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Welding is one of the most detailed and dangerous occupations. For such intricate work, having an idea about all the essential welding tools, and knowing the process to use them is also a must. Are you in a dilemma about the welding tools available and have no idea which one to choose? Read our guide given below and you might become a specialist one day!
1.Welding Table
A welding bench is also known as a ‘workbench’ which is highly essential for any welder, be it a beginner or a professional, from hobbies to a full-time job.
Having all the required tools organized on the table can help you schedule your welding process and go according to the procedure without any mishaps. This will in-turn boost your productivity and the quality of the work.
It will also provide a sturdy base to give your workpiece some stability and durability. Even if you are not having enough money, you can make yourself one or ask someone to make one for you at a nominal fee.
2.Auto-Dimming Helmet
It is a precautionary idea for every welder to own a welding helmet. So, it will be better if you invest in a good one even though it is expensive to be having the right features and also give you a good life without getting worn out soon.
- Getting an auto-dimming helmet is a major plus point.
- It automatically detects a bright light when welding and dims the shield at that time to keep your eyes protected.
- You will be able to see the welding tools and workpieces much more clearly without any issues.
- This can help you reduce any faults or errors while working on metal.
3.Welding Gloves
The next major investment in a piece of equipment is to purchase a pair of welding gloves. Buying any gloves doesn’t make any use for your protection. You must always be sure to purchase the one that is a specialized ‘Welding Gloves’. It can help you prevent accidental burns, scratches, cuts, and even exposure to fire.
- Even though you wear a good quality pair of welding gloves.
- The heat from a welding arc will be around 10,000 degrees Celsius and hence you will feel the heat somehow.
- You might be even able to pick up hot metals that you had welded earlier but do not do it regularly as it will affect the lifespan of the gloves.
4.Safety Glasses
When you are constantly welding or using spark plugs, small pieces of metals fly all over the place along with some sparks, and hence it is better to wear safety glasses.
- A protective helmet could be all that you need.
- It can help you prevent any damage to your body.
- But a small spark falling just below your head could be dangerous at any time of your work.
- It could even be fatal.
- So, buy yourself a good-quality pair of safety goggles even though it might be an investment at the beginning.
- You never want your life at stake!
5.Angle Grinder
Without an ‘angle grinder’, you cannot say you are a full-fledged welder. Either for grinding or for smoothening the weld or even cutting a piece of metal, you cannot skip the ‘angle grinder’.
- You can purchase one for as low as $15 and hence going for a good-quality one is advisable.
- A typical angle grinder is powered by an electric motor, petrol engine, and sometimes compressed air.
- It has a geared head that is angled at a right angle (90 degrees) and is mounted with an abrasive-disc on top to help with grinding as well as polishing quite easily.
6.Welding Clamps
Whenever you have a large project to work on or if your welding material requires some serious and intricate work to do, then having welding clamps can help provide good rigidity for the welding projects.
- Bigger welding projects require up to 10 welding clamps.
- There are certain clamps known as the ‘C Clamps’ which are available in various shapes and sizes in the market.
- Hence, getting at least a couple of them is highly advisable.
7.MIG Pliers
If you into MIG welding and if you wish to succeed in this field, then getting a pair of MIG pliers is highly recommended. They are essential for their versatility. These are pretty cheap and for the price, a pair of MIG pliers can help you clip wires, a contact tip, and remove any type of nozzle heads.
8.Metal File
An angle grinder can help you with metal imperfections and burry surfaces that not finished in a proper fashion. But this tool can only be used for large bends and surfaces.
- If you wish to take it to a smaller level and if you wish to correct the imperfections, then you would need to get a metal file which is a nifty tool and highly inexpensive.
- It can serve you a great purpose to produce good-quality smoothened surfaces with a perfect finish.
- It will save you a lot of time and any kind of worries or frustration about the final product.
9.Wire Brush
It is highly recommended to clean off any dust, dirt particles, or irregularities from the surface of the metal before welding. You cannot do this bare hand or using any harder material can damage or bring scratches on the metal’s surface.
Evening out the surface, clearing any unwanted paint, or scraping off excessive materials and rust can be done using a wire brush.
10.Fire Extinguisher
Working with fire can always be dangerous no matter how much of an experience you already have or how many precautions you have already made. There is always a 2% chance of the fire that you are dealing with while welding going out of your hands.
This is because the temperature around which you work is extremely high and quite easy for the metal to catch fire and you could be in danger. Therefore, purchasing a fire extinguisher can always be useful in such situations and can produce minimal loss to you and the surroundings around which you work in.
11.Welding Magnets
- A welding project has a lot of detailing that needs to be done to meet the customer’s specifications.
- You might need to make cuts and welds at right angles and so on.
- A welding magnet can help you hold such pieces together and also cutting metals at 90 degrees.
- It will be required in making tables, fire pits etcetera.
12.Welding Framing Jig
If you are in a hurry and need to create perfect square-shaped frames using your welding tool, then getting a ‘framing jig’ could provide you a ton of use. It saves you time and provides accurate welds.
- Put two ends of the welding metal into the framing jig’s limits and tighten it.
- Now you can perfectly make tack square welds.
- You will see that you get exact 90-degree bends which are perfect for your product.
- This product might not be that helpful for beginners who will have some simple welding projects to work on that have less intrinsic detailing to their products.
13.Sheet Metal Gauge
- The sheet metal gauge is necessary if you wish to find the thickness of your metal.
- This is because different tools work on different metallic thicknesses and each project requires the thickness of the weld and metal to be varied but unique.
- Hence, having such a tool can be handy at all times.
- This works pretty well when you had forgotten to take the dimensions/ thickness measurements of the metals lying around you and there are several such workpieces.
- It is essential for both beginners and professionals.
14.Oxy-Acetylene Setup
This tool could be the most under-rated one in the entire list as not many professionals too might remember or recommend getting it. The ‘Oxy-Acetylene Setup’ might be a great tool that makes all your welding processes like cutting, bending, cleaning, and so on a hassle-free task.
Need to make circles for a wheel? Do you need to bend metal by 90 degrees to make a table? Why worry when you can have them done in minutes using the oxy-acetylene setup. The only thing that you must keep in mind is to use it with proper precautions and following the instructions given in the manual.
15.Measuring Tools
Whenever you are given a project, keeping up to the customer’s expectations will give you more reputation and a good-quality product. For this, you must understand what the customer wants, and maintaining perfect dimensions to obtain an accurate product is essential.
When it comes to welding, measuring tools can vary from project to project. Basic tools are measuring tape, calipers, framing squares, and rulers. Measuring ‘twice’ is always beneficial.
16.Electrode
When it comes to welding, you cannot do any sort of welding without an ‘electrode’. An electrode is a metallic rod that is tiny and an electric current is passed through it to weld metals.
The electrodes that are used for TIG welding are made out of tungsten which is a type of non-consumable metal.
MIG and stick/ arc welding needs to get its electrode changed every time a new welding process is started. This is not the case in the TIG welding though.
17.Wire and Electrode Feed
Each type of welding has a different kind of use of the electrode. In the case of TIG welding, a wire or an electrode feed is used as the electrode is non-consumable. MIG welding also uses the wire feed but the electrode is of a consumable material. Stick/Arc welding on the other hand uses a normal electrode.
18.Metal Brush
Every welding process will involve metals that have some sort of slag and excess overlay material on them. To scrape off all those unwanted layers of toxic materials, a wire brush can come in handy.
19.Scribe
Using normal ink or a pencil to make marks on the metal that you work on cannot make it that useful and does not stay on the metal until you even complete the project. Therefore, using a carbide scribe can be very useful in such situations as you can make marks that are hard enough to stay darkened and lets you keep a track of where you left off, and also know where to do the welding process accurately.
20.Clothing
Wearing fireproof and water-resistant clothing in any factory/workshop/field is essential when you work around heavy machinery and tools that deal with the fire. Having the right kind of protective clothes for welding is the most effective remedy one can get physically and also get ready mentally to do the welding process efficiently.
21.Ear Protection
The most affected part of our body that gets damaged soon with regular exposure to any loud and heavy machinery is our ears. Ear Protection generally refers to devices that are used to give protection to our ears while using such machines and prevent any damage to our ears.
- 8 hours at 85 dB(A)
- 4 hours at 88 dB(A)
- 2 hours at 91 dB(A)
- 60 minutes at 94 dB(A)
- 30 minutes at 97 dB(A)
- 15 minutes at 100 dB(A)
22.Welding Work Boots
Shoes that have 7198 PU and 3002 PU soles are considered to be welding-certified protection shoes that cannot get burned or melted down due to excessive heat, pressure, and sparks falling on them.
23.Hacksaw
A ‘hacksaw’ is a special kind of saw that is used to cut metal and they have a C-shaped metal frame having a sharp blade attached to its ends and is held under tension to provide the best cutting experience.
Nowadays these hacksaws have been modified and mechanized to make the cutting processes much more efficient and simpler as just the blade is attached to a motorized grip like that of a drilling machine. Hence, you wouldn’t need to waste your energy is moving the blade backward and forward.
24.Shielding Gas
The next most essential welding tool without which a crack-free weld is not possible is the use of shielding gas. The correct amount and quality of the shielding gas make a good weld. Shielding gases are inert/semi-inert gases that are used in many welding processes. Most commonly MIG and TIG welding require the use of shielding gas. It basically prevents the weld to get exposed to moisture and oxygen in excessive amounts.
Sean Coby is a welder par excellence and well respected among the welding community in Woodbridge, VA. He prides himself to be the fabricator and mechanic in the automotive/ diesel industry for the past more than eight years now. As the chief editor of his https://weldinginfocenter.com, he shares his experience to be safe during welding and to take proactive steps for becoming a successful welder like him.