Keeping welding dust down, curtain?

[Lars915]

I've learned the hard way that welding, grinding, and plasma cutting in my large, open garage is a bad plan. I've got metal dust and grinding powder on EVERYTHING :( I think a welding curtain with ventilation is the way to go. What material is best? Anyone have pics? Any ventilation advice? Don't mean to sound like a newb, but I don't want to do this twice, either.

[HMD]

I just have a healthy sized ventilating fan, through-the-wall-mounted, that I run while making the most "smoke and fire". I cover up / close cabinets / tool boxxes as is reasonable....beyond that, I just hose everything down when the crap gets too deep....but my shop is painted cinder-block (hose from the ceiling down all walls and then the floor)-- you can't do the too much if you're in a wooden building.

I also try to be mindfull of where the crap is flying. I aim the grinder to put it on the floor or towards the "dirty" corner (welding table / chop saw) of the shop as much as possible.

[Aces'n'8s]

Imo, the easiest and most economical solution to your problem would be this:

1. Find out your "welding/fab area" dimensions; then make it larger.

2. Build a frame out of 1" PVC Sch.40-400. Be sure to crossbrace the top and
instal two tee's and two 45's at each corner. Face them towards the front
and to the rear.

3. Purchase some heavy duty visqueen plastic sheeting (20-50 mil). Wrap
the visqueen around your PVC frame. Heat up a large nail and punch
holes through the visqueen at each major intersection and appropriately
along the upright braces or whatever braces you build. Then zip tie the
visqueen to the PVC frame.

4. Be sure to leave plenty of space around your perimeter. You do not want
to burn through the visqueen or PVC.

5. This setup doesn't negate the fact that your viewers should still look
away while you are welding/cutting.

6. Also, I used this design in my cousin's shop with great success. It also,
doubled as a semi-good paint booth.

7. It will not hold up to 30 mph + winds.

[redrangie]

I wish someone had an answer, but in a 24x24 space, what do you really have room for? Once every six weeks I do this routine:

Put EVERYTHING away (again)
REALLY sweep the floor.
Set the compressor regulator to 60 psi
Put on my respirator and goggles, and grab the blow gun
I start at the back, and blow EVERYTHING off from top working to bottom, in a line like I was sweeping.
Then I use a shop vac with a paper filter (10 micron I think) and suck up the rest after the dust settles.

Oh, and it's not the welding smoke/dust, its the fricking plasma and grinding. I finished a bumper last week that needed smooth top edges, and I swear to god I must of filled 3 dustpans with metal dust.




It takes about 2 hours to do right, but its my best habit I think.

[Lars915]

The visqueen idea sounds interesting, I haven't used that stuff in years.

[AthlonAJ]

I wish someone had an answer, but in a 24x24 space, what do you really have room for? Once every six weeks I do this routine:

Put EVERYTHING away (again)
REALLY sweep the floor.
Set the compressor regulator to 60 psi
Put on my respirator and goggles, and grab the blow gun
I start at the back, and blow EVERYTHING off from top working to bottom, in a line like I was sweeping.
Then I use a shop vac with a paper filter (10 micron I think) and suck up the rest after the dust settles.

Oh, and it's not the welding smoke/dust, its the fricking plasma and grinding. I finished a bumper last week that needed smooth top edges, and I swear to god I must of filled 3 dustpans with metal dust.




It takes about 2 hours to do right, but its my best habit I think.
That's basically what I do in our shop. It's about 30x40 but too busy to stop and clean up every single day or setup stuff to prevent dust. It looks like hell after a couple of weeks but a couple hours of cleanup and it's like working in a new place.

[Dave_Lucas]

At jobs in the past we always had weld screens that would souround the work area and seemed to keep the things contained for the most part.

I am looking at ordering something like this for my shop.

http://www.pvcstrip.com/weldscreens.html
http://www.wilsonindustries.com/weld_sub_curtains.cfm

The plan is to hang a metal frame on the ceiling so I can use them like a shower curtain and surround the area when in use and move them out of the way when not in use to free up space.