What are the accessories for a welder?

Beyond the welding machine itself, there are different accessories for the welder, from the essentials —like the welding mask— to the highly specialized ones, like the T-dies for slotted tables.

Before making the purchase of a welding equipment, it is convenient to read this article to know in advance what accessories for the welder They will be necessary according to the tasks to be carried out.

List of accessories for the welder

universal accessories

Some accessories for welder they are useful regardless of the type of welding that is about to be tackled; In this category we have the welding table and facial and eye protection.

welding tables

Unless the team welding that we buy is destined exclusively to carry out work in the field, we will need a good welding table where to support and hold the pieces.

There are different types of welding table: smooth, screened, tiltable, slotted (to place dice or T-nuts according to DIN 508), etc. The important thing is that the work surface is metallic, that it allows installing at least one vise and that it has a free area where to install the ground clamp of the welding equipment (if it will be done). welding electric).

Personal protection

Almost all processes of welding —except that of tin for electronic components and plumbing— is made by means of some type of electric arc or flame at a very high temperature; this causes a very bright light to be produced which is harmful to the eyes.

To prevent permanent damage to vision, it is essential to have an element of visual protection; for this there are glasses and welding masks (or masks). According to the level of exposure to ultraviolet rays, one or the other should be chosen.

It is also necessary to protect the rest of the body; for this you will need gloves and aprons.

welding goggles

welding goggles

They are mainly used for autogenous or oxyacetylene welding, where the fusion of materials is achieved through the combustion of gases.

As the combustion reaches very high temperatures, a plasma is generated that emits ultraviolet rays, which are very harmful to the eyes. Welding goggles filter this region of the electromagnetic spectrum, letting through only the light intensity necessary to see the work.

For jobs where gases are generated, such as MIG-MAG, TIG welding and others, it is recommended to use a mask or mask.

welding masks

Of all the accessories for the welder, is perhaps the best known and used. There are countless models and price ranges: from the most basic masks —with a plastic cover and dark glass, with a wooden handle— to the most sophisticated ones —with a gas filter and photosensitive glass—, the mask protects not only the eyes but the entire face area.

Welding mask with photosensitive glass

The most important part is the glass: it must correctly filter ultraviolet light, and attenuate the intensity of the remaining light enough to be able to see the weld puddle without suffering glare or overexposure.

A quick check on the effectiveness of the glass is to try to see the sun through it. If the light is intense, the mask will not protect properly.

gas filter

If you work with a technique of welding that generates vapors or gases (as most techniques do), it will be convenient to have a gas filter that allows you to breathe normally without the risk of contracting diseases.

Compressed air filter bench. Allows you to filter the air and remove oil and foreign particles.

Many of these masks allow you to wear over or under the mask, thereby keeping both hands free for the task. There are models with a connection for compressed air, which also require a filter bank to prevent oil particles or dust from reaching the welder’s lungs.

Gloves

Fleshing gloves, used in welding.

As important as the mask welding it is the glove. This protects us mainly against any hot slag that may splash, and against the heat produced by the torch or electrode.

aprons

Flesh leather apron.

It is also important to protect the front area of ​​the body against splashes; the apron allows you to do this and, at the same time, offer front pockets in which to temporarily store some tool necessary for the operation after or before the welding.

Solder Plug-in Tools

lime

Flat files. From left to right: fine file, medium file, coarse or bastard file.

The file is another of the accessories for the welder that cannot be missing on the work table. It allows roughing and adjusting the measurements manually, removing burrs, finishing edges and many other operations.

There are flat files, half round, round, triangular, bastard, medium, fine and many others. In general, it will suffice to have a bastard file, a medium and a fine one, plus a half-round file.

Hammer

ball hammer

The hammer allows to remove the slag in manual arc welding. If you have a ball peen hammer it is also possible to emboss the edge of the sheets to a certain extent in the pre-welding stage.

Metal brush or card

Metal brush or card

This brush is used to remove metal particles from the file, but can also be used to remove slag from metals.

Plotting and measuring tools

In this group we can count the compass, the tracing point, the goniometer, the Vernier caliper, the combined square, etc. They are elements that should not be missing from the work table, along with a bottle of Prussian blue.

positioning tools

bench square

Solid steel square, useful in welding and machining.

This is a metal piece with two orthogonal surfaces, which allows various materials to be solidly squared, using T-nuts, bolts, clamps or any other fastening method.

Their faces are grooved and ground, so perpendicularity is always guaranteed.

Vise (or vise) and clamps

Flat vise for machining.

If you need to hold a part firmly on the workbench, use a vise—also called a vise—for that task. The workpiece will be held securely between its jaws—which can be interchanged to accommodate less hard material than the workpiece—and you won’t have to worry about movement when welding.

Sergeant.

For firm positioning against the table itself, use clamps. They are much cheaper than vices and can be located in almost any position, holding the pieces firmly.

Dices

T-Nuts

Also called T-nuts, they are standardized by DIN 508. They are useful in those tables that have T-shaped slots, and must be used with threaded rods, generally with a diameter of 8 mm or 12 mm.

They are used to fix the different clamping devices to the table, such as vices, squares, spacers, dividing plates, etc. In the upper part of the rod it is adjusted by means of a washer and a nut.

transportation tools

Car

Four wheel truck.

If you need to transport your equipment welding comfortably, buy a cart or wheelbarrow like the one in the picture. This allows you to horizontally load your welder along with the necessary accessories (wire spools, torches, clamps, etc.) throughout your workshop, garage or factory.

cleaning tools

tube cleaning brush

Pipe cleaning brush.

In welding machines such as MIG or TIG it is necessary, from time to time, to clean the torch to remove dirt and remains of material that could lodge there.

For this there are these simple brushes, similar to those used to clean the bore of firearms.