Cleaning Welds

Cleaning welds for finishing.

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.