Welding Techniques – Part 1 of 2

Let’s talk technique!

Here at Dolfab we pride ourselves on our workmanship and skill. We take on jobs that other companies may turn away. We can do this because we provide a broad range of welding services. From a polished stainless steel handrail to replacing an aluminum hull side in a yacht we know we have the in house expertise. Not all projects will need the same treatment and different techniques can be needed.  There are at least four welding techniques that are most common- in this article, we’ll cover two of these.

 

Stick welding

Stick Welding, aka Shielded Metal Arc Welding, may be responsible to making welding into an art. Widely  used to this day, stick welding gained popularity in the 1920’s because of its versatility and ease of use in welding steel. Stick welding uses a consumable welding rod made out of metal with a flux coating. The rod arcs against the part or metal that is being welded. The rod melts and forms a pool of metal which then forms a joint when cooled. Stick welders, being small and mobile, were used everywhere from your local auto repair center to building structures for the construction industry.  Chances are you may know someone who has a stick welder in their home garage. As technology got better stick welding took a back seat to the next welding technique…

 

MIG welding

MIG or Metal Inert Gas welding was introduced in the 1940’s. Mig welding uses high voltage to melt and fuse metals together. Instead of the welding rod used in stick welding, MIG welding uses a welding gun that uses an electrode wire and a shielded gas. When the trigger is pulled the gas and wire pass through the gun. The gas is used to keep the process from being contaminated.  While mig welding was designed for welding nonferrous metals such as aluminum, the process adapted to welding steel fairly quickly because of its speed and ease of use.

 

Continue to Welding Techniques – Part 2 of 2 to learn about TIG and FCAW techniques.

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