Welding Basics: Joining Metals with Heat and Pressure - A Beginners Guide

Published on 16 January 2024

5 min

Back to Welding Basics: A Guide for Beginners

“Everything in life goes back to basics”, says the MMA artist Kron Gracie.
While his skill set lies elsewhere, this quote stands true for the world of welding as well. To have great expertise, one needs to know the welding basics in and out.

What is Welding?

To start off our discussion on welding basics, here’s a simple definition of welding.
Welding is the process by which two or more parts of a material are joined together by the means of heat, pressure or both. The most commonly welded material is metal.

Welding Basics: Terms and Terminologies

To be thorough in welding basics, there are certain terms you need to be familiar with. These are:

Parent or Base Metal: The parts of metal that are going to be welded.

Weld: This part of welding basics, obviously, is the part where the metals have been fused together. The welded joint, sometimes, is also referred to as the weldment.

Filler or Consumables: The material required for the joining of the metal parts, like welding flux, are called fillers or welding consumables. They can further be divided into conventional welding consumables and reclamation welding consumables.

Welding Arc: All types of arc welding: SMAW, SAW, FCAW, MIG and TIG Welding, work in the concept of an arc in welding. An arc, simply put, is the electric discharge between two electrodes.

Welding Fixture: These are devices used to hold the parent metal and other parts in a steady position. This ensures the safety of the welder and a clean weld.

Welding Basics: Equipment and Materials

As you study and practice welding, you’ll realize that the know-how of your equipment is a quintessential part of welding basics:

Welding Rod: A welding consumable that comes in the form of a rod or wire.

Acetylene and Acetone: Another part of gas welding basics, are these two materials. Acetylene is a highly flammable gas that is used in gas welding. It is made of hydrogen and carbon. A welding torch is used to control the flow of the gas. Acetone is a liquid that is used to dissolve as well as stabilize Acetylene.

Welding Electrode: A welding electrode is a rod which carries the current to have sufficient heat for the process of welding. The current moves between the electrode holder and the arc. Another common type is flux-covered electrodes.

Flux: Welding flux is a mixture of materials, typically carbonate and silicate, that are used to shield the arc. Welding basics 101: the most important part welding flux plays is to protect the weld metal from contamination by atmospheric gases.

Welding Basics: Safety Equipment

The most overlooked yet the most important part of welding basics is the safety aspect of it. Many welders often skip one part of the equipment or another. Here is a list of welding safety equipment every welder must use:
Welding Gloves
Welding Helmet with eye protection
Welding Boots
Pants with no cuffs for welding
Welder’s Jacket which is heat resistant
Respirators for lung protection
Ear plugs
Here ends the guide to welding basics for a beginner welder. For more details on welding, including 360-degree welding support, visit D&H Sécheron - India’s leading welding consumables manufacturer.

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