To start welding, you will need to spend a little money on equipment up front. If you’re lucky, you might know a welder who can give you some used equipment to get started. In order to begin with welding you need to be prepared with certain basic requirements. this blog presents you 9 basic welding tools. For some things, however, it’s better to buy new, both for quality and size reasons.
In this article, we’ll talk about the most important tools for new welders. We’ll talk about safety, welding gear, and digital tools.
First, safety!
A Sturdy Auto-Darkening Helmet
If you don’t get ready, you’re going to fail! If you don’t take care of your job, you won’t have a long and happy career as a welder (your face). Don’t even try to pick up that welding torch without a helmet.
Sparks and flames can easily jump and scar your face, burning your skin and eyes as they do so. How does that sound? Not unless you want to try out for a role in a James Bond movie.
Why do you need a “auto-darkening helmet”? Well, when some metals get hot, they give off a very bright light, and if you look right at it, it can damage your eyes for good (which you need to when welding). These special helmets let only a certain amount of light through, giving you the safety you need for the job.
Safety glasses are also a good idea
If there are sparks flying around on the job site, you should wear safety goggles when you’re not welding. It might be too cautious to wear a helmet all the time, so safety goggles are a good alternative.
Gloves for welding
Welding gloves keep your hands and fingers from getting hurt. They are made of flame-resistant fabrics that are woven into layers for protection and insulation. Ask any welder how much it hurts and how uncomfortable it is to weld with a burn, and that will be all the proof you need!
All good hardware stores sell both MIG welding gloves and TIG welding gloves, so it’s good to know the difference:
- MIG are thicker, have more padding, and are made to fit looser so that the wearer can quickly take them off if they get too hot.
- TIG are thinner and used for precision, so they give you more control over how you move your torch.
Welding Boots
Even though it seems like welding is mostly done with your hands and eyes, your feet are also very important. People rarely talk about how common foot injuries are and how easy they are to avoid with the right shoes. When it comes to tools for beginning welders, welding boots are easy to find.
Steel toe caps and thick leather are a must. Heavy machinery and molten metal are not toys.
Welding Sleeves
You’ll probably be wearing overalls most of the time, but if you’re not, like when you’re welding in your own workshop, make sure your arms are covered. Remember that sparks and flames can hurt you, and if you’re welding in a normal cotton or polyester t-shirt, it can catch fire and melt into your skin. This is a risky move that could end your career, so don’t do it.
If you don’t want to wear your full overalls, you can attach and remove welding sleeves whenever you want. They are strong, can’t catch on fire, and come in many shapes and sizes. Some go on an apron, and others are like one-armed shirts that go over the head and protect the neck, chest, and arms.
Handheld Welding Tools to Help Any Beginners
Welding Pliers
Most likely, pliers or a speed square are the first welding tools that a beginner will buy (which we will cover next). Welding pliers can be bought at any hardware store and do a lot of useful things, such as:
Changing how tight or loose the contact tip is.
Taking off the tip of your welding torch.
The inside of the welding torch’s nozzle needs to be cleaned of spatter.
They are very cheap for what they do and how much you can use them.
Square Speed
For some new welders, the speed square is the most important and useful tool because it lets them measure materials and their angles. Because it’s in the shape of a right triangle, it’s great for making cuts at 90 degrees.
You can’t weld if you can’t measure. If you try to guess, you will make mistakes.
Metal Brush
Any welder will tell you that a metal brush is a must-have, so if you’re looking for welding tools for beginners, this is a great piece of equipment to buy and put in your new toolbox or kit bag.
It is used to get rid of slag and charring. Basically, it is to metal what sandpaper is to wood. A metal brush is used to improve the finish of welds after they have cooled.
If you use a metal brush and a chipping hammer together, the result will be even better and look very clean and smooth.
Welding Magnets
If you’re not a welder and you’re reading this article, you might not know what a welding magnet is. At first, it’s hard to guess what they are or what they do, but once you know, it all makes perfect sense. No matter how skilled you are, it’s hard to weld without them because they can be used in so many ways.
Welding magnets are used to hold pieces of metal in place where clamps wouldn’t work. On the other hand, they can let the welder put two pieces of metal together at the angle he or she wants, which clamps can’t do.
Welding magnets can be used in a lot of ways, but professionals will find even more.
How Soldamatic can help people who are new to welding.
This is the first software and technology in the world that uses Augmented Reality (AR) to teach people how to weld. By putting on a headset and using real welding tools at the same time, new welders can learn the right moves and store them in their muscles.
Beginners can learn from anywhere, and the system includes all kinds of welds.