welding in a garage

f140

Well-Known Member
This is probably a no go area but worth asking anyway. Builder is putting up a garage next to the house for me when covid allows him. We are currently putting in one velux window so far. One normal house door down the back and a roller door in the front. Its just your standard car garage.

I am wondering would you ever have enough ventilation in this to do a bit of welding if all doors and velux were open? I suppose I could put in a 2nd velux if this would help? Again I have the big sheds in the farm to do all major welding but just thinking in case i ever wanted to do a small bit of welding inside this garage. Im only talking about tiny projects here or there that would need 15 minutes welding.
 
Yeah should be ok Ive a good bit of welding done in a 1 car garage with the big roller door open, and a few small windows. Gas shielded MIG on clean steel no bother. Welding down on paint and dirt with flux core or cheap welding rods and you'll get a fair haze inside
 
I do it all the time.

14x20x8 here.

I wear a charcoal mask if I'm doing anything more than a few tacks.

Try and have the door open whenever possible too.

Thinking of getting a air fed welding mask to be honest
 
You'll be fine at it. Just don't weld anything galvanised or you'll give yourself a dose of zinc poisoning. It's not life threatening or anything but it is unpleasant. Just think flu like symptoms.
 
I think that is an urban myth. My daughter is a Dietitian and she said it used to be done but it would not work .
Can't see how it can work. Fumes go in your lungs and the milk won't get near it unless you snort it and then you've got even more trouble.
 
I was warned once by a knowledgeable man to be very careful if welding anything with cadmium plating, very dangerous for your health.

He was a young English lad who had studied engineering.
I had an Opel vectra at the time which had issues starting despite being relatively new. Despite being very hungover following a drinking session in Kilkenny, he suggested that it was the bridge seals. I had never even heard of bridge seals.
He was spot on with his engine diagnosis so I believed what he said about cadmium plating.
 
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I was warned once by a knowledgeable man to be very careful if welding anything with cadmium plating, very dangerous for your health.

He was a young English lad who had studied engineering.
I had an Opel vectra at the time which had issues starting despite being relatively new. Despite being very hungover following a drinking session in Kilkenny suggested that it was the bridge seals. I had never even heard of bridge seals.
He was spot on with his engine diagnosis so I believed what he said about cadmium plating.
Did he enlighten you as to what bridge seals are? I've never heard of such things.
 
I'd only be guessing based on Leaving Cert chemistry a long time ago but maybe the more electro-negative (or is it electro-positive or something else entirely) calcium ions in the milk might displace the zinc ions from the galv smoke in whatever organ it is the zinc poisons you in.
 
I'd only be guessing based on Leaving Cert chemistry a long time ago but maybe the more electro-negative (or is it electro-positive or something else entirely) calcium ions in the milk might displace the zinc ions from the galv smoke in whatever organ it is the zinc poisons you in.
I know fats can mop up toxins or maybe it is because fats are there so long that toxins can be found in fats . If you eat the rind of a rasher and the pig got enough anti biotics it will cure a sore throat .
 
I know fats can mop up toxins or maybe it is because fats are there so long that toxins can be found in fats . If you eat the rind of a rasher and the pig got enough anti biotics it will cure a sore throat .
Could be that. Did they used to tell lads working with asbestos to drink a load of milk too? Or was it radiation? Anyways, when you're asking fellas to do dangerous shit like that, I suppose it's nice to be able to tell them something.
 
Could be that. Did they used to tell lads working with asbestos to drink a load of milk too? Or was it radiation? Anyways, when you're asking fellas to do dangerous shit like that, I suppose it's nice to be able to tell them something.
I certainly suffered a few times from welding galvanised steel (zinc poisoning) It was like a bad flue, shivering and shaking and you couldn't get warmed up. It would pass quickly though, usually overnight.
Drinking milk certainly certainly helped prevent it.
I know that a few local quarries have milk delivered daily, it's supposed to help anyone working in a dusty environment.
 
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