I tell ya guys, it's awesome living next door to a retired fabricator/welder guy.

Burning without goggles. Brilliant!
Agreed 100%.
I don't want to sound negative, but if he was a retired tradesman, he should know better and set an example.
FWIW, I am also a welder/fabricator by trade and can count on half the fingers on one hand how many times i did that, and that was before i went to trade school and knew better.
In my opinion, the guy is an idiot.
I met a lot of ''tradesmen'' in my day that would cut without goggles, weld without gloves, or even a proper helmet because they were ''tough'' and didn't need that ''wimpy stuff''.
Also, don't get me started on people torching apart and using good parts cars as ''yard, lawn, wall art''..............
(Yes, this picked off a scab).