Welding is the process of joining two pieces of metal together using heat. Are you interested in learning how to weld? While welding is a hands-on task, reading the instructions on this page can help you learn how to weld.
Tips
If your piece is overhead or vertical turning the machine down will help control the puddle.
On thin pieces, using a block of wood behind the metal will help you keep the puddle going without having blow out.
Moving the rod in a moon-like pattern is a common technique. Rock halfway on each side and curl back to the other
If using more than one weld start your rod just after where the first weld finished and pull back over to ensure one continuous bead.
Welding short one-two inch welds can keep the metal from warping.
Most DIY stores carry special hammers to remove the protective flux, well worth the investment.
Introduction
Welding is a professions that takes minutes to grasp, but years to master. One of the great things about welding is you can take what you've learned from one machine and apply it to another. While MIG welding involves wire and "Stick" uses a metal rod, the general principles involved in both methods is similar.
Before You Start: Safety Concerns
Welding has three different areas of risk, all of which can cause serious, if not fatal, injury.
- Electricity: Most welding involves creating a short on purpose in order to melt metal. So all standard electrical warnings apply: stay out of high moisture areas, maintain a solid ground to the piece you're working on, and don't overload circuits.
Step 1: Preparation
- Paint, rust, or other foreign substances can make your weld brittle and faulty. It's always best to clean the metal back to it's bare state. You can use sandpaper, a grinder or even a metal brush depending on what's on the metal. Be sure to use a clean rag to wipe off the metal when finished.
- Read your welder's manual. Seriously. Welders, especially newer ones, can be complicated to operate or have specific issues. Amount of time in use on the smaller units is common, for example.
- Purchase or obtain gloves, safety glasses and a welding hood. They're readily available at any DYI store and will last through many projects.
Step 2: Setting Up
Apply the welding ground to the piece you're going to work on. Welding becomes a lot less complicated if you can shift the piece where you're welding from above. Adjust the piece so that your arms are comfortable and remain steady. A common trick that welders use is using a pair of vice grips to give an arm a place to rest.
Step 3: The Weld
When you go to weld you create what is termed the "puddle". A puddle is nothing more than molten metal. Your goal is to push that puddle across the piece you're wanting to weld.
Practicing on scrap of the same thickness will surely help. Practicing not only allows you to get a rhythm down, but adjust your welding machine.
When fitting pieces together try and keep the gap as small as possible. This keeps the puddle from falling through. Keep the angle of your rod (or gun if using MIG/TIG) near the 1 o'clock position to push your puddle across.
If you're experiencing "blow out", where a large hole opens up as you're welding, try turning your machine down. Should the blow out happen in the middle of the weld, it could be that your pace had slowed to a point where the heat was too much for the metal to take. Your pace should be stable, if not getting quicker as you move across the piece.
If your weld ends up with a large hump in the middle, it's quite possible you're moving too slow or your machine is down too far.
Practicing allows you to fine tune your machine while getting rhythm and speed. Once you have both down it becomes very easy to transfer that to the piece that needs work.
