Arc welding – my second attempt
Well, I’m not likely to get me welder’s certificate anytime soon!
At least I was able to strike an arc and this time I didn’t just burn a hole through the metal like I did the last time I tried. I was able to actually lay down some metal on the mild steel plate – though it was a bit haphazard. you see, the arc is so bright you need to wear this really really dark shade on the protective helmet to avoid eye damage.
Thing is you can’t see a thing when the shade is down. I tried it outside and could see a faint outline of the table where I was meant to be working, but there was too much light coming in from behind the helmet. So back into the garage I went. There I set up a couple of the band’s spotlights shining directly onto the work – that did the trick!
Now I just need to be able to keep the arc going for a while so it builds up a continuous bead of weld metal. Maybe I’ll have better luck tomorrow….
I did manage to find a good web site for the amateur welder though – just click the link 🙂
Cheers
Jerry
