Good advice for self-taught beginners in welding, how not to spoil your health because of one little thing.
When a beginner makes his first welds, he can't wait to beat off the slag as soon as the electrode goes out. You can understand, very recklessly and interesting to see what happened there.
But there are 2 reasons why you shouldn't do this right away. The temperature of the welding arc is approximately 5000-7000 degrees, the weld seam will be very hot immediately after welding.
The slag fits snugly around the metal seam and will also have a tremendous temperature. If you immediately take a hammer and begin to beat off the slag, then many small fragments will fly to the sides.
Slag is similar to glass, only softer. And now hundreds of small and very hot glass fragments begin to fly in different directions. It is good if the beginner has the right welding clothes and all skin is covered. Otherwise, a piece of slag will easily stick to loose clothing or to the skin, good is not enough.
It is even worse when a person lifts the mask and carefully looks at the seam there. It will be very lucky if such a splinter passes your eye.
The second reason why it is better to wait until the seam is not hot. The weld metal shrinks strongly when it cools down and decreases in volume. The slag has less shrinkage, and therefore it will be much easier to move away from the cooled seam. Also, the pieces will be much larger, and with good quality electrodes and welding, it can come off in a whole piece.
Never rush to beat hot slag. If you have a chameleon mask, beat off even cooled slag with a mask. Fight back with light blows across the seam, so it will fall off easier. Dispose of slag in the trash, do not forget, this is soft glass. Good luck learning welding!