Commercial Welding Companies – What The Welding Jobs Require

It amazes me how often people don’t even notice how much importance welding plays in all of our every days lives.  Commercial welding companies are one of the biggest industries in the country because the products are present in our everyday lives.  You can’t walk past a high-rise building, go eat at a restaurant, or workout at the gym without encountering different types of commercial welding.

Commercial welding companies have strict criteria as far are employment.  Most true professional welding jobs are, going to require AWS (American Welding Society) certifications.  While it is a matter of producing a good product, it is also a matter of making sure that the welds are done strong and neat for safety reasons.  Imagine a 20-story high-rise building put together with sloppy welds.  What kind of safety risk would that pose?  Or a weight bench that wasn’t study.  The examples are endless as to why commercial welding companies are very careful about who they hire.

If you want over 1200 detailed pages on proper welding practices and techniques, you need to check out Welding Secrets Revealed.

In the food and hospitality industry, “304” steel is used because of its resistance to rust and other detrimental effects.  TIG welding is generally used for these types of projects to ensure clean, tight welds.  One reason that commercial welding companies need to be specific about their foodservice products is because you don’t want surfaces or cracks where bacteria can live and breed.

Depending on the industry, the end product, and the needs and specifications of each product, commercial welding companies may use different welding techniques for their different welding jobs.  Like in my examples of the foodservice industry, TIG welding is often used.  For large, heavier welding projects, MIG welding is common.  It is also not rare to see propane torches used for small, less critical jobs.

If you’re just learning how to weld, or are planning on getting a job in the welding industry with a commercial welding company, it is critical that you learn proper welding techniques.  You may want to start thinking about getting certifications now, because in the commercial welding industry, you’ll need them.

For the most detailed guide on welding on the internet, you can’t afford to miss Welding Secrets Revealed.

How To TIG Weld: A Guide To TIG Welding Techniques

So you want to learn how to TIG weld?  The first things that you’ll need to learn are some of the basics about TIG welding.  After you are an “expert TIG welder”, you can learn some basic TIG welding techniques.  Tungsten inert gas welding (or TIG welding for short) is also, but less commonly, called gas tungsten arc welding (or GTAW welding for short).  As the latter name indicates, TIG welding is a type of arc welding.  Since TIG welding is a process of arc welding, it is similar to MIG welding in the sense that it uses an electrical current to create an arc from the electrode on the TIG welder to the workpieces being welded.  Also, as in MIG welding, a TIG welder uses a shielding gas to protect the weld from contamination from outside atmospheric gases.

Despite these similarities, when you first learn how to TIG weld, you need to recognize the differences that TIG welding has from MIG welding:

A TIG welder uses a non-consumable tungsten electrode whereas a MIG welder uses a consumable wire electrode.

One reason that many people want to learn how to TIG weld is that TIG welding is generally used on thinner workpieces such as light aluminum or thin sections of stainless steel.  A MIG welder, on the other hand, would be used for thicker pieces of aluminum or large pieces of steel.

If you want to learn how to TIG weld, you had better be ready to put some effort into it – TIG welding is often considered the most difficult welding process that is used in industrial welding.  This is because TIG welding requires a precise and skillful touch.  TIG welders aren’t granted the same luck that MIG welders are in the sense that large, strong welds are easy to produce.  TIG welding often involves delicate and detail-oriented welds such as that needed for an airplane.  The welds in the thin aluminum of the airplane’s design must be extremely strong and exact in order to withstand the pressure of high altitudes.  It is quite common for an unskilled TIG welder to ruin a fragile workpiece with a single mistake, while a MIG welder can get away with such errors on something such as a thick steel piping.  Learning how to TIG weld can be difficult, even if you are versed in MIG welding.

One of the benefits of TIG welding is the use of a non-consumable tungsten (or tungsten alloy) electrode.  Tungsten has the highest melting point among all pure metals (it melts at 6,192 degrees Fahrenheit), so it allows the TIG welding gun to produce a very hot arc without consuming the electrode (as a MIG welder would).  This extremely high temperature arc allows a more precise weld with a TIG welder than most people are accustomed to with a MIG welder.  This is one fact that a lot of people learning how to TIG weld have a hard time mastering, especially if they are accustomed to MIG welding.

Just as in all types of arc welding, TIG welding uses a shielding gas to protect the weld from outside, atmospheric contaminants such as nitrogen and oxygen.  The most common gas used by TIG welders is argon.  The majority of TIG welding techniques prefer Argon because it helps control arc length, and leads to consistent, aesthetic welds.  Some TIG welders choose to use helium as a shielding gas as it allows the welder to increase the weld penetration.  The extended arc length of this one of the TIG welding techniques can cause a weaker weld which would be undesirable in situations where weld strength is very important (such as in our airplane example).  Another one of the TIG welding techniques focuses on using an argon-helium mixture.  This is used sometimes with aluminum welding projects that do not require an emphasis on strong welds because it allows for some of the strength benefits of argon, and some of the speed benefits of helium.  For someone just learning how to TIG weld, it would be recommended to begin with argon as your shielding gas.

For a much more detailed guide on how to TIG weld (with over 1200 pages dedicated to everything you need to know for all types of welding), I recommend checking out Welding Secrets Revealed.

Now that you have the basics of how to TIG weld down, the next step would be hands-on-practice.  One last thing that any TIG welder should know is that you should always use the push method (instead of the pull method) in order to control your welding puddle.  Here are a few of the most common TIG welding techniques:

Circular TIG welding technique – With this method, you will move the TIG welding gun in a slow and precise circular pattern.  Unlike with MIG welding, you always want to make smaller, more compact circles in order to create a strong weld.  Remember to always push, or work away from you, in order to control the weld puddle for an accurate weld.

Zig-Zag TIG welding technique – This is sometimes considered a simpler, most easy to master TIG welding technique than the circular pattern is.  While using the push method, you will carefully move the TIG welding gun from side to side in order to create a “zig-zag” effect on the workpieces.  The key to this method is that you want to be sure to keep a constant arc length, speed, and width of the weld down the entire workpieces.  Inconsistencies can create weak spots in your weld.

Once you master these two TIG welding techniques, then you should have a good understanding of how to TIG weld and will be able to move on to more difficult techniques.

For over 1200 pages on how to TIG weld, including many more detailed and advanced TIG welding techniques, get a copy of Welding Secrets Revealed.  It includes everything you will ever need to know about how to TIG weld, and all of the welding processes.

As I will always stress, safety is the number one issue when it comes to welding.  Never attempt any type of welding unless you are familiar with all of the safety issues and risks.  Pat goes into great detail on safety with his Welding Secrets Revealed, and I would strongly recommended becoming familiar with it before you attempt any TIG welding.

How To MIG Weld: A Guide To MIG Welding Techniques

The most common questions that I receive are generally from someone who is looking to learn how to MIG weld.  Whether they are new to MIG welding, or are just looking to learn some new MIG welding techniques, there is never an end to these questions.

I don’t mind though.  Do you know why?  The reason is because MIG welding is one of the most useful and desired welding techniques in the industry.  Once you figure out how to MIG weld, you are well on your way to becoming a very proficient welder.  I will begin this article with a little bit of background information about MIG welding, and then will discuss a few basic MIG welding techniques.

Properly called metal inert gas welding, MIG welding is a type of gas metal arc welding (referred to as GMAW).  MIG welding uses an electrical current to provide an electrical arc between a consumable wire electrode in the welding gun and the workpieces.  A shielding gas is also used in order to protect the weld from atmospheric gases that may interfere with its quality.

How long has MIG welding been around?  It was created in the 1940’s as a way to easily and efficiently create equipment and weapons during World War II.  It was (and still is) preferred in welding shops because of the ability to learn how to MIG weld quickly, and also the low cost and time associated with it.  Someone with a basic understanding of welding should be able to learn how to MIG weld and run good beads with just a few hours of practice.  MIG welding is also quite popular because of the low investment cost – a new, quality machine for your garage or shop costs around $500.  As good as that price is, you are still able to find new ones cheaper, but you definitely get what you pay for there.

For 1200 pages about not only MIG welding, but everything you can imagine to need to know about welding in general, check out Welding Secrets Revealed.

Now that you have a basic understanding about MIG welding, I think it is time to move on to some MIG welding techniques.  As important as background knowledge is when you are learning how to MIG weld, it needs to be coupled with practice.  These MIG welding techniques will get you on your way to creating strong, visually appealing welds.

For someone first learning how to MIG weld, a zigzag weaving pattern is probably the best starting point of the MIG welding techniques.  The zigzag pattern can either be done as push (welding away from you), or pull (welding towards you), and is performed exactly as it sounds.  Your goal is to make even, steady zigzags across the joint of the two workpieces.  This is a very easy pattern to learn and become quite efficient at very quickly.  Using this MIG welding technique, you would generally pause at the end of each zigzag (on the sides of the joint) for a brief second in order to help spread out the weld.  The key to this is to make sure that you get a steady rhythm going when working with equally thick workpieces.  Once you have become familiar with this welding design, you are ready to move on to how to MIG weld using a slightly more advanced MIG welding technique.

The next technique that I prefer my students to learn is a circular pattern.  For someone who is learning how to MIG weld, this technique is still relatively basic.  It does take a little bit more practice and concentration than the zigzag pattern, but it is still a very achievable design.  For this technique you will weld in slow, circular motions.  Depending on the workpieces, and the weld you would like to make, you can either use small, precise circles, or a larger, more encompassing pattern.  After a little practice with these MIG welding techniques, you be know how to MIG weld nearly any basic project that you wish to do.

You can find pictures and diagrams of these (and many other) MIG welding techniques at Welding Secrets Revealed.

While no single article can teach you all of the information you need to know about how to MIG weld, this should have been a good basis for your entry into the world of MIG Welding.  For more detailed information, images, and diagrams, I strongly recommend checking out Welding Secrets Revealed.  Pat, that put together that website, has been an industry-friend of mine for many years, and has helped me with quite a few questions and problems I have had over the last twenty years.

How To Weld: An Introduction To Welding

The main problem that most people have when they first choose to get into welding is that they have no idea how to weld. Welding is a far more detailed trade than can possibly be taught in one article.  Learning how to weld like a professional requires extensive and repetitive practice.  Despite this fact, you should be armed with a mind full of knowledge before you even step up to the welding machine.  This introduction to welding will provide you with the general knowledge needed to familiarize yourself with the terminology and concepts involved in welding.

First and foremost, a person (you, before too long) who welds is called a “welder”, or sometimes “weldor”.  The device used to make the welds is called a “welding machine”.  Although it sounds quite basic and trivial, you’d be surprised at how many people mistakenly call a welding machine a “welder”.  I have yet to see anyone successfully create welds by holding a welder up to the workpieces.   I have, however, spent many years using a welding machine to weld nearly anything and everything.  With this basic bit of information, you are much further ahead in learning how to weld than most everyone that you know.

The next that that you need to learn in this introduction to welding are the main welding processes.  There are many different welding processes out there, but this article will focused briefly on the two most common: gas welding and arc welding.

Gas Welding (properly called oxy-fuel welding) uses fuel gases to join the workpieces.  The welding torch combines the fuel gas with oxygen to create a chemical reaction which expends heat to form a shared pool of molten metal between the workpieces.  This pool is generally combined with additional “filler metal” to create the weld.  The most common fuel gas used in gas welding is acetylene.

Arc Welding is the processes of using a welding power supply to form an electric arc between an electrode and the base material to combine the workpieces.  Arc welding can be further broken down into two most common processes:

• Tungsten Inert Gas Welding (or TIG Welding) uses an electrode made of tungsten to create high quality welds.  If you are just learning how to weld, TIG Welding may not be the most appropriate to begin with, as it requires a fairly high skill level from the welder.  The most common workpieces for TIG Welding are thin items such as stainless steel or other light metals.  This process is also known as Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (or GTAW Welding).

• Metal Inert Gas Welding (or MIG Welding) uses an electrode made of a continuous wire feed (which is consumed in the welding process) to join the workpieces.  Inert “shielding gas” is used to prevent contamination of the weld as it is being formed.  MIG Welding was originally developed for work with aluminum, but is now most commonly used to weld steel.  Because of its ability to create quick, simple welds due to the continuous wire feed, MIG welding is one of the industry’s (and those learning how to weld) most preferred processes.

Much more information about the various welding processes, as well as 1200 pages of information on welding can be found at Welding Secrets Revealed.

No introduction to welding would be complete without warning you about some of the safety risks involved in the trade.  The very most important piece of advice that I can provide you is to make sure that you are wearing the proper safety equipment during any welding, no matter how small or quick the task is.  A cautious welder is one who will be around to keep on welding.  It takes just a minute to properly suit up, and this minute can prevent serious injury or even death.  After you are well equipped to begin welding, make sure that you are in a well-ventilated area.  Make sure you keep the welding fumes away from your face, as the gases used in and produced by welding can be very hazardous to your health.  With Arc Welding, make sure you take extra precaution with the electrode.  Don’t forget the principal behind this type of welding: an electric arc is used to join the workpieces.  Touching the electrode is no different than sticking a fork in an electric socket – I can promise you that you do not want that type of electricity going through your body.  When you are ready to learn how to weld through practice, safety is the first thing you should master.  This list of dangers is nowhere near a comprehensive safety guide.  Please become familiar with a very detailed welding safety guide (such as the one at Welding Secrets Revealed) before you attempt any welding practice or project.