Category: Welding Shop

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Beginner’s Guide to Welding Sheet Metal

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The steps involved in welding sheet metal are vastly different compared to thicker materials because of how easy it is to accidentally put out too much power and burn through your workpiece. On the other hand, put out little power and you will likely have trouble penetrating the material and end up with a weaker joint at the end. This generally comes down to a matter of experience and intuition, which is what makes it a difficult hurdle to overcome if you are a beginner welder and metal fabricator.

If this experience sounds familiar to you, then you’ve come to the right website. Topweld General Engineering is a team of expert metal fabricators that provide welding services in New South Wales. In our years of experience, we have some wisdom to impart that you might be very interested in.

Common Mistake in Welding Sheet Metal

Excessive heat is a common mistake when it comes to welding sheet metal. One consequence of this is burn-through. This happens when the weld pool digs too deep into the material and punches a hole through it. As you may already know, the temperature of the weld pool is based on the strength of the current. If the amperage is too high, it can cause the weld pool to become runny and harder to contain, which results in increased spater, undercut, and eventually burn-through. Another issue that may occur is warping, which is caused by focusing too much on one area of the workpiece without giving it ample time to cool down and retain its shape.

Welding Technique and Style

To avoid the complications involved in sheet metal welding, it is important that you choose the appropriate welding technique and style. Though you can still use many of the typical welding techniques that you would normally use for other workpieces, we highly recommend using either Metal Inert Gas (MIG) welding or Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) welding. The welding transfer mode you should go for if you are using the former is Short-circuit transfer. This is done by creating a short circuit by touching the weld pool with the electrode at low heat. The filler metal should deposit carefully onto the weld pool. Use argon-based shielding gas to protect the weld pool while you work.

If you are experienced with TIG welding from Canberra, NSW, you should have an easier time controlling the penetration of your weld. That is part of the reason why aluminum fabricators generally prefer this method over the alternative. Just be careful not to focus the arc on any specific areas of the workpiece for too long in order to prevent warping. Avoid welding in a long continuous streak and instead jump from one section to another while you work. This can allow the workpiece to cool down and harden before you begin working on it again. On the topic of cooling down, you can also use chill bars to control the temperature of the workpiece.

Choosing the Filler Metal

ER70S-2 is the safest bet when it comes to choosing the filler metal for sheet metal welding.  Otherwise, silicon bronze is also viable. To make sure that you don’t end up depositing too much filler metal on your joint, we highly recommend choosing the width of filler wire or rod that is not thicker than the base metals. Keep a close eye on the gauge of the filler material you are using and compare it with the thickness of your workpiece for safe measure.

Keeping Your Workspace Clean

One factor that most beginners usually overlook when welding is the cleanliness of their work station. It cannot be emphasized enough how important it is to keep your workpiece and filler materials clean so foreign materials don’t contaminate it and cause porosity. Because of the thinness of sheet metal, the effects of welding complications are even more severe, and it could make the weld joints more brittle. Start with a fine grit sandpaper specifically made for metal to remove paint and rust off your base metal. Next, clean the corners with a wire brush, making sure to remove any impurities you see. Finally, you can use a clean rag and some acetone to wipe the workpiece.

To Conclude

Mastering the delicate work of sheet metal welding requires practice and a little bit of trial and error, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t get it right the first time. Use scrap metal for experimenting, and try to get the hang of controlling the penetration of your weld pool. The tips above will come in handy in whatever sheet metal material you work with, so be sure to consult this guide again when you want a refresher.

If you want a professional welder from Hillston to do it for you instead, don’t hesitate to call Topweld General Engineering. Our team is composed of the best aluminum and stainless steel fabricators in New South Wales, Australia. It is our mission to ensure top-quality welding services to all our valued customers.

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How To Arc Weld for Beginners: Process, Types, Techniques, and a Lot More

Arc welding is essential to the process of metal fabrication. It is quite literally the glue that keeps your work from falling apart. That is why for many people looking to incorporate metal into the projects they are working on, it is a hurdle that they would need to overcome. Thankfully, the steps involved in welding are actually quite simpler than what people’s imaginations make them out to be. Arc welding can be enjoyable and useful beyond the current project. But where exactly do you start?

We have experience providing welding services in New South Wales and can help you get started with metal welding. We’ll cover the necessary equipment and methods in this tutorial. We won’t make you a master welder, but you will get an idea of how it all works.

What is Arc Welding?

Arc welding fuses metal pieces together with heat generated by an electrical arc. The world widely uses this welding method, which differs from other forms of welding. Let’s define what arc welding is and how it works before we dive into the process. There are many forms of arc welding as well which we will expound upon later on.Choose a different welding method if you don’t want to use electricity as the heat source. You’ll need a power supply, an electrode, and gas to protect the weld pool from contamination.

Different Types of Arc Welding

There also exist different variants of arc welding which vary in terms of the equipment used. Each of these variants has its advantages and disadvantages, and a welder can make use of more than one type of arc welding during metal fabrication. Your choice will be dependent on the materials you will be working with, how quickly you want to do the weld, and how precise you want your joints (where your two separate metal pieces meet) to be.

Stick Welding (Shielded Metal Arc Welding)

This variant of arc welding involves a short consumable rod that acts as both the electrode and the filler metal. Stick welding uses a coated rod that produces a chemical purifying agent to protect the weld pool as it dissolves, resulting in a stronger joint. It is an affordable and simple method, but its messiness makes it less suitable for precise and clean welds. Other than that, it has a lot of uses, one of which is stainless steel fabrication.

Metal Inert Gas (MIG) Welding

MIG welding discards the consumable rod and instead continuously feeds a spool of wire electrode and filler metal through the weld gun, while emitting protective gas through the same weld gun and supplying it with separate gas tanks instead of using flux. This setup allows for a steady and uninterrupted weld that is perfect for welding large metal surfaces. It is also quite beginner friendly, with most weld experts asserting that it is the fastest and easiest method of arc welding. It does come with a few disadvantages though. First of all, it has a higher cost of setting up. This is mostly because it requires so many components required to make it work. It can also be more expensive to maintain.

Tungsten Inert Gas (TIG) Welding

TIG welding completely departs from the idea of a consumable electrode by using one made from tungsten instead. The protective gas is still emitted by the weld pool, but the filler metals now need to be administered manually using the welder’s free hand. This grants the welder a greater sense of control over the quality of the weld, which is an ideal scenario for aluminum fabricators and other welders working with delicate materials. However, beginners should not use this welding method as it requires a lot of knowledge and experience from a welder to produce consistent results. When a welder does it correctly, TIG welding produces precise and clean welds that no other type of welding can match.

Flux-Cored Arc Welding

This variant of arc welding uses a hollow wire of filler metal with a flux core, combining Stick and MIG welding concepts. The wire is fed through a machine like MIG welding, while the flux produces gas as the electrode is consumed like Stick welding. It is best for outdoor welding as the protective gas will not be easily blown away by the wind. This welding method is fast and simple but produces a significant amount of smoke.

Safety Equipment When Welding

Prepare safety equipment before starting arc welding, such as welding helmets that protect the eyes and face from flying particles. It also helps reduce the amount of radiation that a welder is subjected to during long work hours. A pair of safety goggles can also be worn underneath the welding helmet for stronger protection. Welding gloves prevent burns due to the intense heat produced by the welding process while welding jackets protect the rest of the body. Finally, boots protect your shoes from getting damaged by the sparks. There are other protective equipments that you can wear while welding, so be sure to get as much to keep you comfortable, safe, and maneuverable. 

Conclusion

Welding is a very useful skill that anybody can make use of. It can be used for general repairs, modifications, construction, and even works of art. With enough practice and experience, anyone can become an expert welder. Our team of professional welders will sure to please and exceed your expectations.

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How to Find the Best Welding Shop in Griffith, NSW

How to Find the Best Welding Shop in Griffith, NSW

Metal fabrication and welding is a service that many industries and small businesses rely on. That reason, of course, is that not everybody has the necessary skills, experience, or equipment required to do complex projects.Professional welding guarantees longevity and durability compared to welding as a hobby. Learning to weld takes time and may not be feasible for those on a tight budget or limited time, which can result in subpar work and increased material costs.

Welding Shop

That’s why it’s always best to leave it to professionals to do the work for you, but that’s not something that is that easy to find either. If you’re looking for the best welding services in Griffith, New South Wales, or nearby areas, then you’ve already made the first step. Topweld General Engineering is an organization of esteemed professionals that are dedicated to quality welding and metal fabrication work for all kinds of clients. Working with us means your projects – and your wallet – are in good hands. If you are not from the area or are open to looking for alternatives for whatever reason, then allow us to show you how you might find a service that is on par with this simple guide.

Know Your Metal First

This sounds obvious enough, but just in case: not all metals are the same. Despite how similar some metals might look compared to one another, their weight, durability, and resistances will differ depending on the element or alloy you use. The welding procedure that is optimal for them is different too. For example, stainless steel owes its corrosion resistance to the presence of the element Chromium (Cr). Chromium reacts to oxygen by creating a layer that prevents further corrosion. Aluminum is also corrosion-resistant, but that doesn’t mean they’re interchangeable.

Stainless steel is much stronger and less likely to warp compared to aluminum, whereas aluminum is lighter and is better at conducting heat. These differences should immediately tell you which one is better in some circumstances, and that’s just two. There are plenty of different types of metals and alloys that are used in fabrication so a bit of research could go a long way before you go looking for a welding shop.

Methods of Welding

Different welding methods have unique techniques, tools, and materials used. It’s important to note that some welding methods might not work well on the metal or the intended use. Common methods include TIG, MIG, and stick welding, each with its own differences that require a separate guide.

What is important to know is that there is no “one-size-fits-all” welding method. There are many compatible methods for welding stainless steel, for example, and Google might tell you that TIG welding is the best. What it won’t tell you (on the surface) is that although TIG welding produces clean and orderly results, it takes an incredible amount of time compared to other welding methods. It also takes a different set of tools and a better-skilled welder to do properly. If the appearance of the welded section does not matter too much, then you’re much better off going with stick or MIG welding.

The Shop’s Equipment

A short entry, but it matters. Once you’ve determined the necessary metal and welding method for your project, checking a shop’s equipment can confirm if they’re suitable for the job.. The overall quality of their equipment matters in Wodonga, as the final product will always be affected. You don’t need to dismiss welders with old equipment, but a skilled welder with well-maintained tools is always a safe choice.. Think about the metal too, conduct your search with a complete general idea.

Workshop or Mobile?

Mobile welding refers to the on-site welding services some welding companies offer. That means that instead of having to make the journey to the workshops and have them do the work there, they can go to your project site along with the necessary equipment. This will save you an ample amount of going back and forth, which could get costly and time-consuming depending on the workload and distance.

Flexibility may be limited as a welder cannot bring all their equipment to allow for a change in welding method when necessary. Topweld is among these companies, as we can do mobile aluminum and stainless steel fabrication and welding in Griffith.

Look at Some Reviews!

Look for valid reviews online or among other folks who may have procured welding services from the welding shops you have taken interest in. Even if they’re not a lot, don’t underestimate the power of inquiry. Always take them with a tiny grain of salt though, since not everyone can accurately critique a welding job if they themselves don’t know how to weld. But an obviously bad job is something that doesn’t need an expert eye to declare.

You can also ask how good the workers are to work with as well. Regardless of how skilled your welder is, if misunderstanding is frequent, the end product will be sub-optimal.

That should be enough as a general guide on how to find the best weldingshop for you. Even if you don’t live anywhere close to Griffith, these tips will always come in handy. Topweld is always an option for those looking for efficient and high-quality stainless steel and aluminum fabrication in Griffith, and we also offer other metalwork services as well!