# Welding tent?



## Chris152 (8 Apr 2022)

My son's doing a part-time welding course and needs to practice at home. I don't want to build a permanent shed as I'll be moving soon and I'm thinking to get him a welding tent (/elephant tent) as a quicker and transportable alternative to a shed. I'm looking at this one:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/174643030401 ... SwKEZansBJ

I've read around on the MIG welding forum but no specific advice (it ranges from 'get a cheap old canvas frame tent and hope it doesn't catch fire', to 'build a proper workshop'). Has anyone used one of these welding tents? And what do you make of the flame retardant material - will it work?! (M2 / BS7837-1996 - I searched for it online but couldn't find any information that meant anything to me.)

Thanks for any thoughts.


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## Spectric (8 Apr 2022)

The word PVC would make me question it's suitability. If you can construct a decent steel workbench with a reasonably high upstand to the rear and sides then with Mig you should be ok so long as the bench is not to close to the tent. Any grinding / cutting may cause issues and also if you were gas welding because it would just melt the pvc tent.


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## Bigegg (8 Apr 2022)

I've used a 10ft square market stall (that I made myself) for years:
It's covered in a heavy duty tarpaulin. (Plastic).

I use a sheet or two of plyboard to stop the worst of the sparks - or roll up the sides.
Just be prepared to change it every so often, although to be honest, I only do stick + Tig, so I've no idea what mig will be like, and I'm guessing gas welding or plasma cutting will destroy it very quickly.


You can coat a normal canvas tent in isoglass (colloidal silica) to make it flame proof.
A more modern nylons tent will be no better than a tarp.


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## Rich C (8 Apr 2022)

Build a frame and hang some welding blankets? They're pretty cheap online.


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## Bigegg (8 Apr 2022)

Rich C said:


> Build a frame and hang some welding blankets? They're pretty cheap online.



People are always giving away scrap trampolines round here: I'm midway through building an Anderson shelter style "shed" out of them. (Covered in fabric + cement slurry).


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## Chris152 (8 Apr 2022)

Thanks all.
On the fire/ PVC issue, I read this (here: Welding Tent | What You Need To Know Before You Buy ):
'Why PVCs?
PVC is more durable than cotton and more flexible. It is not only water-resistant but also chemical and oil resistant. With a drop of a burning slag, this may create a hole on the panel but unlike cotton that used to serve as fabrics for welding tents, PVCs won’t burn and won’t create fire.'
I'm looking at welding blankets online (I'd not heard of them) but they seem pretty expensive - by the time we have a few, and I've attempted to build a frame, we're not looking at cheap either.
I'm clear whatever we get needs to be fire retardant. From what I've seen, welding tents are widely used in the industry for pipe and railway welding, but I'm struggling to figure out what type/ which one to get.

PS, that said on the welding blankets, I guess if we made an L-shape frame and point the corner toward any breeze (it's only for occasional use on dry, still-ish days) it could work, and it has the advantage that he can weld larger pieces as it isn't all having to fit in a tent? His first real project's going to be a go-kart, so he'd need space for welding the frame. Hmmm...


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## Inspector (8 Apr 2022)

What does the welding instructor suggest?

Pete


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## Alpha-Dave (8 Apr 2022)

What type of welding? There are different and common hazards; TIG won’t spit metal, but the UV is far more intense. Flame welding is the scariest (for me), but that’s quite specialised, and certainly should either be done in a dedicated area or an open yard.

My perception is that welding tents, screens etc.are not there to catch the hot, flying metal (or grinding sparks), but to protect others in the area from eye damage from the UV light. 

Assume that any flying, liquid metal will pass through any cloth/sheet barrier; don’t have any wood (especially dust or shavings), flammable liquids or cardboard in the area.

I do TIG at home, just in the garage, but with signs outside to warn people not to enter; plus extraction (you really need to consider that if not doing it outside).

I bent some 0.9mm sheet steel from a car-body supplier to from a U-shaped shield to collect spatter from Stick welding, it works ok.


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## Fergie 307 (9 Apr 2022)

Alpha-Dave said:


> What type of welding? There are different and common hazards; TIG won’t spit metal, but the UV is far more intense. Flame welding is the scariest (for me), but that’s quite specialised, and certainly should either be done in a dedicated area or an open yard.
> 
> My perception is that welding tents, screens etc.are not there to catch the hot, flying metal (or grinding sparks), but to protect others in the area from eye damage from the UV light.
> 
> ...


If you go to your local chip/kebab shop most use oil in about 20l metal drums. They will probably be happy to give you an empty one, these can be easily cut up to make a shield.


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## Fergie 307 (9 Apr 2022)

And I have a car tent, roughly 5x3m. I think you can still get these for about £150ish. Big enough to give you room to work without spattering the fabric I would have thought. Might be worth a look.


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## Chris152 (9 Apr 2022)

Thanks all - totally unsure what to do now, but lots of possibilities!
Cheers, C


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## Limey Lurker (9 Apr 2022)

A shelter is important when TIG welding because a breeze can blow away the inert gas shield and allow impurities into the weld pool. This is less of a problem with MIG and MMA, but in every case the welders comfort is the first priority: rain, snow, dust, overspray, insects: if it can get onto him it can also get onto the weld pool.


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## dannyr (9 Apr 2022)

30+ years ago I was trying to persuade a large Derby eng co that there was another way than welding to put stellite valve seats into some key valves for subs.

Turned out there were two reasons they were keen
1. As often happens, it cost much more to annually retrain and recertify the only welder actually skillful enough to do it (deposit pore free satellite as a seat down a narrow tube) than to do the job.

2. He was too much of a character - when navy top brass (all sorts of scrambled egg on their shoulders) came round to check progress on these vital replacement valves, without which their subs were stuck in dock, it was a hot summer day and he was working in such a tent in the middle of the main works, management couldn't understand the grins around, pulled back the curtain and there he was, sensibly nude in the sweltering heat bar the full apron, gauntlets and hood.

Admirals didn't like to feel their fleet was totally dependent on this guy.

Oh yes, the fairly small tent was four sides and a top of the flash protecting version of the heavy translucent flaps that let fork lifts etc through.


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