Get Ready to Laugh

I used to see a lot of that when I worked in factories. People with coveralls all burnt to hell. Big holes in them and about 30 patches to cover the hole(s). Setting cardboard on fire. Setting wood on fire. These are all reasons why I am asking this stuff, because this is the experience I have had WITH people who "knew" how to weld in places I have worked. :)

I do plan on wearing the welding gloves. I have burnt myself enough touching hot metal in places I have worked, with inadequate work gear (and not by my choice, either). The manual/book suggested a rubber mat to stand on, so I figured it was a grounding type thing. So, what you are saying is, use some kind of plier type thing, while wearing the welding gloves, to handle the metal I am welding with one hand, and the stinger with the older (and also wearing a welding glove). Is that correct?

from the sparks and slag falling from your work piece.

Okay, I will keep that in mind. I thought about that too, but I am still unsure why Lincoln Electric mentioned it. Other than maybe to stand on if you have wet conditions.

Hey, I am not Norm Abrams, Bob Villa, OR Al Borland (Home Improvement); so no worries there. :)

I have one of those already downstairs, and was actually thinking of where I would mount it.

The whole problem is, I don't really know anyone who does weld. Other than a few places I used to work, and even there with stuff I have seen over the years I often wonder if they are doing any better than me. :) I actually came across those "How-To" links last night either before or after I made my original post. With me, it is like I need to get the "does it work" stage over and done with first, before I start reading up on stuff and such. I go to a lot of factories on a daily-basis through my job, so I am picking up scrap pieces of metal I can practice welding with/on. So, once I do have everything I need, I can just grab some scrap metal and practice my beads.

Where are you located? Maybe someone on the list is nearby. It's amazing what a six-pack will get you...

Sorry Leo, I was allowing for some dickering space.. I did not want to offer to much. I did not want to get took. :)

Tom Martinello pliers

You don't need pliers, as long as you are wearing another welding glove. The goal is to keep yourself out of the path of least resistance. If the current has a easy way out (through the work, through the table, through the ground clamp) then you are OK. Suppose that you have a nice steel table and the ground clamp is attached to the table. You can hold the work down with your other hand no problem. If you pick the work piece up, you become the easiest path to ground.

I understand Martha Stewart has a new line coming out. It is stripes.

Steve ;-)

Always wear safety glasses under the hood. Always. Sparks find their way around the hood, and you want your eyes covered. Also, if you don't, sooner or later you'll forget to put the glasses back on before you start chipping or grinding.

The magnets (probably red arrow looking things) can cause issues with the arc if you weld near them. Probably best to hold off on those until you learn what it's supposed to feel like first.

I think he's talking about channel-locks, which are a good idea.

My kind of guy!

I have found out that I can watch someone for a short time, and learn more than reading a book or the manuals all day. I can teach someone on the same basis. There is a lot of information in those manuals and books, but you don't need all of it at once. And it is not organized all the time, so what you need to know is here and there amongst the rest of it.

As said, if you can find someone who welds, they can shorten your learning curve a lot to get you going. After that, it is just doing it, and having your natural talent come out. Most people can learn to weld, but not all have a TALENT for it. It is just like talent to draw, paint, or play music. Most can learn, but not all are really talented.

Good luck and have fun.

Steve

the advice (about the pliers) was most probably for picking up the hot (temp wise) materials so as not to scorch/burn the gloves

I've been shocked from my Lincoln AC-225. OCV is 80 volts but it was just a tingle. The scenario was very rare. It was the end of the hot welding day. I was sweating and had shorts on. I had laid the stinger down to hammer off slag. Eventually the metal cooled and I took off my gloves. Still admiring and planning the next weld, bare sweaty knee on concrete, I went to change to a new electrode and touched the end of the old.... there was a funny buzz in my hand. I realized I was lucky in that conditions could have been for a better electrical contact and weren't. I've been shocked much worse touching a washing machine that had reverse polarity to the frame or touching lamp switch while bare belly was in contact with the TV picture tube... Ouch!

The point is to be aware of what you're doing and maybe do a few experiments. We've seen fires started by rubbing two sticks together but the likelihood of that happening in modern life is small and equal to getting shocked by your welder. (You will have better luck starting fires with your welder than getting shocked by it.)

About the ground clamp: You always need to connect it so that electricity will flow from the machine, through what you are welding and then back to the machine. I hope that's clear. If it first goes through a metal table in the process, so be it. Sometimes it is necessary to have the clamp as close to the weld as possible, like welding on your car. Sometimes, with DC welding and arc-blow, you need to reposition the ground. Direct answer to your question below is NO, not ALWAYS. This will become clear after you weld a bit. Turn on the machine and have at it. :^)

is arc blow MINIMIZED with the AC or ELIMINATED?

a tingle. The scenario was very

on. I had laid the stinger down to

Still admiring and planning the next

and touched the end of the old....

conditions could have been for a better

polarity to the frame or touching

experiments. We've seen fires started by

life is small and equal to getting

your welder than getting shocked by

will flow from the machine, through

it first goes through a metal table

close to the weld as possible, like

reposition the ground. Direct answer

weld a bit. Turn on the machine and

"Rich Jones" wrote

I have had metal slivers removed from my corneas twice. Both times, I was wearing safety glasses. I don't want to think about how many times I would have had to go if I hadn't been wearing glasses. Maybe if some of the larger particles that bounced off my glasses had hit my eye, I wouldn't have had to go very many times at all. Maybe just twice.

Always wear glasses, and get ear protection, too. I like the clamp style that goes in the ear canal. They hang around the neck when not in your ears. Find and use something you like.

Steve

I just wanted to comment on the lens filter packaged with Lincoln machines. I am a very inexperienced welder, (I'm much better at repairing welding machines.)

Not long ago I tried to weld using the lens filter packaged with a Lincoln machine and couldn't see much of anything. I don't remember the number but it was far too dark. I spoke to a friend who teaches a welding class and he recommended a filter that was a bit lighter. I had a much easier time.

You can't weld what you can't see. If you have any trouble seeing, change that filter lens to a shade recommended on this group. It's my understanding that all of the welding helmet filter lenses protect from UV light.

Eliminated. If you see the arc sputtering around in AC, that's other issues like bad/wet rod or you're welding on galvanized steel.

Oh, for criminy's sake, call your local community colleges, board of education, anything, and take a class. The couple hundred bucks spent would be much better than trial and erroring your way through this. I know squat about welding, but am paying my dues (in money and time) via the local community college welding course, and every question you've asked was answered in about the first hour of class.

Between accurately answering these questions, and having someone who knows what they're doing inspect your welds and technique, you really will be far, far ahead.

I would also suggest finding and patronizing a quality local welding shop. At some point, you'll probably be buying gas there, so why not start with lenses, gloves, etc. They'll be able to show you how to work all of the little gadgets and so forth. Heck, my local shop even cuts me a discount as long as I'm taking welding classes. (My local shop also has a website at

Not trying to flame or anything. I just think there is a right way and a wrong way to go about learning how to weld. I have just outlined the right way.

"George Howell" wrote

I know

Wow. For someone who doesn't know a lot, you sure know a lot!

Steve

At the risk of repeating some of what Zorro said - if you clip the clamp to your metal table and then lay your workpiece on it, the work piece and the table should form a circuit so the current can flow from the rod to your workpiece to the table and finally back to the clamp. Where this doesn't work is the situation when rust or some other coating prevents a good contact to be made between the workpiece and the table - remember, the contact area betweent the workpiece and the table have to carry the full welding current. Sometimes you will see sparking at the junction of the two and will get pitting on the surfaces caused by the arcing. If this happens then you can put the clamp directly on the workpiece or make a better contact with the table.

Putting the clamp on the workpiece is the best but often the weight of the clamp and cable make aligning pieces difficult. The welding circuit is not referenced to ground so current should not be trying to flow to ground. You should be able to touch the stinger and a ground and not get a shock (I do NOT recommend you try this in case there is some poor insulation) but if you touch the bare tip of the rod and the clamp you will get a tingle from the

Zorro brings up a good point to repeat since it can cost some needless expense if forgotten. If you are welding on a car put the clamp as close to the weld area as possible so the current through the car body can go directly to the clamp with the absolute shortest path. This greatly reduces the chance of currents getting into sensitive electronics. Some weldors disconnect the battery also. If you are welding on something like a wheel hub make sure the clamp is on the hub not the car frame so the current does not have to pass through a bearing to get to the clamp. The current flowing through the bearing rollers/balls will likely arc and cause pitting.

In other words no matter what you are welding (including on your table) think about how the current is going to flow from the rod back to the clamp!

billh