Favorite/Most Useful Welding Tools?

[dr_clyde]

I have the usual assortment of C-clamps, welpers, vise grips, ect. I'm looking for that elusive "couldn't figure out how I lived without it" tool that I don't have yet. I like StrongHand Tools, they make some neat stuff, but I'd like to see what y'all have by the welder, especially if its home made. Pics are nice.

 

[bad_idea]

BFH. seems to solve most issues when welding.

 

[ibedayank]

biggest cresent wrench you can find....
HELPS straighten stuff.. 15 inch or over if ya can find/afford it

 

[greasemonkey44]

slag hammer; angle grinders; c clamps; vice grips

 

[GarageEnvy]

I recently bought a corner clamp. I found that I weld a lot of stuff together at 90 degrees. I felt like I spent too much on the thing but now that I have it, it's very handy. I use it all the time. I just welded up a square with mitered corners and the last corner lined up perfectly without any warpage. That's probably an every day occurrence for most of you but it's pretty novel for a garage guy like me.

 

[lilredex]

This (currently on sale for $6).........

http://www.princessauto.com/worksho...omponents/8244873-50-lb-swivel-welding-magnet

And this (lower dwg)......

http://www.blacksmithsjournal.com/archives/issue_125.php

And this...



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

EDIT: More stuff here...

http://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=57010

 

[garfunkle24]

Besides the usual stuff, I made a flashlight holder which is basically a spring clamp mounted to a flexible arm mounted to the magnetic base from a dial indicator. It's really handy for welding awkward inside corners and the like. If you can't see it's real hard to do a good weld.

Around the welding bench I much prefer electro vs permanent magnets. So much easier to get the bulk of the filings off.

 

[blstickley]

A very large safety pin for hooking torch striker to belt loop

 

[Jonboy1974]

A variety of welding magnets, including a magnetic ground post.

 

[DrkMtnDew]

does my new hood count as a tool? i think so.

also i use a pair of large vise grips for almost everything.

 

[Machobuck]

Clecos!

 

[ZRX61]

Odds pieces of copper pipe hammered flat & curved to various radii for backing up welds on thin steel.

 

[Modern Jess]

Clecos!

+1 on the Clecos, one of my all-time favorite tools for sheet metal work.

I've only used them for rivet work, though. Haven't ever tried them in a welding setup.

 

[Brad54]

Odds pieces of copper pipe hammered flat & curved to various radii for backing up welds on thin steel.

This. Absolutely indispensable.

I went a step further and drilled staggered, opposing holes through the handle (un-flattened piece of the pipe) between the flat section and the hand-hold area. The holes dissipate heat so well, you can hold it without gloves while welding.

-Brad

 

[ECP]

Don't have a pair for myself yet... but I've used these before and they are awesome for sheet metal plug welds. I bet they could cut down my boxside rate time.

One day I'll order about 5 of them

 

[Stephenw]

Welpers...

 

[blue dog]

I call this the spammer. spud, crescent hammer, started life as a 15" crescent from HD. I like it so much i made one more big one and a small version from a 8" crescent.
Lines up holes, you can pound things into place, bend stuff as well as use it as a adjustable wrench.
Anyone who sees it in the shop gravitates right to it.

 

[ert01]

I keep a square piece of copper plate about 1/4" thick and 6"x6" handy. It is really handy when trying to fill in a hole with weld.

 

[CHRIS LUCKYMAN]

Side grip Clecos. C clamp Clecos. Long reach copper spoon.

 

[AZ_Catskinner]

A speed square (the aluminum one) and a T-bevel (again, the aluminum one).

I keep an old copper bus bar that I modified with a handle (¼" pipe) to use as a heat sink/backer when welding up holes in thin stuff.

I also keep a handful of plain finished fender washers on the welder cart that I can tack on to things that don't have a good place to hook the ground clamp.

 

[SirToolsALot]

Kant-Twist Clamps

Got the 6 piece set from enco and they have been worth their weight in gold.

 

[Rezarf]

I call this the spammer. spud, crescent hammer, started life as a 15" crescent from HD. I like it so much i made one more big one and a small version from a 8" crescent.
Lines up holes, you can pound things into place, bend stuff as well as use it as a adjustable wrench.
Anyone who sees it in the shop gravitates right to it.

Wow! Thats awesome and something I would use a ton. Just to have a multi-task tool on the welding table would be great. Thats three great tools rolled into one. Care to make another? PM if you do.

 

[Rezarf]

Here is my go to "tool" when welding. Silver Sharpie, I can see if before my helmet tints and I can get crisp clean lines that wipe right off with a little acetone.

Or Dykem Blue layout dye... but its messier.

 

[dr_clyde]

Love the spammer. Reminds me of the wrenches my dad used to use hanging iron. Do you guys keep all your welding tools in your main box, or do you keep one by the welder for just welding tools?

 

[W650Mike]

One can never have enough clamps.

I'm definitely going to build me a "spammer".

 

[ZRX61]

Burn spray...

 

[ZRX61]

I have that, plus some otehr wierd one from HF that has interchangable heads for clamping all sorts of shapes etc

 

[ZRX61]

ok, here we go, this contraption in the middle:

Comes with these different heads:

 

[4x4gearhead]

I use 2 90 degree air grinders a lot, one with a sanding/buffing pad on it and the other with a cut off wheel, I found that being able to just unplug one tool and plug the other in instead of changing attachments made it not only faster but less stressful sometimes to get things done.

 

[5lima30]

+1 on the welding magnets!

 

[blue dog]

I received multiple pm's regarding the spammer. I do not have the time to make them for others, but i will tell you what i did.

Start with a 15" spud crescent or tool of your choice. The kobalt version at loews is about 1/3 cheaper then the crescent version, if your rich, you can get the Klein version, anyway, notch a piece of 1/2 material to fit the crescent head as not to impede the mechanism. Tig weld this to the wrench. Sacrifice a cheap hammer head. My first one was a head from a Hart finish hammer that one of the claws broke on. I had a friend notch a rabbit in the hammer head 1/2 deep and 1/2 wide, this then gets installed on the plate that was welded to the wrench. welded the head on the wrench 90 degrees to the handle.

I originally came up with this when was racing stock full dodge trucks in baja. We would constantly break control arms and the control arm bolts on dodge trucks are different size top and bottom { i have no idea why } This tool let me loosen and tighten the control arm bolts, the spud was good to line up the holes to install them, and the hammer would pound them into place. win win. Then everyone who saw it wanted one.
If you mill the hammer head, be very careful, as tool steel is very hard and we shattered one bit in the process, can you say scary.

So that is how to make your own spammer.

 

[ZRX61]

I received multiple pm's regarding the spammer. I do not have the time to make them for others, but i will tell you what i did.

No need to make one now you've posted pics, they'l be on sale at Horrible Fright before the end of the month

 

[Jzytaruk]

nut & bolt type "dog & wedge"
shortened pipeline hand file with the tang cut off welded to a 7/8" round rod for flux/spatter removal and quick deburring/breaking edges.
C-Clamp style visegrips
bessey clamps
variable radius bending jig for bending pipe/r&s rod

 

[blue dog]

No need to make one now you've posted pics, they'l be on sale at Horrible Fright before the end of the month

It's ok, i realize that i am destined to never get ahead.

 

[Jack Olsen]

Some of this depends on what it is you're welding. But...

Fire extinguisher.

More clamps.

Right-angle plates you can clamp material to.

Metal cutting blade for a circular saw.

Portaband. And a base to mount it on.

 

[Brad54]

Self-tapping sheet metal screws. They're poor-man's Clecos.

Can't have too many clamps, sharpie markers or a tape measure.

I also just made a "holster" for my mig gun. Piece of 6x6 steel plate, a 4x4 piece of box tubing about 6 inches tall, and a short length of exhaust tubing with a bell-mouth flare on one end, welded to the top/side of the box tubing. Set it wherever you're working, and use it to hold your Mig gun, so you don't set the gun down on the trigger accidentally.

I'll be using it for the first time next week while putting floors in a friend's '66 Barracuda.
-Brad

 

[b-body-bob]

ok, here we go, this contraption in the middle:

Comes with these different heads:

Saw a variation on that in the Eastwood (or maybe it was Summit) catalog, but instead of interchangeable heads, it had multiple tools, each with different heads.

 

[dr_clyde]

Kant-Twist Clamps

Got the 6 piece set from enco and they have been worth their weight in gold.

What benefits do these have over, say, the 11SP vise grips? I've heard a lot of old timers rave about these clamps. What makes them special?

 

[dr_clyde]

I made this out of junk i found around the shop. I hate it when my torch hits the ground and smashes my gas lens. I normally just toss it over the vise, but sometimes that's not practical. Also, it keeps the hot tungsten and cup off of any meltable/burnable stuff on the table.

I always planned on drawing up a more professional version and laser cutting it out, but never got around to it...

Forgive the crappy cell phone picture, my phone's camera is all jacked up.

 

[ClassicGMJunkie]

I use snack size sandwich baggies to cover my 90 (and other) degree magnets so they won't collect a ton of metal shavings; to clean, just hit it with a shop vac for a few seconds and move the magnet around in the baggie to free up more shavings. not welder safe, but they stay true when holding parts by being clean and smooth.