To arc connect metal objects, you cannot do without special equipment. Today we will tell you what a welder needs to be provided with, and also share information on how to create a homemade electrical holder.

Fork and screw electrode holder: varieties

Electrical holders are necessary to ensure fixation of the electrode and to provide voltage access to it, as well as to enable various manipulations during the welding process. This tool should meet some important requirements, for example, ensuring instantaneous change of electrodes without long temporary “pauses”. The same applies to the removal of cinders, for which it is necessary that its length be minimal.

It is necessary that the equipment holder is secured as efficiently as possible during the welding process in any position: both at the required angle and perpendicularly. Naturally, it must withstand heavy loads, be easy to assemble, durable and comfortable to work with. All device types are available for rated current with a maximum rating of 500 A, and the weight of the equipment ranges from 300 to 750 grams. The handle of the holder must be insulated with special thermal and electrical materials that are designed for protection.

There are various types equipment. The most famous is the screw-type electrode holder, which has sufficient simple design, while it is distinguished by quality and practicality. There are other types of equipment: pliers, forks, lever devices - they differ in their use and, of course, capabilities. For example, pliers are used for welding and fusing seams at a voltage of no more than 500 A, and the clamping is carried out between the lever and the current-conducting jaw.

I am pleased with the ease of use of the tool, because even the removal of cinder is carried out by simply pressing the lever. Alas, tools are quite expensive, as are their repairs, and therefore many savvy craftsmen try to make a spare tool with their own hands. But whatever type of device you choose, the tool must be safe to use and have convenient control. The design of the tool must meet the following requirements:

  • High-quality fastening of electrodes;
  • Possibility of instant replacement of electrodes;
  • Light weight;
  • Ability to carry out work in hard-to-reach places and under any conditions;
  • 100% insulation of the entire instrument.

How to make an electric holder with your own hands?

There are several options for creating electrical holders - you will have to choose an option based on certain requirements and your personal capabilities. In any case, it will take you literally a few hours to create this tool, but you can save a lot of money.

Do-it-yourself instructions:

  1. To create the first electrical holder we will need a piece of copper or metal pipe 25 cm long. On one side we weld a metal plate with a cross-section of 3x2.5 cm to it; it is best if it is made in the shape of half a ring with a diameter of 5-6 cm with a curved edge. On the second side, the pipe must be flattened; a hole must be created in it using a drill. Through this hole we will attach the tip welding cable using an M8 bolt. A part of the durite hose is installed on top of it.
  2. We make the second device from a pipe approximately 30 cm long. On both sides, at a distance of about 3 cm from the end, we use a hacksaw to create a recess; its depth should be no more than 1.5 cm. In order for you to be able to press the electrodes to the holder, be sure to Using a notch, we weld a small metal wire, the diameter of which should be approximately 0.6 cm. The second side is also intended to create a hole (diameter about 0.8 cm). Using an M8 screw and terminals, we attach part of the cable to the holder. We put a rubber hose on top, selecting it according to the inner diameter.
  3. To create the next tool we use metal corner 3 cm long. So that you can clamp the electrode inside, we weld a spring wire on the inside of the corner, the diameter of which should be about 0.4-0.5 cm. C reverse side We drill holes for installing an M8 screw, to which we will attach the cable in the future, and put a durite hose on top. At one end of the corner, 1 cm from the edge, we drill a hole with a diameter of 0.4 cm. This is necessary so that we can quickly and conveniently change electrodes during work.

As you can see, the design is very simple, tested by specialists. Her key features consider ease light weight, ease of use, durability and quick replacement of “waste material”. As practice shows, such electrical holders will be convenient and very useful during welding work even in the most cramped conditions.

It should be recalled, especially to beginners, that when working with similar devices you are required to take all precautions.

The main thing is to prevent the appearance short circuit at work. This can be achieved by protecting the instrument from too much long work– It is advisable to take short breaks. Don’t forget about your safety - use all the required “ammunition”, which is worth talking about in a little more detail!

Uniforms for a welder – what should you buy?

Welding electrode holders – not the only thing you will need in the process of welding work. You should also take care of other accessories and equipment that may be useful to you. We will need a helmet and pads, preferably made of plastic. Choose devices with matte internal part, preferably black, and the helmet should have a comfortable headband and a body with a window, which will ensure a comfortable position.

You will also need light filters to help protect your eyes from radiation. They may be different types– it is best to purchase those that can withstand work with a current of up to 900 A. You also need to monitor the condition of the helmet with light filters – try to immediately replace damaged or worn parts. It is important to pay attention to the welder’s clothing.

So, overalls are a welder’s clothing that will protect you from hot metal splashes and harmful radiation from the tool. Workwear is represented by a set of trousers, jackets, boots and mittens, but if you rarely carry out work, it will be enough to purchase mittens and a jacket. Naturally, other specialist tools are also important. So, you can’t do without a brush, which is used to clean the welding area from rust and dirt - this work must be carried out before welding: to remove defective areas and seams, dried stains, use a chisel or a plumber’s hammer

It is important to store the electrodes correctly, for which you need to purchase a strong canvas bag. If you always have the clothing, tools and accessories listed by us in your arsenal, any welding work of any complexity will be carried out efficiently and quickly, as well as as safely as possible.

Main consumables In manual arc welding, welding electrodes are used. Every master must have them, otherwise there will simply be nothing to cook with.

This product probably cannot be called scarce - today the choice of these materials is huge, there are products for joining different metals. The cost of some types varies within reasonable limits due to high competition in the market.

You can make a welding electrode with your own hands for experimental purposes, or in extreme conditions. You need to understand that for production you will need various raw materials, which may not be available on the farm.

Consumables

For making homemade electrodes we will need:

  • binder in the form of liquid glass;
  • limestone or chalk;
  • low carbon wire of suitable diameter;
  • roller or brush.

“Liquid glass,” with its scary name, is a fairly common product and is sold in almost every hardware store.

Manufacturing process - step-by-step instructions

So, we have decided on the materials and can start making electrodes with our own hands.

1. First of all, we need to grind the chalk to a powder. This can be done using a heavy metal object, but it is better to use a blender. So the particles will have a uniform structure and have a fine fraction.

2. We take steel wire and cut it into rods. You can use the factory dimensions as a guide and make rods 250 mm long.

3. The next step is to coat steel bars liquid glass.

4. Carefully distribute the crushed chalk on a flat surface. Roll out a steel rod coated in liquid glass over this surface, evenly distributing the chalk particles over the body of the steel workpiece.

5. We wait until the electrode dries and check that liquid glass crystallized and place it in the oven at 100 °C for half an hour.

The welding characteristics of such an electrode will be low, it will produce a lot of sparks, be difficult to burn and stick. But when selecting the correct welding modes and necessary preparation welded surface, you can achieve good results. Share your techniques for making electrodes or other welding materials.

Each welder makes a case for electrodes from scrap materials. Mostly made of metal, which tends to rust. Accordingly, moisture gets on the electrodes, they become damp and lose quality. In addition, the metal case is a bit heavy. I offer several options for cases, lightweight and stainless, made from plastic plumbing pipes different diameters

To make it you will need: PVC pipes , hacksaw, exhaust valve (automobile), siphon for washing, heating element(soldering iron, hot air gun, apparatus for gluing polymer pipes), ruler, sharp knife, 5 liter bottle drinking water, hardware fittings (rivets for clothing), a strip of stainless steel.

Option #1.
We take a black pipe (it is easier to solder) and cut it into two parts: 1 - the length for the desired electrode (Nos. 2,3, 4), 2 - the lower one with an o-ring (Fig. 1).

We heat end 2 (from the cut side) with a thermoelement (TE) to a soft state and bend it using the release valve (VK), forming the lid of the future case. We cut off the part with the expander and seal from the second pipe and make the second cover in the same way. We straighten the cut end 1 and clean it of burrs. Having put the finished lids on both edges, we put together case A (photo 2).

Option #2.
We cut the siphon (Fig. 2). Unscrew the left side, remove all irregularities, remove inner tube. Selecting a pipe section required diameter and length. Using TE and VK onets we dampen and smooth the bend angle to 90 degrees. We push the second end tightly into the prepared part from the siphon - the case is ready.

Option number 3.
We cut pipe No. 40 into equal parts so that there is enough to bend the edges and form the bottom (Fig. 3). In part 2, we plug the narrower end without touching the widened one with the O-ring. We take both blanks and connect them by inserting the open ends into one another (case B).

Option number 4.
We disassemble the remaining right part of the siphon (Fig. 4). You will need a piece of pipe going to the siphon and a cone-shaped O-ring, which is located on this pipe on the back of the fixing nut. We select a piece of pipe with the right sizes. We process the edges from burrs.U plastic bottle cut off the neck and also remove the burrs.

We put the neck on the piece on one side, screw on the lid - one edge is ready. We put an o-ring through the other end of the segment (with the wide side towards the neck) and push it close to the neck - it serves as decoration. Then, using TE and VK, we make a flat bottom at the free end, taking into account the length of the electrodes. By the way, the second end can also be made from the neck of another bottle - then it can not be subjected to heat treatment, but screwed on with another cap.

General detail

All options have one common detail. We mark a piece of pipe 6 cm long of the same diameter with the case in half lengthwise. We cut along the line on one side and remove the burrs. We bend a bracket from a 1.5x4 cm strip of stainless steel and drill holes along the edges (Fig. 5). Having placed it lengthwise, we apply it to the segment on the side opposite to the cut, and drill holes in the pipe. We insert the holniten into them and rivet them.

I used this fitting because the underskirt is thin, but durable and when putting the part on the case it will not interfere with movement over its entire surface. We insert a ring with a carabiner into the shackle, through which you can attach the case to a belt on your belt or to a welding machine during transportation (photo 1).

Sergey Novikov
Based on materials from the newspaper "Toloka. We do it ourselves"

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We already know the conditions of a simple welding machine and a welding electrode. Let's continue the theme of welding and homemade welding machines and consider a method for making your own holder for a welding machine.

Let's watch a video on making a homemade holder

So, before we start work, let's prepare necessary materials and tools:
- half-inch tube;
- plate 30x30 mm;
- two twigs 6.5 cm long;
- workpiece in the form of wire;
- PVC plastic tube;
- two transition rings;
- screw;
- bolt.

It should be specially noted that important factor is the use stainless steel, since stainless steel does not oxidize, does not rust and conducts well welding current. Therefore, the author advises using stainless steel elements in the process of making a homemade holder. Let us also explain that two twigs can be cut from old welding electrodes, and the workpiece can be knitted from a piece of the same electrodes.


Now that you've sorted out the materials, you can start assembling. Let's start by assembling the inside of the holder. To do this, take a stainless steel tube and saw it lengthwise to the thickness of the plate. The depth of the cut should be approximately 3-4 mm so that the plate holds firmly. For more stability, you need to weld the base of the plate.


Then we move on to the next stage. We take pieces of electrodes. We cook the straight pieces on the sides of the plate, and the spring piece in the middle. A small cut on one of the side pieces is also required. This is necessary so that the electrode is easier to insert into the holder and stays more stable.


Let's proceed to the next stage of making a homemade holder. Now we need to secure the cable. To do this, take a nut and bolt. To do this, we need to drill a hole in the side of the tube and attach a nut there. In order to secure the cable, you need to insert it, stripped, into the tube and tighten the bolt, tightening the cable.


Finally, let's start making the holder handle. We put the rings on the tube and stretch the PVC tube onto the stainless steel tube. The rings also need to be welded to the stainless steel tube.


At the end on metal-plastic pipe We drill a hole for the diameter of the bolt, also relatively small holes in the middle part of the handle so that it cools better.

Devices for storing welding electrodes. Any welder prepares himself from scrap materialswelding equipment and electrode case. Mostly made of metal, which tends to rust. Therefore, moisture gets on the electrodes, they become damp and lose quality. In addition, the metal case is a bit heavy. Devices for welding, here are several options for cases, lightweight and stainless, made from plastic plumbing pipes of different diameters.

For production you will need: PVC pipes, a hacksaw for metal, a release valve (automobile), a siphon for washing, a heating element (soldering iron, hot air gun, apparatus for gluing polymer pipes), a ruler, a sharp knife, a 5 liter bottle of drinking water , hardware fittings (rivets for clothing), a strip of stainless steel.

Step № 1 . Take a dark pipe (it’s easier to solder) and cut it into two parts:

1 - length under suitable electrode(No. 2, No. 3, No. 4),

2 - bottom with o-ring (Fig. 1). We heat end 2 (from the cut side) with a thermoelement (TE) to a pliable state and wrap it using the release valve (VK), forming the lid of the future case.

We cut off the part with the expander and seal from the second pipe and make the second cover in a similar way. We straighten the cut end 1 and clean it of burrs. Having put the finished lids on both edges, we put together case A (photo 2).

Step #2. We cut the siphon (Fig. 2). Unscrew the left part, remove all the bulges, remove the inner pipe. Select a piece of pipe of the required diameter and length. Using TE and VK, we dampen one end and smooth it to 90 degrees. bend angle. We push the second end tightly into the prepared part from the siphon; the case is ready.

Step #3. We cut pipe No. 40 into equal parts so that there is enough to bend the edges and form the bottom (Fig. 3). In part 2, we plug the narrower end without touching the widened one with the O-ring. We take both blanks and connect them by inserting the open ends into one another (case B).

Step #4. We disassemble the remaining right part of the siphon (Fig. 4). A piece of pipe going to the siphon and a cone-shaped O-ring, which is located on this pipe on the back of the fixing nut, will come in handy. We select a piece of pipe with the required dimensions. We process the edges from burrs. We cut off the neck of a plastic bottle and also remove the burrs. We put the neck on the piece on one side, screw on the lid, one edge is ready.

We insert an o-ring through the other end of the segment (with the wide side towards the neck) and push it close to the neck - it serves as decoration. Then, using TE and VK, we make a flat bottom at the free end, taking into account the length of the electrodes. By the way, the second end can also be made from the neck of another bottle; then it can not be subjected to heat treatment, but screwed on with another cap.

General detail. All options have one common detail. We mark a piece of pipe 6 cm long of the same diameter with the case in half lengthwise. We cut along the line on one side and remove the burrs. We bend a bracket from a strip of stainless steel 1.5x4 cm and drill holes along the edges (Fig. 5). Having placed it lengthwise, we apply it to the segment on the side opposite to the cut, and drill holes in the pipe. We insert the holniten into them and rivet them.



This article is also available in the following languages: Thai

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