34 Interesting Facts about Welding for Your Great Rest at Weekends (Part 3)

Fun facts about welding that may travel you through welding history and grow your love towards welding!

See also:
34 Interesting Facts about Welding for Your Great Rest at Weekends (Part 1)
34 Interesting Facts about Welding for Your Great Rest at Weekends (Part 2)
34 Interesting Facts about Welding for Your Great Rest at Weekends (Part 4)

19. Electric arch discovered for the first time back in 1802. The phenomena occurring in the arch was investigated and described later on. After that, the arch was practically applied. It was employed to weld and separate steel details since 1881. 10 years later, welding was advanced using the electric arch with electrode in the molten state. The first workshop in which welding works were done was founded in 1882 in Perm (Russia).

20. During the second world war, welding advancements enabled ships to be built super fast. The SS Robert E Peary set the record for the quickest constructed ship. Built in 1942, it took just 4 days, 15 hours, and 27 minutes. This record, funnily enough, has not been broken.

For the ship herself, she had a notable career as operating in both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans before ultimately being scrapped in June, 1963.

21. Over 50% of all man-made products rely on welding. From the trains, cars, plants we travel around in, to buildings we work, live in, or even the computer you are working on, they all require a welding spot before becoming full functional.

22. Fascinatingly, welding is called ‘the best kept secret’ to career as this important welding skill is always in demand. 

23. From ancient time, people were familiar with welding techniques. An image of ancient welder coupled with tool has been tracked down in long sealed Egyptian tombs. Still, the modern welding form appeared just after the 19th century.

24. Welding is one of few jobs that don’t require a college degree. Welders can attain a certificate in as few as 9 months to kick up this career and earn a secure living. Welders are graded by their skill level, and most jobs require a pass in the hands-on welding test.

25. A highly skilled welder can be paid the same as a doctor or lawyer. Welding is one of limited skills whose grasper can earn a six-figure income without any college degree. The highly skilled welder not hesitating to travel or/ and work in the hazardous conditions can get a good earning of more than $100,000.000 annually. 

As far as welding comes, the pays vary much. It all relies on how skilled the welder is and how far he/ she is willing to travel. Commonly, local jobs don’t pay a lot or require lots of skills. Still, if a student learns welding pipe and accepts to travel, then the wages are almost too tempting to be true. Being a welder, your career is what you create it. You can get a pay as humbly as $20,000.00 per year, or can seriously take your career to the top. Welding is the career that return a buck to those desiring the best and willing to travel globally to collect top dollar.

26. Welders can enjoy most unbelievable travels throughout their life as their job can involve in industrial shutdowns, shipping building and repair, military support, on-board ship maintenance and repair, pipe line installation, motor sports, underwater welding.

Welding means amazing travels

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5 Key Steps towards Best Welding Environment

For many reasons, it is important to achieve optimal welding environment. Those 5 steps can help you with that environment attainment.

The key to attract and retain skilled, experienced welders is to develop a safe and compliant working environment, and weld fume management is the crucial part of this process. Regulations specified by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) must be obeyed for compliance guarantee.

Hierarchy of Controls (OSHA) is the tool that enterprises can leverage to remove or mitigate work hazards. This hierarchy sketches out steps that employers should take to conform to the environmental regulations and enhance worker safety.

Below discusses 5 important steps that a company should take to strengthen its welding operations via appropriate weld fume management.

1. Be aware of the regulations

Regarding weld fume exposure, each country, region, state may include varying levels of enforcement or requirement. Clearly, any improvement process starts with the step of knowing the regulations applied in your area.

Make sure to review facilities with different operations spanning different geographic regions. There may be different regulations relying on their location.

Consult national, regional, or state agencies in your area to decide applicable regulations. 

2. Implement a site evaluation

Before carrying out any weld fume management controls, importantly implement air sampling and a comprehensive site evaluation to seize the levels and types of contaminants in the welding environment and the whole facility. As the welding environment is varied, an evaluation by a competent industrial hygienist can aid in the proper course-of-action determination.

Aside from considering the direct welding operations, take care of the entire environment because fumes produced by the welding process may not confine to a certain area. Figuring exposure levels in different areas throughout the facility will help create the most thorough weld fume management plan.

3. Determine the proper fume management system

The Hierarchy of Controls (OSHA) includes the first step of finding ways to handle weld fume exposure through modifying or substituting the process, before it happens. Thus, companies should make first consideration whether it is feasible to change the shielding gas, use low manganese filter metals, or change the weld transfer method.

In case process modification or substitution approaches aren’t feasible or fail to ease the levels of weld fume exposure, there are still 3 remaining steps clarified in the Hierarchy of Controls to ponder – those are, engineering controls, work practice controls, personal protective equipment (PPE).

4. Appropriate training

Once a proper fume management system is chosen, appropriate operator training is absolutely important to get intended compliance.

Employees must grasp any risks present in their working place, why it is necessary to safeguard from those risks, available products for their best protection, and how to properly use those products. You can carry out many controls and systems though, if your employees fail to use them properly, it is hard to attain the desired results.

Also, employee training includes understanding how to properly maintain and care about the fume equipment. For example, you may make fume extraction system maintenance by regularly cleaning or changing filters to ensure the system operation at its fullest capacity.  

Inspecting, maintaining and properly storing the respirator are also significant to help with a full protection of the welder. Include developing a filter change schedule  in your written respiratory protection program.

5. Evaluation and Retesting

Ok, once all the controls as well as equipment are well taken care, conducting air sampling again is important to verify everything is under planned operation. Levels of fume should be retested whenever there is an alternation in the working place – for example, changes in the production process, equipment, raw materials, work practices, personnel, or control methods employed.

Weld fume management is the continuous process as far as the working place conditions and regulations alter. Periodically reevaluating and retesting the air quality of the facility can decide whether the system is still keeping up with compliance.

OSHA includes regulations related to the essential frequency of retesting as the levels of exposure are found to be within a specific range. Then it’s also important to known those requirements.

If you are having respiratory protection in use, you must train and fit test operators annually, or sooner in the event there is an alternation to the workforce or environment, and document that process.

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Repair by welding: 5 Crucial Questions Management Should Ask Beforehand

To ensure successful welding repair at the first attempt, management should have those key questions answered.

Very often, components crucial to plant operations are repaired by welding. That said, at times, those repairs fail to work, or even much worsened. To avoid repeated uh-oh welding repairs, plant supervisors should ask those in charge of repairing those key questions. Rather, those questions are raised to make certain whether the repair can be successfully done right the first time.

Question 1: 

If the component was produced by welding, it can be repaired by welding. Still, possibly, the heat treat is applied after welding to gain the required properties; or special techniques, welding electrodes or processes were applied in the original construction.

So supervisors should know which the material is prior to welding it. To do so, just examine construction drawings, consult the maintenance handbook, contact the manufacturer, or find for a SAE, AISI, ASTM, or other material specifications that define the material on the part. Collect any other information about how the part was fabricated. As the last choice, you can cut the part’s small wedge and have it examined in a laboratory.

Geared up with this information, you can contact a reliable resource like a welding engineering consultant or welding consumables manufacturer for guidance. Pass ahead of your regular welding supply salespersons unless you know they they have a technically competent consultant. At a minimum, follow what said below:

• The proper welding process(es) to be used

• Welding filler metals or electrodes to be used

• Requirements of pre-heating and post-weld heat treatment

• Such special requirements as heat input control, peening. The requirements are unique to the material and may enhance its weldability

• When appropriate, a way to get rid of defects, and a requirement to confirm that they have been removed prior to welding.

• Such in-process inspection points as verification that appropriate materials are being employed, the fit-up and tack welding are correct, the root pass is good, the welder cleaned and contoured properly the weld beads between passes.

• Final inspections and non-destructive examination (ex. ultrasonic or X-ray) where appropriate.

Question 2:

Is the material safe? Once your staff has realized how to weld the component, ensure that it is safe to weld on the component and the environment is safe.

Parts that may have included combustible materials need thoroughly cleaning and venting. Any connections that may provide combustible gas or liquid for the component in process should be disconnected where possible. Take special preventive measures when dust can arrive at explosive concentrations. Clearly, if a welder has to come in a confined space to repair the component, whether the air in that space is suitable should be verified, and the proper confined space entry practices must be conform to.

To-be-welded parts should be clean and free of oil, rust, grease, moisture, paint and any other contaminants. 

The welding environment should have nothing related to combustible materials. Commonly, any combustibles within 35 feet in which the repair to be made should be removed or covered with fire resistant fabric for ignition prevention. 

Question 3: 

Are there any jurisdictional rules or codes that have to be complied with? 

Formal welding procedures are often a must in AWS D1.1, Structural Welding Code – Steel when welding on structures or building, and in the ASME B31 Code for Pressure Piping or the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code when welding on such pressure parts as pumps, piping, vessels or boilers. 

When formal welding procedures are not required, get guidance from the filler metal or welding electrode manufacturer, and make it a concise form  for the welder in charge of repair work to obey.

That formal welding procedures are required also means that formal qualifications of the welder is required. Probably, the welding worker with a previous history of attempted welding in your facilitty with the filler metal type and welding process to be used for repair work is sufficiently skilled.

For welders with unknown skill, or if the materials bring up a new experience, the successful welder for the repair work can show off the skill at minimum cost to you. Namely, he will fillet weld together 2 plates of a material just the same as that to be repaired, to create a ‘T’. 

The welder welds in the shown location.  The portions named as ‘discard’ are saw cut-off. The remaining portion is bent for the weld root to be put in tension. The weld is good if the plate bends on itself. If the weld fractures, the fracture surface is inspected for excessive defects.

Question 4: 

Is it necessary for preheating or post-weld heat treatment. Suggested practices from welding consumables suppliers should refer to preheating regarding the base metal to be welded. For such typical structural steels as A-500, A-36, preheating the parts above ambient isn’t often required, given that low hydrogen processes like GMAW, GTAW, or low hydrogen electrodes like E8018 or E7018 are employed.

When welding those materials and the component thickness surpasses ¾ inch, it is good practice to preheat steel to 200°F. Such other materials as 4130 and same low-alloy steels employed for gears and shafts normally need preheating, and you should follow the recommendations from the welding consumable manufacturer. Post-weld heat treatment is required for some materials to restore toughness and ductility, so capable technical assistance plays a more important role when the materials being welded become more sophisticated.

Question 5: 

Are you fixed this before? When something requires multiple repairs, it’s time to make a failure analysis. This may be as simple as having a capable engineer look at what is going on and define the root cause, or as cloudy as examining the fracture surfaces in the scanning electron microscope and carrying out other metallurgical tests and examinations.

(The said advice is given by Walter J. Sperko, President of Sperko Engineering (Greensboro, N.C).)

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How to Retain Your Experienced Welders

When you do get skilled and experienced welders, just keep them. Reflect those effective and proven ways to perfect your manpower retention strategies.

You may also be interested in:

7 Easy Ways of Motivating Your Welders
6 Sure-Fire Ways of Motivating Your Unskilled Welders

Developing Effective Welding Manpower: Learn from a Successful Model (Part 1)

Now that there need a large number of skilled and experienced welders who can handle well welds and help train and inspire novice welding workers who are expected to make remarkable future contribution to your business. It is important that you hunt out the experienced, complementing your manpower. And it will be more crucial if you can retain them and earn their commitment. Keeping those employees will help prevent the revolving door of welders at the shop-floor and in the field. 

Below are some effective ways that many companies have successfully applied. You can refer to and it will be great if you make some constructive additions to this list. 

1. Regular events for honouring the laborforce

Those events not just help cement relations between employers and employees, and between employees, but free welders’ work stress and concern. They dedicate much time to their job, then there need some time spared for their life entertainment. Those events do help out. If brand-new welding workers often think of dwelling into their work for skilling up and solidifying their career, the experienced, to some extent, prefer a work-life balance. Of course, they will strive for more recognition, much better pay and work advancement. At the same time, they want to have some space to entertain. The workplace include such entertaining events can keep the veteran welders for long.

Regular cookouts or the like will be very effective to foster labor relation and keep experienced welders

These events may include a large workforce event with nicely served food and drink,  games, raffles for gift cards, TVs and cash, and regular party outdoors where the office workers act as the serving lines. 

2. Paid handshakes for welders

Handshakes bring warmth, sincerity, willingness and commitment. Shake your welder's hand and give him worthy encouragement

The company management takes a random walk around the workshop and hand out a bill (ex. $50) to a welder with well organized workspace or demonstration of a significant effort in dealing with a customer. That way will bring out surprising happiness to employees and motivate their contribution. Plus, they will enjoy more job satisfaction, feel more comfortable with their employers, which is more important than pay. Not to mention the fact that bonus is a remarkable motivator of workers.

3. Perks to promote positive welder activity

If welding workers display safe working practices, have their training, certifications updated, or enhance operations through a helpful suggestion, for example, they will be entitled for the perks. Perks here vary by companies. However small or big fringe benefits are, they sure will put a big smile on your welders because you manage to create a culture that your employees want to engage in, be proud of and share in the company growth.

4. Effective training on new technologies, machines, consumables

It is important to offer useful training on state-of-the-art technologies, machines as well as consumables to the company workforce to keep the welders engaged in their work. The employees need feel that they are contributors to an organization’s success. A company’s investment in training its existing welders will be just like assertive words for its commitment to their future, and significantly more cost effective than hiring and training new workers.

5. Safety as the culture

The workplace stressing safety as its culture will be more inviting and enable welders to exert their best efforts. This should cover repetitive  safety training, frequent assessment of working practices, OSHA requirements and safety standards. Also, the employers should allow the welders to involve in open discussions and suggest safe working habits.

Developing a welding fume extraction system may solve ventilation, communicating a message of workforce appreciation. Such a heartfelt care for employees will help contribute to improved retention. 

All in all, an enterprise’s goal is to create and sell products that best serve its customers whilst reaping profitability gains. A strong manpower is pivotal to accomplishing that goal. Strategic recruitment coupled with structure workforce retention efforts will surely go a long way to maintain safety, engagement and productivity of a skilled and experienced workforce.

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What is Your Definition of Mig Welding?

 Below specify definition of MIG welding along with its pros and cons. Read on and don’t hesitate to leave your viewpoints of this process.

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8 Useful Tips for Mig Welding

MIG welding (also, Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW)) involves a process that takes advantage of a persistently fed solid electrode, shielding gas from an external supply, and electric power for melting the electrode and depositing this molten material in the welding joint. The equipment employed automatically regulates the electric characteristics of the arc. The welder is required of the only manual control (travel speed, travel direction and gun positioning). As far as appreciate equipment settings come, the power supply will give the needed amperage for melting the electrode at the required rate to maintain the pre-selected arc length (voltage). For instance, a higher stick-out resulted from drawing the torch back from the work piece leads to a decrease in current from the power source. That way maintains the similar electrode heating and returns the arc length to its pre-set condition. The selection of filler metal should be closely associated with the base material to be welded. Regarding MIG welding, the filler metal helps reinforce the completed welding joint aside from conducting current to the arc zone (and melting base metal and electrode as a result).

MIG welding can be employed on various metals, and base metals of numerous different thicknesses. Its successful application is related to the appropriate selection of:

• Electrode (composition, diameter, packaging)
• Shielding gas (type, purity, flow rate)
• Process variables (current, voltage, mode of metal transfer and travel speed)
• Equipment (power supply source, welding gun, wire feeder)

Why Use MIG Welding?

• MIG welding is a high-productivity, low-cost welding process
• It can be used for welding all types of metals and alloys commercially available
• Welding can work in all positions with right selection of equipment and parameters
• Using a persistently fed electrode maintains a high duty cycle and minimizes the defect occurrences
• In-depth weld penetration can be gained, which enables the employment of small weld sizes for equal weld strengths in some applications
• There requires minimal after-weld clean-up as a result of the absence of a slag cover on the weld bead
• Welding speeds and rates of weld metal deposition are higher than those got with stick welding
• Perfect for multi-pass welding (with appropriate filler metal selection)
• Less manual skill is required comparatively to stick welding
• Fume rates come at really low levels as compared to stick welding and flux cored welding
• Compositions and diameters of filler metal are widely selected for welding thick or thin material
• This process is perfect for mechanized welding.
• This process provides enhanced electrode deposition efficiency in comparison with stick welding and FCAW
• Welds of X-ray quality can be produced.

What are Downsides to MIG Welding?

• Weld equipment is considered more complex, more costly and less portable compared to stick welding
• It is difficult for the required welding torch to reach into the constricted areas. Plus, the good gas shielding is needed, which makes the torch be quite closer to the weld area.
• The welding arc with its gas shield is necessarily protected from drafts, which may cause the shielding to be blown away from the arc. This doesn’t facilitate the use of this process outdoors unless the protective shields are placed around the working area
• Pretty high levels of radiated heat and light might cause operator’s discomfort, initial resistance to the process
• Burn-through commonly occurs when welding especially thin materials (smaller than 1/16”)
• Pertaining to traditional transfer when welding out of position, rates of weld metal deposition are less than those obtained with flux cored welding
• This process fails to perform well in which base metal contamination is an issue. The base metal is required to be clean and rust-free
• Lacking in fusion defects may induce where process parameters are wrongly set. This is extremely critical when welding base metals are thicker than 1/4”

Are you finishing this read? What is your definition of MIG welding? Your opinions of its pros and cons? 

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34 Interesting Facts about Welding for Your Great Rest at Weekends (Part 2)

Fun facts about welding that may travel you through welding history and grow your love towards welding!

See also:

34 Interesting Facts about Welding for Your Great Rest at Weekends (Part 1)
34 Interesting Facts about Welding for Your Great Rest at Weekends (Part 3)
34 Interesting Facts about Welding for Your Great Rest at Weekends (Part 4)

8. It seems unbelievable but it’s true that two pieces of metal without any coating on them are stuck together permanently if they touch in space. This doesn’t happen on Earth as the atmosphere places a layer of oxidized materials between the surfaces.

9. A ‘fume plume’ is the visible fume column that directly rises from the spot of cutting or welding.

10. 1,075 ft. deep  is the record for the global deepest underwater dry weld performed in a chamber sealed around the structure to be welded. It was set by Global Industries in 1990. Still, that is just half as deep as the global record of 2,000 ft. deep for wet weld. It was set by the America’s Navy in 2005. Wet welding is carried out underwater and exposed directly to the watery environment.

11. The earliest recorded welds was in 3,500 B.C, Bronze Age. Pics of welders cum their ancient tools were discovered in long sealed Egyptian tombs.

12. Welding can be done employing electric arc, laser radiation, electronic beam, gas flame, ultra-sound, rubbing.

13. The sculpture ‘Mother Motherland’ in Kiew is the all-welded structure with 450-ton weight and welded joints of around-30-kilometer length

14. 5000 °C is the highest welding temperature of burning.

15. There is a fabulous monument to a welder in Russia.

16. 2 out of 3 welding occupations are in manufacturing.

17. 55% of welders have 40 standard working hours per week in shifts of 8 to 12 hours. Relying on the project, welding workers may work overtime, adding up to 70 hours each week.

18. The median age of welders in workforce these days is 54. Many of them will retire within the upcoming 10 years, creating an enormous need for the skilled and experienced to replace them.

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34 Interesting Facts about Welding for Your Great Rest at Weekends (Part 1)

Fun facts about welding that may travel you through welding history and grow your love towards welding!

See also:
34 Interesting Facts about Welding for Your Great Rest at Weekends (Part 2)
34 Interesting Facts about Welding for Your Great Rest at Weekends (Part 3)
34 Interesting Facts about Welding for Your Great Rest at Weekends (Part 4)

Ok, after long days of hard work, you should have time for your own enjoying this beautiful life. Gather with your buddies. Go shopping with your beloved family. Or just simply, go out and enjoy fresh air and love. Love is in the air. You also can read something funny to have good laugh. Below are interesting welding facts that can help you refine welding knowledge and grow more in love with this amazing job. 

1. 

Jay Leno is the celebrity comedian with large collection of antique cars and motorcycles, including models from early 1900s to latter-day vehicles. He also employed welders regularly.

2. 

3. 

NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) — Hundreds of parts from chassis, suspensions to drive-trains were hand cut, welded, and machined

4.  

Explosion welding is such a fantastic welding process. Incredibly, it can succeed in what lots of other welding methods can not – that is, joining almost every type of metal together, even the just-about-dissimilar ones.

5. 

Today’s advances in welding technology have made it absolutely necessary for such projects as constructing the International Space Station.

6. 

President Roosevelt boasted that the discovery of welding techniques allow the U.S to build ships with an unbeatable speed in the shipbuilding history.

7. 

Two firsts here! The first car manufactured with a wholly plastic body was fabricated utilizing ultrasonic welding. While plastic cars didn’t get it, ultrasonic welding did. Ultrasonic plastic welding is a good example of the friction welding process that generates energy via high intensity acoustic sounds. Those sounds, as such, make plastic pieces vibrate together and establish a bond.

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Vietnamese Engineers Create Lower Cost Welding Machines Than Same Imports

Designed by 2 Vietnamese engineers, those welding machines with cost and time advantages will soon come into market.

Dr. Nguyen Thanh Phuong from Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology and Dr. Nguyen Van Hieu, deputy director of A41 aircraft repair factory have created an automatic pipe welding machine with much lower production cost than the same imports. This locally made welder will aid engineers in saving money and time for operation and maintenance.

Made-in-Vietnam automatic pipe welding machine

The robust development of Vietnam’s industries has resulted in much higher demand for welders, welding equipment, and state-of-the-art welding technology. All the welding equipment for pipe shaped metal components have been imported, which financially challenges enterprises. Indeed, just foreign-invested companies and large corporations can afford buying the technologies and machines. 

The two engineers kicked off work on an automatic pipe welding machine with high cost efficiency and higher productivity than the conventional welding methods.

This machine consists of 3 parts – those are, electrical-electronic, mechanical, and operation units. Each of them has its own function.

The machine base is designed in a way that enables operators to put it in the areas with different terrain. It can run with one-phase and three-phase AC power sources.

This product has come into operation at shopfloors of A41 factory – a unit of Ministry of National Defence.

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Top 13 Things to Teach Your Novice Welders (Part 2)

Learning to weld is not easy. Just like a solider, one needs steadfast spirit, patience to learn. It also takes practice and firm foundation of knowledge. Following are 13 important things that companies can consider to teach their novice welders. Ensure they grasp those things for skilling up, gaining confidence needed to increase proficiency, and staying safe in the process.

See also:

Top 13 Things to Teach Your Novice Welders (Part 1)

7. Know material properties

Different materials have different chemical and mechanical properties. One of key components of training is to help new welders see the difference between materials, specifically how they respond to heating and cooling. For instance, austenitic stainless steel carries heat at about half the rate of mild steel though, it, when being welded, has much higher rate of thermal expansion. Not all, it comes with more localized heat affected zone(HAZ), which can induce buckling as the weld cools. Welders with awareness of those properties can take such precautions as clamping for distortion prevention. 

Likewise, many materials ask for pre and post weld heat treatments for the cooling rate control and cracking prevention. When welders familiarize themselves with such material attributes, they are better ready to make needed adjustments during welding process.

8. Inspect the welds with visualization

Visually inspect welds

The first step of quality control is to know how to make an accurate visual inspection of the completed weld. This is also the quickest and least costly method of inspection. Novice welders should learn how to define weld defects – for example, porosity, lack of penetration, excessive penetration, undercutting, weld cracks. Early identification of defects will help prevent time and cost poured into other testing methods, including non-destructive testing or x-ray inspections. 

9. Learn troubleshooting skills

One of key skills new welders should learn is the ability to define and rectify welding problems quickly. Downtime reduction, weld quality and productivity are associated with troubleshooting skills. Such skills also can help lower rework related costs. 

Novice welders can be benefited from learning to properly adjust the gas flow rate and/ or define gas leaks for solving instances of porosity. They should also know to adjust voltage and amperage settings if they face such issues as excessive conductivity, lacking penetration, undercutting. Defining welding problems related to worn consumables is also significant as poor conductivity can lead to an unstable arc and various weld defects.

10. Be familiar with maintenance

Each and every part of the welding system, from electric source to GTAW torch or GMAW gun and consumables, requires maintenance to keep its efficient and effective operation. New welders should familiarize with appropriate maintenance procedures, preferably the preventive ones, to be active in the continuing upkeep of the whole welding system.

11. Get the sense of proper travel speed

The most typical challenge facing welding instructors is training their students the right travel speed. It is difficult to know how slow or fast to move so as to generate the best possible weld. As the experienced, you may know how it feels for a proper travel speed though, it may be hard to tell someone how to do it.

Arc travel speed faults

Still, you can conquer this challenge by first letting your students watch you weld some practice beads. Newcomers can imitate you when you weld for getting the sense of how quick they need move. 

12. Know how to see the puddle

Teach your students about stick welding since it is easier to see the puddle. Yet, if you do start with Mig, you will need spend some time helping the new welders find out the right angle and positioning to see the puddle. When moving their heads to the side so as to see the puddle, beginners often move off the welding joint.

13. Know how to weld straight

Beginners needn’t learn how to weld uphill or in various positions. It may be the best just to start with a flat piece of metal that you draw 2 lines on and weld down the mid of it. Straight stringers are considered the best way to go with novice welders who need more focus on travel speed than the torch weaving or whipping when they work.

Teaching a new welder doesn’t just mean showing him/ her how to set the electric source or hold the torch or gun at the right angle. The best training approach is to integrate good habits which will keep welders safe and comfy, and equip them with the knowledge and tips to handle everything from materials to maintenance. Of course, the required time to shift a novice welder to the skilled will take long. Yet, the long term benefits are worth it.

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Top 13 Things to Teach Your Novice Welders (Part 1)

Learning to weld is not easy. Just like a solider, one needs steadfast spirit, patience to learn. It also takes practice and firm foundation of knowledge. Following are 13 important things that companies can consider to teach their novice welders. Ensure they grasp those things for skilling up, gaining confidence needed to increase proficiency, and staying safe in the process.

See also:
Top 13 Things to Teach Your Novice Welders (Part 2)

 1. Put safety first

Teach welders to wear proper personal protective equipment

Importantly, welders keep themselves safe from electricity and heat generated from the welding process. As beautiful-like-firework as it is, the arc does harm to both eyes and skin. That’s why welders need wear appropriate personal protective equipment at all times. Those items include safety glasses, a welding helmet, flame-resistant gloves, a long sleeved welding jacket. Steel toed shoes and flame resistant clothing are also recommended. 

Aside from PPE, welders importantly employ enough local exhaust, ventilation at the arc, or use both to maintain the gases and fumes below Threshold Limit Value (TLV)/ Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL)/ Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) in the general area and their breathing zone. 

Train novice welders to keep their heads out of fumes. 

Plus, explain to novice welders about how important it is for reading and comprehending the manufacturer’s equipment instructions, the workplace’s safety practices, safety instructions on the label, material safety data sheet for filler metals being employed. Overall, remind new welding workers of all needed precautions for their own and others protection.

From time to time, check for standing on a dry rubber mat (indoors) or a dry board (outdoors), and ground connections. That way also can mitigate the possibility of electric shock, further protecting welders.

 2. Properly install consumables

One important factor in attaining good weld quality is good conductivity (also, the ability for the electric current to run along the welding circuit). At all times, new welders should install their consumables like nozzles, diffusers, contact tips, etc. aligned with the manufacturer’s recommendation, ensuring each component is tightened securely. For instance, in the gas metal arc welding (GMAW) operation, with the secure connection between the GMAW gun neck and diffuser, shielding gas leaks would be prevented. Not all, such secure connections will give out the surface area necessary to carry the electric current through the GMAW gun and create a stable arc. They also help limit weld defects, help with consistent productivity and lower the risk of overheating related premature consumable failure.

3. Cleanliness is significant

Teach welders about proper cleaning procedure for particular base material being welded

It is definitely important to clean the base material before welding, and as necessary between weld passes. Oil, grease, dirt and other debris can enter the weld pool, inducing contamination. That will lead to bad weld quality and expensive rework. New welders need be taught as to the appropriate cleaning procedure for the specific base material being welded. 

In some cases, it is sufficient to wipe the base material using a dry, clean cloth. Still, more precautions need be taken when welding on aluminium, for instance. The welder will need use the stainless steel wire brush specified for aluminium to wipe out the joint prior to welding. That way will get rid of dirt and any oxide still residing on the aluminium's surface.

No matter what material, it is critical to properly instruct welders about cleaning before welding starts.

4. Always abide by welding procedures

Follow weld procedures

Like a recipe that makes a meal, welding procedures are needed to make consistent welds. Not just new welders but the experienced need grasp the importance of those procedures and always follow them.

The procedures for a certain application have been meticulously decided and qualified by the experts to guarantee that the recommended parameters can give out the desired results. 

Weld procedures cover such details as suggested gas flow rate, shielding gas mixture, voltage and current ranges. Those procedures also give information on type and diamter of filler metal to apply, and the appropriate wire feed speed in case of GMAW or flux cored arc welding (FCAW) application. 

5. Seize the importance of filler metal

Filler metals are consider a specially important but sometimes confusing component of welding system. It will be good for new welders if they familiarize themselves with attributes of different types of wires, inclusive of flux cored and metal cored wires, along with respective welding techniques. For example, those welding workers should learn whether their specific filler metal asks for a ‘push’ or ‘pull’ technique. Going by such old adages as “If there is slag, you drag” may help; it shows that flux cored wires that produce slag should be handled using the ‘pull’ technique. Also, new welders should form the habit of consulting the manufacturer’s spec sheet for more operating recommendations.

Also, learning to properly handle and store filler metals is important for new welders. They should put on clean gloves whenever handling the filler metals, and if they are in charge of storing them, they should do so in the clean and dry environment.

6. Keep comfortable

Staying cool and comfortable during welding process can help welders with lessened injuries and repetitive movement and reduced overall fatigue. If possible, they should learn to minimize their total strength moves or constant motion. Plus, the welders should employ a GTAW torch or GMAW gun with a comfy handle and cable style because those factors both make up the equipment’s manoeuvrability and weight.

Plus, new welders should be motivated to involve in raising efficiency of their welding workspace. Commonly, the more engaged a welder is in offering input about the work, the more satisfied he/ she will be. Also, such engagement can help guarantee better safety compliance and reduced welders’ compensation cost for injuries.

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Important Basics of Welding for Newbies

Whether you desire to make welding your hobby or kick off the welding career, there needs to grasp its essentials, risks and effective responses to them.

Let's delve into welding basics!

Welding has been around for centuries. One of the first used welding processes was forge welding. The forge welding involves joining two metals through the process of heating, pounding and striking. Over time, welding has witnessed some advancements. The new methods and techniques have allowed welding to leave the confines of industrial settings, and now can be practically done wherever underwater or outer space!

Along with the welding history, the ability of strongly joining two or more pieces of metal has been noticed as the fundamental for our advancements in all the areas of life. Grasping the welding basics can be very beneficial not only at work but also around the house, farm, or workshop. That is why welding is the skill almost anyone can enjoy an advantage from, whether young or old, male or female.

Why Welding?

With any metal equipment or machinery at hand, welding will be sure a useful skill you obtain. Below include some common goals of a welding job:

. Fix stress cracks 

. Reinforce weak joints

. Cut/ Shape new parts and adapters from the raw plating.

For such chores, many welders trust in the arc welding process. This is a method that during the welding process, an electric current jumps through an air gap between a positive electrode and a negatively charged steel plate, and creates a huge amount of heat. This heat is produced at the end of the welding rod. That is when metal can be melt. It is, indeed, more complicated than that though, the concept is just the same.

Perhaps AC arc welding is the most typical and economical welding method applied today. A simple 

AC welder can be located just about anywhere like your local farm store or home improvement center. This welding process is perfect for most of your normal welding jobs. Thus AC arc welding is just ideal for the beginners.

Mitigate Your Risk

Though arc welding isn’t exceptionally complicated, there are some risks and hazards you should be aware of:

1. Exposing radiation 

2. Flying sparks (in the form of molten metal globs) 

3. Electric shock 

4. Fumes 

5. Damage to your eye

6. Burns

Still, those inherent risks of welding can be significantly reduced by wearing protective clothing, welding helmets, and other gears. Following are some tips to help with your safety while arc welding:

. Sure you work on a dry floor. Put on thick rubber shoes and dry leather welding gloves.

. Make sure to employ insulated electrode holders.

. Check to ensure that your equipment is all grounded properly.

. Keep your work area ventilated properly for avoiding any inhalation of possibly toxic fumes.

. Be on the watch for flying bits of melt metals. 

. Most significantly, be aware of anyone around you. If they aren’t wearing the right gear, keep them away from your project.

This is helpful information for your start-up in welding career. Give it your note!

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19 Important Skills for Welding Occupation (Part 2)

With those skills, welders can be confident with their job achievement and employability!

Welding is a hard work; it requires the following skills to perfect the end products, accomplishing the job and earning handsome pays as a result. The employers will figure they are having a talent among their hires when they find out those skills that welder obtains:

11. Knowledge of Welding Tools and Equipment: An experienced welder with various welding tools and equipment will know how to use the tool most effectively for quickly having the job done in a safe fashion.

12. Manual Dexterity:  A great welder is always proud of their amazing manual dexterity and good hand-eye coordination for performing complicated physical tasks required of a welding career.

13. Comprehensive Knowledge of Different Welding Techniques:  A great welder would work to show you what a comprehensive knowledge of various techniques they have accumulated – for example, metal art, flux core arc, oxy fuel, and gas tungsten arc welding.

14. Writing: As an all-around welder, he should be good at writing reports or invoices from employers about his tasks completed, materials used, hours worked and how much to cost customers; writing safety guidelines to describe how to operate company equipment properly; to name some.

15. Reading: Good reading skills allow welders to grasp company policies, procedures like time-off request, understand codes and specifications for well leading up to welding projects. They also can read equipment and safety manuals that demonstrate safe operation procedures; read and follow specific welding procedures that governing bodies develop.

16. Document use: An ability of document use facilitates examining lines and colors of pipes at workplace to decide their contents – for instance, the type of gas they contain. Welders also use checklists to learn, follow appropriate work procedures, safety guidelines. Document use will help them with comparing color coding on metals to the color code chart for identifying its grade and alloy. Not all, they would review notes on the blueprints from the engineering department about materials, procedures; understand diagrams, tables on the blueprints for determining engineering requirements.

17. Computer use: The computer use skill helps out operating plasma cutting machines, orbital welders and other computer controlled equipment.

18.  Eye for the arc: This is the skill of bead placement, torch/electrode angles, and the ‘tricks of the trade’ that is needed to make an x-ray quality weld in any arc welding process.

19. Positive attitude and work ethic: As reported by many employers, ‘can-do’ attitude is becoming rare in the workforce those days. Some workers fail to learn the work ethic towards becoming a skilled welder. That way may result in a negative attitude about welding. Necessarily, positive working ethic and attitude are addressed early in the training centers because it is simply as important as the welding skills.

To add it up, welding is not as simple as thought. To earn a buck, the welders should ensure they grasp those skills, both technical and behavioral. Not few welders have complained about their pays. They have heard of this job’s very attractive wages, but it turns out to otherwise when they are working as a welder. This may be reasoned that they are not addressing some key skills among above listed, or pursuit an easy-to-do weld type occupation. After all, with the zeal for welding, hard work, commitment, and persistent improvement, they sure enjoy happy ending with this occupation. 

Also have a look at other important skills for welding occupation:

19 Important Skills for Welding Occupation (Part 1)

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19 Important Skills for Welding Occupation (Part 1)

With those skills, welders can be confident with their job achievement and employability!

Welding is a hard work; it requires the following skills to perfect the end products, accomplishing the job and earning handsome pays as a result. The employers will figure they are having a talent among their hires when they find out those skills that welder obtains:

1. Ability to Read Blueprints: What makes a great welder is the ability to quickly and easily read blueprints and grasp how the information presented is associated with a project.

2. Awareness of Safety Standards:  A great welder has a good grip of safety standards in the industry for protecting themselves and others.

3. Concentration: A successful welder definitely is immersed into their job. Rather, they pay full attention to a project in a long period of time. They are able to be wholeheartedly dedicated to their work, and make sure all aspects are correctly completed.

4. Problem-solving: Just like other workers in the skilled trades, welders are required to be great problem solvers who care for details. They have to discover flaws with designs and materials, deal with broken areas, and know how to repair worn part or/ and equipment.

5. Math and science: Similarly to plumbers and other tradespersons, welders persistently apply their knowledge of basic science and math while working. They would estimate costs, make calculations, decide which metals to use with what chemicals and/ or fuels, track their own hours, etc.

6. Interpersonal: Welders usually spend lots of time on their own though, they often have to interact with employers, clients, other tradespeople. In construction, the welders, from time to time, work with other welders and tradespersons to guarantee projects are finished seamlessly.

7. Customer Service Skills: They can cater to clients’ needs and work effectively with other staff.

8. Detail Orientation:  A great welding worker will be very detail oriented. They are meticulous and thorough in the work.

9. Good Eyesight: While a historian need a photographic memory, an actor will shine out with exceptional acting skills and good looking face, a great welder with sharp vision will be able to see very complicated details in the work area.

10. Metallurgical Knowledge:  A great welder is simply familiar with different type of metals, their properties and how to work with them.

Find more of important welding skills here:

19 Important Skills for Welding Occupation (Part 2)

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8 Useful Tips for Mig Welding

Make use of those tips to better your MIG welds!

While being trained at school, more experienced after practical work, Vietnam welders are also encouraged to draw lessons along the way and utilize welding tips to smooth their work process and perfect their finished products. There are useful tips as related to Mig welding that welders can make best use during their work.

1. Always begin with clean materials

To work with contaminated or dirty materials is the fastest to ruin a weld. Take it a note to always clean up the workpiece you are about to weld and ensure the metal is really clean and contaminate free. Examples of things that can contaminate the weld include rust, corrosion, old paint, grease, oil, or just plain dirt. Better the weld by getting it off.

2. Use the best possible welding wire for Mig welding.

This will pay off in better welds. Then get the best possible wire you can afford. Of course, you can save money buying inferior wire. Sure there is plentiful rubbish out there in the market, but it won’t last long. Your welds will just end up being poor quality and having to be redone later.

For Mig wire, always find the one with nice copper coating, accurate dimensions and without being oversized at any point along its length.

3. When you can, always use an auto darkening welding helmet

You sure will pay a little more, which will make up for the extra time you would earn to grind and redo your work. Rather, it takes some more pay to avoid lag time and have better weld. Using an auto-darkening helmet, you will kill the lag time from when you begin your weld, to when a standard helmet is flipped down into place. That very brief moment of time can make you lose track of your welding path and cause lots of extra worker afterwards because you have to grind, redo your work.

4. Always use the Earth clamp

As the welding process is just like a high voltage electric circuit, any circuit break can induce welding problems. A good clamp with a strong spring just prices around $20, and is worthy of money. One way for eliminating those circuit breaks is using a good Earth clamp, and making ready for the metal underneath by sanding off any corrosion or paint.

Bear in mind that a bad ground is one of the biggest Mig welding problems. Always ensure that your clamp comes with a good, clean ground surface for clamping onto; otherwise, you will be in trouble before you get started.

5. Get a good tip for Mig welding

You need a good Mig welding wire for good weld production. Also, you need quality contact tips. There are many cheap contact tips on the market these days; the internal surface of the tunnel that the wire feeds through can be rough or uneven. That can result in fickle or unstable welding arcs, inconsistent wire feeding, and other problems.

6. When Mig welding, use the right shielding gas

You can use directly CO2 when Mig welding though, a 75% argon and 25% CO2 mixture is rather much standard in the welding industry.

7. Have the Mig welder set to the right polarity

Just remember that when Mig welding, polarity is associated with the type of welding wire you use. If you use bar wire, you will need reverse polarity electrode positive for a good weld. For flux core welding wire, you will need reverse the polarity.

Because Mig welding machine doesn’t include a switch for polarity change, you will have to do this manually.

8. Use a good anti spatter compound

If welding is done with flux core wire, welding spatter is part of the process. Still, you can decrease the spatter for cleaner welds by using a good anti spatter compound like LPS aerosol 02116. Another upside of the LPS compound is that it is water based and non toxic, then unlike some cheaper compounds, it won’t do any extra damage to welder’s health.

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