There are many basic rules of safety you should obey while you are working with any sort of welder. A few of the more important ones would be to always wear all of the appropriate protective gear that covers all of the needed areas, make sure that the material you are working on is properly secured in place, and if the welder ever malfunctions for any reason, maybe don’t try and check it by looking down the end where the scorching white flames come out of. But, a very important part of proper safety is also making sure that the welder itself is properly maintained so that the likelihood of any potential accident that comes as a result of built up grime or other materials can be avoided.
If you are a beginner in terms of welding, or even if you are a seasoned hand, there are a few things that have to do with the specific inner workings and more intricate aspects of the welder that you really shouldn’t mess with, but should leave to professionals trained in their repairs. However, that doesn’t mean that you have to neglect the more general checks and maintenance points that are easy for anyone to do.
One of the most simple checks that you can run in virtually no time is to check the gas hose for any sort of leaks and make sure that the pressure is all within the proper limits. If there is a problem with either the hose itself or the pressure as a result of a tear or any other sort of damage, you can easily find a replacement gas hose both online and in a local store, switch it out with the old one and be back to welding faster than your torch has time to cool down.
You will also want to frequently inspect all parts of the circuit as well in order to make sure that there aren’t any loose connections or damaged electrode holders and ground leads, and replace any that have seen a little too much wear and tear. Also make it a habit to frequently disconnect the cable from the feeder and check the length of it for anything that looks unsafe, as well a making sure that the connection is safe.
And finally, look over your gun and check the connections inside in order to make sure they aren’t loose, and tighten them if they are so that they don’t lead to erratic arcs while the welder is operational. As you might have noticed, basic welder maintenance has a lot to do with connections, but even if it seems trivial, it is much more vital for you to do these tasks than you think.
