# Cleaning Welds ## Cleaning Welds (‘grinding back’) This task requires the use of an angle grinder. During the induction process, a Fab Lab technician will give instruction on how to effectively grind back welds.. * Use a grinding disc on an angle grinder to remove the bulk of the excess weld. * Then for a smoother finish, use a flap disc attachment on an angle grinder. ### Cleaning spatter * Use a cold chisel to scrape away spatters from thicker metals. * Sandpaper in a circular motion can be used for finer spatters. * If the spatters are large, an angle grinder with a flap disc can be used. * TIP: Use an anti-spatter compound, applied before you start welding. When using a spray application, shake the can as directed on the back of the product, then spray a light coating over your welding project and work area to prevent the blobs from sticking to the surface * Use anti-spatter on the welding tip to prevent a burnback blockage by not allowing the molten wire to adhere to the welding tip. Burnback occurs when the wire melts into a ball at the end of the contact tip. It is most often the result of too slow of a wire feed speed and/or holding the welding gun too close to the workpiece ### Preparing for finishes * Clean the object before finishing; use ajax and a damp cloth. --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://ms-kb.msd.unimelb.edu.au/msdmaker/metal-work-area/finishing/cleaning-welds.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.