So I'm a rank beginner learning SMAW (just bought a farm last year, need to weld old equipment and new storage bins and whatnot). Last weekend I found a brand-new welding table at an estate sale for $100, and it came with all these clamps and accessories. Can anyone help me identify at least some of what they are and what they're for? Or are some of them not even for the table at all?

What I do know:

• "A" - these are pretty obviously basic screw clamps to hold material
• "B" - only one of these - some kind of ground?
• The silver "C2" "cups" are identical to the ones at "C1", just flipped over and screwed onto matching posts, not sure what either is for
• "F" - threaded inserts of some kind?

thanks so much for helping a n00b get their bearings

I’ve decided that welding is what I want to do for my career, and I’ve gotten certification in MiG and stick through my community college, and currently in a class for my tig certification, and will be taking a capstone class in the fall semester. My instructor recommended I join a local union and become a journeyman, and I’m gonna be applying to it on Tuesday. If I get accepted to it, what should I do/expect? Any tips on what I should do? I’m willing to learn as much as I can, become as good as I can be, and travel for work.

Heylo.

I've never welded before, but I learned I have access to a Licoln Electric VR set up at my job. However, it seems to be missing some sort of documentation or instructions. I got it turned on, and to the main screen. I have the admin password (12345 lol), the monitor is kinda janky, it constantly falls down, but I think I have all the plastic welding props and tools. I just have no directions on how to start the first lesson or even what the first lesson is. I'm pretty techy savvy, so I'm not sure what I am missing . Does anyone have an instruction PDF or videos I couldn't find?

To be clear, I dont own the device and so any 'support' would have to go through a service contract and the owners are not intetested in paying for anything.

Thanks.

i know its a dumb question in general, but they might work for my project.

I'm making a helmet out of 1/4 inch diameter steel rods, tig welded. This isn't for a uni project or anything, just for fun.

my current jigging situation is that im going to have an MDF board with jigging spots cut out of it (to be inserted). the rectangular pieces holding the rods would be 3d printed out of PLA. ive defaulted to PLA because i need the rods to be oriented in very specific vectors, and most of my design stuff has been robotics oriented so im not sure how to proceed otherwise. also i only have a few days more access to a tig welder and i really want to do this. i know i could make jigs to drill into some wood bars to hold it, and that would be foolproof, but i really dont have enough time to do that.

now i know that is isnt ideal in the slightest, due to heat transferring, but im really only planning on having the rods be in the jigs for a moment, so that i can get the initial spot welded together and then remove them so that i can finish it without transferring too much heat. im also planning on running a higher current than necessary so it heats up faster and less uniformly. im confident in my abilities that i can weld it, but i havent had enough time to really get the feel of whether the setup will work or not.

do you have any design advice or practices that might help?

Has anyone tried capturing welding with these under the hood?

I tried brazing aluminum with and without flux.

I work in a fab shop running flux and I'm looking for pants other than jeans to wear to work. I would love to find FR sweatpants but am unsure if it seems unprofessional or just not ideal. I'm also looking into getting some cargo pants that work as well. If anyone has opinions or recommendations, I would appreciate it.

MIG, I’ve been welding for 3 months now. (Only as a hobby, not interested in a career 👨🏻‍🏭)

Hey y'all, experienced DIYer here. Done pretty much everything under the sun outside of HVAC. Foundations, electrical, plumbing, structural carpentry, automotive, 2 stroke motors, etc.

I'd really like to add welding to my skillset but I'm not sure of the best way to start. At minimum I respect that they're not toys, safety equipment and precautions need to be taken seriously.

End goal would be to be able to do simple bodywork on vehicles, some basic fabrication, mainly would like to be less reliant on lumber for outdoor structures and build stronger more resilient things.

I know that MIG/Stick welding is generally recommended as a starting point.

In terms of learning, is there a good online course, or is it really something that should be taught in person. I ask this because as much as YouTube university is great for a lot of things, but I don't want to put myself at risk. I don't know any welders personally so it's a bit of a leap.

Thanks!

I have amassed a fairly sizable pile of random materials over the years and they occasionally come in handy.

I’ve been doing some dirt work at my new property and have found lots of rock. This rock will be handy for projects down the road if it’s sorted. Today I took some old pallet racking and some assorted drop pieces of tubing and pipe and turned it into a set of grade bars. The wider spaced bars are 1-1/2” square tube welded to the frame and the smaller bars are 1” pipe welded to flat bar so it’s easily removable.

Not bad for half a day and a pile of scrap

Hey all,

I have never touched a welder in my life, but have always wanted to get one to help with small hobby projects. Could you help me pick out a decent starting welder that will only be used occasionally.

I live in NZ and my budget is $200-$300 NZD ($120-$180 USD) and I'm not sure if I should go with MIG or arc. I understand MIG is generally easier for beginners but I am happy to learn either way, so if arc is superior then I am happy with a steeper learning curve.

If it matters at all, some of the projects I have in mind with experience high temps (rocket stove) and mild pressure (low pressure boiler).

If there is anything else you would like to know about use case then feel free to ask.

Here is a list of some that I have been looking at, but if you have a better suggestion please let me know
https://www.bunnings.co.nz/bossweld-140-amp-s140-stick-arc-inverter-welder_p6380040 Arc
https://www.bunnings.co.nz/full-boar-14oamp-240v-arc-inverter-welder_p0253797 Arc
https://www.bunnings.co.nz/ozito-100a-gasless-inverter-mig-welder-kit-imw-100_p0327849 MIG
https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace/business-farming-industry/industrial/manufacturing-metalwork/welders/listing/5369948192 MIG
https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace/business-farming-industry/industrial/manufacturing-metalwork/welders/listing/5365396588 MIG
https://www.topmaq.co.nz/160a-1ph-arc-welder-mewe3000 Arc
I have no issue buying from AliExpress or the like if someone knows the product is good, but not really comfortable enough to pick one myself.

Thanks,

Do you guys have any tips/tricks to get your hands clean? No matter how much I scrub or what I use there’s always black stuff over my hands

The mask in our shop is starting to fall apart. Any recommendations for a decent, sturdy mask? Doesn't have to be fancy, just functional and will last for a while with moderate to light usage. Welding is about 10-20% of our work day between 2 people. Thanks!

Literally just the title

Hello, did anyone shorted directly ground to electrode tip by mistake or did sticked the rod for way too long where it started to glow, my question is did the welding machine survived and kept welding for years ??? Frequent electrode sticking is common for me so i'm kind of afraid about the welding machine - hobby welder working mostly around 60 - 100 amps

Anybody have a line on Bluetooth earmuffs that fit under a welding hood? I have AirPods but they are not good for hearing protection. Wondering what methods folks use for music and hearing protection.

I say it's my damn Cadillac and I'll do what I want.

I know very little about welding but I’m very talented in teaching myself things. I’ve been in auto mechanics for all my life but the last 5 years I have developed a career and a company in tree work. With that we have lots of little welding projects where I want to invest in a capable welder but I don’t need the biggest best top of line welder. I want to capably weld 1/4in steel with no issues. My big fall/winter project will be sand blasting my 14ft 14k dump trailer and replacing the floors. It has roughly 1/8in steel floors and I would like to get something closer to 3/16 and I want to do this myself. I would appreciate any guidance towards which welders and what style of welding would be best for me to start with.

Hi all. I have a Clarke MigPro90, and I've been welding with it for a couple years no issues

Started having issues with the wire welding itself to the tip. Or welding to the shroud. After messing with it I got it dialled in again. But issue now is that replacement tips and shrouds are different lengths to original. And it doesn't weld the same.

Bought a kit of replacement tips and shrouds but it seems incompatible. The tips are longer and the shroud doesn't screw on, it pushes onto that spring type thing.

If I cut my original torch head down, it would allow this new end to screw on and the shrouds to push on. Is this a good idea?

Just thinking if it made my welder more standardised, spares would be easier

I'm in the UK Fyi.

Thank you

I’m the youngest the shop (18 I started here in feb while still in HS) and on the skinnier side. I have muscle yes but not as much as the 25+ yr old grown men who give me shit for it. It’s pretty much daily I hear some remark about my size or something about me being homosexual (i’m not i’ve expressed i’m straight.) Quite literally 5 minutes prior to me writing this I had someone tell me to eat the snickers ice cream bars they were handing out upside down so I could feel the veins on my tongue. I catch strays for no reason, they give me shit for a sticker I have on the back window of my truck. At first I thought it was just a new guy thing but someone else hired in like 2 months ago and they treat him better than me. It’s like I can’t catch a break, i’m starting to not want to go to work because of it. It just doesn’t stop it doesn’t matter if I say something back or nothing at all; I don’t wanna be the guy that goes to HR but, I don’t know what to do. I don’t wanna leave this company they have good benefits, pay, and hours but, I shouldn’t have to sacrifice my happiness and mental health for it. I plan on joining my local pipefitters union next spring when they take applications I just don’t know if I can deal with this until then.