Practical MIG Welding: Part Preparation
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Part Preparation
02.27
| 00:00 | When we're MIG welding it can be tricky to figure out the best way to start and in what order we need to tackle the process so in this section of the course we've broken the job down into a simple 6 step process which, if you follow it through from start to finish, will result in a great finished product and a quality weld every time. |
| 00:16 | Each of these modules covers one individual step in the process but keep in mind that this section isn't about teaching you exactly how to do every step in fine detail, this was all covered in the practical skills section so if you're at all hazy on anything that you see inside of this 6 step process, you can always jump back to the relevant module to ensure you're comfortable with the background knowledge behind the process. |
| 00:39 | Let's get into it and the first thing we need to do is prepare our material. |
| 00:43 | When we get hold of it, our material will likely be oiled, painted or wrapped to protect it against the elements so our first job is going to be removing these protections completely regardless of what type of material we're working with. |
| 00:54 | After removing the protection, it's important to give it a thorough wipe down with acetone and a rag before handling and cutting anything to length in order to eliminate any oils being introduced into the metal. |
| 01:05 | Once we've cut our material to size and shape, we need to ensure that any oils or contaminants that might have been introduced to the material through the cutting methods are also removed with acetone. |
| 01:15 | Tools like angle grinders or chop saws that use high speed abrasive cut off wheels can also embed particles in the cut area which can negatively affect the weld quality. |
| 01:25 | We need to ensure that these are cleaned up using a hand file or similar. |
| 01:28 | Remember that contamination can also be introduced into the metal when using cutting fluids. |
| 01:33 | Cutting wax on a slow speed cold saw is your best option for reducing this, but either way, we'll need to ensure that all surfaces are cleaned up including the internal walls of any tubing. |
| 01:44 | Removing the oxide layer, also known as rust, is also an essential part of any welding process and the same can be said for any paint or plating like chrome, zinc or anodising, as well as any heavy mill scale on hot rolled material. |
| 01:58 | The final piece of the preparation puzzle is looking at how our workpiece is fitting up. |
| 02:03 | Remember the better the fit up, the better the weld is going to be and taking a little extra time to make sure that your workpiece fits into position with minimal gaps will make the welding process a lot easier. |
| 02:15 | By having a well prepared and cleaned workpiece, we're going to find the setup, settings and welding processes significantly easier to manage. |
