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Equipment Operation and Maintenance

Learning to arc weld requires you to possess many skills. Among these skills are the abilities to set up, operate, and maintain your welding equipment.

WELDING AREA REQUIREMENTS
In most factory environments, the work is brought to the welder. In the Seabees, the majority of the time the opposite is true. You will be called to the field for welding on buildings, earthmoving equipment, well drilling pipe, ship to shore fuel lines, pontoon causeways, and the list goes on. To accomplish these tasks, you have to become familiar with your equipment and be able to maintain it in the field. It would be impossible to give detailed maintenance information here because of the many different types of equipment found in the field; therefore, only the highlights will be covered.

WELDING MACHINE OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE
You should become familiar with the welding machine that you will be using. Study the manufacturer’s literature and check with your senior petty officer or chief on the items that you do not understand. Machine setup involves selecting current type, polarity, and current settings. The current selection depends on the size and type of electrode used, position of the weld, and the properties of the base metal.

Cable size and connections are determined by the distance required to reach the work the size of the machine, and the amperage needed for the weld.

Operator maintenance depends on the type of welding machine used. Transformers and rectifiers require little maintenance compared to engine-driven welding machines. Transformer welders require only to be kept dry and a minimal amount of cleaning. Internal maintenance should only be done by electricians due to the possibilities of electrical shock Engine-driven machines require daily maintenance of the motors. Inmost places you will be required to fill out and turn in a daily inspection form called a “hard card” before starting the engine. This form is a list of items, such as oil level, water level, visible leaks, and other things, that affect the operation of the machine. Transportation departments are the ones who usually handle these forms.

After all of the above items have been checked, you are now ready to start welding.

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