Tools & Safety

Learning to weld can get pretty overwhelming and dangerous if you do not have the right tools and safety gear. But don’t fret! The articles in this section will ensure that you do have the right welding tools and safety gear.

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Safety First!

It is well known fact that welding is highly dangerous trade whether you are a professional welder or just a beginner or hobbyist.

It might be quite intuitive that welders must stay on guard and wear proper safety equipment to avoid any injuries. Still, safety precautions are sometimes ignored, even by the most experienced welders. Ignoring simple precautions can lead to severe health conditions and injuries. As such, it is important to familiarize yourself with all the safety equipment needed to avoid any injuries.

When it comes to welding, safety needs to be your first priority. Whether you are just a beginner or a professional welder, you cannot ignore the safety aspects when it comes to marrying metal as it involves the generation of a great deal of heat as well as the use of gases. There is every chance that you can burn your skin or damage your lungs, eyes, hands, etc. if you don’t take enough precautionary measures.

Can you Weld in your Garage?

When people first learn to weld, many of them use their garage to carry on with some jobs until they find a place to set up shop.

Keep in mind that welding draws a lot of electrical current, and if you are planning to set up shop in your garage then you need to check whether the wiring in your garage is up to the task. It is not always a good idea to rely on a circuit breaker to do the job for you. There are many instances where garages that have been used as workshops catching fire as the cannot handle the power requirements. The worst case scenario here is not only that your garage destroyed, but your whole house can be burnt down too. When dealing with electric power, we need to take things seriously.

There is testing equipment available in the market that allows you to test your setup. If you are still unsure, then you can seek the helps of a professional electrician to get the job done – to ascertain if the garage can withstand the amperage requirements necessary for welding.

What to Wear?

Many beginners make this mistake of ignoring the safety aspects or just ignore the safety measures as the safety helmets, gloves and clothing can be a bit expensive. But it is extremely important that you invest on either some used stuff from the nearby store and ensure that you are well protected.

A pair of gloves and a helmet can help you stay protected from the welding spatter (droplets of molten metal). If you are truly concerned about your safety, then you should also invest in a welding jacket or apron, leather boots, welding chaps and other durable protective gear.

Avoiding Fumes

Welding creates a lot of fumes can be very dangerous at times. If you are welding for long periods of time, then you may feel dizzy at times because of the fumes that you have encountered. It could also lead to nausea and light-headedness. The dander is even greater when you are using a flux cored wire welding method. Prolonged exposure can even cause many neurological and physical effects. Hence, you need to make sure that your workspace comes with proper ventilation and there is enough airflow inside that could bring in the fresh air all the time. But make sure that the air-flow is not heavy as it can affect the shielding gas and contaminate the weld piece.

In this section, we are going to help you find the best solutions for everything mentioned above including personal protective equipment as well as must-have welding tools to make your life as a welder much easier.

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