welding protection paper

[Kaizen]

I'm working on a frame up car assembly this winter. Most of the parts are nice and shiny and as i will be welding on the frame i'd like to try and protect them after mock up. Frame still has to be finished blasted and painted but i ran out of warm weather so that will be spring. Looking at the 3m paper its 120 bucks for a roll??? Any other options? I've caught welding blankets on fire before so not sure if that is the best bet although looks the most cost affective. any other ideas? Is the 3m paper that good that i should just bit the bullet?

 

[BillK]

How much welding are you doing ?? I have used old bath towels soaked in water before for smaller jobs.

 

[Uncle Dave]

I've never had a problem with welding blankets, currently using Harbor Freight. Cheap & works well.

 

[Kaizen]

How much welding are you doing ?? I have used old bath towels soaked in water before for smaller jobs.

More like long term where i want to wrap the rear end and not worry about it when i grind and weld on the frame for the next couple months.

 

[Kaizen]

I've never had a problem with welding blankets, currently using Harbor Freight. Cheap & works well.

I was looking at those. The last one i had was laid horizontal and i had sparks sitting on it and burning right through. I like they have sizes that are perfect for what i need.

 

[jrsavoie]

Heavy sparks will burn through leathers. What are you welding with?

What exactly are you doing?

No sparks with tig.

If you are stick welding, maybe try some 3/32 8018, 9018 or 11018

Hit the garage sales and find some cheap leather coats. Check marketplace for leather or welding blankets. Use antispatter.

 

[Kaizen]

Heavy sparks will burn through leathers. What are you welding with?

What exactly are you doing?

No sparks with tig.

If you are stick welding, maybe try some 3/32 8018, 9018 or 11018

Hit the garage sales and find some cheap leather coats. Check marketplace for leather or welding blankets. Use antispatter.

1969 Chevelle frame. My tig skills are not ready for primetime yet. Using a mig. Protecting powder coated parts like rear end and suspension that i'm mocking up. Does antisplatter last for long? Is it easy to remove from powder coat? Just trying to do this right

 

[Jacko264]

At work we use kevlar blankets to protect parts and painted floors
Graham

 

[Jagmandave]

Are you using flux core or gas with your mig? If flux then buy the gas and regulator and cut your splatter down to almost nothing. For grinding almost anything will do including old towels soaked in water....I can't imagine any paper will do much to protect anything from grinding sparks.

 

[Kaizen]

Are you using flux core or gas with your mig? If flux then buy the gas and regulator and cut your splatter down to almost nothing. For grinding almost anything will do including old towels soaked in water....I can't imagine any paper will do much to protect anything from grinding sparks.

Sorry.......i have gas mig set up. This is 3m welding paper that is designed for this. I've never used it which is why i asked. Its below freezing so maybe some wet towels wrapped will ice up and last for awhile. Plenty of great suggestions from everyone. Much appreciated

 

[rlitman]

That paper isn'

I was looking at those. The last one i had was laid horizontal and i had sparks sitting on it and burning right through. I like they have sizes that are perfect for what i need.

The paper is only rated to protect VERTICAL surfaces.

In terms of welding blankets, there are different types. Kevlar might protect a little better than fiberglass. Carbon should hold up better to heat and sparks, but is far more fragile against abrasion.

 

[bdbecker]

The first place I'd focus is on minimizing the spatter by making sure you have your weld settings dialed in. Working in a weld shop where we spend a lot of time removing spatter, I can attest that a few minutes on the front end getting the machine setup correctly saves a lot of time cleaning on the back end.

Does antisplatter last for long? Is it easy to remove from powder coat?

Anti-spatter can certainly help in this situation, especially since what you are trying to protect is not in the immediate area of the weld itself. While I don't have any first hand experience with the impact an anti-spatter product would impact a powder coated surface, I'd have to think that a water based product like Tregaskiss Tough Gard or Walter E-Weld 3 or 4 would be a safer option than one that was solvent based and/or contains silicone. Just like upholstery cleaner, if you do go this route it'd be worth checking whatever product you choose in an inconspicuous spot.

TOUGH GARD Anti-Spatter Liquid

Protect your welding consumables and keep them lasting longer with TOUGH GARD™ Anti-Spatter Liquid from Tregaskiss

www.tregaskiss.com

E-WELD 3™ – Walter Surface Technologies

High temperature anti-spatter solution. Products

www.walter.com

E-WELD 4™ – Walter Surface Technologies

Premium anti-spatter emulsion. Products

www.walter.com

EDIT:
I did some additional poking around the Walter website - they have a product called Spatter Block that they advertise as being compatible with painted surfaces.

SPATTER BLOCK™ – Walter Surface Technologies

General purpose anti-spatter emulsion. Products

www.walter.com

 

[Copymutt]

Something I use when I weld right against a finished surface is aluminum roof flashing. Think of it as super duty foil. It can be wrapped around frame members and secured or just spread across a larger surface. Think I paid $20 for some 18” width roll.

 

[no704]

Used to work at a vehicle up fitter with a lot of Plasma cutting and welding. Used the 3m paper to protect windows. As stated before, for vertical surfaces. For your under carriage stuff wrap with tin foil.

 

[Kaizen]

Thanks guys. i'll skip the paper and wrap it all up. should be easy enough.

 

[Jagmandave]

Aluminum foil is a great idea.....

 

[jrsavoie]

Aluminum foil is a great idea.....

Very thick aluminium foil.