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So that machine is a good choice - one step closer to getting welding then! Next, what do I need to know about safety? A welding mask is obviously needed, gloves would be essential too. Apart from that, what would I need? Would suitable protection be given by a pair of jeans and a thick cotton jumper, or would I end up burning my self?
rich r
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Get an auto darkening mask off eBay - TrueFusion for example do fairly good ones for under £30. They also do kits with a cap and gloves for about £40.
Close weave long sleeved cotton top will be fine. You actually tend to do more damage from angle grinding (you do have one of those don't you?) than you do from welding sparks. It's worth picking up a decent sized stiff wire brush - Poundland do quite adequate one for £1
The other thing you'll need is a quantity of steel to practice on. Ideally 6mm plate or bar. You should be able to find something suitable rusting away somewhere, that you can clean up with your grinder.
Did you watch the video I posted a link to in post #7? I would do - it's under an hour and very good. That'll give you a good idea of what you need and why. Some things have moved on in the 25 years since that was made (auto darkening helmets for example), but with arc welding, there's so little to the process, that not much has changed.
Close weave long sleeved cotton top will be fine. You actually tend to do more damage from angle grinding (you do have one of those don't you?) than you do from welding sparks. It's worth picking up a decent sized stiff wire brush - Poundland do quite adequate one for £1
The other thing you'll need is a quantity of steel to practice on. Ideally 6mm plate or bar. You should be able to find something suitable rusting away somewhere, that you can clean up with your grinder.
Did you watch the video I posted a link to in post #7? I would do - it's under an hour and very good. That'll give you a good idea of what you need and why. Some things have moved on in the 25 years since that was made (auto darkening helmets for example), but with arc welding, there's so little to the process, that not much has changed.
I watched all but the last ~3 minutes of the video. For the electrodes, it recommends storing them in a warm, dry place as they are effected by moisture, yet the driest place I can think of is actually in a freezer, yet they risk getting wet if any ice forms on them. Where would be a good place to store them, as a freezer surely wouldn't be suitable?
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We have an old sit up and beg gas cooker, and underneath the oven at the bottom is a place for storing rods; the missus keeps baking trays etc in there as well. I found rods I didn't think I had in there, 15-year-old Fincords, and they still ran well after all that time!
It depends what you are doing.
I find jeans and an old leather jacket fine. I use proper welding gauntlets which are only about £3 or £4 a pair. One thing to watch for is drops of molten metal and slag getting into your shoes. It hurts and can cause deep wounds which become infected.
Don't weld in sandals or gym shoes. Don't weld in a tee shirt. don't weld without some form of gloves.
Overhead welding is a different story and you can buy all the gear, monkey masks and all the rest to keep the hot dross off you.
What you are doing is to protect yourself from UV and hot objects and hot droplets. Leather seems good at protecting from this.
So, yes you can weld in a cotton jumper, especially if you are not doing too much, but you'd be far better off with an old leather jacket.
You can buy all the proper gear, and it's not that expensive.
http://www.rapidwelding.com/dynamic/Category.aspx?c=WELDSPWORK&o=0&zl=2&sq=7
Got the welder today, and managed to attack some mild steel with it 
. After a bit of practice I manages to strike an arc and sustain it for a bit, but at that point the steel was already covered in burn marks, spatter and melted flux (can't remember the word for it). I had fun playing with it; tomorrow I'll try and lay a bead, after cleaning it up with an angle grinder again!
I saw something saying this forum is very helpful, and it really is. Thanks for the help guys, and I'm sure I'll be back with more questions in no time at all
Does anyone have any good tips for when I start? I could do with getting an auto-darkening mask to see where I'm welding, but apart from that is it just practice to get a neat weld, where you want it?
. After a bit of practice I manages to strike an arc and sustain it for a bit, but at that point the steel was already covered in burn marks, spatter and melted flux (can't remember the word for it). I had fun playing with it; tomorrow I'll try and lay a bead, after cleaning it up with an angle grinder again!I saw something saying this forum is very helpful, and it really is. Thanks for the help guys, and I'm sure I'll be back with more questions in no time at all
Does anyone have any good tips for when I start? I could do with getting an auto-darkening mask to see where I'm welding, but apart from that is it just practice to get a neat weld, where you want it?The word is slag. You'll be seeing quite a bit of it now you've got your welder! Gets everywhere it shouldn't when you're learning, but knocks off easier as you get better.
Watch the arc tutorials on here a few times, and there are some quite good ones on you-tube, too. Miller have some good arc tutorials on their web site, or used to, some time back.
Get an auto mask as soon as you can, it's the best single thing to help you get started. Try to buy only good-quality rods, they make learning much easier. If you use known good rods you know the fault is something you are doing - or not doing - rather than anything to do with the rod.
Practice holding the rod in 'dry' runs, getting the feel of the torch and how to hold it fairly comfortably. If you find the rod tip bobbing about too much, despite using both hands, cut a rod or two in half and try that; often makes a lot of difference when you're starting to arc weld.
Lastly, study a bit of the theory stuff, correct angles, correct distance from the work piece, machine adjustment, etc, and try and put it into practice. Start on steel around 3 - 4mm thick, or thicker, don't try anything less to begin with. Just laying beads on top to start with, then trying to make a 'pad' by building up layers of weld is good practice.
If unsure of machine settings, start somewhere near the top end of the machine's own range guide for a given rod size, and then adjust downwards if its too hot.
Watch the arc tutorials on here a few times, and there are some quite good ones on you-tube, too. Miller have some good arc tutorials on their web site, or used to, some time back.
Get an auto mask as soon as you can, it's the best single thing to help you get started. Try to buy only good-quality rods, they make learning much easier. If you use known good rods you know the fault is something you are doing - or not doing - rather than anything to do with the rod.
Practice holding the rod in 'dry' runs, getting the feel of the torch and how to hold it fairly comfortably. If you find the rod tip bobbing about too much, despite using both hands, cut a rod or two in half and try that; often makes a lot of difference when you're starting to arc weld.
Lastly, study a bit of the theory stuff, correct angles, correct distance from the work piece, machine adjustment, etc, and try and put it into practice. Start on steel around 3 - 4mm thick, or thicker, don't try anything less to begin with. Just laying beads on top to start with, then trying to make a 'pad' by building up layers of weld is good practice.
If unsure of machine settings, start somewhere near the top end of the machine's own range guide for a given rod size, and then adjust downwards if its too hot.
rich r
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As someone who only recently started welding, and can now do reasonable welded joints (as long as it's with 6mm steel and either 2.5 or 3.2mm rods, and flat or horizontal welds - my verticals are OK, but not great every time), here are my top tips for getting started:
Use 2.5mm rods at 80A. They get consumed at a rate you can handle, and the arc length you need to maintain is basically just off the surface (1-2mm), which is easier to maintain. Smaller rods disappear quickly and leave a lot of slag. Move to 3.2mm when you're confident with 2.5 (you'll find them easier, but there's a lot more heat and you can't do small practice welds). Then have a go with 2.0mm later.
As others and all the tutorial say - start by laying straight beads on thickish (4-8mm) steel plate. Try running a bead at 90 degrees, then 75 degrees, then 45 degrees, then 20 degrees - so you can see the effect. You know the theory, but it's good to see how the arc behaves so you get more of a feel for how it works.
Practice going at different speeds and see how that affects it - again, you know from the videos and tutorials what should happen, but if you do it yourself you'll get more of a feel for what the right speed is.
Same with arc too long and arc too short. This won't be a long test - but it's an important one as you'll learn what the arc looks and sounds like if it gets too long, which is the most common problem you'll encounter until you get the hang of it.
Then just keep laying straight beads, removing off the slag, brushing it down and looking at what you've done, then doing it again and again and again until you get better
As said above - slag will be awkward to remove to start with, but as you get better control of the movement of the arc, you'll find that it just peels off in one piece with no more than a prod at one end, or even peels off as you go along if things are perfect. You'll also work out how long to leave the slag before removing it - that's dependent on the rods you use and how hot things got. Just remember that the slag can ping off as it cools so keep your eyes protected until it's stable.
Use 2.5mm rods at 80A. They get consumed at a rate you can handle, and the arc length you need to maintain is basically just off the surface (1-2mm), which is easier to maintain. Smaller rods disappear quickly and leave a lot of slag. Move to 3.2mm when you're confident with 2.5 (you'll find them easier, but there's a lot more heat and you can't do small practice welds). Then have a go with 2.0mm later.
As others and all the tutorial say - start by laying straight beads on thickish (4-8mm) steel plate. Try running a bead at 90 degrees, then 75 degrees, then 45 degrees, then 20 degrees - so you can see the effect. You know the theory, but it's good to see how the arc behaves so you get more of a feel for how it works.
Practice going at different speeds and see how that affects it - again, you know from the videos and tutorials what should happen, but if you do it yourself you'll get more of a feel for what the right speed is.
Same with arc too long and arc too short. This won't be a long test - but it's an important one as you'll learn what the arc looks and sounds like if it gets too long, which is the most common problem you'll encounter until you get the hang of it.
Then just keep laying straight beads, removing off the slag, brushing it down and looking at what you've done, then doing it again and again and again until you get better
As said above - slag will be awkward to remove to start with, but as you get better control of the movement of the arc, you'll find that it just peels off in one piece with no more than a prod at one end, or even peels off as you go along if things are perfect. You'll also work out how long to leave the slag before removing it - that's dependent on the rods you use and how hot things got. Just remember that the slag can ping off as it cools so keep your eyes protected until it's stable.
