Improving your home's gates and fences: What to know before you weld

There are many home DIY projects and repairs that you can do at home and contrary to what you may believe, welding doesn’t need to cost a small fortune and really isn’t all that difficult to learn when speaking of smaller home projects. Whilst there are some types of welding best left to the pros, you can build lovely gates and fences and do the welding yourself with just the minimum of advice.

What Metals Are Easiest to Work With?

When learning to weld, it’s a great move to leave aluminium to the experts. Due to its softness, aluminium MIG wire is difficult to feed and the weld pool also runs differently. Otherwise, steel and iron are not difficult to work with, so if you are going to work towards improving your home with metal gates and fences, it’s a matter of learning which types of welding processes work best with which types of metal. All that can be easily researched but a few basics should point you in the right direction.

Assembling the Tools and Supplies You Will Need

The first thing you might want to do is take a look around the site of reputable welding suppliers. Not only will you find all the safety gear and welding supplies you need but you might even gain some valuable insight into which type of welder is right for your particular fencing and gate DIY project. The idea is to find what you need at reasonable costs or you might as well hire a professional! DIY home projects can save you a lot of money, but only if you start out with the righttools.

Safety Gear Is a Must

Welding helmets are vital if you are going to undertake welding of any kind! That welding arc can quickly give arc eye which is extremely painful. These masks are made from materials that can keep random sparks from burning the skin on your face or singing your hair. It may sound a bit severe, but the fact remains that welding can be dangerous if approached without the appropriate personal protection. You may also want to consider a welding curtain if you’re working ina workshop or your garage. Welding screens keep welding sparks confined and prevent co-workers or third parties wandering into the area and sustaining arc eye.

Whether you choose to watch online training videos or read whatever you can find on the subject, building your own fence complete with gates can be done much more affordably than contracting a professional welder. The key is in understanding the weld needed for the metal you are working with in terms of type and thickness. Yes, it can get a bit intense trying to absorb everything at first but it really isn’t too involved for a DIYer. With the right tools, safety equipment and metals that are easy to work with, you can have a fence to be proud of and the talk of the neighbourhood. Secure and beautify your home all in one go with a lovely DIY fence and gate.