For fabricators in particular, it’s important to know that a welding table can get realy rusty. After you’ve made a nice, clean MIG pass on a new chassis bracket, with a perfect looking bead, you remove the workpiece from the table only to discover an orange spot of rust in the exact place the part was positoned. Yep, that rust gets onto your work.
It ruins the look of your finished weld and pits ground clamp connection. A welding table should serve as foundation, not a source of contamination. The welding table is an afterthought for most fabricator.
Build it. Use it for a few months. Assume that because it’s made of steel, it’s invincible.
Steel isn’t invincible. Sweat, salt and moisture will speed up the inevitable, returning steel back to its natural state. Shielding the surface doesn’t mean you’re vain; rather, it means maintaining the integrity of your work piece while providing a consistant arc.
No one want to pick up a piece with slag inclusions from foreign debris. Minimal effort and no products required; just a clean dry table is all it takes as first line of defense. Welding tables lives in an environment that is hostile to bare metal.
Simple Steps To Prevent Rust On Welding Tables
Why Welding Tables Rust and Contaminate Work
Environmental Factors Causing Corrosion
Seasonal humidity changes and wet concrete shop floors (which tend to be standard) will wick moisture up into the legs of the table. You also have to consider living in a coastal region or using lots of road salt for winter weather, where corrosive agents are in the very air we breathe. Sweat on your hands leave behind oils and other residues that retain moisture longer than just exposure to the air.
Protecting the Table with Oil
This is why wiping down the table between each session are important. You want a physical barrier when the passive cleaning doesn’t do it. What do you use?
A spray paint is popular. However it has a significant weakness. Most conventional enamels aren’t conductive.
Painting everything mean that ground clamp won’t get a good connection. Arcs becomes unstable and your equipment could of been damaged. The answer lie in special coating or selectively applying it.
Paint only the legs and perimeter leaving the center welding zone bare. That maintains conductivity on your work area while protecting structure components from the environment. A very fine coat of oil works wonders in real welding area.
Now I don’t mean smothering it like butter. Just a light spray of WD-40 or even 3-in-1 oil will form a hydrophobic barrier that repels water and drastically slows down oxidation. Some of you may be concerned with the oil getting in the way of the weld, but a small amount forms a very thin film which simply burns off when you’re welding.
Before it has time to create any type of porosity, the heat vaporize it. Professional shops does this all day long with no problems whatsoever. It’s inexpensive, simple to apply, and wipes away quicky with a rag and brake cleaner should you require a spotlesly clean surface for tack welding.
Using Epoxy and Specialized Coatings
Other fabricator have found that epoxy and other specialized table coatings is more permanent. There are products out there specifically made for conductive applications that will give you durable results like Bobby Garland epoxy coatings or similar industrial enamels. These too takes some preparation.
Thoroughly sanding and degreasing the surface are required prior to applying epoxy. Otherwise, it’ll peel off due to the vibration of welding. After curing, the surface resist stains and scratches better then oil.
It can stand up to heavy impact and doesn’t transfer marks on your workpiece. The true secret for long life is simple… maintain it regularly. Coatings will not protect you from a lot of abuse on this table.
Regular Maintenance and Inspection Tips
Molten metal droplets sticks to the coating and make rough spots. Spatter from grinding will pit the surface. Check the table each month.
If there are any scratches in the epoxy, touch them up before moisture gets under the coating and attacks the bare steel. Is the surface looking dry and dull? Apply some more oil.
A little time now save hours of cleaning and grinding later. How to take care of your welding table A welding table is the heart of your fabrication system. If you treat yours well, you’ll see benefits on each creation you produce.
Check it regularly, keep it dry, apply oil to the middle and seal the edges. It will save you a ton of frustration, time and money. Each time you lay a chunk of metal down on it, it should be like new.
This level of cleanliness make all the difference between a good weld and a great weld.