Topic: Censor Welding on TV

[Terry in Australia]

American chopper and especially the O.C.C. guys are I don't even consider "welders".  The just stick stuff together with the MIG, and all the while doing the "blink and blast" technique without a helmet!  Yeah.....just close your eyes and weld DUMB!     I hope anyone learning to weld realizes the danger in that practice.

Yeah, maybe Steve, but I've just been watching young Pauly doing some "TIG" welding, and I was very impressed indeed. No doubt they can do it safer, but nothing wrong with their technique.

Of course, I look at some of the "bird poo" welds on my CB750 frames and think that the guys at Honda weren't all that flash (no pun intended) either. Cheers, Terry.

[Raul CB750K1]

My dad was using the angle grinder once to cut I don't remember what. He used prescription glasses, so no need for protective glasses. The sparks that hitted the glasses left tiny "crater holes" in the glasses and there was no way to clean or remove them. It was an expensive repair that one, having to buy a new pair of glasses...

[Terry in Australia]

I set all the grass in my backyard on fire one summer when cutting up an old steel trailer with a 9 inch angle grinder, man I love that machine! 

[oldfordguy]

Many of you are missing the point.  I have a 4 year old, and he loves to watch the shows where they are building bikes and cars.  He is not old enough to understand from "experience" that it is bad to look at the arc.  Now of course I reinforce to him whenever we are watching that you can't look at the arc when I'm welding for real, and I don't yet allow him around when I'm welding. I will agree video is great to learn welding, but the training videos I've seen for welding have warnings all over them about watching the arc unprotected.  As far as "being around a place that arc welding is taking place" that could be anywhere, I weld in my garage or outside on my property all the time as do many of my neighbors.  Welding isn't confined to inside a limited access shop.  There are young children all over my neighborhood (there is a grade school 2 blocks away, and a Jr. High across the street.)  Also, there probably are very few parents who watch these shows that actually know viewing the arc could be dangerous, let alone pass the knowledge along to their children.  All I'm saying is that it is irresponsible not to have some kind of a warning on these TV  shows, since the majority of people watching them gain all their "experience" from the TV.  Fortunately few of them would actually try to do any of this for real, but if they happened to be around when someone has an arc going, unknown to the welder, the consequences are not good.

As far as the "typical American" comment goes, yes, it does seem typical for American's to be concerned about the health and welfare of their children. DA!

[clarkjh]

I've been around welding and grinders since I could walk, learned to listen to dad right quick about not looking at the weld when he was working.  Also learned to get out of the way when he was turning a 4" bandsaw inside out to work on it.  Now is the time to reinforce the rule, also buy him a helmet and then let him watch.

James

[oldfordguy]

Clark:
I agree 100%,(I've been around welding/grinding and the like since I could walk, too, and that was in the 60's.) The problem so far has been finding a welding helmet that will adjust down small enough for his head.  I have used the auto-darkening helmets now for about 10 years and feel that they are one of the best innovations to welding during my lifetime (as long as you are careful not to block the sensor in tight locations,) and would like to get him one with this feature.  The problem is that most people probably don't know about these things, and their children (and themselves) will never learn it.  They also won't realize that the act of filming/videotaping filters out the harmful UV that an arc produces.  As others have said, this is so ingrained in me that I look away from he TV by reflex whenever they strike an arc, and this is the kind of habit that is good to develop, but this is opposite to the habit learned by watching the show, if this is your only exposure to welding (which for most it is.) until they happen to be somewhere where someone is welding.

I would like to say that I am not in favor of censorship of any kind, that was a poor choice of words.  I was only pointing out that the FCC requires broadcasters to blur out or cover nudity, which in my opinion is in no way as harmful as looking at an arc, but there seems to be no responsibility on the Discovery Channel's (or their parent company TLC) to inform viewers of this danger.

[Steve F]

I would like to say that I am not in favor of censorship of any kind, that was a poor choice of words.  I was only pointing out that the FCC requires broadcasters to blur out or cover nudity, which in my opinion is in no way as harmful as looking at an arc, but there seems to be no responsibility on the Discovery Channel's (or their parent company TLC) to inform viewers of this danger.

I agree....block out the welding and show the boobies!      

[SD750F]

I think Steve F almost had the answer the this forum...

Block out any welding with a superimposed picture of a beautiful woman's breast...

That would make all of us happy! 

Scott

[johnny-from-bel]

I agree with the boobs. In Europe they are only blured in American shows. I'd like to see some American stuff to.
As for the censorship. I still find this bad. Next we'll blur out beer because alkohol is bad and so on. Before you know it you wil be watching a totaly blur screen.

I do think a warning may be in place. Something like

'Do not try to build your own bike. Techniques and material used are dangeroes and may blind or dismember you'

[Terry in Australia]

Geez, I don't think I like this censorship thing, next thing you know, the "do-gooders" will pressure the government to censor all the cop shows that we get from America, and they will have all those beaut guns blurred out!

What sort of effect is that gonna have on our impressionable kids? How will they know that the correct method to resolve a dispute is to "put a cap in that mother farkers ass"? Now that's just being silly...................... 

[BobbyR]

Never stare at the arcs

[Steve F]

Never stare at the arcs

YO!!!!  Anyone you know?  Twins?