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A friend expressed an interest in learning to weld. I am writing this to give an introduction to welding for people like her. It is also a place to catalog some very useful things that required quite a bit of time and reading for me to learn them.
I weld mild steel at home to make things I want and to repair things I need.I do not weld aluminum or stainless steel. I make very little artwork with my welder. I am largely self-taught. I am aware of Tim Anderson's Instructable: Cheap Welding for Punks. He included some information I will not cover. I think I have some information he did not cover.
If terms in the next paragraph are new to you, see the Definitions paragraph that follows it. The italicized words are defined there.
Most of my experience is with electric stick welders. They cost less than other welding systems, but require more practice and skill to learn well. Many of the things one must do to get a good weld with a stick welder are not much different from a similar situation using a wire feed welder (penetration, weaving, preventing sag), and I will discuss both at the same time when possible. I will mention a little about oxy-acetylene (gas) welding. But, for the beginning, occasional welder; a wire feed welder makes learning to weld much easier. MIG is generally preferred and more expensive than flux core wire feed welding. Both have their place. People who want to begin welding are often short on cash, and may well choose to begin with a stick welder before possibly moving up to a wire feed welder after a few years, so some attention will be given to stick welding. I have no experience with TIG welding and will not discuss it.
Definitions:
Stick welders have this name because the coated wire welding electrode resembles a stick you might pick up from your lawn.
Wire feed welders use a continuous wire electrode on a spool. Rollers in the welder driven by a motor feed the wire at a steady rate through an electrode holder usually called a gun. Wire feed welders were invented to increase production rates by removing the need to stop and replace a burned electrode.
Penetration means the welder did not merely lay a bead of welding material over the top of a joint, but some of the parent metal melted and fused together below the weld, too.
Weaving is moving the arc from one side of the joint to the other in order to make certain the weld penetrates into both sides of the joint. A weaving pattern is also used to prevent sag when welding in an upward direction on a vertical joint.
Sag is molten metal that flows out of the joint while welding due to the effects of gravity. This can be a problem when the weld is vertical, overhead, or horizontally along the side of a vertical surface. Avoiding excess heat, electrodes designed to harden quickly, the angle at which the arc is directed, and general manipulation of the arc are used to control the weld and counteract sag.
Oxy-acetylene welders use two tanks, one filled with oxygen and the other with acetylene. Both gases flow through hoses at controlled pressures to mix and burn with a very hot pointed flame in a torch.
MIG refers to a wire feed welder that protects the fresh weld from mixing with oxygen in the air by continuously covering the weld area with an inert gas. If oxygen comes into contact with the hot, fresh weld; the weld becomes porous and is weakened.
Flux core welders use a thin wire electrode that has a chemical powder in its center. This powder melts and flows over the weld to protect the fresh weld from oxygen. This hardened coating is called slag. After the weld cools, chip or brush it off, depending on how thick it is.
TIG welders use a torch with a sharp tungsten tip to make a pool of molten metal with an arc. The operator dabs metal from a thin wire rod into the pool. At the same time the operator increases or decreases current to the arc with a foot pedal control. TIG welding makes beautiful welds on aluminum and various special metals. It requires much skill and practice to learn.
Other terms you may see in welding literature (Do not worry about these, unless you encounter them):
SMAW - shielded metal arc welding - stick welding
FCAW - flux cored arc welding
GMAW - gas metal arc welding - MIG welding
GTAW - tungsten inert gas welding - TIG welding
(The photo is from Bing Images.)
I weld mild steel at home to make things I want and to repair things I need.I do not weld aluminum or stainless steel. I make very little artwork with my welder. I am largely self-taught. I am aware of Tim Anderson's Instructable: Cheap Welding for Punks. He included some information I will not cover. I think I have some information he did not cover.
If terms in the next paragraph are new to you, see the Definitions paragraph that follows it. The italicized words are defined there.
Most of my experience is with electric stick welders. They cost less than other welding systems, but require more practice and skill to learn well. Many of the things one must do to get a good weld with a stick welder are not much different from a similar situation using a wire feed welder (penetration, weaving, preventing sag), and I will discuss both at the same time when possible. I will mention a little about oxy-acetylene (gas) welding. But, for the beginning, occasional welder; a wire feed welder makes learning to weld much easier. MIG is generally preferred and more expensive than flux core wire feed welding. Both have their place. People who want to begin welding are often short on cash, and may well choose to begin with a stick welder before possibly moving up to a wire feed welder after a few years, so some attention will be given to stick welding. I have no experience with TIG welding and will not discuss it.
Definitions:
Stick welders have this name because the coated wire welding electrode resembles a stick you might pick up from your lawn.
Wire feed welders use a continuous wire electrode on a spool. Rollers in the welder driven by a motor feed the wire at a steady rate through an electrode holder usually called a gun. Wire feed welders were invented to increase production rates by removing the need to stop and replace a burned electrode.
Penetration means the welder did not merely lay a bead of welding material over the top of a joint, but some of the parent metal melted and fused together below the weld, too.
Weaving is moving the arc from one side of the joint to the other in order to make certain the weld penetrates into both sides of the joint. A weaving pattern is also used to prevent sag when welding in an upward direction on a vertical joint.
Sag is molten metal that flows out of the joint while welding due to the effects of gravity. This can be a problem when the weld is vertical, overhead, or horizontally along the side of a vertical surface. Avoiding excess heat, electrodes designed to harden quickly, the angle at which the arc is directed, and general manipulation of the arc are used to control the weld and counteract sag.
Oxy-acetylene welders use two tanks, one filled with oxygen and the other with acetylene. Both gases flow through hoses at controlled pressures to mix and burn with a very hot pointed flame in a torch.
MIG refers to a wire feed welder that protects the fresh weld from mixing with oxygen in the air by continuously covering the weld area with an inert gas. If oxygen comes into contact with the hot, fresh weld; the weld becomes porous and is weakened.
Flux core welders use a thin wire electrode that has a chemical powder in its center. This powder melts and flows over the weld to protect the fresh weld from oxygen. This hardened coating is called slag. After the weld cools, chip or brush it off, depending on how thick it is.
TIG welders use a torch with a sharp tungsten tip to make a pool of molten metal with an arc. The operator dabs metal from a thin wire rod into the pool. At the same time the operator increases or decreases current to the arc with a foot pedal control. TIG welding makes beautiful welds on aluminum and various special metals. It requires much skill and practice to learn.
Other terms you may see in welding literature (Do not worry about these, unless you encounter them):
SMAW - shielded metal arc welding - stick welding
FCAW - flux cored arc welding
GMAW - gas metal arc welding - MIG welding
GTAW - tungsten inert gas welding - TIG welding
(The photo is from Bing Images.)
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Signing UpStep 1Educational resources
If you buy a new welder, it will come with a thin manual that covers safety, some mechanical information about the welder, and a few basic welding procedures to get you started. The best weldors* weld almost daily. If you learned to weld, but have not welded for a while, it is a good idea to make some practice welds before you weld anything that needs to be done well.
If you buy a used welder, but no manual comes with it, you can probably download a manual for it or a manual for a machine that is sufficiently similar. There are many helps available for the person who wants to learn to weld. Some are in text (either electronic or on paper) while others are videos.
Miller has some excellent videos for learning to weld or for improving your skills. My favorite is a video on flux core wire welding that was linked in their DIY electronic newsletter for October 2010. Many of the techniques in it are similar to techniques used in stick welding. Text and photos from the video are also at the link. Just scroll down to see the text and photos. Miller's DIY newsletter and some other newsletters from Miller are available free to anyone who wishes to sign up for them. (Archival copies of the electronic newsletters are also available for viewing on-line.) Go to the Miller page linked at the beginning of this paragraph and check the links under Resources for other videos and articles. Manuals for Miller welders and basic welding guides are also available.
Lincoln has various educational materials for learning to do stick or MIG welding, some of which you can download for free. Their book: New Lessons in Arc Welding is very good and is newly updated. For other LIncoln books, go to this link. (Pull down Education Center and go to James F. Lincoln Foundation for Educational Materials.) Also, pull down Support and go to Resources for useful free literature.
Hobart also has several resources under the E-Learning tab and a forum for welders at the Weld Talk forum. (Miller also has a forum on its Resources page.) At the E-Learning tab scroll down to see examples of good and bad welds for MIG and for stick. The second photo also shows a drawn chart of a good stick welding bead compared to various problem weld beads. These photos can help you diagnose what you are doing wrongly and correct it. Photos like these are often available elsewhere, too. Some basic guides to welding can be downloaded, too.
Another good book for the beginning stick weldor is the Forney Welding Manual. It is also out of print. Some used copies are available. Among books currently available, this book is similar in scope and approach to the Lincoln book, except that it gives a dominant treatment to MIG welders.
There are numerous video tutorials on all aspects of welding at YouTube. Some are done well, others are rather poor.
*Technically, a welder is the equipment used to make welds. A weldor is the individual who uses a welder to make welds. Often "welder" is used for both.
(The second image is from Bing Images.)
If you buy a used welder, but no manual comes with it, you can probably download a manual for it or a manual for a machine that is sufficiently similar. There are many helps available for the person who wants to learn to weld. Some are in text (either electronic or on paper) while others are videos.
Miller has some excellent videos for learning to weld or for improving your skills. My favorite is a video on flux core wire welding that was linked in their DIY electronic newsletter for October 2010. Many of the techniques in it are similar to techniques used in stick welding. Text and photos from the video are also at the link. Just scroll down to see the text and photos. Miller's DIY newsletter and some other newsletters from Miller are available free to anyone who wishes to sign up for them. (Archival copies of the electronic newsletters are also available for viewing on-line.) Go to the Miller page linked at the beginning of this paragraph and check the links under Resources for other videos and articles. Manuals for Miller welders and basic welding guides are also available.
Lincoln has various educational materials for learning to do stick or MIG welding, some of which you can download for free. Their book: New Lessons in Arc Welding is very good and is newly updated. For other LIncoln books, go to this link. (Pull down Education Center and go to James F. Lincoln Foundation for Educational Materials.) Also, pull down Support and go to Resources for useful free literature.
Hobart also has several resources under the E-Learning tab and a forum for welders at the Weld Talk forum. (Miller also has a forum on its Resources page.) At the E-Learning tab scroll down to see examples of good and bad welds for MIG and for stick. The second photo also shows a drawn chart of a good stick welding bead compared to various problem weld beads. These photos can help you diagnose what you are doing wrongly and correct it. Photos like these are often available elsewhere, too. Some basic guides to welding can be downloaded, too.
Another good book for the beginning stick weldor is the Forney Welding Manual. It is also out of print. Some used copies are available. Among books currently available, this book is similar in scope and approach to the Lincoln book, except that it gives a dominant treatment to MIG welders.
There are numerous video tutorials on all aspects of welding at YouTube. Some are done well, others are rather poor.
*Technically, a welder is the equipment used to make welds. A weldor is the individual who uses a welder to make welds. Often "welder" is used for both.
(The second image is from Bing Images.)
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I never actually saw the first welder. A much older friend had used it for years in his shop where he built and repaired truck bodies. He told me it weighed 300 pounds. I made a troubled attempt at using the second welder once, which was my first encounter with an arc welder. It belonged to a school at which my wife taught and the assistant principal was close to a friend. For whatever reason he was looking to get rid of things they did not really use. At the time I did occasionally make use of their oxy-acetylene welder. I was much more familiar with those at the time. Had I known what I know now, I would have jumped at having the second welder for myself.
Marking this is a favorite now and hope to learn much more from what you have written. Wish I had the technical writing skills. Would love to apply it to my garbled and jumbled stained glass instructable lol
I am not trained in technical writing, but have always enjoyed explaining things to people so they can understand what I am trying to communicate. I have spent the last 40 years as a Lutheran pastor, so I get plenty of practice working on communication. Probably the trouble I have understanding some people comes from them forgetting that I know nothing about what they are trying to tell me and they need to make it real simple with steps that go in a logical order.
I should have taken some technical writing in college, but I didn't and looking back regret that. My 1st degree was in nursing (oddly after being a geology major in the beginning). I can explain medical terms and situation well but I think some of the docs I worked with thought I was a bit looney in how I did it. As long as the patient and family understood I would make it work.
Since I am a self taught artist it seems I could explain things in a manner others would understand. However, something about doing it in sections with photos and such just throws off the flow. That and I want to get in all the little tips and tricks I have learned by trial and error.
This instructable is such much easier to understand and I a would love to learn a thing or two from how you have done it. I think I might print mine off and re-write it after critiquing my own. I wish I would get more comments on mine in the form of criticism just so I could learn from them.
I guess I should do that, or get some more of my bathroom remodel done so I have two bathrooms again. Never realize how nice having two is until you are down to just one.
Maybe I will get that stained glass one written better before you read it.... That is if time slows down and I catch up :)
What bugs me the most when I weld is a phenomenon I like to call "back lighting", where reflected light off my lens makes it more difficult for me to see while I am welding. I have an extra leather bib for my summer welding jacket that I throw over the top of my hood to cut it down.
Although doing so does tend to make my hood fog up fast. So I should invent the hood awning and retire a multi gazillionare!
My spark box:
The engineers at Miller looked at each other and said you know if we throw a heavy lead on this puppy it ought to stick weld OK too. The marketers smiled and nodded.
I mean sometimes all I have to do is get the rod close and I'm ignited. But this is the only machine I've ever stick welded with so are they all like that?
With effort one can alter their perspective, but not all are amenable to the techniques involved. Within us all is the power to make our dreams real. What many lack though is the will to persevere. Will don't work cheap either!
I recently started using a stick welder and was finding it so frustrating that I often got other people to weld things for me.
That was until i discovered ultra cheap auto changing masks on eBay and I picked one up for about £20 which was barely more than the price of an expensive old style head mask. the company I worked for bought the auto masks when you first appeared on the market at a cost of over £150 each.
My stick welding performance increased 10 fold when using an auto mask as you have full control of starting the arc and have both hands free when you start the weld.
Auto masks are so cheap now they are a must for any welder as they give you so much more control and put an end to nasty welder flash as you try and flick the mask down etc.
More than ten years ago I read some cautions about very cheap auto darkening helmets as being not completely reliable. I expect they have improved.
If you have not done it, check the link to my Instructable on using a carbon rod to start the arc in difficult circumstances. That is also a help to someone without an auto darkening helmet.
I hope you are enjoying welding again.
I picked up mine for £19.99 and £4 postage on eBay is solar powered and has a knob to adjust how dark the glass turns.
They can even be got now with a switch that turns the glass completely clear so you don have to lift the shield to use a angle grinder, but who would want to destroy their auto mask with angle grinder sparks, that's just laziness in my books plus a good weld should require no grinding as my old engineering tutor used to say.
While the heart beats as a result of electrical activity duplicated in a pacemaker, an EMF would, I believe, be unlikely to produce an arresting current flow across the heart. I simply do not know if a heart could be stopped by a close proximity EMF. It would seem the presence of a metal would be required. Perhaps someone reading this has more and better information.
I have no doubt the welders in the plans are safe. Insulate your connections well. Use safe practices when welding. Ground the chassis of the welder. For extra protection, put it on a GFCI protected circuit. (I am assuming a GFCI does not act up because it protects a welder. This would really be optional additional protection.)
I hope this all helps you.