Welder World Blog

Archive for November, 2009

Welding is a hazardous activity that poses safety and health risks if precautionary measures are not followed. One effective way of preventing accidents when working with welded materials is by wearing the proper welding attire.

For safety reasons, all welders must give utmost attention to protecting themselves. Welding, in the first place, is a serious undertaking. Anyone who works with metal is constantly exposed to serious hazards such as, among others, radiation, air contamination, fire and explosion and many others.

Welding or metal fabricating creates flying sparks and chipped slag, and emits intense visible light and invisible rays. To protect your eyes and skin from burns and other possible hazards, wear heat and flame-resistant attire. Helmet is one of the most important safety accessories to protect the eyes and head from different intensities of arc rays.

Most welding experts recommend the use of auto-darkening helmets due to its versatility. This type of welding helmet can be used to different welding processes such as MIG, Stick or TIG. Before you purchase one, check if it has the safety and protection compliance from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI).

When working with metal, don’t forget to button pockets and cuffs to avoid them from catching fire and sparks. Refrain from wearing shorts and t-shirts with short sleeves and open collars. These clothes are uncomfortable to wear and will leave you very susceptible to burns caused by sparks and arc rays.

As regards to welding footwear, the most recommended shoes and boots for welding are those that are made of high quality leather for they can withstand open flames and radiant heat without shrinking. Never wear cloth and synthetic shoes because they can easily catch a spark and smolder unnoticed. Their components can also abruptly melt and stick to your skin.

Wearing the proper gloves is also necessary when handling welded metals. Flame-resistant gloves will protect you from burns, sparks and heat from the workpiece. Always bear in mind that even a fast tack weld necessitates the use of a helmet and appropriate welding attire.

In order to prevent eye irritation caused by repeated exposure to radiation and intense rays, wearing safety glasses is also advised. Welder’s glasses and helmets these days usually come in different degrees of darkness depending on the welding job. This feature allows you to adjust shade setting to provide the most needed vision protection.

I have a lincoln welder (flux core 100 weld pack hd) and i bought hobart wire for it, .035, just like my welder takes, is that going to be a problem at all?

Why has my MIG wire gone bad all of a sudden?

“I’ve been using this MIG wire for the last six months without a problem”. “Now after having used many spools the wire its gone bad”. “What’s happened?

Sound familiar? The trouble here is that the person or company that you bought your MIG wire from cannot guarantee you quality.

Did you buy the cheapest stuff you could find? Ha-ha…As the saying goes, “he who buys on price, and price only, gets what he paid for”.

Sounds harsh but that’s the truth. Quite often you find end users happily welding away with their current brand of MIG wire. When all of a sudden they go and open up the next new pallet of wire that just arrived, slap it on the machine and the welds are all over the place.

Spatter, burn backs wire not feeding properly and so. What’s going on, they think to themselves. “Ahh, I know, it must be a worn contact tip”. So off they go and replace the contact tip with a new one. But no, sure enough same problem. “Well, it’s been a while since I change the liner”. So off they go and do that. Yet sure enough the same problem is still there.

They think to themselves, “well I’ve changes everything else, it can’t be the wire. It’s brand new and I’ve been using it for over six months without any trouble”.

This is such a common thing to come across in the welding industry, and it affects everyone throughout the world. Whether you’re in the USA, Australia, New Zealand…anywhere.

So what is it, what’s the problem?

The problem is quality.

The person who is supplying your wire can not guarantee you quality. But you think to yourself, it can’t be the wire, no way. I’ve been using this (xxxx) brand wire for ages. They are a huge massive company, they sell MIG’s, TIG’s all sorts of welding gear no way can it be the wire that’s giving me problems….can it?

The trouble is that unless you are guaranteed the quality of you welding wire your “up a creek without a paddle”, so to speak.

With so many people selling welding wire these days it is extremely hard to come by a quality wire. The majority of goods made in the world today come from China or India. With huge populations and low wages, they are the cheapest places to buy things from.

There are over three hundred manufacturers of welding wire in China alone. What does this mean to the quality of your MIG wire?

This means that if the brand of wire on the box is (xxxx) they are not the manufacture of it. You need to ask the sales person….ARE YOU THE MANUFACTURER OF THIS WIRE?

Because what happens behind the scenes is the company you bought the wire from has a big argument with their supplier in China or where ever. And they say stuff ya….well go next door and buy from them. Hey with over 300 manufacturers in China alone they can pick and choose who they like.

So they change their manufacturing supplier, and this happens all the time. But when they change manufacturer the quality also changes. That’s why your wire has gone bad. And that’s why they can’t guarantee you the quality.

Simple as that.

Each time they change their manufacturing supplier the quality changes as well. There is a huge difference in quality of wires.

Okay so what do I do now, which wire do I buy?

The secret is to buy a wire that is supported by the manufacturer. You need a manufacturer that has been producing quality welding wires for years and years so that they have the art perfected.

Did you know that there are general “quality” MIG wires and precision MIG wires? Which type of wire do you think that the big boys use? When I say that I mean vehicle manufacturers, earthmoving manufacturers and so on, company’s that use it by the tonne. What do you think they are after in a welding wire?

They are after:

• Precision

• Reliability

• Repeatability

• Consistency

• Quality

• Accuracy

How much money would Toyota or Mitsubishi or Caterpillar lose per minute if a welding machine was down? I sure bet it would be an awful, awful lot of money. These manufactures don’t want a single welding machine in an assembly line to break down. Cause if one thing stops, the whole show stops.

http://www.learn-how-to-weld.com/mig-welding-wire.html

Cheers,

Peter Apalais

I have a Lincoln xp135 and I am having a lot of problems with weld splatter that I have never had. I have tried various power and wire feed settings, and now I’m wondering if it is due to low ArCO2 in my tank? Any thoughts? I am a decent welder, but it is a hobby, so I don’t do it enough to be second nature. I appreciate any help.

Hi, I am trying to use a webcam (Logitech Quickcam Express) to take pictures of the Sun throughout the day for one of the projects I am working on. In order to protect the camera lens from being burnt by the direct sunlight, I think it might be a good idea to place a piece of welding glass in front of the camera. However, I need to determine the optimal shade number of the welding glass for my particular application. Does anyone know what shade number(s) I should choose? Thanks.

The welded wire mesh is a metal screen that is made up of low carbon steel wire or stainless steel wire. It is available in various sizes and shapes. It is widely used in agricultural, industrial, transportation, horticultural and food procuring sectors. It is also used in mines, gardening, machine protection and other decorations.

Different types of welded wire mesh:

There are several types of welded wire mesh which can be categorized according to their structure, use and characteristics

Electro galvanized welded wire mesh with square opening

This type of welded wire mesh is designed for building fencing and in other infrastructural purposes. It is a corrosion resistant wire mesh that is largely used in structural building. It is also available in different forms like rolls and panels for industrial uses.

Hot dipped galvanized welded mesh

This type of mesh wire is generally made up of plain steel wire. At the time of processing it goes through a hot zinc covering process. This type of welded mesh ware with square opening is ideal for animal cage structuring, fabricating the wire boxes, grilling, partition making, grating purposes and machine protection fencing.

PVC Coated Welded Mesh

PVC coated welded mesh with plastic covering is constructed with galvanized iron wire of high quality. It has PVC powder covering that is processed by an automatic machine. The smooth plastic coating on this corrosion protective wire is attached with a strong adhesive which make increases durability of the wire. It is used in fencing residential and official properties like gardens, parks, building etc. The

PVC coated welded mesh which is available as both rolls and panels, is also available in different colors like white, black, green etc.

Welded Stainless Steel Mesh

This kind of welded mesh wire is basically used in industrial fencing purposes. It is made up of stainless steel that has high strength and integrity. This corrosion resistance meshed wire is long lasting and is widely used in transportation, agricultural, mining, entertainment and other service sectors.

Welded Wire Fencing Panels:

This is a type of meshed wire that is available as panels and is basically used for fencing purposes. It is available with or without galvanization. The non-galvanized version comes for a lower cost.

Welded Steel Bar Gratings:

This type of welded mesh wire provides advantages like high strength, easy installation and feasible cost. It is mostly used for grating roads, making drainage coverings and building safety walls. It also has uses in chemical plantation, platform grating, metallurgy etc.

Can I plug it into the dryer plug which is a 240 v, 30amp? How high can I run the amps up on the welder before it blows the circuit breaker? And would it only trip the breaker or would it damage the welder or wireing from the breaker to the dryer plug. I’m basically trying to find out how high I can turn up the amps on the welder before it will trip the breaker.

Beyond the welding torch and equipment a welder uses to do their work, there’s also a need for certain welding equipment and protective clothing to be certain that welder is safe. There are a selection of items that are necessary to the welder’s safety. Here are some of the most significant :

Helmets — a helmet has several purposes for safe welding. It protects your head and face from catching fire and provides protection to your eyes from the flash and extreme temperature of the flame. In accordance with OSHA standards, the helmet shell must be resistant to electricity and fire, and it’s got to be opaque so it protects your eyes from the glare. The plate on the outside must be made of plastic that’s polycarbonate because that is the only type of polymer which will protect from UV rays.

The helmet must have a lens filter that’s glass that has an internal layer that protects you from the glare. The filters go from 2-14 with the helmet getting darker as the values get higher. This is a matter of choice in terms of how dark you would like the helmet filter.

Gloves — although you can see some welders who do not use gloves, they are an essential part of any welder’s gear. These protect your hands from sparks, burns and electrical shock. You can find them in form fit models that help your hands remain flexible and you can get them unlined or lined. Gauntlet gloves will also protect your upper arms and wrists.
Hats or doo-rags — both of these are worn for a similar reason. A do rag is the wrap that appears like a bandana that wraps round the head. A welding hat or do rag is worn to absorb perspiration and shield sparks from your workpiece. Most hats will shield your ears in addition to your head.

Boots – make sure your boots are fire retardant and that they are above-the-ankle because they will protect you from fire. Confirm also that you lace them all of the way and put your pants inside the boots. These are extra safety measures that will keep you protected when you are welding.

Respirators — when you’re in a location where ventilation isn’t perfect, you must use a respirator. If they do not provide them they should be in a position to give you the kind you want for being compliant.

General safety procedures — be sure that you are wearing the right garments while welding. Confirm garments are manufactured from a heavy one hundred percent cotton or wool and the fabric is built firmly. This could defend against open flames and any hot metal that sparks. Do not wear synthetic fabrics as they’re straightforward to start on fire.
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The WPS pipe welding, single V butt weld. Can anybody explain what is the important think in WPS?

If you’re already looking at getting your Welder Associate’s degree in Florida or anywhere in the rest of the country, you have probably heard about how much demand there is for qualified welders in the industry.

There are lots of high paying, entry level welding jobs available to qualified welders who have passed their certification tests. Since welding regulation is so granular in the United States and the qualifications are so different based on where you got your welding associates degree or other welding training, it’s important to have good core education to back you up as you search for a fulfilling and lucrative welding career.

Many Welding Opportunities Available In a Variety of Locations

There are many different choices for someone who has attained a Welder Associate’s degree. Some pay much better than others.

• Entry-level “roustabout” welding job on an off shore oil rig can pay up to $60,000 a year, and workers typically get half the year off.

• Joining a local welding union will also help you get steady work with good pay. It’s common knowledge that union jobs pay better than non-union jobs. If you have a more artistic bent working in a custom design shop or machine shop could be a perfect application of your welding skills.

• Pipe welders often make more money than those who can’t weld pipes. Also, welders who can successfully weld different materials such as aluminum and stainless steel are also in high demand and can get paid a lot more.

• Different types of welding have different applications and different pay scales. MIG welding is common and is the easiest type to perform. TIG welding is harder and typically those who are successful TIG welders do well.

Getting an Associate’s Degree is a Great First Step for a Welding Career

The key to finding a welding job that can make your monetary dreams come true is to succeed in the field to begin with. Getting a welding associate’s degree from an accredited welding school is the most important step because that training will help you get a foot in the door so that you can continue your practical education on the job.