kids and welding

[cyanidekid]

I find all the leather welding gear opressively hot .....I wear leather riggers gloves to keep my knuckles from sunburn ,and long sleeve overalls .........for arc gouging /cutting,then I need to scare up something a bit heavier...............Guy up the road from here mig welds by the zero protective method.....just uses the torch as a shield....I notice his kids using the same method too.....only light gauge sheet ,for sure ,but it saves time if you can just grab the torch and weld for a couple of minutes ,then back to fitting up the sheetmetal.

Jesus…. No, just,… no.

 

[john.k]

Ive seen very many welders using the end of torch for a shield ,over a lot of years....since the 1970s for sure. My late friend Leo Becker always mig welded without a helmet.....he once had a contract making the battery boxes for White Trucks.Lotsa battery boxes......Most car guys use this method.

 

[Philabuster]

My Dad taught me how to stick weld when I was about 10 y/o or so back in the early 80s. No fancy 120v MIG welders or auto darkening hoods back then. Had to use 1/16" electrodes to weld up thin material like motorcycle frames and custom exhaust pipes. Looking back, I am amazed at the shit I was able to do with just a 240v buzz box A/C welder.

 

[kustomizer]

It seems you still know how to do some pretty cool shit

 

[M.B. Naegle]

If they're old enough to talk with you, they're old enough to "play" in the shop. IMO, then the only limiting factor is how good YOU are at teaching them and keeping an eye on things. They'll surprise you at how fast they pick it up, and as long as YOU keep them out of trouble, there's no downside.

IMO, don't worry too much about finding "kids" size gear. You need something that fits them in the sense that it stays on, doesn't inhibit the job, and blocks whatever it's supposed too, but otherwise keep in mind that they are constantly growing. If you have to keep buying them gear every time they have a growth spirt, IMO they'll become less attached to "their" stuff. OTOH, if they get to grow into their gear and THEY are the one's that wear it out, they'll want more. Plus it's a bit of a constant reminder to them that they are doing something "grown-ups" do. Some kids this could be an excuse to act out, but most in my experience will have a little more respect for the job. Kids are smart. When they use the same "real" tools that us grown-ups do, there's a learning curve where they learn not to bang on things, but once they realize they're doing something "real" with dad/grandpa/etc., they tend to shape up.

I don't like schooling other parents as I don't have it all figured out and every kid his his own quirks, but IMO, the worst thing you can do with a child is see them as "only a child". IMO, if you look at them like an adult in a child's body, it fixes soooo many relationship/behavioral issues. Their bodies and minds need to grow, for sure, but if you procrastinate the day that you see them as a "normal person", you'll be sadly disappointed in the opportunities missed. It works the other way too. As soon as you start seeing things as "only for kids," life gets boring. The only thing that really changes as you grow is learning how to make things appropriate for the crowd you are with (maturity), and learning how to do things better.

We see much of our life as work, but those same activities with the kids often make us their coolest friends with the best toys. Work and Play can happen at the same time, and it's a fantastic thing for kids and adults to learn to enjoy both. It's hard to catch-up when you haven't lived life that way however.

 

[Strostkovy]

On that note, realize that kids struggle with motor skills. They may have understood the instructions and intended to follow them, but you have to be patient and give them time to figure out how to make it happen.

 

[kustomizer]

On that note, realize that kids struggle with motor skills. They may have understood the instructions and intended to follow them, but you have to be patient and give them time to figure out how to make it happen.

They don't just do it perfect the first time like the rest of us here?
Odd

 

[Scottl]

Proper protective gear and an extractor to suck fumes away and why not?

The only negative I can see is if he mentions it at school they might either think he has an overactive imagination or view the activity as "child abuse" if they are the more modern type of teachers and administrators.

 

[kustomizingkid]

I was arc welding at 10.

 

[john.k]

All my old man needed to say was "never touch that,thats dangerous ,and could kill you".......guarantee we were figuring it out five minutes after he left for work............the first thing I ever welded ,I still have ....some racks made of angle iron...welds arent much good,but the racks have been stacked with ever increasing amounts of heavy junk since around 1960.