Topic: Magnetic Welding Clamps

ArtMetal
Bramblebush

Posted by Chris Ray on September 01, 1997 at 13:46:52:

Here is a tool that I find incredibly useful and indispensible sometimes when working on steel. Magnetic corner welding clamps. These are those narrow magnets that have a right angle and a forty five degree angle built-in. Sometime you can even find a set with either a fifteen degree or thirty degree angle as well.

These clamps are generally available from welding and industrial suppliers and are quite common. Sometimes they are available in a variety of sizes and if you can afford it, it could be useful to have these sets in different sizes to meet the special demands they are designed for.

Whenever you may have to tack weld two parts together at either the standard ninety or forty five degree angles and can't apply "C" clamps or the like, then these welding clamps can easily save the day for you. They are especially adept at holding sheet metal parts in place and other times may be used simply as supports for the steel when you are doing layout work.

I usually keep about eight larger and four smaller magnetic clamps on hand and the reason for so many is for those times when you might be welding up a box form. These clamps then enable you to attach to both the lower and upper corners of a sheet or plate for instance and if you have more, then you may even clamp on a bottom or top piece as well.

Now don't make the mistake of thinking that these small eleven pound pull magnetic clamps can hold together any heavy iron bars in place like a gate frame for instance. They are not strong enough for that although I have seen some really heavy duty angle clamps for that kind of service. However those are really quite expensive, but if that's what you need then the expense might be justified.

I also keep other kinds of magnets around the studio as well and they are always useful for a variety of other tasks. One neat thing to use a magnet for is to put it behind your bench grinder or chop saw in a proper place. What the magnet then does is to help keep down all the metal particles from the grinding operation contained. Over time these magnets acquire such a beautiful configuration from all the grit that you may not even want to clean them off.

I also put a magnet into a plastic pouch (sandwich bags) and this is how I clean out much of the swarf from my lathe and milling machine. To release all the metal particles, simply pull the magnet out of the bag and the junk simply drops into your waste container.

Chris Ray

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