Making a welder's slag hammer with your own hands

Protect your eyes | 01/20/2017

An ordinary hammer can be found in the arsenal of every home craftsman. At the same time, there are a large number of varieties for different types of manual labor. Today there are more than a dozen of them. This article discusses a tool for welding work, which is used to beat off slag from welds - a welder's hammer.

Purpose

What is a welder's hammer?
There is no need to tell a professional. The article is intended for amateurs who master the welding craft in their free time. Observing the welding process from the side, you can see how the welder puts down the electrode holder (trident) and takes a special slag hammer (cleaver in welding slang) in his hand. Then he begins to knock on the weld bead or pick it up from below (from the root of the seam). Why is he doing this? The fact is that during the welding process, the surface of the seam is covered with a crust of a dark purple hue, which is solidified slag (the charge is used by welders). Slag is obtained when the electrode coating melt cools. In addition, scale is sometimes formed, which is a product of the oxidation of iron when it is heated.

Some overly experienced professionals argue that it is not necessary to chisel the mixture, but on the contrary, this protective crust increases the strength of the weld. True, in two or three years it will still fall off. Educational literature on welding requires the mandatory removal of slag and various contaminants within 2 centimeters on each side of the weld.

This is necessary for visual control of the quality of the welding performed. In addition, precipitation will penetrate under the crust of the charge, and the seam will begin to corrode. And from an aesthetic point of view, if the mixture is not removed, the paint will soon fall off along with it. So it’s better to work as a “woodpecker” a little.

Welding slag as a prerequisite for the occurrence of welding inclusions

At the initial stage, the oxides protect the hot metal from rapid cooling and close the seam from above, blocking the access of air. Then they must be removed to check the quality of the connection, the presence of defects in the form of non-metallic inclusions, tops.

When welding parts of large thickness, several seams are applied in succession. Uncleaned slag will prevent normal contact and extinguish the arc. It will remain in the form of non-metallic inclusions - defects.

Reasons why a defect must be removed after work

Slag inclusions have a porous structure and consist of oxides. They reduce the strength of the metal. Immediately after cooling, when it turns black, the welding slag should be removed. It is porous, fragile without strong bonds.

Flux and slag vapors above the bath prevent oxidation of the metal during welding and help create a homogeneous structure. After it moves away from the part during the cooling process, it becomes unnecessary and interferes with further processing of the part. During operation of the product, oxides from the slag can enter into a chemical reaction with iron. The pieces falling off will break the mechanism.

Slag removal

The main reasons for the appearance of slag inclusions

When the weld seam is rapidly cooled, the slag does not have time to come out and solidifies in the metal. The reasons are:

low voltage;
slag flowing from the bath in front of the electrode;
incorrectly selected diameter;
rusty and dirty metal;
uneven movement of the tool.

The operating voltage is indicated on the package with electrodes. It can be exceeded a little, then the boiling metal in the bathroom will throw out slag. It is necessary to select the correct position of the metal to be welded, lift it from the end of the seam. Do not hold the electrode strictly perpendicular, but tilt it 10–15⁰ towards you.

The metal at the welding site should be shiny. It must be cleaned of household and industrial waste, scale, and oil. They interfere with the contact of the electric arc with the steel, impairing the heating and melting of the material in the bath.

HOW TO DEAL WITH SLAG DURING WELDING

Watch this video on YouTube

Forms

The main working elements of the slag picker are the handle and the double-sided head (another name is the striker). The head can have different shapes . Manufacturers offer several combinations of such configurations. Let's look at the most popular combinations, as well as what kind of work a welder can perform using each type.

Spike and chisel

Hammers with a chisel on one side of the head and a pick on the other are quite in demand among welders. The chisel conveniently and effectively removes slag and repels metal splashes; can be used for forging connections. The pike (sting) helps to get rid of uncooked spots and is also an excellent option for beating thin seams. Manufacturers offer models where the chisel is located along (parallel) the handle and across (perpendicular) to it.

Bars SV000006758

The Bars hammer is used to control the quality of the connection during welding with coated electrodes; Designed to repel slag and metal splashes.

On one side, the hammer head has the shape of a chisel, located parallel to the handle, and on the other, a sharp sting.

The spring design provides softening of recoil during impacts.

The weight of the Bars hammer is 440 g.

Stanley

Country of origin: USA.
Read also: Accuracy classes of pressure gauges: how to choose an exemplary option?
The tool is designed to remove scale.
The head is made of hardened tool steel, coated with black varnish; has the shape of a chisel located across the handle on one side, and a wedge on the other.
Curved wooden handle.
Weight - 300 gr.
Length - 240 mm.

Wide range of actions

The welder's hammer is designed primarily for the rapid separation of slag, which is formed during manual welding with coated electrodes, or remains after a welding tractor using flux

Beating off the slag is very important to check the quality of the connection, as well as for multi-layer seams, where the second pass is always carried out on clean metal, without debris and easily melting impurities

The slag separator can also perform other operations while the welder is working. Among the most common:

Knock off drops of stuck metal. When the arc burns, partial splashing of the filler and base material occurs. Hot drops adhere to the surface in the heat-affected zone, but are not welded to it. To give the product an aesthetic appearance, you need to use a sharp side to beat off frozen splashes.
If there was a lack of penetration, then in order to redo this area efficiently, you need to completely remove the slag from the point or crevice in the seam. If this is not done, the liquid metal will flow around this place and it will not be possible to weld it. This can be done with the sharp narrow edge of a hammer.
A welding tool with a more massive design is suitable for forging seams on alloy steels. Tapping the joint with a “blunt” edge will strengthen the metal structure in this place.
The same product can be used to adjust the sides to the desired level or gap between them.
Bend the heated part and tap it to the surface to make the seam more conveniently, you will get a “heavy” version of the tool.
During welding, it may be necessary to cut off a new cable from the reel in order to extend the mass or wire of the holder. This can be done with a hammer with a wide nose like a pickaxe.

Hammer welder

When carrying out welding work, in addition to the main welding equipment - machine, electrodes, suit and protective welding mask, additional tools are needed, for example, a welder's hammer. In this article we will look at why it is so important for welders, what kind of hammers of this kind are available, and which ones are better. Also, you can find out which is the best welding hammer to buy, and which one to pay attention to when purchasing.

Purpose and characteristics of the tool

Let's start first with where the hammer is used. From the name it becomes obvious that the tool is used for welding work, but where exactly, and when? – Thus, a welder’s hammer is used to remove slag from the surface of the weld.

That is, after making a weld, the welder, in order to remove the slag formed on the surface and check the quality of the work done, takes a hammer in his hand and removes the slag from the surface of the seam with gentle blows.

Next, the seam is checked for quality, and the welder moves on to the next welded joint.

That is, in essence, a welder’s hammer is a slag removal tool, with the help of which scale is removed during welding work.

Also, using this tool you can remove splashes, which are also actively formed during welding with stick electrodes.

The design of the hammer is very simple and effective - for example, the tool has a striker, on one side of which there is a chisel, and on the other side there is a sharp sting. With the help of this tip, the remaining slag at the root of the weld is removed.

By the way, a welder’s hammer may have a different design. Moreover, in modern inverter welding machines, the delivery set often includes a welder’s hammer.

As a rule, such a hammer has an even simpler design and low weight, but even such a hammer is sometimes quite sufficient during welding.

The peculiarity of this tool is precisely its low weight - a welder’s hammer simply cannot be heavy, there is no need for this. Therefore, as a rule, the tool weighs about 300-350 g, and this is enough “by the eye”.

The handle of the tool, just like any other hammer, can be made of wood - a wooden handle is very simple, cheap and easy to use. Or, it can be all-metal - this provides increased strength, but when working with the removal of scale and slag, as a rule, this property is far from the most important. The striker is made of high-quality tool steel, which is subject to thermal hardening.

How to make a welder's hammer with your own hands?

Despite the variety of tools for removing scale and slag after welding, it is not always possible to buy a ready-made welder’s hammer. However, don't be upset. Making a homemade slag trap is not particularly difficult. The main thing is that the working elements (blade and sting) have sufficient hardness, otherwise they will quickly become dull during operation.

Usually, in this case, craftsmen use an old chisel or a flat file, since they are made of good tool steel and hardened to high hardness. The problem can only arise when welding them with a steel handle, which can be any piece of iron that is at hand (cylindrical or hexagonal rod, piece of reinforcement, round or rectangular pipe).

To ensure that the original parts are welded, you can use a piece of large-diameter reinforcement (at least 20 mm) as a striker. After welding, it is necessary to shape the cutting edges and then harden them.

Attention: when hardening, do not immerse the welding area in water to avoid the appearance of hardening cracks. The choice of slag hammer depends on the expected volume of welding work

If you will use the tool occasionally, you can purchase the cheapest hammer with a spring-loaded metal handle. If it is impossible to buy, it is quite possible to make a homemade product using everything that a future welder may have lying around in the household. Connoisseurs of a good instrument can opt for a relatively expensive model from a well-known manufacturer

The choice of slag hammer depends on the expected volume of welding work. If you will use the tool occasionally, you can purchase the cheapest hammer with a spring-loaded metal handle. If it is impossible to buy, it is quite possible to make a homemade product using everything that a future welder may have lying around in the household. Connoisseurs of a good instrument can opt for a relatively expensive model from a well-known manufacturer.

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Requirements

A welder's slag hammer must meet a range of requirements. In addition, several tips for choosing a special tool should be noted. Below we list the necessary characteristics and recommendations:

The double-sided head is the main working element of the tool, so it must be made of high carbon steel , hardened to the maximum level of hardness. This ensures long service life and prevents dulling.
Homemade
The presence of pointed ends on the striker allows you to beat off slag in the most inaccessible places.
The handle should be equipped with a loop or ring for convenient storage of the hammer on a workwear belt.
The metal handle with a rubber grip and the spring handle perfectly absorb recoil .
To prevent the tool from slipping out of your hands, it is recommended to choose models with longitudinal relief .
The wooden firing pin must be secured with a safety plate , as the head sometimes falls off.
You should pay special attention to hammers with an all-metal handle - the most reliable option.

Recommendation! When choosing a hammer, you should pay attention to general recommendations. However, it is necessary to take into account your own feelings or previous experience using a particular model.

How much can you buy it for?

To get an idea of how much a welder’s hammer can cost, several specific models are offered for consideration:

Bars SV000006758 is a Russian product. The handle is equipped with a coil spring to absorb shock. The weight of the head is 300 g. It costs about 250 rubles.

An ESAB welder's hammer (Sweden) with a similar design of the gripping element can be bought for the same money (240–300 rubles)
A product from the same company with a wooden handle sells for 350–400 rubles.
The ESAB SH3 hammer has a welded steel handle. For ease of grip, the latter is equipped with a plastic shell. The price of the tool is about 600 rubles.
Model SH2 with a bent tip end is slightly more expensive: 750–900 rubles.

The welder's hammer PICARD PI-0031300, made in Germany, is characterized by increased reliability and ease of use, which is typical for German products. The distinctive features of this tool are: an unusual shape of a pointed tip, a handle made of a solid-rolled pipe of variable cross-section and a fairly large weight of the head - 450 g. It is not surprising that its price is about 1,600 rubles.

The main thing is ergonomics

The welder's hammer should fit comfortably in the hand. Manufacturers supply their products with handles of various shapes. The material used is metal, less often wood. The most common designs:

The all-metal handle is the cheapest, at the same time the most durable slag ejector. The disadvantages include an uncomfortable grip, which can lead to carpal tunnel syndrome.
Metal handle with rubber grip at the end. Elastic rubber absorbs shock, which reduces mechanical stress on the welder’s hand.
Metal handle equipped with a barrel-shaped steel spring. For ease of use, there is a ring at the end of the handle, with which the welder’s hammer can be hung on the belt of workwear. The spring absorbs the impact energy, and the recoil is not transmitted to the hand. In addition, when the tool heats up, this device dissipates heat into the surrounding air.
Wooden handle with longitudinal relief for a comfortable grip. The disadvantage is that the head sometimes falls off the handle. For more reliable products (GEDORE hammers), the striker is secured with an additional safety plate.

Pen

The welder's hammer should provide comfort when removing slag and should fit comfortably in the hand. Therefore, manufacturers offer various handle shapes. Two materials are used to make the handle: metal and wood. Next, we will analyze the advantages and disadvantages of each type of handle.

Wooden

Wooden handles are less common than metal ones. However, wood has its own advantages: it absorbs vibrations well during impacts and does not transmit them to the hand; provide convenience; Pleasant feeling for the hands, not cold. However, there are also disadvantages: the tree can burn from flying sparks; The metal head can fly off the wooden handle, so you should choose models with a safety plate.

Juco

Country of origin: Ukraine.
The firing pin is made of tool steel, coated with black varnish to prevent corrosion or rust.
Handle material: beech.
Weight - 350 gr.

Metal

Most hammer models are equipped with metal handles. Advantages: high wear resistance and long service life, does not break or burn. Disadvantages: there is a possibility of slipping out of your hands; may make your hands cold.

Foxweld 5885

Brand from Italy.
The Foxweld 5885 hammer is designed to remove slag from a fresh welded joint in order to control its quality.
The all-metal handle with a spring mechanism at the bottom ensures comfortable operation and reduces recoil.

Spring

The metal handle, part of which is made in the form of a steel spring, has the following advantages: effective absorption of impact energy, recoil is not transmitted to the hand; when the instrument heats up, a configuration of this type dissipates heat into the surrounding air, the presence of a ring for convenient storage. Hammers with spring handles are priced higher than tools with more standard handles.

CH-01

The welder's hammer SN-01 is designed to beat off slag.
The head of the tool on one side has the shape of a chisel, and on the other - a sharp sting for removing defects at the root of the seam.
The spring design of the handle softens the impact on the hand from blows.

Anti-shock

An anti-shock or shock-absorbing handle is a wooden or metal handle coated on the bottom with an additional layer of material: rubber, plastic, etc.
Advantages of such models: elastic material softens the force of impact, which reduces the mechanical impact on the performer’s hand; Comfortable grip, no slipping out of your hand.

Types of working heads

This is what a welder's hammer comes in handy for. What is he? The basis of the slag picker is two main components: a double-sided head (striker) and a handle. In terms of design, these parts may look different.

The working body of the striker is either a flat blade, reminiscent of a mechanic’s chisel in shape, or a pointed element equipped with a tip in the form of a cone or pyramid (sting). Various combinations of them are possible:

The chisel is located parallel to the handle; on the opposite side of the striker there is a pointed sting.
The same, but the chisel blade is perpendicular to the handle. Externally, such a slag picker resembles a mountaineer’s ice axe.
Instead of a pointed end, the head is equipped with an additional chisel located perpendicular to the main one. That is, the firing pin has two flat blades: one located along the handle, the other across it.
Head with two flat blades parallel to each other.
The pointed part of the head is curved forward like the letter Z. Using a bent tip, it is convenient to clean the base of the weld by moving away from you.

The head is usually made of tool steel, and its working elements are hardened to maximum hardness. The weight of the head ranges from 300 to 600 grams, but most often it is in the range of 300–350 g. Sometimes the welder's hammer is equipped with a wire brush attached to the back of the tool. True, such a tool is quite rare.

Design Features

Due to the variety of work performed, the models of welding hammers also differ. There are deslag separators that have a flat edge on one side and a sharp cone on the other. This tool is convenient for beating off slag and picking out uncooked spots for a second pass. The second edge can be “blunt” and heavy, which is convenient for tapping parts and forging a seam.

If the flat side has a wide blade, and the opposite side has an even cut, then this is suitable for separating slag and chopping manipulations. Hammer handles can be metal, which is practical when working with hot metal, or rubber. They hold better in the hand. Models from the store with a wooden handle are comfortable, but quickly become loose and break. Weight and size also vary. As a rule, a welder has several similar tools of different shapes for specific types of work.

Homemade clamps for welding

Well, with these homemade clamps for welding, you can easily do without an assistant. Oh, how hard it is sometimes to cook without a “third hand,” but not with these clamps.

Simple, reliable, inexpensive, and most importantly easy to manufacture with the website mmasvarka.ru. It is enough to take several strips of steel and weld them together to form a U-shaped figure. Then you need to weld a “nickel” to one part of the clamp, and a large nut to the second.

It's easy to make a hammer yourself

It’s easy to make a welder’s hammer with your own hands. You will need several items and manipulations. You can start your project by creating an impact element. The main task facing the craftsman is to select a material that allows the cone or flat cut to maintain its sharp shape for a long time. Frequent sharpening on a sharpener distracts from work, and it is inconvenient to beat off slag with a dull hammer. Therefore, you need to choose the right material.

An old chisel or chisel can serve as an excellent base. Slag separators are made from small construction picks or files. True, the latter tends to chip off under significant loads, so it should only be used to remove slag! For the impact part, the above-described part with a length of 120-150 mm is required. A good material would be a pike from a hammer drill with a pobedite tip. Having sharpened such a tool once, you can work all week for eight hours.

But if high-carbon iron is not at hand, then there is no need to specifically buy a new bit. You can make good impact material yourself from a piece of reinforcement. It is necessary to cut a piece 150 mm long and, after heating it in an oven or on fire, splash the edge. After cooling, you need to sharpen it until it is finished. Then, the sharp side is heated with a cutter until the metal turns white and lowered into machine oil. At this moment, the material is quenched and strengthened. It is enough to repeat the procedure once.

The handle can be made from a rod 6-8 mm in diameter. The length should be 200 mm. It is practical to fold the bottom edge in two layers to make the handle thicker and easier to grip. You can put a hose or a handle from an old bicycle on it so that the tool does not slip out while working. Some welders make themselves a metal ring on their belt to insert a hammer into. So, he will always be at hand at the right time.

A welder's hammer is a very necessary thing, which helps to adjust the sides of the product for welding and check the quality of the seam under the slag layer. You can make a good hammer yourself instead of buying a store-bought version, which doesn't last long.

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Dimensions and weight

In one working day, a professional welder makes a large number of connections; the slag crust is knocked off from hundreds of seams. Therefore, a special hammer should have low weight and parameters. [ads-pc-2][ads-mob-2]

According to the rules, the optimal chisel weight varies in the range of 300-400 grams . This weight does not overload the hand and allows for effective removal of slag. A handle length of about 250-300 mm will be enough for a performer of any level. The length of the metal striker should be 150-200 mm.

Popular manufacturers

ESAB is a Swedish manufacturer offering a full range of products for welders, including hammer models. Tools allow you to perform work efficiently and reliably.

Trade and production company Foxweld provides equipment, tools, and consumables. High-quality products are intended for household and professional work.

Bars is a well-known brand under which a wide range of different products for the welding industry are produced and supplied. Hand tools provide comfort and convenience of work.

Basic parameters of the slag layer

All chemical properties of the slag are directly related to the weld seam. They include: the ability to deoxidize the seam, alloy it, form fusible compounds from oxides, as well as dissolve them and sulfides. From the physical side, important criteria for slag are:

Thermophysical parameters: heat capacity, threshold melting and softening temperatures.
Viscosity.
Specific gravity of liquid slag melt.
Properties of the hardened crust, causing its easy separation from the metal being processed.
Gas permeability.

The melting temperature allows us to divide slags into two groups: “short” with a range of 1100 – 1200 C and “long” with large threshold values. Today, preference is given to short slags, therefore, in the production of electrodes, the composition of coatings and fluxes is mixed at lower melting temperatures.

Another important characteristic of slag is its viscosity. The mobility of individual layers of molten slag increases its chemical activity and, therefore, contributes to the refining of the weld metal. As a result, harmful impurities, in particular: manganese and iron sulfides, phosphorus anhydride, as well as oxygen and other gases; removed from the metal before the seam hardens.

Welding slag from a plasma cutter

The next criterion that attracts attention is waste density. Welding slag must have a low specific gravity in order to quickly rise to the surface of the bath

However, an excessively liquid slag melt is not able to evenly close the metal seam. Moreover, a higher density of welding slag (kg/m3 - unit of measurement) is especially important for vertical welding - ceiling, for example.

Weld seam cleaning technologies

There are three main methods for cleaning joints after welding:

Thermal treatment. The method allows you to remove residual stresses from the material that are formed during the welding process. Heat treatment is of two types: local (heating/cooling is carried out exclusively on the weld itself) and general (heat treatment of the entire metal structure).

Mechanical processing. Residual slag is removed from the surface of the material, and the cleaned seam is checked for strength. For example, the welding joint is cleaned of slag formation and tapped with a hammer.

Chemical cleaning. A special anti-corrosion material is applied to the area where metal structural elements are connected. For example, welding seams are treated with a primer paint and varnish composition.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=mZnkrJ7_W_U

Tool selection

Cleaning of weld seams after welding must be approached individually, and the correct equipment and consumables must be selected.

For example, the following tools can be used:

ordinary brush for metal;
special grinding machine;
angle grinder with abrasive wheels.

"Important! When choosing a grinding device, you must first of all proceed from the output power indicators, and only then pay attention to the degree of consumption.”

Example:

In the shipbuilding industry, mobile-type grinding machines are effectively used, since it is much easier to approach a metal structure of a sufficiently large size than to constantly move the tool from one area to another.

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