Essential Welding Supplies

We are first going to touch on the welders themselves here for the sole reason that ignoring them would be a major oversight. The a four main kinds are stick, MIG, TIG, and plasma welders and depending on the specific jobs you are doing that will determine the model you select. Stick welding will take you back to the roots of the trade and to coin the term 'old school,' they are just that; they are rather simple in design and will be on the most cost friendly side however can be a bit tricky to learn if you are new to welding. MIG welding is going to be easier on beginners in that it does not need a flow meter or gas conversion kit in accordance which is a plus for people simply doing this for a hobby. Your MIG welder can be used for flux core welding and bare wire MIG welding.

Your TIG welders are going to grant you a greater flexibility in your welding jobs as they work on nearly any kind of metal. Yet with that comes the need for more precision and practice making them tough to learn on and not great for those just starting out. Unlike the two aforementioned models you need both hands at once, more outside supplies such as gasses, and they will in turn run on the pricier side. However if you going into welding as a career this is the way to go. Similarly plasma welders are for the more experienced and a more niche market base; specifically those working with aerospace and jet engines. They are going to give you utmost control over the arc where any margin of error could result in tragedy; plasmas are quite close in design to TIGs yet they have a recessed electrode. No matter which kind of welding apparatus you go with they all rank number one in priority; without a welder you won't be doing much with a bunch of scrap metal!

Scale rating on 1 to 5: 1 (1=essential and 5=luxury)

Safety equipment is covered more extensively in the Basics Welding Supplies list, but we need to address it here because it too ranks right up there with the welder and is a number one in terms of necessity. These ensure that every part of your body is safe from intense heat and bright light, as well as flying sparks; while you are working and before that arc is ever lit you need to be donning appropriate apparel. Heavy duty work clothes and durable bootsare a must; go with brands that specialized in rugged lines that are going to hold up under the toughest of environments. There are also welding gloves that you need in order to protect your hands for obvious reasons and no matter what kind of welding practices you are doling you will be in direct contact with a flame so you need to plan accordingly.

Then when it comes to welding helmets you are given the option between a standard lens and an auto-darkening lens. While you don't necessarily need an auto-darkening model for stick or MIG welding because in theory you will have one hand free, when it comes to TIG and plasma welding it is nearly a must to have the latter kind of helmet. With an auto-darkening lens you won't have to manually lift the helmet every time you arc up or turn it off to inspect because the lens will shift in level of transparency for you; this not only saves you a pain in the neck from adjusting the helmet but grants you greater control over your work by having both hands free. A helmet like this will cost a bit more, but when you compare to the headaches it saves you and the greater quality control in your work it more than makes up for it.

Scale rating: 1

The next item on your must have list is a welding table. These can range from a simply portable one if you are doing mostly hobby work or with smaller parts or more expansive for larger jobs. You can actually make your own welding table yourself for a fun project, but there are more than enough varieties that you can easily purchase that come with a host of varying attributes. As mentioned before there are those that are rather compact and easily stored away if you are working out of your garage or don't have ample amounts of available room; these are best for really only lighter work and smaller TIG jobs.

If you are working on more heavy duty welding jobs you will then need the right kind of table to match and look for one that is larger and reinforced. If you are working specifically with smaller stainless steel materials you could go for one that is made out of stainless steel and they are really easy to then clean and will prevent rust build up that could be the case from a carbon steel topped table.

Scale Rating: 2

The welding cart is going to be especially important for those working with numerous kinds of gasses that could pose a potential threat to you if not housed correctly. Your cart will hold all of your gasses and prevent any further fire hazard (with oxygen being a high combustion risk) or even inert ones that could lead to asphyxiation (like argon) if not handled with care.

Scale Rating: 2

When it comes to the welding supplies that are essential for any kind of job you can find that many of them are common among all metal hobbies and even basic tool kits. You will want grounding clamps and if you are doing lots of MIG welding you may want to go with a particularly strong pair that are made with a copperhead at the point of contact that will give the best electrical transfer, plenty of pressure, and thus reduce noise but more importantly give you more precision and even lower the amount of energy your unit consumes. This earns a scale rating of 3.

Then we come to shears, snips, and hacksaws which are in essence are pretty standard but will come into play for nearly any kind of job. You will also need a fair amount of cut-off saws to be used for the various pieces of metal you are working with no matter if it is square tubing or angle iron. You can also get an angle grinder that is going to work on other materials such as stones and ceramics. These all earn a scale rating of 3.

Some related metal working tools that will help polish off your work include a file to be used on the edges and a chipping hammer in order to remove any slag. An electric drill will be helpful in a wide array of tasks no matter if you are a hobbyist or professional welder as drilling holes is a pretty common requirement. Finally you will also need plenty of clamps in different sizes to hold those pieces of metal steady while you work; a slip could be detrimental. These earn a scale rating of 3.

We now come to thinking outside of the immediate work area and the tools that are going to be used on the metal themselves. In terms of the overall welding environment you are working in you want to ensure that it is conducive to the kind of work you are doing. There are generally excessive fumes, sparks flying, and with that there is a fire risk in and of itself. If you are working in a shop that is outside your house you will need to make sure that it is sufficiently aired out so you aren't put at risk each time you inhale. This is where an exhaust fan comes into play to eradicate those built up fumes. In smaller, cramped quarters these are a must and you also want to do your best to keep any doors open but also be careful not to blow all of that air out an exit way that leads to an open window of your home! There are also air respirators you can use that can work on the same premise.

Scale Rating: 2

Welding curtains and welding screens are going to protect those around you; these are portable and are able to be taken to any job site which protect both you and the people in the immediate surroundings. These may look like a souped up shower curtain but they are much more durable. Curtains are generally made from PVC where as screens are instead erected out of metal.

Scale Rating: 3

Now that you've got your essential welding supply check list you can go about setting up shop and get to lighting that arc; no matter if it be a stick, MIG, TIG, or plasma one!