Welding tips

Q: The welder won't power on. Did I trip a breaker?

A: The Millermatic units have an on-welder breaker. If you use them continuously, at some point they will get overloaded and this breaker will pop. There is a small white reset button near the power switch on the back that resets its internal breaker.

Q: Should I buy my own welding gloves and mask?

A: One of our instructor answers ... The good, auto-darkening welding facemasks are a tad pricey if you're just trying it out (over $100 average) but there are enough at Maker Nexus and they're one-size-fits-all adjustable.

The gloves on the other hand aren't adjustable, are cheaper, and aren't a bad idea to grab at any local welding supply shop or even a Lowe's etc. They're also one of those pieces of gear that makes a huge practical difference in the quality of your work when they just fit better, and I'd recommend picking up a pair.

There are also different degrees of needed thickness (directly corresponding to increased degrees of temperature). You can do any kind of welding process — what different types of welding are called — with normal (thickish) welding gloves, but you can often get away with using thinner (gardening gloves thin) gloves for the TIG welding process when working on much smaller, thinner base metal because the arc doesn't need to (and can't) consume the appropriate-sized tungsten electrode, allowing you to work at significantly lower temperatures.

In that one instance, having slightly more flexible gloves is often touted as easier to work with for long, necessarily precise hours, but if you just ask for a pair of regular welding gauntlets, (always only 100% real leather) you'll be fine.

Just don't ever let me catch ya while using any kind of powered grinder (hand-held, benchtop, or even just something that spins real fast ...) That's the BIGGEST no no, and the most common way a new (or foolish) guy get's to watch his fingers (or whole hand) get turned into sauce in an instant.

Anyone who tries to cut that corner in the shop for even a quick moment is asking to get banned from the metal shop, as is removing the guards ... All our grinding equipment is mandatorily supposed to have hand guards attached at all times, and losing a bit of skin on a knuckle will hurt (like hell) but a bandage is better than a permanent disability. NO GLOVES on powered equipment with moving parts (y'know, besides welding machines). Hang on to your piggies ...