Welding Tips & Tricks

Want to know how to make a perfect weld? Or how to keep from getting burned or hurt?

The information below will give you all the information you need on how to be a better welder, stay safe and a lot more.

To send suggestions of tips & tricks: e-mail Eric Ockerhause, welding instructor at eockerhausen@icc.edu. Title the subject line: "Tips & Tricks" for welding website.

 

Weights, Gages, Tolenrances

Print this form off and keep it as a quick reference. U.S. Standard Sheet Metal Gage Numbers w/ approximate thickness and weights [PDF].

 

Use Materials other than Metal

Metal doesn't have to be the main focus of your welding project. Be creative and look for other materials to use in your projects. Yard sales, second-hand shops, and many other places are great resources for finding unique materials for your projects.

If you look at the coffee table in this photo , you'll see that the main focus is the old travel trunk.
The metal work is simple and designed to not be noticed.

 

Penetrol Can Keep Metal from Rusting

A good primer for your metal work is a product called, Penetrol. If you don't want your metal work to rust, apply two coats of Penetrol, as soon as, you have finished your project. If you want the metal to rust, but don't want the rust to stain your clothes or hands, a coat of Penetrol will seal the rusted look and stop any chance of rust coming off where it's not wanted.If you decide to paint your metal work thePenetrol coating will make the painting easier and aid in preventing rust after you have painted. You can purchase Penetrol at most paint stores and hardware stores. It usually runs around 8 dollars for a quart and 18 to 24 dollars for a gallon.
The more metal working you do, the more cheap small throw away paint brushes you'll want to have around the house. It is easier to just paint on the Penetrol and throw the brush away. For large work (like a yard trellis), I would suggest that you purchase a "Paint Mitt". A Paint Mitt will allow you to paint the pencil rod pieces a lot faster than you could with a small brush. You can put the "Paint Mitt" in a large Ziplock bag and seal it to use whenever you apply the second coat. Move your trellis into the sunlight and missed spots will become very obvious. So, the second coat is very important, especially if you are painting a trellis or arch white. Remember, White will show rust very easily.

Tips: use Penetrol - cheap throw away paint brushes - paint mitts - apply 2 coats (in good light - so you can determine missed spots)
With theses tips your metal work will look good for years to come. Once the vines are growing on the trellis or arch no one is going to notice a bad weld or a little spot of rust - so relax.

 

Select the perfect pump for your water fountain.

When you are selecting a pump for the water fountain you have just made, it'simportant to look at the gallons per hour the pump will move and how high the pump can lift the water. All this information should be on the box. A good brand of pump for water fountains is "Little Gaint". Little Giant is available at most chain stores that have water garden supplies. For the average fountain, I would select a pump that moves from 80 gallons of water an hour up to 170 gallons an hour. The size is determined by the size of the fountain and how high you need to pump the water. The Little Giant pumps shown below cost between 25 dollars and 65 dollars depending on the actual model. The same place that sells the pumps will also carry the brass barbed fittings and the plastic hose needed to make the proper connections. These kind of pumps should give you 2 - 4 years of service and the only maintenance is to keep them clean. Keep the algae from growing in the fountain by placing a Bromine tablet in the fountain every 2 - 3 weeks.

 

 

Find a Job using the American Welding Society website

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Visit AWS JobFind, THE ULTIMATE WELDING CAREER WEBSITE, to apply for immediate job openings or to post an available position. Post your resume and apply directly on-line for any of these job openings (it's a FREE service!). Companies in need of Welders, CWIs, Engineers, etc., can post a job and get immediate access to a 1,400+ resume database for a reasonable fee.