Being a welder is amazing and artistic in many ways, yet, it can also be tricky. There are many tools that you need for the different projects you’re working on to get them right and perfect. Other tools are more than crucial for your safety since welding requires so much heat to cut and shape the metal the way you need it to be. Whether you’re doing it just for fun or it’s your main profession, there are tools that you can’t afford not to have. If you’re confused about what these tools are, it’s time to be absolutely positive about the tools you need and why they are so important. We bring you a list of the most important equipment you have to have for your welding projects.
1. Gloves
Being a welder, you have a lot of hot metal pieces and many fine pieces that you have to touch and work with. To protect your hands from burning or getting severely cut, you must have welding gloves on. There are different types of gloves that come in various thicknesses. You may need more than one because each type is pretty useful for a different purpose. Thick gloves are great when you’re holding extremely hot metal. They protect your hands from the massive heat required to cut the material. You will still feel some heat with these gloves on but it will be tolerable. The thinner gloves are great when you’re fixing small details or dealing with small metal pieces. The use of thicker gloves will make it a little hard to do such a task so you need a thinner one to be able to do some fine work on.
2. Welding Helmets
You simply can’t work on welding projects without a helmet that protects your skin and eyes. There are two types of helmets, and autobraking helmet and one that is just dark. The autodarking welding helmet is probably more useful since it automatically alters its darkness according to the level of light in the room. You can choose whichever helmet you find more comfortable as long as you know that you have to have one on while working on your project.
3. Sleeves
Sleeves are another safe tool that protects you and your clothes from burning. Wearing ordinary clothes while working on a project is dangerous since those are easily burned and you can burn your skin as well. Wear sleeves for your safety. They also protect your arms from the heat. Remember you’re cutting metals, which means the heat is extremely high.
4. Welding Magnets
These are amazingly useful welding tools. They hold your metal project firmly to the table and you can create a perfect 90-degree angle using them. Welding magnets also have a firm grip, so they won’t lose their hold on your piece and ruin its dimensions and shape. You probably need many welding magnets. They come in different sizes, and each size is quite handy for different parts of a project.
5. Welding Clamps
Welding clamps are another useful tool every welder must have to make sure his/her project comes out perfectly. Welding clamps hold your project together keeping the angles perfectly in place, especially larger pieces. You may need to use as many as 10 clamps or more to do different projects.
6. Speed Squares
Speed squares are very useful and make your life much easier when you’re working on a project. They help you accurately fix the angle you want to cut your piece at. Whether you need a 90-degree angle or even a 45-degree one, you definitely need them.
7. Welding Pliers
Welding pliers may seem small, but they are more useful than you think and can do a multitude of functions. For example, cutting the wires accurately, no matter how small the wire piece you want to cut it, they can also hold and remove the hot nozzle in your gun, and they can clean the tiny splatter from welding that’s left in your gun.
8. Permanent Markers or Soapstone
You need to mark the places you want to bend or cut in the metal, and that is what you need soapstone or markers for. Soapstone is basically like chalk, and it isn’t affected by heat if you have more than one marking on your metal. You need to make clear marks that can’t be lost to make sure you all know and keep your measurements.
Welding needs accuracy for the project to come out exactly as you needed it to. It is smart to stay safe when you’re working. This is why you have to have the right tools to help you work on your projects more easily and safely. Enjoy making your artistic pieces using the right tools to save you time, effort, and protect you against dangerous injuries.
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