I don't find the fan annoying. I just want a safe and convenient place to hang the rod holder. Eliminating that big switch would be convenient, too. (Nobody told me the rod can't touch the table if you lay the rod holder on it's side.)

 

If you knew you were headed there at 9 years old, you were way ahead of me

Not 9 but around 50. Knew enough before that to build stuff from kits(like Heath kits). Didn't know how much was involved in how those 'kits' came about. Still have trouble with putting my thoughts down in a circuit. Know what needs to happen in it, but not how the maze needs to be traveled. But can today follow a circuit better than when starting out, thanks to this site and you guy's on it.

 

If it is car repairs, frame or etc, your in for a whole new learning experience. Most car work is 'out of position', meaning not laying flat on a bench. If you thing what you've done so far is hard, just wait. Not only do you have to worry about burning through, wait till your just put down bead drops to the ground or on your arm or down the front of your shirt. Been there done that and have the holes in my shirt to prove it.

This brought back a memory...
I had a Trans Am that had a torque arm on the rear diff which fastened into a clip on the transmission. The stud that held the clip closed was stripped and couple times in one week the nut came off the stud and the clip came open and the torque arm was slapping around between the ground and the transmission. first time I just put a new nut on the stud. second time the stud was broken off and I was running late for work. It's still dark out, in the driveway, no car lift. I just jacked up one side of the car with the floor jack as high as it would go, which was just enough to fit my body flat under it, and crawled under there with my MIG welder, on my back with my head sideways . put the torque arm back where it goes in the clip and proceeded to weld the clip closed. Weld wasn't doing too well because in my rush I didn't grind off the paint very well. Started to look like a porcupine with all the failed wire starts sticking out of the crevice. Then a 1/2" long glowing piece of MIG wire popped up and came back down inside my ear canal. I heard the loudest sizzling and popping you could ever hear. If you think earwax smells bad, smell it being charred. I was thrashing every which way trying to get turned over so that thing would fall out. Not enough room to turn my head over underneath the car. Had to come all the way out. By then it was already done doing its damage. Thankfully it did not make its way to my eardrum, no lasting injury. Just a nasty scab for a while closing off my ear canal.

Moral(s) of the story...
1. Welding hoods (most) don't protect your ears, or your neck for that matter. If you're going to weld in that position, protect yourself.
2. Don't rush. Take the time to get your work environment situated such that you can actually work, and you have a path of egress

 

This brought back a memory...

At least you weren't stick welding. A glob of molten rod entering your ear might have burned all the way through!

 

Then a 1/2" long glowing piece of MIG wire popped up and came back down inside my ear canal. I heard the loudest sizzling and popping you could ever hear. If you think earwax smells bad, smell it being charred. I was thrashing every which way trying to get turned over so that thing would fall out.

Been there done that a number of times.

 

Don't rush. Take the time to get your work environment situated such that you can actually work, and you have a path of egress

Not just when you're welding above your ear hole.
I remember replacing the rear shocks on a Chevy van. Took me 9 times as long to set up the job as it did to R&R 4 bolts.
Proper setup made the, "real" job easy. Same with painting and soldering. Sometimes the job is 90% preparation.

Been there done that a number of times.

If you didn't learn the first two or three times, I'm not sure I want to stand next to you at work.

 

If you didn't learn the first two or three times, I'm not sure I want to stand next to you at work.

It's no different than any other work. It has inherent unpredictable dangers to it regardelss of how experienced and safe you are.

Hot metal fragments bounce off things like any other flying debris and many times in order to get into a position where you need to be you have to wear minimal gear to fit like welding with one hand while holding a bare helmet lens in front of you eyes with the other because you cant fit your head in the location with a full welding helmet on and see what you are doing.

As for standing by someone who is welding you're not suposed to do that anyway unless there on purpose.

 

It has inherent unpredictable dangers to it regardless of how experienced and safe you are.

I have doubts that I am willing to invest that much of me in welding.
I'm really good at not getting killed by electricity. Mostly skill, very little luck.
Getting splattered with molten metal? I'm either going to learn how to avoid that or I'm not going to be much of a welder.

 

Getting splattered with molten metal? I'm either going to learn how to avoid that or I'm not going to be much of a welder.

Welding leathers and the acceptance you will get burned often (mostly small splatter burns but guaranteed not always) . That's as good as it gets.