Old School Welding Processes

[nightgrider]

So I know there's a lot of really knowledgeable people on this site and I wanted to pick your brains on some welding processes that don't get mentioned a lot these days. Carbon Arc Welding, has anyone on here tried it or have experience?

 

[sparkwizard]

I tried it in high school and my first arc welder had a carbon arc torch. I did some brazing on a few bicycle frames with it.
Scared the bejeezus out of me.

 

[cl350rr]

I've seen carbon arc used for cutting a lot in the ship repair industry

 

[mchadsey1]

Ive seen it used for cutting not welding . What a nasty dirty process.

 

[nightgrider]

Please forgive my ignorance, but it is a similar to gas welding but fueled by electricity instead of gas, right? The carbon arc torch to make the weld puddle. Then you use a filler rod to fill?

 

[sparkwizard]

Good question. The carbon "electrodes" that came with my cheap arc welder made a "flame" about the size of a golf ball. It would heat an area, but I could never get it concentrated enough to make a small puddle. It did well for brazing It was more like a rosebud tip on a torch for heating and bending.

 

[nightgrider]

Good question. The carbon "electrodes" that came with my cheap arc welder made a "flame" about the size of a golf ball. It would heat an area, but I could never get it concentrated enough to make a small puddle. It did well for brazing It was more like a rosebud tip on a torch for heating and bending.

Probably about as much as one could ask for, at least with a home machine.

 

[sparkwizard]

That was also 40 plus years ago. I would assume they are either better quality, now or no longer available.

 

[mchadsey1]

https://bakersgas.com/blogs/smaw/an-introduction-to-carbon-arc-welding
A good over view and reasons for it .

 

[nightgrider]

https://bakersgas.com/blogs/smaw/an-introduction-to-carbon-arc-welding
A good over view and reasons for it .

I'll definitely give this a read. Thanks

 

[Bird Brain]

Had a teacher in middle school touch on the topic of using the carbon rod stripped out of an old dry cell battery clamped on a welding lead to cut aluminum. Said it works however ive not tried it personally. Now that im 50 plus and he was about that at the time i might should just for grins.

 

[sparkwizard]

Had a teacher in middle school touch on the topic of using the carbon rod stripped out of an old dry cell battery clamped on a welding lead to cut aluminum. Said it works however ive not tried it personally. Now that im 50 plus and he was about that at the time i might should just for grins.

I kinda doubt you would get two piece of metal worth keeping. Please let us know what happens if you do try it. Theoretically, you can sharpen those carbon rods in a common pencil sharpener.

 

[Bird Brain]

Sharpe

I kinda doubt you would get two piece of metal worth keeping. Please let us know what happens if you do try it. Theoretically, you can sharpen those carbon rods in a common pencil sharpener.

Sharpening the carbon rod in the pencil sharpener was added info given to me by the teacher and was a detail i ommitted to mention in my post. The possibility of using a car battery and jumper cables in a pinch was also discussed. Great catch Sparkwizard.

 

[sparkwizard]

I have 6 deep cycle 12 volt batteries under my work bench. They are charged by wind and solar. They power some 110 volt inverters for the different barns and buildings...blah, blah, blah....

I have used jumper cables on those batteries to arc weld some leaf springs together. I might try a carbon rod, just because we NEED to know!

 

[nightgrider]

I have 6 deep cycle 12 volt batteries under my work bench. They are charged by wind and solar. They power some 110 volt inverters for the different barns and buildings...blah, blah, blah....

I have used jumper cables on those batteries to arc weld some leaf springs together. I might try a carbon rod, just because we NEED to know!

Inquiring Minds Want to Know. Haha