Welding Machine Accessories

To perform work associated with manual arc welding of metal parts, not only a welding machine is required, but also additional accessories to it. They ensure the correct assembly of the electrical circuit, are responsible for the reliability of contacts and create convenient and safe conditions for the welder. These should first include conductive cables, clips and electrode holders. Such accessories are sold in a set of a welder or purchased separately. In any case, the novice master needs to know their purpose, the main types and features of the application.

Electric holder

The holder for the welding machine is designed to hold the electrode, supply voltage to it and control its position in the welding zone. Simple but important requirements are imposed on it:

• reliable fixation of welding rods of different diameters in convenient positions for the welder;
• tight electrical contact;
• simple design that ensures long-term use of the electrode holder;
• ergonomics and safety.

Implement all of these qualities in different ways.

Types of welding holders

Welding electrodes are classified on the design and principle of the electrode pickup. Almost all of them have a convenient handle and a mechanical rod lock.

Clothespin

Holders of this type use spring or lever clamping mechanism electrode. The contact surfaces in them are made in the form of toothed parts, allowing you to quickly and firmly fix the rod in any position convenient for the welder.Most models have a dielectric outer coating, which increases safety for personnel and eliminates unintended sparking. The main disadvantage of this design is the lack of reliability of the grip while loosening the spring and abrasion of the contacts.

Trident plug

Such an electric holder is no longer to be found in specialized stores, but old-school welders continue to use it. The electrode is held here by spring action of three steel bars, welded together in a single design, vaguely resembling a fork. This device is easily made by hand, but has a number of serious drawbacks:

• the presence of unprotected surfaces that are energized;
• the difficulty of extracting the candle;
• low usability.

Collet holder

Holders with the collet principle of clamping the electrode have a slightly more complicated structure, which needs high precision parts manufacturing. They have been used in burners used for argon arc welding. They have a narrow scope of use and a large enough cost.

Armless grip

The holder of this type consists of a handle and a contact pin. The electrode is welded to its end before use, which makes it possible to use the rod metal almost completely during the welding process. Adaptations of a similar design are demanded when working with expensive consumables.

Screw holder

The screw electric holder for the welding inverter enjoys high popularity among professionals. It most reliably fixes electrodes of any section due to threading method. Products of this design have practically no exposed areas, and this has a positive effect on safety. The need to periodically twist the screw slightly increases the time of fixing the rods, which is compensated by the strength of the contact and the convenience of work.

What is important when choosing derzhak

The electric welder holds this device in his hands for a significant part of his working time, so his choice should be approached with the utmost responsibility. An experienced master will definitely pay attention to the following points:

• weight, dimensions, ergonomic qualities of the handle;
• compliance of product marking with the range of current strength used in the upcoming work;
• the possibility of reliable fixation of electrodes of the required diameter;
• ease of fastening the rod at different angles;
• workmanship of current-carrying parts and clamping devices;
• the degree of outer coating of the holder with insulating materials;
• model cost.

Short review of popular models of holders

Welding holders are not classified as high-tech equipment. For a reasonable price, you can easily find a convenient and durable model. To make the right choice is enough to know a few brands from proven manufacturers.

ESAB Handy 200

This model is a respected Swedish company ESAB is very popular among professionals and amateurs. It is best suited for the use of electrodes with a diameter of 2 to 4 mm and is designed for a welding current of 200 amperes. Its weight of only 550 grams will not cause fatigue during a work shift. Screw clamp provides fast replacement and reliable retention of rods fixed at 90 angle^about and 45^about. Complete insulation of current-carrying parts guarantees the absence of accidental leaks. You can buy the product for 500-600 rubles.

Sibrtech 91455

Russian model tick-borne type with a powerful spring costs only 200-250 rubles. It provides a quick replacement of the electrodes and fixing them in any direction. There is no diameter limit. Current-carrying parts confidently work at a current of up to 500 A. The product weighs less than 300 g. It has an ergonomic embossed handle and a convenient clamp opening lever. The coating is made of durable insulation material.

Cedar Germany type 300A

Another Russian-made model with a clamp clamp, made of brass and plastic coated. It weighs about 400 grams and is designed for welding current up to 300 amperes. The electrode is easily installed in one of four possible positions. The handle does not slip in the hand and not afraid of high temperature exposure. The price of a product of this brand starts from 300 rubles.

Independent manufacture of electrode holder

The hands of the means at hand the easiest way to make the holder in the form of a trident. For this is used steel wire round or variable section with a diameter about 8 mm. From it cut off three pieces of a length of about 20-25 cm.Two of them are slightly bent and welded to each other with the lower ends so that the pieces are located in the same plane, and their upper ends form the extreme teeth of the fork.

The third piece is made a little shorter than the others. It is also given a slight bend, orienting it in a plane perpendicular to the first two blanks.

Welding is carried out in such a way that, with a certain force, the resulting gap elastically enters the bare end of the electrodes most frequently used in the work.

For reliable and tight connection of the welding cable with the resulting construction, its end is exposed by 6-8 centimeters and tightly wrapped with steel wire of small diameter. The resulting tip is welded to the long lower ends of the extreme bars of the holder. The handle is made of piece of rubber hose, elastic plastic tube or dielectric sheath of the wire of the desired diameter, pulling it from the back side. Visually the manufacturing process is shown in the following video.

Mass clamp

For the electrical circuit to work properly, the parts to be welded must be reliably connected to ground.Only in this case, you get a quality weld, and the welder will be protected from electric shock. The contact function is designed to perform the clamping of the mass. Established accessories do not always correspond to the tasks, so experienced craftsmen try to pick up the equipment on their own. The most important characteristics Electrical clamps are:

• maximum power of the passed current;
• sufficient contact density;
• ability to hold cable weight;
• terminal opening angle.

The main types of clamps

The device of clips can be various. In difficult situations, they behave differently. This inevitably should be considered when purchasing.

Crocodile

Welding clamps of this type have powerful spring and teeth for easy grip. They are installed and removed with one hand movement.

Their advantages include:

They also have disadvantages:

Magnetic clamp

This design implies availability of a strong permanent magnet and cable connection terminal.

This provides compelling benefits:

But do not forget about the disadvantages:

Clamp

Fastening the ground cable using a screw mechanism is not as widespread and is most often used. in special conditions.

Its advantages:

Disadvantages:

Welding cable

The supply voltage to the welding site and the connection to the mass of the parts to be connected is carried out using welding cables. In most cases, they have a single conductive round cross-section and usually end with standard terminals. They are subject to increased requirements:

• mechanical strength and resistance to the effects of chemically active substances;
• the possibility of multiple twisting and straightening;
• high flexibility;
• immunity to pollution and moisture.

The most widely used cable flexible brand KG. It is designed for operation with direct current up to 1 kV or with alternating current with voltage up to 660 V and frequency up to 400 Hz. It has a number of varieties:

• KG-HL, resistant to frost to -60^aboutWITH;
• KG-T for tropical climates;
• KGN equipped with non-flammable insulation;
• KG-KOG, featuring special flexibility.

The cable of the KOG brand is suitable for arc welding, semi-automatic or automatic welding machines with direct current up to 700 V or with alternating current up to 220 V and frequency up to 50 Hz. Its varieties are also focused on various temperature indicators of the environment.

In addition to single-core cables found distribution:

• strong wires for pulse welding and cutting;
• Three-core cables used in various types of automatic welding.

The maximum parameters of the current passing through the cable are directly related to the material of execution and the area of ​​the diameter. At selection of the required section should use special tables.For a household inverter operating from a 220-volt network, single-core copper wire of 6.7 mm is suitable², and for powerful automatic units 35.6 or 47.2 sq. mm are more often used.

Cable connection

When connecting the cable to the welding equipment, special tips are usually used to ensure reliable contact and protection against accidental contact. The wire must comply with the performance parameters of the welding machine. Particular attention is paid polarity. When connecting two wires, it is necessary to apply crimping with subsequent insulation.

In most cases, standard cables sold with an inverter are shorter for a number of reasons than the master would like. Although manufacturers of welding equipment usually do not impose restrictions on their length, use welding wire extension need with utmost care. It is important to make sure that the added area does not lead to a critical reduction in voltage and welding current.