Welding with tremors

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Hi all. So something my instructor said to me today has me a bit unsettled. So I suffer from a mild to moderate tremor likely due to my anxiety disorder. My torso, upper extremities, and hands shake. I shake less when I'm calm and more when I'm anxious or jacked up on caffeine. My instructor told me that if I couldn't find a way to ease the tremor, I may want to find a different major. I appreciate her honesty.The thing is, I like welding. A lot (except TIG welding, but I'm sure I'll warm up to it). I've mostly been working around my tremors, and they affect some processes more than others (more so with TIG than stick or MIG). I tried a Beta blocker, and it helped, but I couldn't tolerate the side effects. I guess my only option is to try another. Has anyone faced a similar problem? Is my instructor right? Should I switch to my backup plan?Honesty appreciated. Lay it on me.Last edited by Sm412; 06-11-2015 at 03:21 AM.
Reply:I have always shaken like a leaf. As a kid, and way into adult hood I was hyperactive. I got hurt on the job, and had to have neck surgery, now my right hand shakes even more. I learned to work around it. I’m not the best welder by any means, but I do alright. One thing that may help you, is seek out a good acupuncturist.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:That, and skip the coffee. A mild muscle relaxant might help, but the best helper is a prop or something to rest on. A small box for bench work or a bar clamp can really help smooth things out.SqWave 200Millermatic 190Airco 200 ACHypertherm PM45Boice-Crane Band SawVictor O/A
Reply:Lol i shake like a leaf on a tree sometimes welding. Makes for a better cap if you ask me! haha. Don't let a mild tremor scare you away from the best profession on earth! I also have anxiety and high blood pressure(hyper tension) which makes me shake when i start getting hot and worked up into the job i am doing. I get pretty intense. But the shaking is controllable once you get yourself into a groove. Another thing I know of a older welder, which is retired now. Shook all his life he said. Doctors diagnosed him a slight case of parkinstons disease. His shakes were uncontrollable and more frequent. But he had to make money he said because it is the only thing he knew how to do was weld. He figured out how to tone down his shakes and boy could he lay down a pretty 6010 cap. He said his shakes actually helped his welding to an extent. His caps looked almost identical to a 7018 lol. No joke. So don't let shakes discourage you from welding.
Reply:What's the old quote I take care of my anxiety the old fashioned non prescription way. Just kidding, alcohol brings with it other problems.An optimist is usually wrong, and when the unexpected happens is unprepared. A pessimist is usually right, when wrong, is delighted, and well prepared.
Reply:Honestly....for most newbies the starting point of their careers is mig welding in a production sweat shop.  Unfortunately for you, this is probably as good as it will get.  You'll have to be pretty lucky to get into the high paying jobs.  The people who 'make it' get noticed for their ability to get it done in the toughest of conditions.  Reaching out one arm like a sword-fighter and handling a 3/32" rod that 's been bent in two directions....they get pretty bouncy.  Also, welding isn't just hand control.  It's whole body control.   You have to be able to support yourself on bent knees and stomach muscles.   Stressful....welding in a booth is the easiest you'll ever get.   Lots of company testing in the field.  Then there's lots of questioning yourself....i.e.  'can't see it but I wonder if I can make that tie-in if I....'Last edited by OldSparks; 06-11-2015 at 09:08 AM.
Reply:I know a welding instructor friend of mine who had a student that had some sort of stroke that led him to shake.  They developed an arm sling sort of like you would for an arm in a cast which helped mute the tremors to the point that he could actually make a passable weld and gave him some mobility.Esab Migmaster 250Lincoln SA 200Lincoln Ranger 8Smith Oxy Fuel setupEverlast PowerPlasma 80Everlast Power iMIG 160Everlast Power iMIG 205 Everlast Power iMIG 140EEverlast PowerARC 300Everlast PowerARC 140STEverlast PowerTIG 255EXT
Reply:Another question... How old are you?
Reply:One of my friends is a nurse - his hands shake all the time - but he can quiet the shakes long enough to get the needle in smoothly.I think it just comes down to working around the issue, like any other disability.Make sure you do the easy stuff - coffee is really easy to live without.Good luck to you Dave J.Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance. ~George Bernard Shaw~ Syncro 350Invertec v250-sThermal Arc 161 and 300MM210DialarcTried being normal once, didn't take....I think it was a Tuesday.
Reply:That tells me your teacher doesn't know a ****ing thing about welding...I used to think the same thing when I first started welding, that my shaking when I get nervous would make me fail as a welder. Well I can tell you this, I still shake and have zero problems making beautiful x-ray quality welds with all processes. It took me a while to realize that a steady hand isn't necessary to be a good welder, because the longer you weld the repetitions you make and it just becomes muscle memory. Also when you are first starting you are tense, and it feels unnatural...after you get comfortable your more loose and relaxed and on auto pilot in a sense. Soon you will be so comfortable you will be welding one handed and left handed, and your confidence has allot to do with your nerves and in relation your shaking.
Reply:Originally Posted by AndrewDavenport89Another question... How old are you?
Reply:I am 25 as well with shaking issues. Its all good. You can overcome it easily. Do you really want to stay inside a office all day and get butt sores from sitting in a desk chair so much..... crunching numbers.... yuck!!! or do you want to weld the world and build America!
Reply:I'm 68 and have been slightly hyper all my life plus being hypoglycemic if I get hungry I get shaky. After welding on portable rock crushers for 32 yrs and making them stay together I guess I'm a fair weldor.                                                MikeOl' Stonebreaker  "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:I wouldnt worry about it. Im sure as your career progresscs youll incure new stress's and new resolve to work around them. Unless its a wild uncontrolable shake to the point that you flat out can not function id stick with it.esab 260 multimasternew tech 150 invertorlincoln 140 cheapo
Reply:Show your teacher how to really weld. If it is not uncontrollable and you like doing it, I say stick with and learn to use it as an advantage. Good luck with whatever you choose!SA-250 TMDSquarewave 200Thunderbolt AC/DC1951 G.E. welder
Reply:Originally Posted by AndrewDavenport89I am 25 as well with shaking issues. Its all good. You can overcome it easily. Do you really want to stay inside a office all day and get butt sores from sitting in a desk chair so much..... crunching numbers.... yuck!!! or do you want to weld the world and build America!
Reply:Since you have anxiety you might want to ask a doctor for help but then again we have doctors on here lol. When I was a young man I used to pound down a ton of sodas and eat a lot of sugary stuff, Tig welding was impossible for me then so I finally decided to quit 6 years ago and my shakes have all gone away. I don't know if it would work for anyone else but it did for me.
Reply:Your hands shake because they are weak get more practice in and you will be fine. Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk
Reply:Make it work for you, I shake like a meth chef, I've had countless people comment on how much i shake while welding, now i just call it my natural weave, my weld's may be ugly, but they pass the X-ray.