My welding rod caught on fire?
I do shielded metal arc welding (aka stick welding) and yesterday, while I was welding, my welding rod caught on fire. I released the rod from the stinger, but it made a huge spark and completely damaged the stinger since I couldn't make it to the amp. machine in time. I was using an E6011 rod and the amperage was at 125, so I know it wan't anything I did. I just want to know what I'm supposed to do when a welding rod catches on fire.
Why do some metals need to be protected from the air during welding?
Beyond catching things on fire, which doesn't happen often, generally parts are kept oxygen free to prevent them from oxidizing. Aluminum and Titanium are notorious for oxidizing almost immediately. Titanium is almost unusable once it has oxidized. Aluminum is still very usable after it oxidizes. The oxide layer is what keeps aluminum from "rusting" but if you want to avoid the aluminum oxide layer, you have to keep the material in an oxygen free environment throughout the entire process.
Is this shop coat good for welding?
Absolutely not! No do not buy it it is extremely dangerous. You need 100% cotton for welding, anything else is plastic and will stick to your skin if it catches fire. The pockets are open to the outside and will catch sparks as well. There are many welding jackets out there much better than what you are looking at. Here is a sample of some, http://store.cyberweld.com/nsearch.html?... You can get them at any welding supply even Home Depot, Lowes, Tractor supply, Harbor freight and so on. Remember 100% cotton only anything else is too dangerous (comes from having many burns - experience in other words).
Why cant u cut Stainless steel with an oxy-acetyline torch?
A cutting torch does not cut steel with a flame. The flame just preheats the steel hot enough so that the steel, itself, burns in the presence of all the excess oxygen in the flame. It is the heat released by the burning steel that produces the rapid temperature rise and the nice clean curf. Stainless steel not only does not rust because of the protective hard layer of oxide that it forms, it also has trouble burning for the same reason. You can slowly heat it with a flame until it melts, but you get a big, sloppy, wide melt zone, because the heat is being transfered to the metal from the passing flame, instead of being generated by the burning surface of the metal itself. A steel that makes lots of bright sparks when ground, because the specs catch fire as they are scraped off will also probably cut well. That metal catches fire easily. When you grind stainless you don't get bright or branching sparks, just little bits of hot metal, each protected by its own oxide from catching fire. -- Regards, John Popelish
Can welders have dyed hair and piercings?
Hair color will not really be a problem from a safety standpoint, but may make it harder to get a job. Appearances are important. As an employee, you are the visual representation of your employer. Employers know this and factor it into their hiring schemes. Also, once hired, you might get a few more jabs thrown your way from coworkers and such if you are sporting a color that a person has no clue how to spell on the first attempt. But having said that, there are many things that can easily be overlooked if you have the skill. There are plenty of average or slightly above average welders. Some of them have no work ethic and don't really care. Some have no clue how to weld properly other metals like aluminum. If you focus on your skills and work ethic, your employer will not care what color your hair is because you care about the job you are doing, you are getting it done and most importantly, you are getting it done right the first time. So if you are just looking for a paycheck, your hair color will be a problem. If you are looking for a career and opportunities to improve your skills, people won't care as much. As for piercings, most companies that would hire a welder are going to have it in their employee and safety policies that piercings are not allowed during work hours. This is not because of anything welding related, but because of what is typically going around where the welding is happening. Industrial sites can be quite dangerous, especially if a piercing gets snagged on something. Therefore, companies usually require workers to remove piercings while performing work as it increases safety and reduces liability. This does not mean you cannot have piercings, but only that they would have to be removed while you are performing the functions of your job. And like hair color, it comes down to appearances as well. If you want to wear your piercings to a job interview, it will make it harder to get a job. Call it prejudice if you want, but image is important. Again, if you have the skill set, some issues of image can be overlooked.