In the modern world, welds are found almost everywhere, in any industry. But many owners resort to the services of specialists. But you can easily acquire this skill yourself, especially since the welding process is very exciting; you may be drawn from welding an ordinary garage to making an openwork fence. It’s not difficult to learn how to cook; just understand the nuances and you can safely move on to the welding process.
Before you begin any training and understand how to properly weld with electric welding, you need to stock up on certain accessories. For welding you need to purchase:
- Welding machine - electric welding.
- Set of electrodes. Their diameters vary and must be selected depending on the density and thickness of the metal section. Necessary for supplying current to the welding seam. For beginners, you can purchase rods with a heating and easily melting composition.
- Long sleeve rubber gloves. It is recommended to wear suede ones.
- Mask with a darkened light filter.
- Thick clothes.
- A hammer needed to knock down slag (glassy material).
- Brush for cleaning seams.
- Transformer – used to convert direct current to alternating current. It is used, as a rule, when there is no need for a high-quality weld.
- Rectifier.
Instead of a transformer and rectifier, for a beginner you can use a simpler mechanism - an inverter. It is very convenient and versatile. They can be used to weld both aluminum alloys and durable steel alloys. It also comes with a pair of wires with clamps attached to them. An electrode is inserted into one end, and the parts necessary for welding are attached to the other.
When welding, do not forget about safety measures.
Before starting welding work, it is necessary to prepare the working surface. To do this, you need to remove rust from surfaces by treating it with sandpaper, a grinder or sandpaper. If you ignore this procedure, problems may arise when igniting the arc.
Electric welding process technology
Welding is a process cultivated under the influence of high temperatures. Under its influence, the treated surfaces melt, forming a so-called bath in which the base metal is mixed with the metal core of the electrode.
The size of the resulting pool can be different, depending on the initial type of welding, position to the surface, speed of arc movement, and so on. On average, the welding width can be 0.8 - 1.5 cm, height 1 - 3 cm, and depth about 0.6 cm.
Oxygen, when combined with metal, can have an undesirable effect on the joining of the seam, which is why the electrode is covered with a special coating, which, when melting, forms a zone of gas in the arc area and above the molten pool, into which air does not enter. This is why the metal does not interact with oxygen. In addition, slag forms on top of the seam, which also prevents the interaction of the alloy and oxygen. At the final stage, it is cleaned with a brush.
Arc striking training
Before any type of activity you need to gain experience. Likewise in the welding process, before you start alloying several metals, you need to practice making beads on an unnecessary sheet of metal. To do this, you need to clean the rusty surface and dirt on it. 
The electrode is then clamped into the welding machine holder (inverter). Next, in order to deliver current to the melting zone, you just need to scratch. Or you can also do it with tapping movements.
After the completed electric arc is created, the electrode is directed to the workpiece. It is worth noting that the gap between the electric arc and the metal surface should be the same throughout the entire gap, but not less than 0.3 cm and not more than 0.5 cm.
Important! If the gap between the arc and the metal is changed, the electric arc will break, and the welding seam will be defective and unsightly.
The electric rod is usually held at an angle of 71 degrees. It can be tilted forward or backward, as is more convenient for the master. In the future, the tilt can be changed depending on the convenience of the master or on the specifics of welding.
And also at this training stage it is necessary to feel the required electric welding current in order for the supply to be carried out stably. If the current strength is small, then the electric arc will go out, and if, on the contrary, it is large, then the metal will begin to melt. Welding skills can be gained through trial and error.
Weld seams depending on welding speed
Correct movements with the electrode
After training with rollers, which after hard training should turn out approximately smooth and beautiful, you can begin training welding seams. It is at this stage that you can understand how to correctly lay perfect seams using electric welding. This stage is already within the capabilities of beginners who have gotten good at using rollers, felt the required current strength, the distance between the gaps, etc.
For a welded seam, you must first prepare the equipment, as described above (light an electric arc). A distinctive feature from the previous stage is that this time the master’s hand moves not in a straight line, but along an oblique path, making light oscillatory movements with a small amplitude. It looks as if the master is moving hot, melting metal from one edge of the welded element to the other.
The movement can be different and can be a zigzag, looping or reminiscent of repeated bends similar to Christmas trees and sickles.
There are trajectories produced in three directions:
- Progressive. The electrode moves along its axis. For this purpose, maintaining a stable electric arc length will be sufficient.
- Longitudinal. This is one of the thinnest types of seams. It looks like a thread. In order to apply it, it is necessary to maintain a height that depends on the speed at which the electric rod moves. In order to secure the resulting seam, it is necessary to make transverse directions of movement.
- Oscillatory. This trajectory helps to obtain the required seam width. They can be done by making oscillatory movements of the hand. The height of the vibration wave is selected based on the size of the desired joint.
Electrode manipulation
The training also needs to be done on an unnecessary metal sheet. To begin, draw a line with chalk so that it can be seen through the darkened glass of the welding helmet. Next, along this line you need to draw a seam with an electrode along one of the trajectories listed above. After the joint has cooled, the slag is knocked off with a hammer, and a beautiful seam is obtained.
After obtaining these initial skills, you can safely begin welding connecting seams. They come in completely different shapes: horizontal, vertical, angular, butt, overlapping and others. After you feel that your hand is moving more or less confidently and have trained a lot, you can only then try to weld beautiful and delicate seams.
For a visual understanding of the welding process, we recommend watching this video
Thus, you can independently learn the very necessary skill of working with electric welding. To do this, you need to stock up on certain supplies and tools. It is also worth remembering that welding is a very dangerous activity, so when working with it you need special equipment and protective measures (helmet, gloves, clothing). To master this type of work, you must first practice on an unnecessary sheet of metal.
Comments:
People who live in their own home, have a dacha or at least a private garage, periodically face the need to carry out welding work. As a rule, they use the services of professional welders. However, many, if they want to save money or simply out of interest, cook on their own, using specialized equipment for this. If you are one of those people who like to do everything on their own, but you have never had to work with electric welding before, there is no need to be afraid. You can learn everything, including electric welding. The most important thing is to familiarize yourself with the theory and practice a little. And very soon you will produce seams no worse than those of a professional welder.
Preparation for work and selection of electrodes
Before you start learning to weld with electric welding, you should prepare the required tools and protective accessories. Prepare the following:
- welder's mask;
- protective clothing and gloves;
- hammer for removing slag;
- electrodes;
- metal brush;
- welding machine.
Protective clothing must be made of dense material.
Before starting work, remember one simple rule: electrodes must be selected in accordance with the thickness of the metal, and the current must be set according to the selected electrode. The calculation is extremely simple. For example, you are using a welding transformer.
In this case, 1 mm of electrode will account for about 30-40 A. If you work with a welding inverter, then 3 mm of electrode will correspond to 80 A. When the current increases to 100 A, it will already be possible to cut metal.
The place for welding work should be convenient for you. There are no special requirements for it. Be sure to bring a bucket of water to your workplace.
Prepare everything you need for work, as well as the workpieces themselves. Thoroughly clean the weld seams using a metal brush. Until you have experience, if possible, position workpieces using a vice or clamps.
In order to understand the technology of working with electric welding, first practice welding beads on a flat area. In this case, it is best to use 3 mm electrodes - the most popular and universal option.
You should not hope that you will be able to learn how to weld with electric welding “with 1 electrode”. Prepare at least a pack of electrodes. They're relatively cheap, but you'll get plenty of practice.
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Step-by-step instructions for working with electric welding
To begin, attach the work clamp to the workpiece and insert the electrode into the holder. Next, you will need to light the arc. To make everything simpler and clearer, while working, imagine that the electrode is a pencil. It will need to be installed at an angle of about 70 degrees to the workpiece. Having chosen the optimal location of the electrode, move it across the workpiece at a speed of approximately 7-10 cm per second. If a characteristic crackling sound and sparks appear, everything has been done correctly.
Next, at approximately the same angle, you will need to touch the workpiece and immediately lift the electrode so that a gap of 3-5 mm is obtained. As a result, the arc will begin to burn. In this case, both the metal of the workpiece and the arc itself will melt. You must try to maintain this gap and at the same time move the electrode horizontally.
If the electrode begins to stick, shake it from side to side, tearing it away from the workpiece, and re-ignite the arc.
If the electrode sticks, this is a clear sign that the current is too low. Therefore, it needs to be increased slightly. Practice, change the current until you find a value at which the arc length between the part and the end of the electrode will be 3-5 mm.
Once you have learned how to strike an arc and maintain it in a stable state, you can learn how to build a bead. Clamp the arc and begin to smoothly move the electrode along the welding seam, i.e. horizontally. During such movement, you need to make movements with an amplitude of about 2-3 mm, as if “raking” the molten material towards the arc crater. This is how a beautiful seam with barely visible waves of deposited metal is created. The seam is quite reliable.
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How to make different seams?
However, the seam discussed above is not the only one available. Before moving on to studying different seams, you need to remember that the main condition for high-quality welding is proper maintenance and movement of the arc. If the arc is too long, the molten metal will begin to oxidize and nitrate, its drops will be splashed across the surface, and the seam will have a porous structure.
The principle of electrode welding.
The movement of the arc can be carried out in 3 main directions. In the first case, translational motion occurs along the axis of the electrode. In this case, the length of the arc will be maintained in normal condition. It depends on the melting rate of the electrode. As it melts, the distance between it and the weld pool will increase. To prevent this, move the electrode along the axis. Due to this, the arc will have a constant length.
When the electrode is moved longitudinally along the axis of the seam, the so-called thread welding bead discussed earlier. The thickness of such a seam depends on the diameter of the electrode used and how quickly it moves. The width of the roller in most cases exceeds the diameter of the electrode by 2-3 mm. The bead is already a weld, but it is too narrow. It is usually not enough to create a strong connection. For this reason, when moving the electrode along the axis of the seam, you need to make another movement, but this time across.
A seam of the required length can be obtained by transverse movement of the electrode. In this case, reciprocating oscillatory movements are performed. In each specific case, the width of these fluctuations is determined individually. First of all, it is influenced by the size and position of the seam, the shape of the groove, the characteristics of the working materials, as well as the requirements for the welding joint itself. In most cases, the width of the seam does not go beyond 1.5-5 diameters of the electrode used.
When working with electric welding, the appropriate arc movement should be selected in such a way that the edges of the joined products are fused to form the required amount of deposited metal and a weld of a given shape.
Welding metals is the most common method of joining them in various sectors of the economy (construction, mechanical engineering, pipeline laying, etc.). In everyday life (at home, in the country, in the garage) we also encounter the need to use metal welding. To a non-specialist, this work seems incomprehensible, difficult and mysterious. Moreover, it is associated with a certain risk to life.
Let's see if this is true. How to weld metal using electric welding?
In the modern retail network there is a wide variety of inverters and protective equipment when carrying out welding work. They are available to anyone, therefore, having purchased the appropriate equipment, you can perform these welding works yourself. You just need to understand what metal welding technology is and what the safety requirements are. In addition, you need to get the necessary welding practice.
Types of metal welding
Nowadays, many different technologies have been developed for how to weld metal. For example, you can use electronic and laser radiation, connect products with a gas flame and cook with ultrasound. But the most widely used energy source is the electric arc.
You should also worry about fire safety - remove all flammable materials and liquids from the welding site, prepare fire extinguishing agents for use (in the absence of special means, even a bucket of water will do), ensure ventilation of the room where the work will be carried out, especially from the front and rear sides welding machine.
Be sure to read the instructions for use of the welding machine and follow all the recommendations given there.
electrical safety
Before you try to master in practice how to weld metal, you need to make sure that the parameters of the electrical network from which the welding machine is powered meet its requirements. Otherwise, other electrical appliances connected to the network may be damaged, not only for you, but also for your neighbors. This is especially true for transformer welding machines, which significantly affect the power supply network by the presence of voltage surges during the start of welding and increased current consumption when the electrode sticks at the welding site. In addition, it should be positioned so that it cannot fall, damage itself or cause damage to surrounding people and objects during work. The wires connected to the device must have good insulation and be straightened. The possibility of their damage must be excluded.
Procedure for preparing for work
How to weld metal correctly? The place to be welded must be cleaned down to metal and be dry. It is prohibited to carry out welding work in wet weather, rain and subzero air temperatures. Do not allow the electrodes to get wet.
How to properly weld metal using electric welding?
Welding is carried out at constant voltage or at alternating voltage. Transformer welding machines provide welding with alternating voltage.
When welding with direct current, there are two options for connecting the welding machine. When connecting the plus to the ground and the minus to the electrode (this is called direct polarity), the metal heats up more, the melting zone is created deep and narrow. This inclusion is used when welding thick metal and leads to economical consumption of electrodes. When turned on in the opposite direction (reverse polarity), the electrode heats up more strongly and is consumed faster; the melting zone becomes wide and shallow. Therefore, reverse polarity is used only when welding thin sheets of metal.
Distinctive features of inverters
How to properly weld metal transforms the alternating voltage of an industrial network into a pulse sequence of a higher frequency and then generates a direct voltage current. Due to the presence of an electronic circuit that implements these transformations, the inverter has little influence on the power supply network during operation, has a smoother adjustment of the output voltage, and is characterized by low weight and dimensions. In terms of the quality of the product, the inverter is not inferior to other similar equipment. Therefore, welding inverters have recently become very widespread when prices for such devices have decreased. The advantage of such a device is its relative ease of use when welding.
How to choose an inverter
An important parameter of the inverter is the load period (LP) of the current source. This value, which characterizes the efficiency of the inverter, shows the ratio of welding time to idling time. Household appliances do not operate continuously. They must cool down periodically. So, a duty cycle value of 30% of the inverter means that after every 3 minutes of welding you will have to wait 7 minutes until the source cools down. If you try to continue working without interruption, the unit may burn out. Or the protection will work and it will turn off. Therefore, you should choose an inverter with a duty cycle of at least 60% and a maximum current of at least 140 - 160 A.
Preparing to work with the inverter
To gain experience in how to properly weld metal with an inverter, it is first recommended to work with metal at least 2-3 mm thick and use 3 mm electrodes. It is better to buy new electrodes. Old, stale, borrowed from others are likely to be damp and unsuitable for work.
How to weld metal correctly? If this is your first time, first try to make a seam on the surface of one piece of metal without welding it to another piece.
Let's look at the sequence of work.
Firstly, it is necessary to connect the electrode to its holder, and the ground wire to the workpiece to be welded using a terminal. The other ends of the wires must be connected to the inverter outputs in straight polarity.
Secondly, you need to turn on the device and set its output parameters in accordance with the recommendations, depending on the thickness of the material being welded and the selected electrode size.
The technology of metal welding provides that in order to heat the metal to the temperature required to obtain a high-quality weld, it is necessary to take an electrode corresponding to the thickness of the material. The thicker the latter, the larger the layer of metal it can heat and the higher the current must be set on the inverter to form an electric arc. At the same time, the higher the current, the faster the metal melts and the faster the electrode is consumed. For a thin layer of metal at a high current and a thick electrode, holes often form and the material burns through. If the current is too low, either an electric arc does not occur, or, if it does occur, a poor-quality seam is obtained, the so-called non-burnout.
The third thing to pay attention to is the formation of an electric arc. To do this, you need to strike the end of the electrode at the place to be welded, like a match against a box, without removing the end of the electrode from the metal. When an arc occurs, a red spot forms on the metal. But this is not yet molten metal, but only flux formed when the powder shell of the electrode melts. You must wait, holding the end of the electrode at a distance of 1-4 mm from the surface of the metal, until the metal at the arc site heats up to form a so-called weld pool - a drop of molten metal, characterized by a bright orange color and trembling from the flow of current.
Fourthly, it is necessary to move the end of the electrode one or two millimeters towards the seam being made, again holding it at the specified distance from the metal. Again, wait for a drop to form, and so on, moving along the welding seam being performed. When the electrode touches the metal surface, a short circuit is created, the arc disappears, and the inverter turns off the current. Therefore, when making a weld, you must try to maintain a constant distance between the end of the electrode and the metal surface, gradually bringing the electrode closer to it as it burns. More precisely, the electrode does not burn, but melts; the metal in the weld pool is formed mainly from the metal core of the electrode. The powder coating of the electrode surface, when melted, forms flux and gases that prevent the flow of oxygen from the surrounding air to the welding site and oxidation of the metal, and also help the process of forming a high-quality weld.
During the welding process, it is recommended to hold the electrode at an angle of approximately 30 degrees from the perpendicular to the part being welded so that a compact weld pool is formed and the welding site is clearly visible to you. The more the electrode is inclined towards the part during the welding process, the more elongated in the opposite direction the spot of the heated metal surface will be and the longer the formation time of the weld pool at the same current strength. The narrowest spot of melting metal is achieved when the electrode is perpendicular to the metal surface. But in this case, it is difficult for the welder to observe the welding process. Therefore, this position is used only when welding in hard-to-reach places.
How to properly weld metal with an inverter?
After practicing making a weld on a simple surface, you can begin joining metal parts. The process is similar, the difference is that the part to be welded must first be fixed in the right place using a clamp or another method, and when a weld pool appears, move the end of the electrode not directly along the seam, but in a zigzag motion from the center of the seam towards first one, then the other parts, gradually moving along the seam, connecting them in this way.
The main thing is that success comes with experience. By purchasing it, instead of using the services of third-party specialists (for quite a lot of money), you can learn how to do welding work yourself. Good luck with your studies and work!
Manual arc welding using an inverter is one of the most accessible metal welding methods for learning. This requires a minimum of equipment, and budget steels are very cheap. But at the same time, manual welding with an inverter for novice welders is more complex compared to welding.
A number of nuances, invisible at first glance, play a big role in the final quality of the seam.
So, what is needed for a beginner welder?
- Directly. There is no need to chase expensive models - the price of a welding machine actually means much less than the skill of the welder. But frankly cheap models are not the best choice: the absence of ignition-facilitation circuits in them will complicate the first lessons, and less reliability can lead to quick breakdown in inexperienced hands.
The main parameter of the inverter is the range of adjustment of the welding current. In principle, a device with a maximum current of up to 160 A can be used for both welding and cutting metal, but it will be noticeably overloaded in this mode.
The duration of continuous operation of the inverter is determined by the so-called PV (continuous on) coefficient, which determines the percentage of operating and cooling time of the inverter. Since the PV increases when the current decreases, a more powerful welding machine will be able to work longer without overheating at the same current.
Therefore, the best choice for a beginner would be a welding machine with a maximum current of 180-200 A. It is advisable that it has an ignition facilitation function or at least a maximum no-load voltage - this will greatly facilitate the development of the skill of igniting and holding the arc. - Welding mask– the main protective element of a welder’s equipment. It protects not only from splashes of metal and bright light, but also from the imperceptible powerful stream of ultraviolet radiation created by the arc. For a beginner welder, the best choice is an automatic chameleon mask with adjustable shading.
- Canvas leggings and robe protect the body from metal splashes. If a robe can to some extent be replaced by thick cotton clothing, then leggings must be used.
You need to clearly understand the safety rules. Remove the weld area all flammable or smoldering objects: hot drops of metal often fly away unpredictably and can lead to a fire. No wonder safety regulations require stop welding work an hour before the end of the working day to be able to detect the beginning of smoldering. Purchase and store a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher in an accessible place.
Start igniting the arc only after putting on the mask. Even a brief flash can cause severe retinal burns, especially when welding stainless steel. The insidiousness of a retinal burn is that its symptoms appear after some time. For example, if you use an inverter in the evening, you can wake up in the morning with sticky eyelids and a strong burning sensation in the mucous membranes of your eyes, which will become very difficult to open. In this case, a folk remedy will quickly help - brewed tea bags placed on the eyes. Even a professional welder is not immune from burns (“catching bunnies”), so have eye drops in stock.
Do not forget that when welding metal you use extremely high temperatures. You can touch the seam only after it has completely cooled down - you can get burned even through the leggings.We invite you to watch a video tutorial about welding for beginners, the necessary equipment and all the nuances
When drawing up a program for training welders, educational institutions must rely on the following regulatory framework:
- Federal Law of December 29, 2012 No. 273-FZ “On Education in the Russian Federation”.
- Federal State Educational Standard of Secondary Vocational Education(initial vocational education) in specialty 150415 Welding production (Appendix No. 11.1).
- The procedure for organizing and carrying out educational activities in secondary vocational education programs(Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation dated June 14, 2013 No. 464).
- The procedure for admission to training in secondary vocational education programs(Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation dated January 23, 2014 No. 36).
- Regulations on the practice of students those mastering basic professional educational programs of secondary vocational education (Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation dated July 18, 2013 No. 291);
- The procedure for conducting state final certification of secondary vocational education programs(Order of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation dated August 16, 2013 No. 968).
Various universities, colleges and training centers provide the opportunity to obtain a diploma or certificate of completion of a course confirming the specialty “Welder”. Depending on which welding technique and which ones will be used, the future specialization of the welder is chosen. There are the following types of welding:
- Manual (electric welder). An arc is used that burns between a coated electrode and a weld pool. This technique is widely used in the automotive industry and in the construction of oil and gas pipelines, which require numerous welding of metals in different spatial positions.
- MIG/MAG welding is an arc welding process in which a consumable metal electrode is fed into an arc. The workpiece to be welded and the electrode wire melt, forming a weld pool. The shielding gas supplied through the torch nozzle protects the crystallizing seam from air. The gas can be in an inert (MIG) or active (MAG) state.
- Welding (TIG)– a refractory tungsten electrode with a high melting point is used. This allows you to weld non-ferrous metals, stainless and low-alloy steels, which can oxidize if not processed correctly.
- Plasma welding is a welding process that takes place in a liquid state in which metal plates are joined while in a. Plasma itself is an ionized gas containing neutral and electrically charged atoms. The temperature limit of this technique reaches 30,000 °C.
- When welding, a laser is used as an energy source. This technique is used when components need to be welded together using small welds. High welding speed, automatic mode and the ability to control quality interactively during the manufacturing process make laser welding a widespread method in modern industrial production.
- (gas welder, gas-electric welder)– a metal welding process in which the melting of the materials being joined forms a homogeneous structure. Gas combustion occurs due to the introduction of pure oxygen or acetylene into the gas mixture.
These methods are introduced in educational institutions. The future welder decides which one he will specialize in.
In the future, he has the right to apply to improve his qualifications, as a result of which the scope of his capabilities will expand, and his demand in the labor market will increase.
Features of the training program
The training program for welders is compiled on the basis of Federal State Educational Standards NPO No. 50 for the profession “Welder”. In educational institutions, it is mandatory to study the basics of engineering graphics and the basics of materials science. The future specialist gets acquainted with the electrical engineering used during welding work. Due to the specifics of this profession, special attention is paid to the basics of life safety. A student takes a course in economics. After graduation, the young specialist will have experience in welding and cutting parts from various metals and alloys, and will learn to bear responsibility for the work performed.
If you have a certificate of basic general education, you need to study for another 3-4 years, depending on the institution where teaching is carried out, and if you have a certificate of secondary general education - from 2 to 3 years.