Grumpy applies the pressure to the stickwelders

[grumpy]

Running your first welding bead.
Well not yet, you must do the safety first!



You have made the purchase and have got the welder, the sticks, the welding helmet, the electrodes, the gloves and the chipping hammer.



It’s a real good idea to have a welding bench. Squatting down on the ground should only be tolerated long enough for you build your bench. Welding benches need to be impervious to the operations performed on them. Note welding arcs generate up to 60000 C, More than hot enough to start fires. That should tell you that anything flammable on, in and around your bench can burn.




Each time your do a welding operation, get in the habit .Have a quick visual inspection ,Fuel cans, thinners .paints ,rags you get the idea. Sometimes the several seconds it takes to notice the heat of the flames is enough for a fire to be to advanced to be put out and then you have real problems.




If you are a rank new starter obtain some scrap steel at least 4,5,6,mms thick and long enough to run say beads of 100mm.

Two point five mm diameter electrodes are good enough.



OK guys here’s the deal.
Each time we get a registration (its free) I will continue with a bit more. We need members and contributors and as the saying goes ,there’s no free lunch - just free registration. At the moment people are floating in ,grab the goodies and bug out.
2 new registrations and I’ll take it through to striking an arc and running the beads.

You will get no follow up advertising or contact is going to be made to you.I have been a couple or years and nothing yet!

Seems fair enough

grumpy

[rvk355]

thats something that i still have to get around to fabricating, been meaning to fab up a welding bench for yonks.

[grumpy]

Hi RVK
re your weld table
Put the bugger on castors other wise it will be in the bloody way all or some of the time. That way you can push it outside to weld and grind and not get crap on the Commodore.

Mine came from school where it was a teachers staffroom table .

The table top has decomposed and was a throw away , but the steel base comes from a time when things weren't made in china.The drawer came in handy for all the crap you don't need on the table.

Put at least one locking castor on it.Castors off feral shopping trolleys would do nicely.
Grumpy

[rvk355]

yer thats what i was thinking mate, as i now have limited room in the shed, each time i wana do something now i have to move stuff around

[grumpy]

One thing I don't think I have covered before is vision. If your vision is not good to begin with you are limited. I have discovered that more than a few of the guys I trained improved their welding by a trip to the optometrist.
In the main this was the over 40's mob who were in for a welding course but a few young fellas had problems as well.

When they came back they were surprised how their new level of vision, enabled more visual feedback and therefore better understanding and control they achieved over their welding. There are also magnified inserts the same shape as the welding lens shield cover that can fit the helmet window.These are available through welding supply outlets in 2,2.5 and 3 power.

Don't forget the humble welding shield lenses get dirty too,so pull them out on a regular basis and clean them.

Well if you have your welder,your safety kit and checked your area you are ready to weld.

The welding circuit needs current flowing between the electrode and the arc.

To strike an arc use a scrap piece with the weld earth or return clamp attached. Use a motion as in striking a match.

An arc should result.To maintain it try and keep a arc length (the space between the plate and the end of the electrode ) about the thickness of the metal rod that forms the electrode.

The rod is eaten away by the burning arc so it necessary to a feed it downwards at the same time as you travel to deposit the bead.

When the arc is struck watch the width and when it gets sat 1.5 times the electrode width move and keep moving at the speed to maintain that width.
keep the beads less than 50 mm long until you start getting consistent eight and width.

Thats all for today

Grumpy