Welding Methods:

There are three types of welding methods to consider. They differ by speed and cost. The methods are all available to all welding and hardfacing products. However, specific products often have properties that are somewhat unique and not exactly duplicated when utilized by a different process.

Stick Welding:

Manual or stick welding requires the least amount of equipment and provides maximum flexibility for welding in remote locations and in all positions. Typically, each rod permits welding for about one minute. In seconds, one can change from mild steel to stainless to hardfacing. In seconds, the electrode can change from small to large diameter for small or large welds. Although simplest, this type of welding takes the greatest operator skill.

Semiautomatic:

This type of welding uses wire feeders and continuously fed electrodes. The welding gun is hand-held by the operator. The gun keeps feeding wire as long as the trigger is depressed. This is also much easier to learn than stick welding. This type of setup is becoming more popular on farms, which do more than minimal repair work. Semiautomatic welding increases deposition rates over manual welding because there is no need to stop after burning each rod.

Automatic:

Requiring the greatest amount of initial setup, automatic welding has the highest deposition rates for maximum productivity. The welding gun is carried by a mechanized carriage and the welding operator just pushes a start button. This would rarely be found on a farm, but is common at repair centers for heavy equipment that would rebuild your parts for you if the schedule was mutually acceptable.

Choosing a welding kit

When employers select work equipment, the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998 require them to consider the risks posed to the health and safety of people using that equipment. This includes ergonomic risks.

When selecting a welding set, consider the effect poor equipment handling might have:

■personal suffering caused by injuries;
■the financial burden of sickness absence;
■reduced productivity;
■increased insurance premiums; and
■the welder being unable to return to this type of work, which would affect their potential future earnings.

Reducing injuries caused by handling welding equipment will benefit everybody.
Here are some ergonomic design features to look for when deciding between welding sets with the same power output:
■Does the set have to be carried? Consider controlled pushing or pulling of the load instead of lifting and carrying.
■How easily can the load be grasped?

Health and Safety Executive
■Are the handles suitable?
■Can the load be held close to the body (avoid sharp corners, jagged edges, rough surfaces etc)?
■Is it well balanced?

Other considerations include:
■handle orientation;
■ease of pushing/pulling;
■axle types;
■size of wheels;
■wear and maintenance of wheels/tyres;
■effect of torch, wire feed, hoses, gas bottles etc on the handling characteristics of the welding set.

The checklist in this leaflet will help you select the right welding set.

Welder Weldings

Welding has been used in thousands of manufacturing activities and is the most common means of permanently joining metal parts. Welders construct or repair metal products by sealing parts using different welding methods.

The intense heat created by the electrical current causes the metal part and steel core of the rod to melt together. This cools quickly and results in a solid bond. During welding, the flux welding wire that surrounds the rod's core vaporises, forming a gas that serves to protect the weld from atmospheric elements that might weaken it.

The three other more common welding methods are flux cored, submerged Arc and TIG welding. MIG and oxy-acetylene are some of the other methods used. The type of method used depends on the the type of work being undertaken. For example, flux cored welding is typically used for shipbuilding activities whereas all four of the more commonly used welding methods may be used during the construction or repair of pressure vessels.

Welders are often exposed to a number of potential hazards such as the intense light created by the welding arc, and hazardous fumes and burns. Safety goggles with protective lenses and safety shoes must be worn. Because welders also work on outdoor construction sites where scaffolding is used, safety is a primary concern. Welders also work indoors in production or repair shops.

It was generally observed that welders in Calabar, Nigeria did not always wear their protective goggles during welding. Since chronic exposure to welding light can impair vision this study was done to assess the effect of exposure to welding light on ocular function of welders in Calabar, Nigeria. There were 195 subjects comprising 110 welders and 85 control subjects. Both groups were all male and had similar age range.

The tests employed were clinical examination for ocular disorders, assessment of visual acuity, and opthalmoscopy. Test questionnaire was also used to record information on length of service, precautionary measures at work place, age and past ocular illnesses.