Hi there, total newbie here.

By juiced Date 02-09-2005 19:02

Hi guys, im Juiced!

Im a newbie welder and have a several safety related questions.

1> Can i stick-weld, lying on my back; under my car?
2> Do i need a rubber mat to stand/lie on?
3> Would welding a piece of an exhaust system cause explosion? (saturated, rusty metal (yes i know, exhaust systems should be replaced; its just for a month or so..))
4> How much of my cars electronics do i need to remove when stick-welding it?

I guess thats it for now. I do have many other questions concerning general welding but i need to do my flex-pipe ASAP! :p

Thanks alot for the time and help to all.

By MBSims

Date 02-10-2005 02:47

1> I don't know, can you? Sorry, couldn't resist.:) That's a tough position to weld in even for an experienced welder. If you haven't done this sort of thing before, you probably won't get good results without a lot of practice.
2> No.
3> Make sure the ground clamp is attached to the exhaust pipe and not elsewhare on the frame or body. Stay away from the fuel line and gas tank with the arc. Don't accidently touch those areas with the electrode or stinger while its energized. If it's too rusty and thinned and/or the current is set too high, you would probably melt a hole through the exhaust pipe. You'd be better off waiting and putting new pipe in.
4> Disconnect the battery cables and only attach the welding ground clamp to the exhaust pipe and you should be OK.

By juiced Date 02-10-2005 04:53

I wound up actually using a muffler putty because i couldnt access one side of the pipe without taking it down. For a couple small holes without a new pipe; taking it down is pointless.

What about if i was welding another part of the car? Lets say a bolt that broke off on the engine side of the firewall. I guess i have to try to protect the engine & componants but once again what about electronics?

By jwright650 (*****)

Date 02-10-2005 13:00

Hi juiced glad to have to here,
Safety questions are the best to ask! :)
(I'm a Safety Manager at our plant)
Marty has coverd these pretty well already.
For question #1, take care to keep the hot falling debris from setting yourself on fire.
For question number#2, No insulation necessary, unless you are planning to lay on your back on the "wet" ground and weld.
For question number#3, I also add a small "low speed" fan blowing under the vehicle just to keep a little air moving, in case there were a few gas fumes lurking around under there somewhere. Just don't have have the fan blowing really hard as this can blow away the shielding from the molten weld pool resulting in porosity(holes in the weld).
For question#4, This is a topic of great debate, depending on who you talk to. I, myself have not fried any electronics welding on my vehicles, however other people can tell of horror stories. I usually diconnect the battery as a precaution for the alternator diodes. But I think the main thing is to attach your clamp lead as close to the weld as possible to keep the path of least resistance heading in the correct direction(through your welding cables) rather than somewhere else.
John Wright