How to Weld Black Pipe With a Stick
Welding black pipe with a stick welder, also known as an Arc welder is a trade that has been around for years. The Arc welder uses an electric arc between the welding electrode and the grounded base metal. The arc is so hot that it melts the base metal as well as the welding rod held in the electrode clamp. The welding rod is coated with a porous coating that, when heated from the arc, forms a gaseous shield to protect the molten metal. When cooled it forms a glass-like covering over the welded bead.
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Things You'll Need
- Safety glasses
- Welding helmet
- Welding gloves
- Grinder
- 2-inch angle iron
- 2 C-clamps
- Welding rod
- Arc welder
Instructions
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1
Grind the black coating off the two ends of black pipe. Grind a taper like a pencil into the two ends of black pipe to be joined.
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2
Clamp the two pipes together so they can not move. Lay the two pipes into a piece of angle and clamp the pipe solid.
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3
Tack weld the pipe together and remove the clamp and angle iron.
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4
Strike an arc with the welding rod. Run a bead forward, moving just fast enough and hot enough to keep from burning through the pipe. Run a bead that covers as much of the pipe to be welded as possible on the first pass. Turn the pipe to bring the area left to be welded on top. Overlap the bead a little bit to seal the weld. To overlap you must chip the slag off the weld before welding the overlap.
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5
Chip the glass-like slag off the weld. Seal the weld with primer after the weld cools to prevent rust.
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1
Tips & Warnings
The slag that is chipped off the weld is sharp and can cuts you.
If you get a weld flash in your eyes, look through a shaded welding lens at a light bulb, or dark sun glasses to prevent irritation.
Wear the proper welding lens shade to protect your eyes.
Wear a long sleeve shirt or welding smock to prevent radiation burns, which is an instant sun burn to exposed skin.
References
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
