How to Weld a 90 Elbow

Many metal elbow joints are available for purchase, but a large number of them do not include any method of attachment to other pipes or metals. Because the primary purpose of using an elbow is the creation of a turn in a length of pipe, it is necessary to fuse the ends of the elbow to the pipes or metal openings that it will connect to. Metal-on-metal connections such as this benefit from arc welding, a process that uses heat, pressure and electrical current to fuse metals with melted metal material, known as the weld pool.

Things You'll Need

• Welding helmet
• Boots
• Gloves
• Protective clothing
• Angle grinder
• Grinding, sanding or flap disc
• Arc welding machine
• Electrode rod
• Welding chipping hammer
• Welding brush

Instructions

1. Put on the necessary safety equipment for welding. This includes thick, protective clothing to cover your body: leather boots, thick gloves and a welding helmet. The boots may not necessarily be made from leather, but they must seal completely and protect the wearer from sharp objects on the floor and raining droplets of molten metal. Protective clothing and gloves also shield the welder from flying bits of hot metal and radiation burn, because arc welding gives off UV radiation like the sun. Finally, the welder must wear a proper welding helmet, designed for the process, which guards the wearer's eyes from the extremely bright light that welding emits.

2. Clean the surfaces to which you will weld the elbow joint. For flat surfaces, use an angle grinder with a grinding, sanding or flap disc to smooth off any dirt, rust or paint. Use rust remover on either the 90-degree elbow or a pipe length that will attach to the elbow so that every area of metal intended for welding begins the process completely clean. This results in a superior weld with fewer mistakes and impurities.

3. Clip the clamp from the arc welding machine, known as the earth clamp, onto the first material to which the elbow joint will connect. Place this material in a position that allows you to weld all the way around the circumference of the elbow joint's end that will attach to this first metal material. Simply holding up a metal sheet, wall, or pipe with one hand while welding is not an acceptable solution and is dangerous, so lay out or clamp in place the material you will weld the elbow to and firmly clamp on the earth clamp.

4. Plug in the arc welder, insert an electrode into the electrode holder and place one opening of the elbow joint flat on the metal it will attach to. An electrode is a metal wire that inserts in the electrode holder, a part of the arc machine, and completes the electrical circuit by striking the connection. The distance between the metals and the electrode, known as the arc, produces the circuit completion to generate the necessary heat and electricity for melting the electrode and welding. The E6013 rod is a recommended electrode for many simple welding tasks.

5. Adjust the welding machine to 70 amps.

6. Strike an arc along the circumference of the elbow where the metals meet. To do this, scratch the tip of the electrode rod against the metal or tap it against the material and lift it up again. After touching the material in these ways to spark a connection, hold the electrode at the proper distance from the welding material. This distance is usually the same as the diameter of the electrode rod.

7. Hold the electrode at an angle equidistant from the elbow and material. Move the electrode slowly around where the two pieces join and feed the rod through the holder as you work. Hold the rod steady, and also at an angle so that the holder leans toward the direction your weld travels.

8. Chip off the slag from the top of the weld that comes from the melted flux coating on the electrode. Use a welding chipping hammer to hit the weld bead until the slag breaks off and then brush the weld with a welding brush.

9. Repeat the welding process for the other end of the elbow joint and its connection. For angled connections, remember to angle the holder toward the direction of travel, but for flat welding jobs, hold it straight up.

References

• Learn How to Weld: How to Arc Weld a Fillet Joint
• Learn How to Weld: How to Arc Weld Mild Steel with an Arc Welder
• Learn How to Weld: How to Strike an Arc
• Learn How to Weld: Welding Earth Connection
• Learn How to Weld: Arc Welding Preparation
• Learn How to Weld: Arc Welding Safety When Welding