Health/Safety related

When sandblasting, always wear a respirator! (even using a blasting cabinet) Sand contains Silica which is known to cause lung cancer. For sandblasting outside of a cabinet, protect your eyes by wearing goggles or a face shield, wear gloves and clothing that covers you fully to protect your skin. A hood is a good idea to keep sand out of hair, eyes and ears.  Bob-"mr409"

When welding, always use a welding mask to protect your eyes from the welding flash. Use leather gloves to protect your skin from welding sparks/spatter and don't use the "close your eyes" and tack weld method which most of us are guilty of from time to time. Bob-"mr409"

When welding, avoid breathing in the fumes which is thought to "possibly" cause Parkinsons disease. In any case, those fumes aren't something you want to puff on so if possible, wear a respirator. Another tip which can help avoid the respirator is to place a small fan nearby to blow the fumes away. Or as a last resort, you can always hold your breath. :)  Bob-"mr409"

When operating grinders and sanders especially for extended amounts of time, use ear plugs or some form of hearing protection.  Bob "bobs409"

When jump starting a battery, connect the jumper cables positive to positive, then connect the negative cable to the negative post on the good battery, and the other negative to a good ground surface AWAY from the battery on the car your jumping. Batteries can explode if a spark occurs near them so make that last connection as far away as possible. Even if you've been working on cars for 50 years and never had it happen, this is very dangerous and CAN happen. I'm told they go off like a shotgun and shatter plastic and acid everywhere! Also, when hooking up a battery charger, connect all cables, then turn charger on to avoid any sparking near the battery. Bob-"mr409"

It's a good idea to remove any rings or watches when working on cars. These can touch electrical connections such as near the starter and cause serious harm. It's also best to disconnect the battery prior to any work when possible. Bob-"bobs409"