Welding wire and overalls

[future_jack]

I just went down to the local store there and got some welder wire. It's esab 0.8mm 12.51 autorod. Is this stuff good or are they all more or less the same and what does the 12.51 mean?


Aswell as that I need to get some overalls and was looking around but they only had 65% poly and the rest cotton. Are these alright for welding?

Cheers.

 

[Wotsit]

The minimum standard for protective clothing in the workplace when welding is EN470-1:1995/A
My personal standard is 100% cotton, or at least a fire resistant coating. Have a look on the label for the above European standard. If you are really worried look for overalls with NOMAX added these are by far the best.
Sorry cant offer any advice regarding the wire

 

[shenion]

Stick with name brand weld wire.

I bought some cheap wire, it fed poorly and corroded. My Lincoln and Hobart wire have been kept in my damp garage for a year and still look and work like new. The cheap wire turned brown/green within a few weeks. You could see a pattern about every 2' of corroded areas. Must have been uneven plating of the wire.

 

[Hitch]

Esab is one of the top brands, you shouldnt go far wrong with that.

Not entirely sure of what the 12.51 means in real terms, but it indicates the type of wire, autorod 12.51 is a general purpose wire, then you go up to 12.64, which has higher manganese and silicon levels.

Overalls, 100 cotton all the way imo. The polycotton ones usually seem a lot thinner, and they burn easier, get a few grinding sparks on them and you have a hole the sizeof your hand

 

[jugs]

For bench work I use 100% cotton overalls (dont tuck legs into boots or you'l be hopping mad ) with a leather apron.

For ALL other positions (including welding ) I use a 2 peice leather suit, hot in summer, but nice in winter, NO burns all year round.