How do you weld?

I recently learned how to weld  and , I am far from an expert but I can tell you how I went about it.

I learned on an arc welder , also called a stick welder.

Welding is the fusing of two pieces of metal together by melting them and an electrode with high voltage electricity.

Welders have two leads (wires coming out of them)-a hot and a ground.

The ground connects securely to one of the pieces you are wanting to join together. you may have to use a grinder or wire brush to make sure it is connected to metal well and not grease or rust or dirt.


Once the ground is connected you should secure a welding rod in the lead.  One end of the rod has no flux on it this is the end that is pinched int the jaws of the lead. All rods have numbers on them that specify how many pounds per inch a properly welded connection will hold.  i have used rods that start with 60 or 70 there is a chart on most welders saying what setting the welder should be set on to weld with certain rods. There is a second set of numbers also that specifies what kind of flux is on the electrode and what it is good for.

6011 or 6013 is a good rod to learn on 7018 is a little harder to work with but makes an extra strong bond.

Flux is the coating on the electrode  The reason flux is on the rods is --as the electrode melts the flux burns intensely creating an oxygen free zone over the molten metal and also preventing the molten electrode from sticking to the weld.

You want to always wear darkened eye cover while welding because the intense light can damage your eyes.

So what happens is when the electrode contacts the the metal that is attached to the ground a circuit is closed causing lots of energy to stream through. Electric energy creates heat when it moves and the tip of the electrode will be the smallest place and thus the most concentrated amount of heat. As the heat cooks the flux it boils and the boiling flux melts the metal, the electrode , and the other piece of metal all into a tiny pool or drop of molten metal.

That tiny bright red pool is where the magic happens because, as the electrode melts, tiny gaps open up between the new end of the electrode and the drop of molten metal. The electricity jumps (or arcs) from the electrode to the pool. This ark is hot as lightening - hotter than the surface of the sun. This arc can be aimed to send the heat deep into the two pieces you are joining melting the surface and the two molten surfaces and the metal from the electrode join as new metal. As the new metal cools imperfection come to its surface.  The impurities take the form of a carbon type substance called SLAG. Slag protects the cooling  weld and then is chipped off with a tiny pointed hammer or grinder to re-weld, most large welds require several passes to make sure there is enough metal n the joint to hold tight.