Welding Terminology

If you are interesting in welding there are many different terms that you will want to familiarize yourself with in order to read magazines or books on the topic. Here is a list of common terms that are important to know: 

ACETYLENE -- this is a gas that you will be working with to do welding. It is a very flammable gas so you have to be careful with it. This gas is made up of carbon and hydrogen and it is used in the oxyacetylene type of welding process.

AIR-ACETYLENE -- this is a flare that you can produce using low temperature. It is created when you burn acetylene with air and not oxygen.

AIR-CARBON ARC CUTTING (CAC-A) -- this is a way of arc cutting where you melt metals through the heat of a carbon arc.

ALLOY -- this is a mix that has metallic properties because it has at least one element that is metal, but it can have several other things in the mix as long as one is metal.

ALTERNATING CURRENT -- a current that goes backward and forward at regular intervals (see DC Current).

BACK FIRE -- this is the popping sound that you hear when you turn on the acetylene torch when you connect it with fire. It is created because the flame turns back into the tip for a moment and then comes back out of the torch as a flame.

BACKHAND WELDING -- this is a special welding technique where you point the flame at the weld that is already completed.

BACKING STRIP -- this is a strip of material that you will use when you need to keep metal that is melted at the bottom of the weld. You may also use this strip to add strength to the thermal load of a joint so you can stop the base of the metal from warping too much.

BASE METAL -- this is what you call the metal that you are going to weld or that you are going to cut. If this is an alloy, it will be the metal that you have in the highest amount.

BRAZING -- this is actually several welding processes. You will use this when you have a groove, fillet, lap or flange joint that you need to bond. This will require a nonferrous filler metal that has a melting point higher than 800 degrees F (427 degrees C) but less then your base metals.  Then, the filler metal will be distributed throughout the joint using capillary attraction.

DIRECT CURRENT (DC) -- a current that only flows in one direction -- forward.

- Flows in one direction and does not reverse its direction of flow.

DEFECT -- there can be defects in your weld after you create it. The main defects you can find are things like cracks, porosity, places where the metal has been undercut, or where you have a slag inclusion.