect onlookers that are curious.
It is against the law to strike an arc within 50ft. of a another person.

Up to date fire extinguisher, and water barrel.
Stick around for awhile after the job, to make sure the area is secure.
You can have a small welding table outdoors and a portable welding screen to use in good weather.

[IEATRICE]

what are welding screens made of?

im going to look into the bylaws and such in my area...

[Nitesky]

I do all my welding outdoors if possible.

Used to weld inside the garage. Could never get enough light to see. My fluorescent tubes drew smoke and dust like a magnet. Grinding dust went everywhere. Grinding pitted the window glass and the walls turned dark with the SMAW smoke.

I have a small welding table outside with a plug in for both 220 and 110 that rain cannot get at. Lighting is great, ventilation is terrific and the fire hazard is cut way down. Of course I live out in the sticks and that makes a difference. In town I used to have to weld inside to keep the nosy neighbours at bay.

[mark8310]

Originally Posted by Donald Branscom

It is against the law to strike an arc within 50ft. of a another person.

Can you quote that law, where it is, and the penalties??????

Gonna send the Massachussetts State Police after me?????

[specter]

Some screen are made of duck material, some of fire-retardant colored vinyl, some of fiberglass blankets and some like the Velvet Shield by Steiner are made of carbon fiber Harbor freight northern tool, some parts stores and local welding supply shops will have them.

[MoonRise]

Originally Posted by mark8310

Can you quote that law, where it is, and the penalties??????

Gonna send the Massachussetts State Police after me?????

Cal OSHA regs IIRC.

IIRC correctly (don't feel like digging through OSHA regs), the fed OSHA says something similar. But I think the wording is along the lines of ' no welding or striking an arc within 50 ft of someone else unless you have the appropriate shields/curtains/screens/etc in place'.

But knowing some gub'mint regs, it could just as well say no welding within 50 ft of someone else and we don't care if that is three buildings away with 5 solid brick walls in between the weld and the other person.

[Donald Branscom]

Originally Posted by MoonRise

Cal OSHA regs IIRC.

IIRC correctly (don't feel like digging through OSHA regs), the fed OSHA says something similar. But I think the wording is along the lines of ' no welding or striking an arc within 50 ft of someone else unless you have the appropriate shields/curtains/screens/etc in place'.

But knowing some gub'mint regs, it could just as well say no welding within 50 ft of someone else and we don't care if that is three buildings away with 5 solid brick walls in between the weld and the other person.

Next time i will just say it is not safe to strike an arc around other people and expose them to welding light ,grinding debris or sparks.
That way no one will need to go into "scared child mode" about the Goverment going to restrict them in some way.

I just was trying to make people think about the safety of themselves and others, THATS ALL.

[Donald Branscom]

Originally Posted by IEATRICE

what are welding screens made of?

im going to look into the bylaws and such in my area...

The welding screens are some kind of plastic.
They come in colors. It used to be yellow was for distance and occasional viewing and then there was RED for areas that were constanly being viewed like where a robot was welding. Now the curtains come in many colors like smoke grey,green.blue. but you will have to check on the viewing time thru the screen.

Welding screens also have to be ONE foot above the floor.
There was some incidents where where welders were TIG welding and the gases like ozone and other by products of welding that were heavier than air built up and deprived the welder of oxygen when surrounded by welding curtains or walls on all sides.

[mre_powers]

i would imagine if you did enough welding in your garage you may want to consider a good directed exhaust system to suck fumes out wouldnt need to be too powerful but strong enough to get fumes flowing in the direction away from you and out in the outside air. i would imagine a small fan with some metal dryer ducting would work

[artworksmetal]

I TIG in my garage, Stick outside. But before I even set up my little workbench on wheels, I spent a month cleaning my garage like I had OCD. If your garage is a mess, then you likely have combustibles lying around, and you may not even know what all's lying around. Leaves, newspapers, cardboard boxes, garden chemicals - all that stuff can be an accident waiting to happen.
A big part of safety is discipline. Taking time to do things safe every time, instead of cutting corners occasionally, is hard to do. But it's even more critical when your family's house is at stake.

[IEATRICE]

when you guys say "remove such and such" from the garage...For stick and mig welding, what size radius would you recommend to have clear? clearly, "as much space as possible" is ideal but maybe the question is "what is the minimal amount of clear/safe space needed?"

[sonicweb]

I use the HF welding blankets...they are cheap. Or....if you can find an old leather couch, or coats, etc. strip it of it's leather...good for protecting the cars and things you don't want to get damaged from sparks. (make sure it's real leather)

[Billdacat]

[quote=IEATRICE;270884]when you guys say "remove such and such" from the garage...For stick and mig welding, what size radius would you recommend to have clear? clearly, "as much space as possible" is ideal but maybe the question is "what is the minimal amount of clear/safe space needed?"[/QUOTE

I have a sheet-rocked stick-framed attached garage. I keep the garage clear of any flammable material like cardboard boxes, rags, trash, or fluids. I try my best to stick weld with the garage door open; MIG is ok with the door closed. Grinding and cutting is also a big hazard. Keep a couple of fire extinguishers handy and stand watch after welding. Use that time to clean up your work area and check for burning embers. Don't rush!