Sooner or later if you run an auto shop you will need to weld something. At first, you may just find a place on the concrete safely away from flammable materials and other people. Once outside you can set up your arc welder choose one of your favorite welding helmets and start welding. But eventually, it may become necessary to set up a dedicated area as a welding shop. There are many advantages to having a dedicated welding shop. Some welding processes are simply not suited to outside work. For example, gas metal and gas tungsten require surrounding air to be still. This is because the shielding gas can be blown away. Arc welding should only be done in dry areas and away from the rain due to the electric shock hazard. Another reason is the outside temperature. Cold metals do not weld as well as metal at 70 degrees F. Welding is a dangerous activity and your surroundings should be as controlled as possible. Use a welding machine in the outdoors leaves too many variables and welding right in the middle of your auto shop is just too dangerous.
During the welding process sparks and bits of slag can scatter up to 40 feet from the area of welding. This can cause damage to...