best way to keep splatter off table ?

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I already know the first answer- dont have your welds produce splatter, but in the real world of mig welding, there is going to be splatter sticking to the table sooner or later.            I just dropped $1300 into another table for the shop and wondered if any one had a tricky method or sweet product they use to keep the splatter from sticking. The plate was de-scaled and I gave it my old motor oil bath and for the initial lube job. We have played with all the anti splatter stuff we can get our hands on, and still go with WD40 more often then anything else-seems to be the most bang for the buck.   I would really like to have one table in the shop that stays decent for a while !  Did I mention the new kid already tacked a part to it ?  I know thats the best way to make the new table look like an old one in pretty short order.  Hopefully someone can pass on some good ideas here.Dan.Repair Specialties LLC
Reply:A shot of anti spatter in a can will do the trick. You can wipe it off easily enough, it keeps the table top from rusting as a cheap bonus. I use an aluminum top on my table, and spatter does not stick to it, at all. Plus, the table top does not get as hot as a steel top. It dissipates heat fast. Only drawback, you can't just hammer the crap out of stuff on the table top. But I have a vise, several steel plates to handle that job.And then, after so much work...... you have it in your hand, and you look over to your side...... and the runner has run off. Leaving you holding the prize, wondering when the runner will return.
Reply:I use weld-kleen 350 by weld-aid.  It is abouts 13 dollars for a gallon.  I use on weldments rather than by table.  It doesn't stink when it is heated.Since your so protective of your table, then do you always attach your ground directly to your weldment?
Reply:grind it after every job 6G zirconium 702 GTAW 2" xxheavy6G P.E.D. carbon steel GTAW 2" xxheavy3G titanium Gr. 2 - Gr. 7 GTAW up to 3/4" 3G 316L stainless GTAW up to 1" 3G carbon steel GTAW up to 1" 3G Hastalloy GTAW up to 3/4"1G tantalum GTAW up to .060"
Reply:Heck, I tack stuff to the bench when I am working on it!  Clean up with a grinder now and then.WD-40 can be flammable.David Real world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Originally Posted by welder155grind it after every job
Reply:I just hold the grinder flat and buzzz it off once in awhile. If you are using the right shielding gas with MIG there is hardly any splatter anyway.
Reply:Grind it, doing it this way keeps it cleaner and no residue build up from hundreds of layers of anti-spatter and grit.  I dont see whats bad about tacking parts to a table, we do it all the time.  A table isnt supposed to look pretty and new, it needs to function well.Have we all gone mad?
Reply:Whats a welding table if you dont want people to tack stuff to it!? haha Thats what i do, then i just grind off the small tack and any other spatter that wont come off with the chipping hammer (the blunt end of course) most spatter doesn't stick to the table itself too bad that i've found... I also dont think that lathering the table with flamable substances like motor oil and WD-40 is a very good idea, but to each their own!Certified Welding Inspector at your service...Level II Nuclear Welding InspectorLevel II Nuclear Electrical InspectorLevel II Nuclear Civil InspectorLevel II Ultrasonic Thickness Testing TechnicianCertified Smartass,and Wise Acre
Reply:It's a double-edged sword.  If you use the anti-stick spray and still need to hit the table with a grinder/sander, it'll gum up a wheel.  Be sure to clean it off first with a solvent.I hear that PAM cooking spray works for anti-splatter, but have never tried it.  I have a can of the real thing I use for welding in corners that are hard to clean-up w/ a wheel.  I prefer not to use flux core and weld w/ solid wire whenever possible.Hobart 140 Handler w/ gasHyperTherm Powermax 380 Plasmaoxy/acetylene
Reply:at my work we use steel blue layout fluid works great. it is a blueish purple color almost like a see through paint (if that makes sense) and the good thing about it is your ground clamp will still get a good ground with it sprayed on the table.
Reply:We have special wheels for our grinders just for cleaning tables, they arent really abrasive its like a flat plate with sharp grooves in it. They dont grind into the table they just chip off spatter and tacks and leave a nice smooth finish. takes about 60 seconds and leaves the table top looking brand new. Doing that every day or whenever needed would be cheaper, cleaner, and faster than constantly using anti spatter and cleaning it up.I like to party!
Reply:Originally Posted by DanMI already know the first answer- dont have your welds produce splatter, but in the real world of mig welding, there is going to be splatter sticking to the table sooner or later.            I just dropped $1300 into another table for the shop and wondered if any one had a tricky method or sweet product they use to keep the splatter from sticking. The plate was de-scaled and I gave it my old motor oil bath and for the initial lube job. We have played with all the anti splatter stuff we can get our hands on, and still go with WD40 more often then anything else-seems to be the most bang for the buck.   I would really like to have one table in the shop that stays decent for a while !  Did I mention the new kid already tacked a part to it ?  I know thats the best way to make the new table look like an old one in pretty short order.  Hopefully someone can pass on some good ideas here.
Reply:I use a mop disc layed flat on the table.  I always tack stuff to the table, that's what it's there for.DewayneDixieland WeldingMM350PLincoln 100Some torchesOther misc. tools
Reply:id probably need an additional twenty different types of clamps and then still have problems if i didnt weld my work down to the table..grind it loose, weld  the scar and grind it flat..
Reply:I use a 150grit flapper.
Reply:I appreciate the feed back. First off- I can tell you that wiping the table down with wd 40 isnt going to be a fire danger, done it for years, never ever- never had my table start on fire. Second off- I am aware of the fact motor oil can burn, and after wiping it down I ran a torch over it to be sure there wouldnt be any exciting moments when put in use. It is a shop and I have 2 other guys welding besides myself and I am just looking for a easy solution that will help.We dont tac to this table to fixture parts, it has holes and hold downs for doing this so we dont need to tac to the table.   I think the Pam idea was a pretty slick idea !  And also the layout fluid was interesting-I would have thought that stuff would be flamable?    Again, I appreciate the feed back !Dan.Repair Specialties LLC
Reply:Last time I posted this I got laughed at, but, its a new day--- Paint it black and dont look back. Seriously-- If you paint it, the spatter wont stick(as bad), you can see your lay-out marks just fine, no gooey mess, it wont catch fire, it will still ground thru, and touch up is a breeze. The perfect solution. Been painting mine for, oh, 30 something years now ...really....
Reply:Tek, I have two that I built back in 1971. I finally painted both of them so they wouldn't look so crappy. I don't worry about the top. When I tack something to the top or when I get spatter on them as you always do I just grab whatever grinder is handy, 4 1/2", 7", 9" and knock it down clean. I've never ground any grooves in them or damaged them in any way. In fact they look as good as when I built them. Nick one with a torch, weld up the nick, grind it smooth, and use it. One sits out side on a concete slab, the other inside. I would think if I were still alive and using them they would still be good in 36 more years.
Reply:Originally Posted by TEKLast time I posted this I got laughed at, but, its a new day--- Paint it black and dont look back. Seriously-- If you paint it, the spatter wont stick(as bad), you can see your lay-out marks just fine, no gooey mess, it wont catch fire, it will still ground thru, and touch up is a breeze. The perfect solution. Been painting mine for, oh, 30 something years now ...really....
Reply:Originally Posted by idontknow28Yeah but the problem with that is that as soon as you start welding and heat hits that table your paint may begin to burn. The chemicals released by burning paint aren't healthy to be breathing in.
Reply:Originally Posted by OldtimerTek, I have two that I built back in 1971. I finally painted both of them so they wouldn't look so crappy. I don't worry about the top. When I tack something to the top or when I get spatter on them as you always do I just grab whatever grinder is handy, 4 1/2", 7", 9" and knock it down clean. I've never ground any grooves in them or damaged them in any way. In fact they look as good as when I built them. Nick one with a torch, weld up the nick, grind it smooth, and use it. One sits out side on a concete slab, the other inside. I would think if I were still alive and using them they would still be good in 36 more years.
Reply:I am continually tacking things to my bench...that is the advantage of having a steel bench IMO...best way to clean spatter is to take a 7 or 9 inch grinder with a flat wheel, temporarily remove the guard so that you can place the wheel right flat on the bench...100% contact, and move it all over the surface the same as you would a polisher on a floor...Cleans everything off and doesn't dig any grooves.As far as preventing it...DCEP...you might minimize it, but you'll never prevent it. ..I have seen dozens of different types of anti - spatter and basically all they do is add to the long list of noxious fumes already present...Decide whether it's a work bench or a show piece...as far as oiling goes, if you keep busy on it, there will be no opportunity for rust
Reply:Buy a good thick cast table, you can still tack to them but I've never had splatter stick.
Reply:you have guards on your grinders? Novel concept...Airco 300 squarewaveMig welding center...Powcon sm300/LN 25Powcon sm200/PD lHypertherm PM 1100Miller AEAD 200LE W/LN25 FCand now another sm200 pd l combo.In my opinion, a fool is often characterized by tacking without a helmet and using a grinder without a guard...if you would like an example...tune in to American Chopper.
Reply:Originally Posted by Shox DrBuy a good thick cast table, you can still tack to them but I've never had splatter stick.
Reply:Best?or cheapest?An old timer showed me to use carbon or graphite powder so that's gotta be the cheapest if you don't mind the ungodly mess.Magnesium hydroxide works a trice and you can get it cheap if you shop around and  don't mind less than pure stuff. You can suspend it in any fluid and paint it on or just dust it on.The sprays work but I find them spendy at $10 - $12  a can of sprayHey~!! It's a hobby. It's not supposed to make sense~!!
Reply:Originally Posted by TinbasherIn my opinion, a fool is often characterized by tacking without a helmet and using a grinder without a guard...if you would like an example...tune in to American Chopper.
Reply:If you are total anti-tack anti-spatter, put an aluminum sheet over your table.If you do have spatter, it's much quicker to use a small sharp chisel and small hammer to remove the spatter than it is to weld it.metalmagpie
Reply:I kept wondering how I missed this recent discussion, then I realized, somebody drug up a 6 year old thread! Really Raul, I think that his table either worked fine, so he didn't post back, or it was a miserable failure and he was too embarrassed to post back. After 6 years though, he likely doesn't need the advice now.
Reply:Layout your table and drill holes in it so you don't have to tack stuff to the table. Something else that'll work in a pinch is to light up a acetylene torch with a real sooty flame and cover the table with black soot. Works well
Reply:Use a tablecloth. Dennys had good ones but they disappeared.OH WAIT. Here's one !Last edited by Burpee; 01-29-2014 at 10:11 AM.Bubble gumTooth pixDuct tapeBlack glueGBMF hammerScrew gun --bad battery (see above)
Reply:This is 6 yrs old but I think the OP is OCD. If a person doesn't like spatter on it, put a pile of dirt on it and plant flowers in the dirt,LOL!!                                                                     MikeOl' Stonebreaker  "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes"Hobart G-213 portableMiller 175 migMiller thunderbolt ac/dc stick Victor O/A setupMakita chop saw
Reply:Originally Posted by mla2ofusThis is 6 yrs old but I think the OP is OCD. If a person doesn't like spatter on it, put a pile of dirt on it and plant flowers in the dirt,LOL!!                                                                     Mike
Reply:Originally Posted by David RHeck, I tack stuff to the bench when I am working on it!  Clean up with a grinder now and then.WD-40 can be flammable.David
Reply:Burpee beat me to it, but I'll add.....To keep "splatter" off the table, try a table cloth or a toilet bowl brush.   To keep welding "SPATTER" off, try a large piece (12-inch x 12-inch") sheet of 1/8" plate sitting on top of your table and weld over that piece, if it really bothers you. Otherwise anti SPATTER and/or light touch up with a 80 grit flap disc works.Last edited by ANVIL; 01-30-2014 at 02:49 PM. "Hey I didn't come to look and learn, I came to turn and burn.... If I can't light up, I'm gonna light out!"-JodyIdealarc 250 "Fatman"MM 252MM 211 "Little boy" Victor Torches