Welding helmets are a crucial aspect of personal protective equipment for any welding operator. They protect from the intense glare and eyesight-damaging light from a welding arc, fumes from the welding operation itself, stray sparks that can burn, and so much more. They’re an essential part of any welder’s kit, and they’re a purchase that can last for decades if well-maintained, so it’s important to put some thought into which helmet you’re buying. So, what should you look for? What factors should you evaluate when you’re exploring welding helmets? Here’s our guide. While there’s a lot to consider, one thing is certain: you need a helmet whenever you’re welding. The only possible exception is if you’re using CNC welding machines, and they’re enclosed in their own darkening shades. Even then, it can be beneficial to keep a helmet on hand. Find extra details at Welding Supplies UK.
Staying informed about and compliant with local and national safety regulations is critical for any welding operation. This includes following guidelines set by occupational safety and health administrations and other relevant authorities. Compliance ensures that welding operations meet legal standards, which helps protect businesses from legal liabilities and fines, and more importantly, ensures a safe working environment for all employees. For those interested in deepening their knowledge of welding safety, resources such as the American Welding Society (AWS) website and safety publications can provide valuable information and updates.
Each of the three methods of connecting materials has a different mechanism of action. Welding works by melting the base materials along with a filler and fusing them together into one singular material, ideally with the same or stronger mechanical properties as the original materials. Thus, fusion takes place at a molecular level and results in a very strong and cohesive connection, assuming it’s done properly. Brazing does not melt the base materials but does heat them enough to cause slight physical changes. The actual mechanism of fusion, however, is the brazing filler material wicked in between the two base materials. This acts like a kind of metallic adhesive to join the two together, fill the gap, and solidify into a nonreactive barrier. In pipefitting, this prevents leaks. Soldering is similar to brazing in that while some heat is applied to the base materials, the base materials are not themselves melted. The heat is primarily applied to the solder, which melts and acts as a solid conductive mass, often primarily for electricity.
Welding is a high-heat process that melts the base materials. This is also the main differentiating factor from soldering and brazing where only the filler material is melted and no fusion between the parent materials occurs. Welding works by joining two or more workpieces together at high temperatures. The heat causes a weld pool of molten material which after undergoing cooling, solidifies as one piece, forming a weld. The weld can even be stronger than the parent metals. There are many different types of welding but all of them involve heat or pressure to melt the metals to create welded joints. The source of heat or pressure may vary depending on the application and the material used.
How to pick a welder tips: MIG wire inch button: A great feature. This will save you wasting your shielding gas when feeding wire through at the start of a new reel. Gas purge button: Another nice option. Save yourself some MIG wire, when you’re setting your gas flow. Burn back facility: Not all machines have this externally, buy it’s good to be able to trim the burn back to the wire according to the application & operator. Selecting the correct amperage machine: Generally, you should work on 35-40 amps per 1 mm diameter of material to be welded.
The sort of build quality that you’d expect from Makita. This angle grinder is tough, well put together and built to take a beating. Makita have included a lock-off power switch. I’m a big fan of these compared to the “deadman” style switch you need to hold to keep the disc spinning. They can tire your hand out quickly and aren’t ideal for long grinding sessions. You get a 2.5m power cable to play with. It’s long enough for most grinding jobs, and the quality of the power cord is excellent as well. Makita use labyrinth rings to seal the bearings against dust. Anyone who uses angle grinders a lot know how much dust they produce, so this is a welcome feature. Attaching the side handle can be a bit of a pain. You’ll need a long screwdriver to hold the bolt in place inside the handle. Compared to simple screw-in handle on the Bosch GWS 7-115, this one can be tricky.
The Forney Easy Weld 140 FC-i is a great MIG welder for home use. The “FC-i” in the name means “Flux Core inverter.” Inverter technology is lighter than traditional transformers used in most welders, meaning this welder delivers 140 amps even though it only weighs 19 pounds. The one thing this welder doesn’t offer is true MIG capability. Flux core wire doesn’t deliver the same clean, indestructible level of welding as a gas-shielded arc. It provides shielding by evaporating flux. For the average home welder, the difference is minor. However, if you need to weld aluminum or stainless steel, flux core wire isn’t up to it and you’ll need to find a MIG-capable machine. The 140-amp rating is about as hot as you can get without stepping up to 220 volts. That’s enough to weld 1/4-inch steel. The duty rating on this machine is 30 percent at 90 amps, pretty astounding on a machine in this price range. There’s probably not a MIG welder in this class that has more satisfied customers, a big reason it’s the Weld Guru Weekend Warrior selection for Best MIG. If you don’t have a lot to spend, then I would recommend taking a look at our cheap MIG welders for under $500 guide.
Several advices on welding equipment, MIG and TIG welders, plasma cutters. A MIG welder uses a continually feeding spool of thin filler wire as an electrode fed by a wire feed gun to form an electric arc between a wire and the work-piece metal. This heats the work-piece metal and the electrode, causing them to melt and join together to create the weld. Mig welding can be either Gas or Gasless and each have benefits. Gasless welding is far more portable as there’s no gas bottle to carry around, saves cost on having to buy gas bottles and regulators, is easier on positional welds and can penetrate deeper than Gas MIG although the welding wire for a gasless MIG is more expensive than a gasless MIG. Gas MIG welding produces much cleaner welds with no slag or spatter, is slightly better on thinner metals and the welding wire is cheaper than gasless MIG wire.
No, we’re not saying that you should stop working with metals. But, you can save yourself from these harmful gases just by getting a portable fume extractor. It can save your life by preventing you from contracting life-threatening infections. That’s why I’ve brought to you this detailed guide where you can find the best portable fume extractor among the 12 options that can save you from welding fumes. The 445 lbs. fume extractor might not be the easiest fume extractor to move around. But, the overall features and build quality compensates for what it lacks in mobility. You won’t get a better deal within the price range it comes in.
This magnetic drill is as close to perfection as they come with its 10 Amp motor and 2-speed setting. The DWE1622K is a unique blend of sophistication, power, and engineering. It is easy to use and offers you a ton of features to make metal drilling a breeze. These features include a quick-change chuck system that makes it possible for you to change between 3/4? Weldon Shank and 1/2? keyed chuck without using tools. The feeding handles can be placed on either side of the drill – also without using tools. With this drill comes a magnetic coolant bottle that you can place on either side of the drill press or even on the work surface. This allows for the required flow of coolant to ensure that your drill doesn’t overheat. This drill also comes with overload protection electronics that will switch off your drill to protect your motor. You will then have to wait until your drill cooled down with natural airflow before you will be able to continue.
The story of ESAB is the story of welding. When our founder Oscar Kjellberg developed the world’s first coated welding electrode in 1904, he launched a company whose innovation and uncompromising standards have helped create the history of welding itself. For more than 100 years, ESAB has been powered by the will to continuously seek new and improved ways of serving our customers. This has made ESAB a world leader in welding products and advanced cutting systems. In 2012, ESAB was acquired by Colfax Corporation, one of the world’s leading diversified industrial manufacturing companies. Colfax, like ESAB, is a solidly customer-focused company that places strong emphasis on constant innovation and improvement. From the firsts by our founder to our global growth, we take pride in what we’ve accomplished in more than a century. But we do so with a keen eye on the future. What can we do better? It’s only when we seek to build upon all we’ve learned, to perfect the innovations our customers count on to work confidently, and push ourselves and our company further that we can boldly face the future. This is how we continue to write the history of welding and cutting. At the end of the day, it’s not where you’ve been that matters most – it’s where you’re going. And for us, that’s forward.
Our welding tables are to be self-assembled. This is an easy process; full instructions are provided. A wide range of tools are available for use with these tables and they are available as added optional extras in the custom options above. If you require guidance on which tool set would be the most suitable for you please feel free to call our helpful staff. *Please note that current lead times on these welding tables are 3-4 weeks, however if you require the table quicker please alert us and we will do our best to assist with your enquiry*
The Hobart Handler 210 has the typical great quality Hobart build with durable parts that stand the test of time. The 210 is more suited to autobody repair and construction than the 190 and 140 and it welds up to 3/8 inch. It’s also a flexible unit with the capacity to weld off 115V and 230V. At under $1000 it’s lot cheaper than the Ironman 230 and is a wise choice if you’re looking for a welder that packs real power but isn’t the price of the heavy industrial welders. It you’re looking for the all round MIG package for power, versatility, quality and value for money, the Hobart 210 is our top pick. See our full review of the Hobart Handler 210 here.
Finally, if you’re looking for a home welder, then you don’t necessarily need the most powerful machine on the market. Some people invest in MIG welders specifically to support their home-based projects, when they’re creating something new in the garage, or working on adaptions to pieces of machinery and furniture. The Clarke MIG151EN is designed for the DIYers who can’t afford to compromise on quality. Complete with professional specifications like a non-live torch and an extra-tough protective coating on the front and rear, the Clarke turbo MIG welding machine comes with everything you need to start welding at home. There’s a thermal overload protection system to give you complete peace of mind, as well as a very powerful wire drive motor included. Additionally, you’ll be pleased to know that all Clarke products comply with the highest quality of European and safety standards. As a winner of multiple third-party awards, Clarke offers a high-performance option for anyone searching for an arc welder for home use. The rotary power selection system also means that you can choose the level of performance you need with ease. Discover extra details on weldingsuppliesdirect.co.uk.
The MIG welder performance depends on several parameters. The duty cycle is among them. It means the percentage of a 10-minute period the welder can work until it gets overheated. For example, “90A / 20%” means that a welder can work for 2 minutes at 90A before an 8-minute cooldown, i.e. 20% of 10 minutes. Now, about the material. We should note that the maximum thickness of a material a welder can handle depends on its amperage and welding wire thickness. Lastly, consider the thickness of the joint a welder can make in a single run. Household models can weld metal sheets from 18-gauge to 1/4” thick at the output of 70A – 180A, respectively.
United Kingdom market look: LOTOS Technology is a California company that has only been around since 2007. Still, the LOTOS MIG is impactful and high quality enough to make it onto our list. This one is a versatile machine that is a fair price of about $400. And—provided that you have the necessary 240-volt outlet in your home—it can be set up in a matter of minutes. The duty cycle of this welding newcomer is impressive, and it can be utilized by pros and amateurs who have been continually impressed by the bang they’ve gotten for their buck. The LOTOS can weld steel and stainless steel from 18 gauge to ¼ inches and aluminum to 1/8 inch or thicker. Thermal overload protection doesn’t let this machine overheat, and infinitely adjustable heat/amperage as well as wire speed makes using the LOTOS simple. Check out the LOTOS MIG140 for a lower power alternative.
Use the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE): It is mandatory to use various appropriate PPE while handling an industrial gas cylinder. For instance, wear safety glasses, safety shoes, gas masks, and safety glasses, while working with cylinders filled with compressed gases. Similarly, it is important to use flame arrestors when using acetylene cylinders in compressed air. Use Regulators Properly While Handling Cylinders: Regulators are devices, which are designed to lower the working pressure of the gas. These devices differ according to gases. Many times, the regulators aren’t handled and stored properly. This improper usage may lead to problems in the long run. Hence, it is important to take several precautions while using regulators.
In many shops, the operator has to go to a tool room or supply area for a new contact tip, coil of wire or other welding accessory. This takes valuable time away from the welding cell and slows down overall productivity. To improve the operating efficiency and minimize wasted time, companies should stock at least a limited supply of all necessary items near the welding station – this includes shielding gas, flux and wire. Another helpful productivity enhancing tip is to switch to larger spools of wire such as from 25 lb. spools to 44 or 60 lb. spools to even larger packages of 1,000 lb. reels or 1,000 lb. drums. A simple switch like this means less changeover time, which adds up over the weeks, months and years. Shops should also be on the lookout for shielding gas waste. A simple device called a surge turbine can be placed at the end of the gun to provide a digital readout of the gas surge and flow rate. If the surge rate is high, investing in a surge guard can reduce the pressure, eliminating gas surges and waste. Leaks in the gas delivery system can also create a potential loss of money. By looking at the amount of consumables purchased each year and then examining the total gas purchased, a company can determine if there is a significant loss. Welding manufacturers and distributors should be able to provide average utilization figures so that loss can be detected. If there is a loss suspected, one of the easiest ways to check for leaks is to shut off the gas delivery system over the weekend. Check the level on Friday evening and then again on Monday morning to determine if gas was used while the system was in shut down mode.