Welding, shop safety and basic tools
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Welding basics
Shop safety, and a few basic tools
This should be the second thing to think about when deciding you want to learn to weld.
When welding there are a few things to consider so we shall go over shop hazards and hygiene.
First is to make sure that trip hazards are not anywhere. You are going be in a view limiting helmet so clear the area of old metal, jack stands or anything that can get under foot, and do that for the entire shop. Next get a cart for your tools, you do not want them underfoot either. Sweep the area of all metal shavings and build up every few hours as these can make slipping possible. Clean up the floor of all grease and water etc. generally keep the area free from anything you can trip on. Trust me this is a safety first.
Next make sure you have ample room for everything including getting away from something hot. Give yourself a minimum of around 3 feet to get away from the work. And have an area you can throw off gear in a hurry without causing something to bounce back at you. There are times when you want out of those gloves fast. Or need ot get out of there and obstructions can cause injury.
Look around for flammables and remove them, gasoline, open oil cans, paint cans, and any flammable can be set off by sparks, and sparks are going to fly.
Make sure you have proper ventilation for your work area so fumes do not build up, open a door, window or wall if necessary and use a fan.
Inspect your welding and power equipment for bad cords. Do not use a split cord it can cause a shock. Check all chords for proper grounding. Do not use a plug with the ground probe broken off.
Untangle all chords frequently, yes they are going to get messed up all around each other as you do this, grind that, weld a bit, and such. Just when you need 2 more inches the thing seems to be all wound up. Keep an eye on it.
That should cover basic welding shop safety, let us look at some basic tools
You will need at a minimum a few things, a slag hammer, a few wire brushes and a grinder. These are a must as they will be what help you prep and inspect welds. I like to have around 3 or 4 brushes as I misplace them all over, my slag hammer is one of those cheap all metal ones, they work great and are cheap, my grinder is a generic 6 inch one. Always stock a few extra wheels as you will find out soon enough about needing a spare and the use of different ones.
Besides those build up to all this as you go, if you are fabbing stuff you will want a sawsall, and if you can afford it a band saw. You are going to start quit a collection of welding visegrips, all different sizes and jaw shapes come in handy. A good vice clamp or 2 work real well also.
They make now these killer magnetic 90’s for holding stuff you will soon buy, they vary in price according to features.
An electric or strong cordless drill and a drill index, several wire brushes for the drill and some paint removing brushes. All nice during prep work.
Windex, one of the best anti grease things to spray on a project to clean it. And you will want to have a can of primer when finished to spray on the metal and prevent rust.
I could go on and on, but these will set you up nicely and I bet a lot of this stuff you already have in some form or have something that will work.
I find swap meets and garage sales are some of the best places to gather this kind of stuff as it is cheap and plentiful in these places. Most guys selling a slag hammer do not even know what it is for, and those old welding visegrips look like crapola from years of use, but do not generally wear out much. If the will clamp down and adjust, buy them.
So we have covered a few nice subjects in these first 2 articles, next we will move on about Mig machines and welding basics
Shop safety, and a few basic tools
This should be the second thing to think about when deciding you want to learn to weld.
When welding there are a few things to consider so we shall go over shop hazards and hygiene.
First is to make sure that trip hazards are not anywhere. You are going be in a view limiting helmet so clear the area of old metal, jack stands or anything that can get under foot, and do that for the entire shop. Next get a cart for your tools, you do not want them underfoot either. Sweep the area of all metal shavings and build up every few hours as these can make slipping possible. Clean up the floor of all grease and water etc. generally keep the area free from anything you can trip on. Trust me this is a safety first.
Next make sure you have ample room for everything including getting away from something hot. Give yourself a minimum of around 3 feet to get away from the work. And have an area you can throw off gear in a hurry without causing something to bounce back at you. There are times when you want out of those gloves fast. Or need ot get out of there and obstructions can cause injury.
Look around for flammables and remove them, gasoline, open oil cans, paint cans, and any flammable can be set off by sparks, and sparks are going to fly.
Make sure you have proper ventilation for your work area so fumes do not build up, open a door, window or wall if necessary and use a fan.
Inspect your welding and power equipment for bad cords. Do not use a split cord it can cause a shock. Check all chords for proper grounding. Do not use a plug with the ground probe broken off.
Untangle all chords frequently, yes they are going to get messed up all around each other as you do this, grind that, weld a bit, and such. Just when you need 2 more inches the thing seems to be all wound up. Keep an eye on it.
That should cover basic welding shop safety, let us look at some basic tools
You will need at a minimum a few things, a slag hammer, a few wire brushes and a grinder. These are a must as they will be what help you prep and inspect welds. I like to have around 3 or 4 brushes as I misplace them all over, my slag hammer is one of those cheap all metal ones, they work great and are cheap, my grinder is a generic 6 inch one. Always stock a few extra wheels as you will find out soon enough about needing a spare and the use of different ones.
Besides those build up to all this as you go, if you are fabbing stuff you will want a sawsall, and if you can afford it a band saw. You are going to start quit a collection of welding visegrips, all different sizes and jaw shapes come in handy. A good vice clamp or 2 work real well also.
They make now these killer magnetic 90’s for holding stuff you will soon buy, they vary in price according to features.
An electric or strong cordless drill and a drill index, several wire brushes for the drill and some paint removing brushes. All nice during prep work.
Windex, one of the best anti grease things to spray on a project to clean it. And you will want to have a can of primer when finished to spray on the metal and prevent rust.
I could go on and on, but these will set you up nicely and I bet a lot of this stuff you already have in some form or have something that will work.
I find swap meets and garage sales are some of the best places to gather this kind of stuff as it is cheap and plentiful in these places. Most guys selling a slag hammer do not even know what it is for, and those old welding visegrips look like crapola from years of use, but do not generally wear out much. If the will clamp down and adjust, buy them.
So we have covered a few nice subjects in these first 2 articles, next we will move on about Mig machines and welding basics
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