Welding is a dangerously hot job. Though all tools are important, we believe that the most important ones are the items that every welder should have to keep themselves safe. We have listed the safety items that we believe are the most important, as well as other tools that are needed, in order of their priority.
The 22 Essential Welding Tools and Accessories:
1. Welding Helmet
A welding helmet is a helmet designed to protect your eyes, face, and neck from flash burns, severe sparks, and ultraviolet and infrared rays. It is also known as a hood.
2. Welding Jacket
Welding jackets are made from fire-resistant material designed to protect welders from high heat and metal splatter emitted during welding.
Safety glasses can be worn to protect the welder’s eyes from heat and optical radiation that is generated when welding. They may be used instead of a helmet for certain types of welding and/or cutting that doesn’t have severe sparking.
5. Ear Protection
Ear protection is used to protect the ears from the loud, prolonged sounds of welding.
6. Grinding Visor
The grinding visor is a strong but lightweight visor that is worn when grinding items to shield the eyes from any flying debris.
7. Steel Toe Work Shoes
These are heavy-duty shoes with good support and steel in the toe to protect your toes from any heavy materials that may fall.
8. Fire Extinguisher
It’s a good idea to have a fire extinguisher close by just in case something catches fire.
9. Welding Machine
If you are looking for a job as a welder, your employer will supply the welder.
If you are looking to do welding jobs at home, you need to know what kind of welding be doing to do to determine the type of welder that you need.
10. Welding Table or Cart
Comfort is a factor in most any job that you do. The same is true for welders. Welders need a stable surface to set their welder on that is at a good height for them. If you are in a shop, you will more than likely have a fixed table. If you do welding out of your truck, you will want a sturdy cart that has wheels to help provide easy transportation.
Grinder Wheels can be used to cut or polish metal and to remove any excess material from a piece that is being welded.
13. Welding Wire
Welding wire is a slim metal rod that is heated with high-intensity heat to melt it into seams to attach (weld) two pieces of steel together.
14. Vice Grips & Pliers
Vice grips and pliers are used to pick up pieces of metal that are too hot to handle even with welding gloves on. Some vice grips can also act as clamps to hold small metal pieces together.
15. Welding Magnets
Welding magnets are heavy-duty magnets that hold metals securely to the surface that you are working on.
16. Welding Clamps
Welding clamps are used with locking clamps to hold large pieces of metal together when welding them together.
Squaring tools are used to position items that need to be welded with a 90° angle.
18. Welding Pliers
Welding pliers are six tools in one. They are used for nozzle and tip installation, wire cutting, nozzle cleaning, removing weld splatter, or as a chipping hammer.
19. Hacksaw
A hacksaw is a manual metal cutting saw that can be used if no power saw is available.
Cameron grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania, a once-proud steel town on the Lehigh River, where he got a taste of TIG welding in his high school shop class. He holds certificates for Certified WeldingEducator (CWE) and Certified Resistance Welding Technician (CRWT) from the American Welding Institute. His interests include scuba diving, sculpture, and kayaking.
