Читать книгу Farm and Workshop Welding, Third Revised Edition - Andrew Pearce - Страница 6

Almost anyone can weld. All that’s needed is basic hand/eye coordination, an idea of what’s going on, and a little guided practice. So far nobody has come up with a book that grabs the reader’s hands and says, “Do it like this!” And until someone does, pictures are worth a lot of words. So pictures are the heart of this book, forming a visual guide for beginners and a fault-finding service for improvers.

While not the last word on welding — other sources have a far better claim to that — the advice here is practical and aimed at the farm welder. The idea is to use the book for reference, dipping in and out to find snippets of info, the occasional hint, or maybe a way to get yourself out of a hole. It’s not for sitting down and reading at one hit, unless you have a particularly high boredom threshold.

So what’s coming? Twelve sections. First up is a run through types of steel and their uses. Abrasives, vital in pre-welding preparation and post-welding tidy-up, come next. The welding section opens with info on how to manually arc weld mild steel, detailing equipment, rod selection, plant setup, and work in various positions. As most people trip up on the same problems, there’s a look at common faults and ways to fix them. Section 4 deals with MIG welding, a very inviting but unexpectedly complex process. Then it’s the turn of the farmer’s increasingly neglected mates: gas cutting and welding.

With the basics sorted, the trickier business of TIG welding steps up. Potentially the most versatile of all techniques, this can really expand workshop capability. Hard facing, pipe welding, and ways to join cast iron come next, before going back to the simpler jobs of how to solder and to weld plastics. The latter is not often done on farms but can be a big money-saver.

Rounding off are sections on common workshop skills — drill sharpening, the use of taps and dies and basic blacksmithing. How come blacksmithing? Knowing how to shape metal is a great help when making and fixing farm equipment.

It’s pretty clear that reading can take you only so far. A good practical course is a fine way to improve, so check out your local college and training group. If that doesn’t appeal, then YouTube has a mix of good and not-so-good videos. For my money the best online resource is Jody Collier’s weldingtipsandtricks.com — check it out.

Should you wonder where the book’s content comes from, it’s based on the author’s contributions to Power Farming, Farmers Weekly, and Profi magazines. My grateful thanks go to ESAB’s Welding Process Superintendent Mick Andrews; to the Welding Institute’s ex-chief instructor Max Rughoobeer; to plastics specialist Dave Tucker; to St Gobian (abrasives); to Rudgwick Metals (steels), and to Sussex blacksmith Frank Dean, who sadly died in 2004. Everyone’s help was (and is) very much appreciated!

ANDREW PEARCE