Arc welding is a useful skill for all DIY enthusiasts and those wishing to begin a career in this field. Welding machines are readily available in most hardware stores and all you need is a power supply and some electrodes and away you go.
Before you start it’s important to consider all the safety aspects of the job. Arc welding involves extreme heat, very bright white light and exposure to UV radiation. It’s important to keep all of your skin covered up and pay particular attention to your eyes. Wear a good quality welding helmet with the right grade of visor. You should also have a jacket, thick gloves, an apron and rubber soled boots. All these items can be purchased from most hardware stores.
First off you will want to spend some time preparing the surfaces. You can use an angle grinder to clean up the edges and remove any rust, old weld or dirt. Using the angle grinder it’s also helpful to make a 45 degree chamfer along the edges you plan to weld. This will help to achieve a strong, deep weld.
Set up your arc welding machine and plug it into your power supply. Make sure your grounding clamp has a good connection with your work piece and remove any hindrance such as paint. Also clamp down both pieces you intend to weld together to prevent them moving as you make your initial weld.
With everything in place you are ready to start welding. Move your electrode close to where you want to start welding and pull down the welding mask over your face. It will be very hard to see anything until you start welding. Scratch the surface of your work piece with your electrode; this should produce an arc which in turn melts your electrode creating what’s known as a weld pool. With your electrode held at 90 degrees slowly move along your chamfered edge keeping one third of weld pool ahead of you. Your electrode should remain at a constant distance above your work piece, this is known as the arc length. Your arc length should roughly be the same as the diameter of your electrode.
When you reach the end of your weld take the holder away and turn off the power supply. Once cool, use a chipping hammer to remove the ‘slag’ that has formed on top of your weld bead.