Welding Area

outside

inside (as of May 2019)

We have set up an outside welding area behind the metal workshop.

Curtains

The curtains are meant to protect the other Makers while someone is welding inside of the enclosure. Two are made of non-flammable cotton fabric (Bühnenmolton B1, 300 g/m²) and can be close to the welding process. The third one is transparent and should be in the back of the welder, away from the workpiece.

We hung the curtains from a 4 mm steel cable that is held up by rods at two points and two hooks in the wall, enclosing an area of about 2 × 3 m. The steel cable is a bit longer than currently needed to allow for future upgrades. The rods are about 2 m tall and embedded in concrete-filled buckets. To prevent tipping over, the buckets are screwed onto wooden boards.

Improvement Ideas

• curtains are currently held in place on the steel cable by spring clamps - a more permanent and less wasteful solution is needed
  • e.g. pairs of small scrap wood blocks screwed together
• the red "entrance" curtain could use something to hold it up while equipment is carried in and out
• the boards under the rod buckets would be easier to move with handles (e.g. loops of rope)
• if a future project requires more space, we should be able to add more rods and curtains rather easily!

Welding Table

We brought the sturdy green steel table (formerly a DIY table saw) out of the metal workshop and welded a vise to it.

For ease of transport (although it should probably stay outside in the long term), we welded two coasters to its base so you can roll it around when one side is lifted.