Welding

Room for electric arc welding and plasma cutting, in the shelter (skyddsrummet) before the Metal and Wood rooms.

Equipment

• Shielding gas — cylinders, gas types and data sheets

• Earth connections — moving the earth cable between machines

• Cutting grates — sacrificial grates for cutting

Processes

• MMA (stick): a flux-coated electrode makes its own shielding gas and slag. Simple equipment, but the hardest process to master.

• MIG/MAG: a wire electrode fed through the torch, shielded by gas. MIG uses inert gas (argon) for aluminium and stainless; MAG uses an argon/CO₂ mix for steel. The Kemppi is set up for MAG.

• TIG: a tungsten electrode with pure argon shielding and separate filler. DC for steel, stainless and copper alloys; AC for aluminium. Precise but slow.

• Plasma cutting: an electric arc through compressed air melts and blows out conductive metal.

Protective equipment

Welding produces spatter and UV light that burn eyes and skin.

Helmets

Clothing

• Gloves, welding jackets/overalls, hoods, aprons and safety shoes are in the room.

• Black overalls are flame-retardant welding overalls. Blue overalls are workshop overalls and are not flame-retardant.

• Own clothing: cotton or wool only. No polyester, fleece or other synthetics. Steel-toe shoes recommended.

• Earplugs keep spatter out of the ear canal.

Safety

• Fire: the room is a separate fire compartment, so keep the door closed. Store nothing flammable in the room. Clean up before and after work.

• Extinguishers: fire blanket, CO₂ and powder extinguishers. Use CO₂ or the blanket first; powder gets everywhere.

• Fume extraction: always on when welding, positioned about 20–30 cm above the torch.

• Pacemakers: arc welding creates strong magnetic fields. Consult a doctor before welding.

• Angle grinders: tie up hair, no lanyards or loose items, and the guard must be fitted.

Materials

• Work must be clean: no rust, oil or grease.

• Never weld galvanised (zinc-coated) parts as they are. Zinc fumes are toxic and cause metal fume fever. Most hardware-store steel is zinc-coated. Grind or blast the coating off a few cm around the joint, then restore it with zinc spray afterwards.

• Material for sale is paid for through the web shop.

• Free material: material against the wall inside the room is free unless marked with a name, member number and date. Label your own material. If something has a name on it, ask the owner first.