How to plastic weld a planter pot {grow box}

1) Work area

Make sure work area is clean and well ventilated. Identify plastic- You need to know what kind of plastic it is. So that you can use the right plastic welding rod. In most cases there will be a mark on the part that will tell you what kind of plastic it is, but in this cases there was no mark on part. We will work on this in step 3. Turn plastic welder to preheat before going to step 2. This will allow the plastic welder to heat up how you’re cleaning and setting up the plastic planter.

2) Parts to be welded

Clean parts with soap and water. Let dry or towel dry Set parts up for welding.  If there are broken pieces try to put back together using tape to hold them until ready to weld. Try to make sure that the cracks are flat and even before welding. 

3) Set the plastic welder to the correct heat setting for the plastic being welded.

Since we don’t know what kind of plastic we are working with. We will have to try different welding rods to see which one will hold the best. PP and Fiber-Flex plastic welding rods held the best. So these are the rods I used for this repair.

4) Weld the plastic together.

Using the edge of the welder go along the crack and make a groove. Use the PP welding rod fill in the groove.  Let the heat do all the work don’t force it.  Just melt the filler rod into the groove. If you think that you’ll need added strength at the weld you can use stainless steel mesh.  Just heat the mesh up and the plastic will form around the mesh where you can’t see it. Don’t try to weld the whole piece at once.  Just work on about a 1 inch to 2 inch at a time. If plastic gets to hot and starts to deform cool it off with water and start welding again.

5) When finished welding

Turn the welder off and let cool. Let the welded part cool. You can use a rag with water to help cool it off faster. When part is cool. You can start to finish the weld. I use 60 grit sand paper then go to 180 grit sand paper to make the plastic smooth. Now because the plastic does not match this is your option.

                      A) The part can be painted any color you want.  Just get paint for plastic.

                       B) You will not be able to see the part that is black because you will be adding dirt to the box and this will cover it.

6) Let the paint dry and start using your grow box!

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Learning How to Arc Weld is Fun and Easy

Learning how to properly strike an arc when arc welding can be quite a headache. There are a few methods to strike an arc and we will go over them here. The one thing that probably makes it the most difficult is that you cannot see what you are doing, so I strongly recommend getting an auto darkening welding helmet. It will probably be the most important investment you will make on your quest to learn how to arc weld.

The basic theory behind how to strike an arc is simple. You must make the metal of the electrode contact the metal you are welding on. It must then be immediately drawn away from the metal about 1/4 of an inch. If you do not draw it away it will simply stick to your work. If that happens a quick twist and tug will usually get it loose. If it doesn’t break free on the first try you will want to squeeze the clamp on the electrode holder and pull that away. Keep in mind any time the electrode is stuck to your work, the welder is being shorted out. This will cause it to overheat much quicker, and may blow a fuse or breaker in your breaker box.

There are a few techniques on how to strike an arc, I recommend you try them all and see which is most comfortable for you. Remember, practice is the key to being a good welder. The first method is the jab method. The way this works is you position the electrode about 1/2 an inch away from your work. Then flip your helmet down. Now you want to quickly jab the rod into the work then immediately pull it back. Another method is the scratch method. This method works very much like striking a match. Just imagine the electrode is the match, and the location you wish to lay your welding bead is the striker. If you make sure to use a very quick stroke you are much less likely to have your electrode stick when using this method.

One common problem people have is that no matter what the electrode simply freezes to the work. If you are experiencing this, it most likely means that the amps need to be turned up on your welder. Try turning it up 10 amps at a time until it stops sticking. If you are having success getting the arc to start, but then it immediately goes out, you are pulling the welding rod too far away from your work. Remember, you only want to pull it back about a 1/4 of an inch.

Once you have the arc going, you need to immediately start feeding the electrode into it. The electrode will get burned up fairly quickly, so you must keep it at the correct distance to maintain the arc. When it is at the correct distance it will make a crackling noise. If you get it too far away it will be more of a popping noise with sparks flying in all directions. If it is too close you will see the arc start to go out and it will make much less noise. If the arc goes out after you have been welding a little you can restart it much easier while the metal is still molten. Simply stick the electrode back into the puddle while you can still see it glowing through your mask.

Sometimes it is necessary to have the arc start in exactly the right place. This can be difficult without an auto darkening helmet. One trick is to place a small piece of scotch tape on the metal that ends right where you want the bead to start. This way you can place the electrode on the tape with your helmet up, then drop your helmet and simply drag it off the tape.

Learning how to strike an arc can be one of the most frustrating steps in learning how to arc weld. Fortunately, once you get it down, it becomes almost natural. Learning how to arc weld is mostly a process of practice. Get yourself some scrap metal and spend a few afternoons burning up electrodes before you try to weld anything important.

If you want more help in learning how to arc weld, The Welding Bible has great welding videos, articles and a printable handbook. We can also have your welding questions answered by a real welder for no charge.

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How to Keep yourself Safe While Welding

Welding is a rewarding practice which requires proper training and safety procedures to be followed in order to keep everyone safe. This process may also be referred to as “Oxy-welding and cutting” and as the name implies the machines employed in this process use oxygen and fuels in order to produce intense heat which is capable of cutting extremely hard metals. The main fuel used to power these machines is called “Acetylene”.

When the main fuel (acetylene) is burned and mixed with oxygen it can produce extreme temperatures, they usually range between 3200 and 3500 Celsius which is the equivalent of 5800-6300 Fahrenheit; with such extreme temperatures it goes without saying that proper safety precautions must be taken in order to keep yourself and those surrounding you safe. Since the fuels used to weld are extremely flammable, they should be kept in rooms with controlled temperature and in some cases pressure.

Other fuels used to weld and cut metals are: gasoline, hydrogen, methylacetylene-propadiene or MAPP gas, propane and propylene. Depending on the type of job a different type of fuel must be used, for instance underwater welding has to be done using hydrogen as the main fuel since acetylene becomes very unstable at 33 feet.

Before welding you must always check the equipment for leaks or malfunctions, you should also wear protective goggles or special masks which will cover your eyes and prevent the intense radiation from causing them harm, special gloves and even still toe boots should be used while welding.

You must also learn to identify the functions of the welding machine as well as the types of torches used for different tasks, some of the torch types are:

Welding Torch: its function is to melt and weld metals, it has two pipes and no oxygen-blast trigger.

The Rose-bud Torch: this name was given to it because the end of the flame looks like a rose-bud, it is used to heat metals and reshape them instead of melting the substance or cutting it.

Injector Torch: these torches have a small head which injects oxygen and relies on the Venturi effect to drag fuel gas along with it.

Cutting Torch: has three pipes one of which carries oxygen which can be adjusted through the oxygen-blast trigger, the main purpose of this torch is to cut metals.

Different torch types must be used according to the task, however the safety procedures remain the same, so remember to wear protective equipment, use respirators to avoid inhaling hazardous fumes produced by chemical reactions of the fuel and the burning metal and run a thorough assessment about your surroundings and the risk of fire.

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