The Importance of Welding Machine Maintenance

Many are unaware that drill bits require regular sharpening to give their best service. Similar to knives and axes, a dull drill bit requires much more force to do the same job. Instead of wearing the user out, a dull drill bit will inevitably wear out your drill. Giving your drill bits regular spot sharpening with a file is the best way to protect your investment in high-quality power tools. Brazos Industries knows the importance of properly sharpening drill bits, and we would like to share with you how to sharpen drill bits to protect your investment.

Eye injuries account for one-quarter of all welding injuries. This makes them by far the most common injury for welders, according to research from the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety. Those most at risk for welding-related eye injuries are workers in industries that produce industrial and commercial machinery, computer equipment and fabricated metal products. Therefore, we will discuss the importance of safety glasses for welding.

Air arc gouging is a process of removing metal by using heat generated from a carbon arc. This process utilizes a carbon/graphite electrode, compressed air and a standard power source. The extreme heat arc created between the electrode and a metal workpiece gouges and melts the workpiece. The compressed air also blows away the molten metal. This process is common for cutting stainless steel, carbon steel and alloys of copper, brass, aluminum and magnesium.

A good weld begins with good preparation, and good weld preparation begins with a clean cut. However, cutting is an art that requires both skill and knowledge of how to select and utilize the best grinding wheel for the job. The type of grinding wheel to use for a given application depends largely on what material you are cutting. We will discuss using the right grinding wheel for the welding job.

You can fit oxy-fuel torches with a “Cutting Head” and use them to cut one solid piece of metal into two or more pieces. Lighting, adjusting and shutting down an oxygen-acetylene torch is easy, particularly when following to proper procedures. We will discuss properly adjusting the flames for the oxy-fuel cutting.

A basic component of any welder’s toolbox is a decent angle grinder. There are few tools more versatile than a grinder. However, not all grinders are equal. Therefore, trying to choose the right one can be difficult. We will discuss a few tips for choosing the right grinder size for the job.

Selecting the right cutting or styling tool for the job means the difference between an average cut or a great cut. Therefore, it is important to choose carefully. It is critical to both performance and safety to choose the correct tip for the job. Here’s a simple step-by-step process for choosing the right cutting tip to ensure you deliver a great cut every time.