Why Weld?
Welding can be a great skill or hobby, and it can even evolve into a part-time job or a full-time career. Learning how to weld isn’t as difficult as you think. It’s certainly something you can pick up and use for DIY projects without spending a lot of time or money on classes. Welding is like any other skill though, in that it does take some practice. Before actually picking up a MIG gun or electrode, check out our Beginners Guide to Welding your first Joint for a general overview and important tips.
Step 1: Welding Safety
Safety needs to be your number one concern when it comes to welding. While some aspects of welding can be dangerous, once you learn basic safety precautions it can be a great new skill to learn or add to your resume. You can easily burn yourself or damage your vision without the right safety equipment. It’s also possible to start a fire while welding, so you need to make certain your work area is safe, too.
Your basic safety equipment should include welding gloves, a helmet, a jacket or welding apron, safety glasses, work boots, and optionally a respirator. You want to make certain the helmet you’re using is dark enough that it protects your eyes from the incredibly bright light of the welder. Many experts recommend purchasing an auto-darkening helmet. The glass in these helmets incorporates LCD technology that can almost instantaneously darken the glass to protect your eyes when bright light is detected. When there’s no overly bright light, the glass is clear.
You do want to make certain that all of the equipment you purchase is rated for use in welding. For example, while there are many thick work gloves out there, not all of them are going to fully protect you given the temperatures seen in welding.
You’ll also want to have basic safety equipment around your worksite. This equipment includes a fire extinguisher, fire blankets, and an eye wash bottle or station.
Step 2: Choosing a Process
If you haven’t welded before and don’t know much about it, you may assume that all welding is the same. While there are several methods of welding used today, we’re going to focus on the three most common. You’ll want to pick one to start with, but you can certainly try all three to see if there’s one that you like better or that works better for a specific project.
Stick welding or Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) is the most popular arc welding method. This method uses a power source and an electrode (the “stick” of stick welding) of fixed length to join different metals. Electric current flows through the electrode and arcs across to the metal you’re joining. The electrodes are covered in a flux which when ignited, creates a shield of gas around the arc and weld puddle. Filler metal also comes from the electrode. This type of welding has several uses and requires the least joint preparation.
Metal Inert Gas or MIG welding makes use of an automated wire-feed welding gun instead of a stick electrode. In addition, shielding gas (usually an Argon mix) is pushed out of the nozzle and onto the two materials being welded together. The gas protects the wire from air impurities, creating a cleaner weld. MIG welding is generally considered the easiest method for the beginner.
Tungsten Inert Gas or TIG welding makes use of a tungsten electrode to create an arc along with shielding gas feed by the TIG gun. Filler material is introduced via a filler rod in the operators other hand. TIG will produce the most aesthetic welds but at the cost of some speed compared to the other methods. It also requires a bit more skill.
Step 3: Equipment
In addition to your safety gear, you’ll need a number of other pieces of equipment. The most important and expensive item will be your welder. Many welders out there allow you to perform all three types of weld (a multi-process machine), so you don’t necessarily need to be concerned with limiting yourself to one method right away. Experts recommend investing in a good welder rather than buying a cheap one—you do get what you pay for.
Other basic items you’ll need to get started include:
- Extra Consumables (Welding Rod or Wire, Nozzles and Tips)
- Shielding Gas (MIG/TIG)
- A Wire Brush and Chipping Hammer
- Welding Pliers
- An Angle Grinder
- C-Clamps
Down the road, investing in a welding cart certainly helps in even small moves as well as keeping everything organized. A good welding table is also invaluable and makes a great first project.
Step 4: Preparation
Good welding joints need preparation. Removing mill scale, dirt and other impurities can be the difference between a marginal weld and one that will last forever. Don’t be shy with the angle grinder. Exposing clean bare metal also gives us a nice strong arc to work with. Grinding a clean spot for your ground clamp is also recommended for a solid welding circuit.
Once your materials are prepared, we can now setup our welding machine and shielding gas and ‘plan’ the joint. The last thing we want is to find out you can’t reach a location mid-weld.
Using clamps to secure the materials while tacking is a good idea especially if you’re welding heavy components.
Step 5: Welding the Joint
Now it’s time to finally weld the joint. There are a few different steps to actually welding two pieces of metal together. First, you need to determine the type of joint you’re going to use.
Common Joints
- Butt – The metals are welded side by side with the filler material in between them.
- Lap – The two pieces overlap.
- Edge – The two pieces are joined on one edge that is completely covered with filler material (imagine the materials like pages in a book and the edge joint as the spine).
- T Weld – One piece is welded perpendicular to the other, creating a T shape. The weld is done on both sides of the perpendicular piece.
Hand Position
Next, think of your hand position. You want to move as few parts of your body and the welding gun as possible so that everything is steady and flows smoothly. You want to use both hands on the welding gun or use your off-hand’s wrist to guide your other hand. Do a few practice runs with the welder turned off before beginning to weld. When welding depending on the process used, we’ll either be pushing or pulling the gun/electrode. Both have pros and cons to them, so it’s best to practice both.
Tack Welding
Start off by tack welding your materials. We aren’t looking to deposit a ton of material here but rather just enough to hold everything together. Tacking lets us preset pieces to be welded and gives us a chance to make changes before welding. It’s also the time to check for level or make sure things are square.
Laying Down a Weld Bead
We now lay down our first ‘bead’. Beads are to welding what seams are to sewing—they all get the job done, but they do have different uses. Stringer beads are the most basic type of bead. You either push or pull your gun across your joint with very little side-to-side motion. The other common option is to use a weave bead. Weave beads are good for wide welds. Here, you weave back and forth along the joint often times performing a pattern such as a cursive letter ‘e’.
It’s important to move at a steady consistent pace when welding. We don’t want to linger in one spot too long or rush the joint. Depending on the thickness of your materials, the joint may require more than one bead or ‘pass’ as well. Brushing or grinding between passes may be required for certain welding processes too.
Once you’ve finished your final bead, we are ready for the final step.
Step 6: Final Grinding + Finishing
The final step is to grind the weld down. This may not always be necessary—if the look of the weld doesn’t matter or if the weld won’t be visible, it’s fine to leave it as it is. If you do want to grind, though, you’ll want to carefully grind along the weld. Don’t grind across it as you’ll weaken its integrity. Take it slow, and be very careful that you don’t over-grind right through the weld.
Welded joints will rust (they are often the first area to rust too) so some protection may be required if the joint will be exposed to a wet or damp environment. A rust-through primer can help but can be pricy if you need a lot of it.
Final Thoughts
Now that you’ve got an idea of the basics of welding, you’re ready to give it a try! Welding is something that you can teach yourself with the right resources and some practice. In the end, you may find that you’ve picked up a new hobby that you really enjoy and a new skill that has many practical applications.
