Welders with beards?

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I've recently started looking into various trades, and Welding seems like it might be a good fit for me. There's one thing I'm not sure about, though.I have a big, bushy beard that I would hate to get rid of. While looking for information on the profession, I've found a lot of claims that welder's can't have beards for safety reasons. Mostly because it interferes with the seal on a respirator. Before I start looking into other options, I just wanted to put out this question:Do any of you know (or are yourselves) a professional welder who has a beard? If so, how did you (or they) get around the problem with respirators?
Reply:What do you plan on welding? Not all jobs require respiratorsTeach Ag Mech - Mike At Home:Lincoln Electric AC225Miller Challenger 172Gas AxeWork:eclectic bunch of 90's vintage blue boxes
Reply:Get creativehttp://www.duckworksbbs.com/tools/resp/Bubble gumTooth pixDuct tapeBlack glueGBMF hammerScrew gun --bad battery (see above)
Reply:Only time I've ever seen the no bread enforced is when working in oil refineries, or chemical plants. But they have all kinds of rules, like you can't roll your shirt sleeves up.Don’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:Originally Posted by CEPOnly time I've ever seen the no bread enforced is when working in oil refineries, or chemical plants. But they have all kinds of rules, like you can't roll your shirt sleeves up.
Reply:Every heavy civil construction site I've ever been on, at least 4-inch sleeves were required.Don’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:Originally Posted by teachagmechWhat do you plan on welding? Not all jobs require respirators
Reply:I will wager that you will be burning 6010/11 and 7018 in school. The welding booths will likely have exhaust systems in them and you won't need a respirator. What do you want to weld on?Teach Ag Mech - Mike At Home:Lincoln Electric AC225Miller Challenger 172Gas AxeWork:eclectic bunch of 90's vintage blue boxes
Reply:I started welding professionally at 17, I've never been required to use a respirator.Don’t pay any attention to meI’m just a hobbyist!CarlDynasty 300V350-Pro w/pulseSG Spool gun1937 IdealArc-300PowerArc 200ST3 SA-200sVantage 400
Reply:Originally Posted by teachagmechI will wager that you will be burning 6010/11 and 7018 in school. The welding booths will likely have exhaust systems in them and you won't need a respirator. What do you want to weld on?
Reply:Not to sound like a jerk, but maybe you're looking for a new job not a career. If you want to make a career out of a skill, you're going to have to dedicate yourself to it. Go to your local community college and take a welding class at night. If you like it, go forward and if you need to shave later, you'll have enough money to buy a good razor. Welding is a fun hobby but if you're going in for a career, you'd better be prepared to burn patches out of your beard.Teach Ag Mech - Mike At Home:Lincoln Electric AC225Miller Challenger 172Gas AxeWork:eclectic bunch of 90's vintage blue boxes
Reply:Originally Posted by CEPI started welding professionally at 17, I've never been required to use a respirator.
Reply:Originally Posted by teachagmechNot to sound like a jerk, but maybe you're looking for a new job not a career. If you want to make a career out of a skill, you're going to have to dedicate yourself to it. Go to your local community college and take a welding class at night. If you like it, go forward and if you need to shave later, you'll have enough money to buy a good razor. Welding is a fun hobby but if you're going in for a career, you'd better be prepared to burn patches out of your beard.
Reply:Man it's amazing what guys will go through to get laid, but what they won't do to get a job that will get you laid. You're already not the right guy for the job. Next!I hate being bi-polar it's awsomeMy Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Reply:Originally Posted by LocheMolotovReally? What sort of welding do you do?
Reply:Originally Posted by CEPMostly SMAW, until them dam LN-22s came out in the early 1980s, then it was mostly self shielded flux core. I ran as much as 70-pounds of wire a day for months, and months at a time. Very seldom did I ever work inside.
Reply:Originally Posted by LocheMolotovIf you can stay in the trade for that long without ever using a respirator, they may be hope for me yet!
Reply:There are plenty of places that don't give a f*ck about wearing respirators.   Look for a blue collar welding shop.     The kind that doesn't have anyone with a white shirt working in the front office.      You'll be fine.   Don't ask your instructor he is only allowed to tell you what the book says.    Hang around a gas station/convince store early in the morning, and look for guys with welders on the back of their service trucks or guys wearing mechanic uniforms.  They can tell you how stuff gets done in the real world.Thermal Arc  Power-Tech 10/270  stick welderLincoln buzz-boxPurox O/A setupNothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool
Reply:Something they won't tell you in tech school, if you walk into a job interview wearing worn worn boots and Red Kap / Dickies (their work line, not their thug line) work pants,   the odds of you landing the job are a lot higher than the person who dressed for success.Thermal Arc  Power-Tech 10/270  stick welderLincoln buzz-boxPurox O/A setupNothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool
Reply:And show up with your safety gear ready for a weld test. I've been hired and started work on the same day as I walked in to apply. Employers want people who want to work and produceTeach Ag Mech - Mike At Home:Lincoln Electric AC225Miller Challenger 172Gas AxeWork:eclectic bunch of 90's vintage blue boxes
Reply:If you spend money, there are several options for positive pressurized battery powered ones
Reply:Originally Posted by Blue-JeepersSomething they won't tell you in tech school, if you walk into a job interview wearing worn worn boots and Red Kap / Dickies (their work line, not their thug line) work pants,   the odds of you landing the job are a lot higher than the person who dressed for success.
Reply:My kid's wedding photo's, he's a weldor by trade up in the oil patch, (he's the one one with the beard :-) Mike
Reply:A lot of the welders in our shop have beards of some shape or form, even the Tig Welder has a rather bushy one, He Tigs Stainless, Aluminum and Steel.Only 2 reasons you are adamant to not remove a Beard for a Job, Religious or Alias????
Reply:Mikey your son has this "Really, are we done yet..." look on his face. .No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald ReaganGas plant, oil field, refinery, and most pipeline bell hole work will require you to be H2S compliant, which means no facial hair. Most of the time, a thin mustache is allowable, but that's itHome hobbiest:Build all sorts of BBQ pits & smokers (trailer & non)Lincoln 225 Cracker box (antique)O/P torchRedneck tools out the a$$.They get me by!
Reply:Originally Posted by weldermikeMan it's amazing what guys will go through to get laid, but what they won't do to get a job that will get you laid. You're already not the right guy for the job. Next!
Reply:Sounds like Amish out of control. Maybe barn construction would be a better choice.
Reply:Like previously stated, it's totally possible to weld an entire career and never be required to wear a respirator. There's so many ways you can go in the welding field. That's why I asked him what he wanted to do.Teach Ag Mech - Mike At Home:Lincoln Electric AC225Miller Challenger 172Gas AxeWork:eclectic bunch of 90's vintage blue boxes
Reply:Mikey your son has this "Really, are we done yet..." look on his face.
Reply:Those are some nice picts. Good looking couple as well..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:Thanks DSW, right on both counts. He started up being a pia when he was younger and straightened himself up, other than picking welding as a trade :-), his wife is a sweetheart, no bigger than a minute....Mike
Reply:Originally Posted by mrmikeyHe started up being a pia when he was younger
Reply:Weren't we all?
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWMikey your son has this "Really, are we done yet..." look on his face.
Reply:I have worn respirators no many jobs , half face and full face ,ice vests, and air hoods Nuclear plants have all kinds of safety reg. set by none other the federal government, I used to wear a 3m half face disposable welder's,  mask when I could but in winter it used to fog up the lens in the hood . reminds me of when we moved to tennessee My son wanted to play foot ball went to try out coach told him team had buzz cuts and he had to cut his hair . he said no way was he cutting his hair and walk out. next day he decided maybe he would cut his hair ,i told him it was to late he had already told coach to sh*t in his hat!
Reply:Originally Posted by LocheMolotovDo any of you know (or are yourselves) a professional welder who has a beard? If so, how did you (or they) get around the problem with respirators?
Reply:Originally Posted by weldermikeMan it's amazing what guys will go through to get laid, but what they won't do to get a job that will get you laid. You're already not the right guy for the job. Next!
Reply:Play nice boys....No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:I didn't read all the responses so maybe this has been said already, get yourself some pony tails if you aren't willing to get rid of the beard.  We had a welder at a plant I worked at that had a really long beard, he put it in pony tails the length of it and would tuck it in his welding jacket or throw it over his shoulder.  My beard has never been longer than 4" and it's very bushy, I never had a problem tucking it in my air hood though, of course I shaved my neck from the jawline down.
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Reply:Look around in the area you plan to be working in and see if they require there welders to wear a respirator.93 Bobcat 225GMillerMatic 135HF Tig 91811