No. Nope. Don't. Do. That.
Purchase the correct wiring devices to connect your welder. If you cannot decide which the right ones are, an electrician should be hired to install what you need. This is probably a two or three hour job and will wind up costing at most two hundred dollars.
Consider this to be money well spent.
Jim
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Yes indeedy! Cheap compared to what doing otherwise will probably cost your next-of-kin.
Al Moore
Ok this is my first time using a welder, does this look well setup? I'm going to be wearing jeans, sneakers and leather gloves as well. I'm just paranoid about being electrocuted.
Thanks for the help, one more question. I don't have a 220v plug, is it ok to just push the wires into the dryer plug I'm using (the breaker is OFF) for now? Here's a pic (btw I made sure the breaker is definitely off on this outlet, it has its own 30amp breaker).
Also I'm 95% sure of this, but the white and black wires don't go in any particular side right?
Thanks
Michael Shaffer wrote:
Being incredibly cheap, I would stop by the Goodwill or other thrift store and see what they have in connectors. I am assuming that the welder uses 240 volts, so a dryer receptacle and plug would work.
I much prefer a helmet that fits on the head and kind of wraps around the face a bit. I have not used a hand held eye filter, but would think it would be awkward. I like to have one hand free to hold things in place sometimes. Regular welding gloves are a good thing. They have some extra thickness to protect from heat and they have long cuffs so there is no exposed skin between the cuffs on your shirt and the gloves.
You can weld on top of plywood, but you would be better off if you can get some steel from a scrap yard. The plywood won't catch on fire easily, but will char.
Synthetic fiber is not a good idea. It melts and sticks to the skin. It could also catch fire and be really unpleasant. Sneakers aren't the best either. But I have to admit the last time I welded, I was wearing low cut boots that were not laced up and tied. And I got a few small hot bits inside the boots. Not a real problem, but not good for the socks.
So don't get too paranoid. But don't have any exposed wires on the house side of the welder. Do have the welder grounded. The other side is not dangerous provided you don't work where it is wet or have any sharp edges that can get thru the skin. I can't remember getting shocked while welding ( except for the high voltage on a TIG welder. That is high frequency so not very dangerous ).
Dan
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