Welder - work in progress
Induction Required
This equipment requires an induction prior to use. For your own safety and to avoid damage to the equipment do not attempt to use it until you have been inducted.
Burn Hazard
Welding generates heat, resulting in workpieces and equipment which may be very hot. This may pose a burn hazard to the user or those around them, take care during and after use.
Fire
The welding process generates sparks and embers which can start fires. Steps must be taken to prevent fires - see safety notes below.
Risk of permanent damage to eyesight
The welding process generates intensely bright light, which can cause lasting eyesight damage.
PPE Required
This equipment requires the use of eye protection and appropriate clothing.
Please note, this is a work in progress. Please do not use the welder until inducted - thanks, Ollie
Feel free to add to this page, any comments welcome
Induction
Prior to using the welder, you must attend an in-person induction. Please post on the forum if you want an induction. Should be starting spring 2025
Prior to an induction, please have a quick read through the welder manual, and read this wiki page. There is PPE provided, however the risk assessment requires that inductees bring their own respirator to protect from fumes
Induction notes are here - induction_notes
Please note, the induction only covers the basics and essential safety elements, as well as any hackspace-specific rules. There won't be anything on welding techniques / settings, as there's a myriad of information online.
Safety
Avoiding fire and fumes
Before commencing any welding, ensure the hot works area is clear from flammable items. Do not weld if there are strong, potentially flammable fumes in the space
Do not weld items which could be flammable. No not weld vehicles
Do not weld items which contain surface finishes, which could release flammable or hazardous fumes such as painted or galvanised surfaces.
Keeping workpieces clean can help to minimise sparks and will result in a better weld
Make yourself aware of firefighting equipment in the space (e.g., fire extinguishers, just outside of the hot works area. Familiarise yourself with where they are, and how you would operate them.
Have a bucket of sand next to the welding bench, which can quickly and safely extinguish minor flames with minimal cleanup
The roller shutter doors must remain open during welding operations, and kept open until fumes have cleared
Fume extraction should be used at all times, and kept on until fumes have cleared. Check fume extractor has not been used for general extraction or hoovering - open the top and ensure there are no flammable items inside (eg sawdust)
After welding, you MUST remain in the space for at least 1 hour, checking the area for smouldering items or fires. If you cannot wait the hour, do not weld
Avoiding burns
Welded parts will be hot, but heat can be minimised by welding intermittently, with short welds. Quench as required, but being careful of steam release.
Wear appropriate welding gloves / gauntlets. Check their condition before welding. The Hackspace has gloves, but you may wish to bring your own
Ensure you are sufficiently protected from sparks. Cotton (or other appropriate fireproof material) overalls or a top made from fireproof, burn resistant material with long sleeves should be worn. Such PPE is provided, and will be pointed out in the induction
It is possible to get sunburn from welding, from the emitted UV light. You must wear a welding hood or use an appropriate visor.
Make care when handling welded items, or torch components. Even with gauntlets there is a potential for burns
Think about other members – don’t leave hot items lying around.
Avoiding damage to eyesight
Position the mobile welding guard such that it completely shields all uninvolved parties from arcing. This includes, but not limited to, members of public outside the hackspace, hackspace members and road users.
Do not attempt to remove, prop up, or otherwise overcome the fixed welding curtain.
Appropriate welding masks/shields/goggles must be used by all parties within the hot works area
Prior to welding, with the isolator switch turned on, ensure the beacon lights are flashing. These warn other users that welding is being carried out
Preventing electric shocks
Check the condition of cables and insulators before turning on the welder
Avoid welding in high humidity. Wet clothing, floors, and workpieces increase the risk of electric shocks.
Do not attempt to bypass electrical safety equipment, and keep welder covers closed during welding
If you have a pacemaker (etc), and only proceed if you've confirmed with your doctor that it’s safe to weld.
PPE
The following PPE must be used
Gauntlets
Fire-proof long sleeve clothing (e.g. overalls)
-
Closed footwear
The risk assessment also specifies a respirator, to protect from fumes
These are the minimum requirements. You may also need additional PPE for other related tasks, such as eye protection when using an angle grinder.
Equipment
The welder is stored on the lower shelf of the welding table, in the hot works area, next to the roller shutter doors. Also on the table are a few welding accessories such as a pair of MIG pliers and a chipping hammer
Welder
The Hackspace welder is a Clarke MIG160EN
Link to manual - https://www.clarkeservice.co.uk/manuals/mig_welders/MIG160EN_Mig_Welder_REV_8.pdf
Welder settings
Review the manual for a table showing recommended gas settings. Additional trial and error will be required to get the right setting.
Gas vs Gasless welding
The welder is designed for both gas MIG and Gasless welding, however in the Hackspace all welding shall be the gasless type. This uses wire with a flux core to prevent oxidisation and contamination of the weld pool.
Whilst the welder can operate as a standard MIG (ie with Gas) the Hackspace does permit compressed cylinders. The risk assessment for the welding has not considered the use of shielding gas, so for the foreseeable, all welding shall be gasless
Welder polarity
The welder should remain in the “no gas” configuration. The torch is connected to the negative terminal (-ve), with the earthing cable connected to the positive (+ve) terminal.
Loading wire
The welder manual explains this best, however it will be shown in the induction
The fume extractor is an Extractability Protectavac by Weldability. It should be used at all times during welding, to help keep fume levels low
Link to product page - https://www.weldability-sif.com/products/extractability/ext1vacmax230/
[photos to be added here at a later date, to show instructions for operation and maintenance]
This extractor is intended only for welding use, and not general extraction / cleaning tasks. However prior to welding, empty the contents of the extractor into the general waste bin, before starting any welding activity
Avoiding bin fires
The standard general waste dustbin potentially contain flammable materials, and therefore care must be taken to avoid invertedly disposing of hot embers, sparks etc, where they could later ignite. Placing hot items in the normal bin poses a fire risk
Therefore, a separate “welding dustbin” is provided. It is a standard steel dustbin without a bin liner, so is generally fireproof. Is solely for disposal of any waste which may be hot and pose a fire risk. For example, arisings from sweeping up, after welding.
Signage attempts to prevent its use as a normal bin, but experience shows signage is ignored, so there may be flammable items already in the bin. Before starting any welding tasks, empty the dustbin into the general waste bin.
You may wish to use the bin as a water bucket too, but please empty before re-using as a bin
Using this bin acts as a stop-gap, allowing time for any hot objects to cool down.
Consumables
The following items will be proposed, for inclusion on the consumable list. Wire and tips will be required frequently, however torch shrouds shouldn't need replacement often
For the time being, I'll provide wire and tips, just to get inductions started - Ollie