Grounding clamp for pipe

[Glenn]

When welding pipe, how do you fix the grounding clamp to the pipe?

The "other" end is 20 feet or more away, and the pipe is round with nothing to clamp "to".

[Jose Gomez]

You can connect your ground to a large C-clamp, and then clamp the ground to the pipe anywhere along it's lenth. Another approach is to use magnetic grounding blocks, But if you do, place the magnet as far away from the weld joint as possible in order to minimize arc blow.

[Steve Sells]

I once had to braize (yes, brass rod and oxy torch) a grounding wire to the side of a plate. no edge available, and drilling a hole for a bolt was not allowed either.

[mike-hr]

My buddy that builds drivelines uses a flat woven copper grounding strap, similiar to an old automotive battery ground cable. It clamps loosely around the tubing via the welders squeeze clamp. The tubing is free to spin around in the press, and he can do an uninterupted weld around the whole circumfrence spinning the driveline with his free hand as he welds.

[Dodge]

In a pinch, tack weld a piece of scrap to the pie that your ground clamp can grip. When done, break off the scrap and grind tack weld smooth

[philip in china]

I have a piece of angle welded as a V onto a piece of plate. I use it in the drill press when drilling round section but also can put it under pipe and then earth to the plate. One of the most useful little bits of kit in the shop.

[welder19]

When needed I use a chain wrench around it then clamp on to the wrench, I also use visegrips alot for grounding also.

welder19

[gerald]

In a pinch, tack weld a piece of scrap to the pie that your ground clamp can grip. When done, break off the scrap and grind tack weld smooth

I have taken a rod "nub" and tacked it to the pipe by holding it in the jaws of the ground clamp. When finished, just snap it off.

[sstreckfuss]

I usually just put irregular stuff into my machinist vise at work and clamp my grounding clamp to the vise body. May not be orthodox but works well for me and works for any/all irregular shaped items without modification to the actual item. :D

[jayco]

I have used 'junk' visegrips and even tongs(with a ring or clip) to get a ground on 'irregular' things. I always try to get the connection points bright and shiny, but there's still usually some arcing that occurs at those points.........that's why I use 'junk' tongs or visegrips for this.

Also, I have laid a heavy piece of iron stock........say, 1 in.x 4in. x 5ft.

anything I could clamp the ground onto......just the weight of it may allow a grounding connection.
This doesn't always work......but sometimes it does!

[R Funk]

Phillp in China is on target. The welders at work use Vee Blocks or Vees on workstands for grounding pipes.

This allows easy rotation of the pipe as the weld progresses.

Another hint is they use a power pipe threader as a "lathe" to turn the pipe and use a 4.5" right angle grinder to put nice bevel on the pipe for full penetration welding.

[Hillbillysmith]

R Funk is right. Philip in China hit it. Take a piece of 1/8-1/4 inch plate about 6x12 inches and weld a piece of angle iron to it "V" up. Then take a piece of 2x2 inch of the same material and weld it like a tab on the edge of the angle stock to clamp your ground to. make two of them so that your pipe is level for welding.

[Tom Poole]

Strip a piece of welding cable long enough to go around the pipe. Cut 2 pieces of 3/4" copper tubing about 4" long. Crimp (smash) the pipe onto the ends of the stripped cable. Drape the cable over the pipe and connect your ground clamp. You may have to clean the coating off the pipe to avoid arcing .
This works real well if you are rotating the pipe while you weld.

[Mills]

This thread really helped me with my projects. I never thought about draping a ground cable over the pipe. I do use a c clamp that I welded a piece of angle iron to and use that as a handle to aid in turning it in the v blocks. I started using it as the grounding point but the lead gets in the way usually.