Arc welding produces heat, sparks, and ultraviolet light. The person Welding must protect themselves and OTHERS from exposure. Welding area: Make sure that the welding area is free from all combustibles. Watch where sparks are going, make sure they are in a safe place Welding tables should be make of metal not wood Know where the fire extinguishers are and how to use them! Know where the fire blanket is When grinding watch where the sparks are going

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Welding mask: Arc welding REQUIRES the use of a special welding mask, it Has a dark shaded lens. You CANNOT use the same colored Lens for oxy-fuel cutting or weld. Arc welding lenses should be a shade 10 lens. Welding masks should have no holes cracks or breaks in them. If they do ultraviolet light will contact your eyes and cause Major problems. Safety glasses: Always wear safety glasses when grinding, striking, and chipping Welds. YOU ONLY HAVE ONE PAIR OF EYES TAKE CARE OF THEM!!!!!!!!!!

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Hearing: Chipping, grinding, and general shop NOISE will affect your hearing So use hearing protection. It will also keep sparks from getting into Your ear. Clothing: Gloves are required. The heat from the arc will cause blisters on Your hands. The metal will be hot when your are done welding. The high back on the gloves will keep sparks from getting into the Gloves. Coveralls should be clean and have no frayed ends. Keep no combustibles in your pockets. Wear leather shoes, not tennis shoes. Laces will burn Sometimes special Leather coats need to be worn.

Welding startup: Check welding area Make sure that you have your PPE’s on Check the welding machine: Are the cables set up right, is the polarity right, are the cable un- Cracked and connections tight? Secure a piece of metal of the proper thickness, make sure it Is clean and ready to go. Amperage setting: How do I know what amperage to start at? A good rule of thumb is to find the decimal equitant of the diameter Of the metal in the welding rod. Example: 1/8 inch rod should be started at 125 amps. 1 divided by 8 =.125

Striking and running an arc: Starting an arc will be difficult at first. Follow this instructions. Position the electrode in the holder at 90 degrees. Set the amperage on the machine and turn it on Adjust your helmet so you can nod and have it fall into place. Place both hands on the stinger Position your electrode over the piece of metal, about ½ inch Nod your head and move your rod in a scratching motion, like Striking a match. When the arc starts move your rod closer and tip your stinger Toward the direction of travel As you move across the metal move your hand toward the Metal as the rod is melting off.

The bead: Tilting the rod back to the molten puddle about degrees will Give the desired results. The bead should be no wider than 2.5 to 3 times the diameter of the Metal in the rod. Adjust your forward movement accordingly The height of the bead should be no more than the diameter of the Rod. When beginning make beads with a straight forward and backward Motion. This called whipping. Advanced welding may require the “weaving” of beads, the move- Ment from side to side.

Welding positions: Flat:The metal is laying flat on the table Horizontal:The metal is up off the table with the weld going parallel with the horizon Vertical: The metal is up off the table with the weld going 90 degrees To the horizon. These can be welded “uphill” going up, which usually gives Deep penetration They can also be welded “downhill” going down, which Usually gives shallow penetration. Overhead:Much like flat only it is over your head and gravity is Pulling the molten metal down.

Joints: Butt: Closed: Two pieces of metal touching each other all along the Joint. These can be made in any position. Open: A gap is left between the two pieces of metal for Easier penetration. These can be made in any position. Fillet: Welds that are made in a corner, filling it up. Lap: Where one piece of metal is on top of another. T:Where one piece of metal is at 90 degrees to another. Multi pass:Where it takes more than one pass to finish a weld. Can be made in any position and in any joint First pass is called a root pass, the last pass is called a cover Pass, and the ones between are filler passes

Metal Inert Gas (MIG) welding: Can weld thin metal and aluminum Requires special machinery that may cost more money than SMAW Welders. Welders: A spool of bare wire is fed through a gun. It is electrified and acts as and electrode A shielding gas such as carbon dioxide, argon, or a Combination of them is used instead of a flux. The weldor can select the amperage and wire speed To perform the weld desired. Can spot weld, stitch, and if set up correctly weld Stainless.

Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding: The machine produces a high frequency flow of electricity. The arc is generated between the base metal and a piece of tungsten Very high temperature with localized heat. It also uses an inert gas to push the atmosphere away from the Molten metal. The hand action is like oxy-acetylene welding in that one hand Controls the torch while the other holds a filler rod. Motions used while welding are very similar to oxy-acetylene welding