Understanding 2 Common Welding Techniques

Admin • December 19, 2017

Although most people understand that welding involves the fusing together of multiples pieces of metal, a surprising number fail to appreciate the surprising number of ways in which this goal can be achieved. Whether you are interested in pursuing a career in welding, or as simply an amateur hoping to increase your knowledge of this vital skill, read on. This article will provide a crash course in two of the most common welding techniques.

Stick Welding Stick welding is the most basic form of welding. It is often commonly referred to as arc welding, and also as SMAW, which simply stands for shielded metal arc welding. Stick welding is principally used for welding iron and steel, and less so for metals such as copper and aluminum. Stick welding is also an especially effective welding method when working outdoors, thanks to the fact that it is more wind resistant than other types of welding. Stick welding utilizes electricity to join together disparate pieces of metal. The basic idea is simple. The piece of metal that is being welded gets electrified by the leads, which connect to a 225-volt AC welding machine. Then the welding rod-also known as the electrode-is brought close to the surface of the metal. This causes a surge of electricity to jump between the base metal and the electrode. This electricity is significant enough to melt the electrode, which then fuses with the base metal. The size and make-up of the electrode to be used vary widely depending on the particular project. They also vary in terms of the socalled flux used to coat the outside of the electrode. The flux is designed to burn off as the electricity causes the welding rod to melt. In the process of its burning, the flux consumes oxygen from the weld area, generating carbon dioxide in the process. This carbon dioxide acts to keep the base metal from undergoing oxidization-in other words, from burning up itself.

TIG Welding TIG welding, short for Tungsten Inert Gas welding, is a type of welding that has been around since the early 1940s. It utilizes a form of inert gas, usually argon, in order to shield the weld area from the atmosphere. This protects the metal against corrosion, oxidization, and other problems that can stem from exposure to atmospheric gases. TIG welding is prized for the quality of the welds it produces. This is the direct result of the fact that the welder can utilize a special foot pedal to alter the amount of heat being used manually. This allows them a much greater degree of control over the weld, resulting in exceptionally clean and precise lines. This style of welding also notes that it can be used to weld a wide variety of different metals. Steel, nickel, bronze, brass, magnesium, copper, and aluminum can also be welded using the TIG technique. For that reason, automotive and aeronautical industries use it often. Unlike stick welding, TIG welding does not utilize a consumable electrode. That is to say that the tungsten electrode is not burned up during the welding process. Instead, it acts as a sort of torch, conducting the heat that allows the metal to be melted and joined. TIG welding can also be contrasted to stick welding in that it is a much more difficult process to master. Stick welding, by comparison, is fairly forgiving. For that reason, it is common for beginners to first become adequately skilled at stick welding before moving on to the relatively more advanced practice of TIG welding.

Bottom Line Welding is a powerful and highly versatile technique, one that is essential to a wide variety of modern industries. If you have a welding job that needs to be done, please don't hesitate to contact the experts at Sam's Welding Incorporated.

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Are you hiring a welder to get something fabricated or repaired? Sam's Welding Inc. offers the following types of welding in El Cajon: Gas metal arc welding. Perhaps the most popular of them all, this method is also known by its abbreviations GMAW or MIG, for metal inert gas. It’s an average of five times faster than electrical arc methods and includes four material transfer options: spray, pulsed spray, globular and short circuiting. Shielded metal arc welding. A form of stick welding commonly known as SMAW, this process uses electrical current to form an arc between the rod and metals in production. Uses include industrial fabrication such as the construction of iron and steel structures. Gas tungsten arc welding. This method is known as TIG or GTAW and requires the most skill, as heat is continuously regulated by means of a foot pedal. If amperage is set too high, you can end up burning holes in the metal. If it’s too low, the weld won’t flow properly. It’s especially useful for combining thick pieces of stainless steel and ironless metals. Flux-cored arc welding. Unlike MIG and TIG, FCAW keeps contamination out by means of a flux. This process doesn’t require a shielding gas, can be done outdoors and is quite efficient. Working with different positions such as horizontal, vertical and tee joints requires different machine configurations. Serving San Diego, CA Whether you need several hundred pieces or just one, we’re happy to take on the project for you. We are combat veteran owned and have more than two decades of experience handling military projects with success. We serve El Cajon, La Mesa, Santee, and the entire county. We have expertise with the design and fabrication of gates and fences. You’re welcome to walk into our San Diego shop or call us anytime at 619-281-2709 .

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By Admin • May 22, 2023

Whether you have some new projects lined up to modify and enhance your home or there are some significant repairs that need to be done to some of the metalwork, you want to have a professional metal welder on the job. There are numerous specific instances in which having welding done by a certified military group such as Sam’s Welding Inc. in El Cajon is worth your investment. Perhaps you need a car welder to perform some precise car part welding or you need to ensure the safety of a premises with some security door welding . Of course, not everything that involves metal fabrication or repair is on a large scale. More often than not, welding is needed for smaller things that see use on a daily basis, such as: Staircases Hand railings Gates Fences As far as stairs are concerned, our professionals can help with anything from a new hand railing to a completely new and complex spiral staircase. Even if the work needs to be done outside on fences and gates where the materials need to be more durable, our nearly four decades of experience in the field have given us the knowledge of how to complete jobs in a way that is both aesthetically pleasing and keeps you and your loved ones safe. Serving El Cajon, La Mesa and Santee Metalwork, whether it is basic framing or a more elaborate fence job, has a large impact on our lives every day. Therefore, when the time comes in which you decide to invest in modifications, fabrications, or repairs, you’d better be sure that you have qualified people doing the work. That’s what you’ll get when you call Sam’s Welding at 619-281-2709 . If you live in El Cajon, La Mesa or Santee, ask about our walk-in and mobile services to maximize our availability to you.