good ground

[Ryel]

One of my most common problems is getting a good ground to all the pieces of steel. Is it normal or even desirable to add more clamps to the ground lead and then clamp to each piece of steel? How about adding a grnd lug bolt to the cart; would that be a problem?
thanks for your thoughts

[hankj]

Ryel,

I have a tab welded on the side of a table leg on my welding table. That's where I clamp the work lead most of the time. If your table and your work are clean, there's not normally a problem. On the rare occasions when the arc isn't good, I move the work lead to the weldment, but it almost never happens.

I'd stay away from adding multiple clamps to your work lead. Since electrical current takes the path of least resistance, the clamp nearest to your welder is going to carry most of the weld current in any case.

Be well.

hankj

[INTP]

Grinding the scale off the spot where the clamp goes usually does the trick for me. I can always tell when I miss this step. If you have good fit-up, the two pieces will generally have a clean contact area to complete the circuit on both pieces. Clamping the pieces to the work table helps with this as well. I try to keep it simple.

[Bolt]

How do you guys ground when you are working in the middle of a fence out of 2.5" pipe, I always run into problems, and I dont want to weld a scrap piece onto the side of a pipe either. Is there a bigger ground clamp out there that I don't know about?

[malibu101]

I've seen magnetic ground "clamps". Basically a round magnet with a spring loaded center that pushes out against the work. I've heard that they are no good that the contact is bad and they end up burning up. Since I can't offer you any more help, I guess I'll shut up now.
However, I know there are Vise-Grips that can clamp on that size of pipe. And then clip the ground clamp to them. Sure it's kinda hokey but it beats welding a tab on.

[LordLimbo]

I have made a couple of different size "Hooks" that I clamp to, this allows me to allways easily attach my ground to the work piece. Even chain link fences.

[Franz]

Make yerself a J hook out of 1/2" square stock that fits over the pipe, and hang it on there for the ground. If the pipe is dirty, tack it in place, or clean up the pipe.

[SlagKing]

Franz
Thanks for the J hook idea. I have been working with tubing and thats just what I need. Little things like that, gives us rookies the help to get our own ideas ingaged. Thanks again.

[SlagKing]

I know already..it's engaged..sorry.

[Bolt]

Any ideas for capped vertical posts?

[Franz]

Originally posted by Bolt
Any ideas for capped vertical posts?

Make em up in the shop on rainy days. That way you can MIG up a bunch of em and have a lot better cost/benefit picture.
Or, just buy the Chink slip on caps.

[Bolt]

No, I mean for getting a ground on a vertical post. And many of our posts are set in concrete before being shot to height, so the caps are welded on on site.

Besides, we never get rainy days down here, right cutter?

[Main]

Clamp it, hang it, tack it or whaterver it takes.

[lotechman]

People who do a lot of pipe will make up a "J" hook as described but they tack a chunk of file on the inside of one side of the "J" The inside should have a taper so that as you hook onto the outside of the pipe it can be jammed by rotating it slightly. It makes for a good contact and avoids "snake bite"

[cutter]

Originally posted by Bolt
Besides, we never get rainy days down here, right cutter?


Nope, not unless you want to count yesterday, the day before yesterday, the day before that & the day before that. I think we already have half of our annual average & only need 2 more inches to exceed last year's total. I just hope some of it is getting into Lake Merideth. Really need to get that little pond back up to capacity.

[Bolt]

Last I heard, much of the previous rains didn't help Lake Merideth hardly any. What Lubbock may need to start doing is booking it with a line to Lake Allen Henry. Or tap into the vast supply of underground water Lubbock is rummored to have. haha

[Sberry]

A pipe wrench gripped on the pipe and the clamp on that would work well too.