1800s Welding Safety Gear

[shiben]

Any idea what welders in the mid to late 1800s wore? Wondering if they bothered with leather aprons and jackets like we wear now, along with masks, vent systems, etc.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

I was always under the impression that welding didn't really become big till the Great War. Perhaps look for riveting work? Either way I suspect the most safety gear you will find is a newsie cap and a good sense of balance.

 

[shiben]

Perhaps look for riveting working? Either way I suspect the most safety gear you will find is a newsie cap and a good sense of balance.

Perhaps I do, seeing as the first recorded process was in 1903... That sounds like good enough for me. Working on a show a friend is putting together and since im learning to weld, he tasked me with this... Anyhow. Thanks for the advice and some directional thoughts...

 

[Van]

Mid 1800's the only common welding practices you'll find are manual forge welding. There were experimental uses of Arc welding in the mid 1800's but they were extremely rare. Safey gear ? Almost non-existent. Leather apron, arm guards and dark glasses, > not even full on goggles more like dark sunglasses> they did have caps much like modern welders use but with a cloth hangy down piece, to keep sparks out of the back of your shirt.
It's kind of funny Oxy-acetylene welding/cutting didn't really get started till the early 1900's. They sort of needed electrical power to centrifuge the gasses. One < well "I"> would think that Arc welding came after Gas welding but it didn't.

 

[gafftapegreenia]

Why does this thread just feel like it might be steam punk related?

 

[shiben]

Why does this thread just feel like it might be steam punk related?

I cant imagine anything that would give you that impression...