For newcomers to welding, it can be a bit intimidating. The number of tools needed, the amount of heat you will be working with, and the number of pressurized components may seem intimidating. But there’s nothing to be afraid of. The top welding tools for novices to learn the craft safely and effectively are listed below.
1. Auto-Darkening Welding Helmet
The most basic and well-known piece of welding equipment available is the welding helmet, which is essential for safety and a fundamental aspect of the craft. Any kind of welding helmet’s main function is to shield your face from flames and sparks while you operate, as well as to shield your eyes and skin from heat-related harm. The extra benefit of auto-darkening helmets is that they shield your eyes from the intense light that other welding equipment and the heated metal itself generate.
You can see without harming your eyes because the glass covering your eyes is tinted to let only a specific quantity of light in at a time.
2. Welding Gloves
Gloves should go without saying. Layers of sturdy materials and insulation make up welding gloves, which guard against heat and stray spark injuries. Typically, there are two kinds that you should be mindful of: In order to protect your resting hand while bracing the dominant hand during a weld, MIG welding gloves are typically thicker and feature cushioning on the back of the hand. The looser fitting shape makes it simple to remove the glove if it gets too hot. TIG Welding Gloves When accuracy is crucial, these gloves are softer and thinner. TIG welding requires dexterity, and the gloves will fit more snugly to enable accurate movement while handling the rod and flame.
3. MIG Welding Pliers
MIG pliers are commonly accessible both online and in the majority of hardware stores. Considering how much you can accomplish with them, they are not specialized items and are reasonably priced. They can be used for a number of purposes, including:
• Taking out the nozzle from the MIG gun: They have circular clamps that are ideal for taking out MIG gun nozzles.
• Change the contact tip’s tightness and looseness on a regular basis when it wears out.
• Cut 1/4 Stick-Out: This eliminates the need for a second wire cutter, saving you time.
• Eliminate Weld Spatter: The pliers’ tips make it simpler to clean the nozzle’s interior of spatter.
If you have a MIG welder, you must have a good pair of MIG pliers.
4. Welding Magnets
One of the most useful things in your toolbox is a welding magnet. They are quite helpful during welding because of this. You may quickly move and hold metal components in place without the need for clamps by using a welding magnet. Additionally, they enable you to place metal components and weld them at an angle to one other.
To put it briefly, they make it possible to weld sheet metal in ways that clamps would not. You will discover new applications for these the longer you utilize them.
5. Chipping Hammer
The condensing of slag as the metal melts and develops into the weld is one aspect of stick or MIG welding.
Sometimes you have to chip away at this slag. This is the purpose of the chipping hammer. Chipping hammers are designed for various types of slag and have both a flat and a pointed side.
These may not be used frequently, but they greatly improve the cleanliness and control of welding.
6. Welding Framing Jig
Although it is not as essential as many of the other items on our list, a welder frame jig is nevertheless a useful piece of equipment. A device for welding at 90-degree angles is what a welder frame jig performs. Although a welding magnet could be used for this, a frame jig offers a considerably higher level of support during the welding process and enables the use of larger metal components. Additionally, unlike magnets, it enables the simultaneous tack welding of numerous layers or components at a precise 90-degree angle.
7. Speed Square
Of all the tools on this list, a speed square could be the one you utilize the most. With your speed square, you can measure any item at any angle, including perpendicular to another for a 90-degree cut.
An angular measuring tool with a right triangle shape, a speed square, enables several methods of measurement at various angles. This is the welding tool that you will use the most out of all those available to you. If you are unable to measure, you are powerless.
8. Metal Brush
Similar to a chipping hammer, a metal brush is something you use frequently while welding but rarely consider. Slag and charring are removed from the top of cooled welds with a metal brush, leaving the entire surface neat and tidy.
While not all welding processes produce slag, those that do need metal brushes and chipping hammers to function correctly.
9. Angle Grinder
An angle grinder can be a very helpful item to have in your toolbox if you routinely weld. It can cut metal, to start. It is certain that you will have to cut down some metal stock. Anything from sheet metal to bar stock may be cut using a cut wheel with surprisingly little effort. Before welding, angle grinders can also be used to prepare metal. You should clean the base metal to prevent flaws like porosity and cracking. Although a wire brush can be used for this, an angle grinder will save you a great deal of time.
10. Sheet Metal Gauge
You must know the thickness of the metal you are dealing with in order to weld it successfully.
A steel metal gauge is a wheel with teeth that are spaced at different widths to match the varied standard widths of sheet metal. For welders of all skill levels, the sheet metal gauge is an essential instrument. Many other aspects of your project in general can be determined by knowing the thickness of the sheet metal you will be dealing with. The majority of expert welders have a chart that specifies the settings to be used for each thickness of sheet metal. The gauge will be useful all the time because it can be difficult to tell one piece of sheet metal from another just by looking at it.
Conclusion
As previously mentioned, MIG welding is the best option for novice welders to learn the skill. As you learn to weld, you will find that every tool on this list is very helpful, and many of them will be used for years to come.
