Welding Pre-Training

Where is the Welding Station located?

Fabrication Lab (Room 0107) on the ground level floor in the Engineering/Geosciences Building.

What is the purpose of this pre-training?

The purpose of this training is to guide you through the welding training process. By reviewing this information, you will learn the following:

How to use the Department of Engineering’s MIG Welding Station
How to access the Department of Engineering’s MIG Welding Station
How to sign up for in-person welding training.

After going through this info, you will be able to sign up for an in-person training session with John Wild. This info will be accessible to you at all times for your review after you have been certified to use the welding station by yourself.

Where is the welding equipment Located?

The first thing to grab is the welding equipment. This is located in the metal cabinet right next to the welding station. To weld, you need to have:

Welding Jacket
Welding Helmet
Welding Gloves
Close Toed Shoes
Long Pants

*As a reminder, food and drink are prohibited in the Fab Lab and at the Welding Station.*

Welding Video #1

Before you start welding you have to make the the spool of the material you are welding with, is the material you are welding onto. Additionally, that there is inert gas to shield it with, in our case the inert gas is a mix of argon and carbon dioxide.

The spool of material can be found in MIG machine shown to the right.
The inert gas can be be read from the pressure gage on the cylindrical container shown to the right.

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Thickness Selection

Before you start welding you need to set the MIG machine to the thickness of the material. Follow the welding procedure chart based on the diameter of the wire and the type of inert gas being used.

Welding Video #3

To begin welding, using the dials on the MIG Welding machine and set the left dial (Wire feed) equal to 250 in./min, and set the right dial (Voltage) to equal 19.5 volts. Turn the inert gas tank on by rotating the valve on the top of the tank counterclockwise. Make sure that the flow is appropriate, at around 25 psi. Ensure the ground is connected by attaching it the the leg of the steel table.

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Welding Video #4

When you are welding there are several things you have to control simultaneously.

The work angle, (The angle in relationship to the joint)
The travel angle (The angle your weld is moving along the member)
The travel speed (How fast you are traveling down the member with the weld)
The stickout (The distance of the wire to the cup in the joint)
Drawing "eee's" as you weld down the member

Before you start, make sure the machine is on and turn on the welding hood.

To make a weld, set up two members perpendicular to each other and weld both ends of the members together. The begin on one end and start moving down the member, following the "eee" pattern.

Welding Video #5

If you are still interested in welding after watching these videos, feel free to reach out to MWelder.jmu@gmail.com or Mr. John Wild for in person training on how to weld.

When you are finished welding, it is important to clean up, remember to:

Turn off the welding hood
Turn of the welder
Gently coil the hose of the MIG machine and set the hose on top of it.

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Reference Photos

Figure 1: Detailed View of Welding Procedure Chart

Figure 2: Material Spool

Figure 3: Welding Material Chart

Figure 4: Detailed View of Wire Feed Speed and Volts.

*Wire feed = 250 in./min Voltage = 19.5 volts*

Figure 5: Detailed View of Inert Gas Tanks of Argon and Carbon Dioxide. Should be around 25 psi.

Figure 6: Grounding the Machine to the Table

Figure 7: Welding Hood

Test your Knowledge

What equipment to do need to have in order to weld?

Welding Jacket, Welding Helmet, Welding Gloves, Close Toed Shoes, and Long Pants

What should the left dial (Wire feed) be set to?

The left dial (Wire feed) should be set to 250 in./min.

What should the right dial (Voltage) be set to?

The right dial (Voltage) should be set to 19.5 volts.

What should the flow of the inert gas read?

Make sure that the flow is appropriate, at around 25 psi.

What are the five things you need to control/remember when welding?

The work angle, (The angle in relationship to the joint), the travel angle (The angle your weld is moving along the member), the travel speed (How fast you are traveling down the member with the weld), the stickout (The distance of the wire to the cup in the joint), and to draw "eee's" as you weld down the member

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