Emergency arc welder

[sand surfer]

Seeing a blacksmith at work on a forge is amazing how they can join two pieces of steel together and finished on the anvil so that when it cools you can not see a join.
Unfortunately some of the skills of the early tradesmen have been lost with their passing.
It is a throw away world now and very little is repaired.
Picked up a VW beetle that had been rolled years ago for zilch, was going to make it into a beach buggy until a new panel beater/painter neighbour moved in across the street.
Over a few get to know one another beers he saw the Beetle and asked what I was going to do with it?
When I told him he said, "You rebuild my Mini Cooper engine (parts supplied) and I'll have your battered VW looking like new." Which he did.
Win win!

Yes nightjar
sadly some of the skills of the early tradesman have been lost, but the skill of forge welding is still there mate, just hidden from public view ,hopefully some of the young ones will take up blacksmithing as a hobby and learn the skills .......maybe :Y:

 

[Mike678]

AS an apprentice , I used to watch the works blacksmith and his striker doing fire welding . You had to be quick with the steel just melting . Always wanted to have a go .

 

[Nightjar]

Yes nightjar
sadly some of the skills of the early tradesman have been lost, but the skill of forge welding is still there mate, just hidden from public view ,hopefully some of the young ones will take up blacksmithing as a hobby and learn the skills .......maybe :Y:

Here in Perth, there is a grandson (not mine) carrying on blacksmithing skills at weekend shows. he forges items at public requests. Home fire tools, scratchers etc.
During apprenticeship we were taught how to temper our cold chisels, centre punches, scribers etc. We also made up tungsten tipped tools for specialty machining jobs.

After retiring I built an engine powered auger for drilling sample holes when prospecting. What I did find was that the modern day throw away tungsten tips (we used to sharpen ours) can not be silver soldered/bronzed to steel? Never did follow up why, maybe someone here knows?

 

[Manpa]

My understanding of fixing carbide tips to steel comes from circular saw blades, the carbide teeth are in fact brazed to the plate, this is in fact the weakest part of the blade and thats why the teeth are often lost when hitting a nail or staple etc whilst recycling timber. Irwin sell a circular saw blade now which has a welded bond which was perfected over numerous years, the carbide tooth is exceptionally small and of a different grade, hardness to their none Weldtec blades. We used to demo the Weldtec blade cutting thru a piece of framing timber with 12mm reinforcing rod and nails epoxied in the wood to show that it would not throw teeth.
I think from memory one of the difficulties to overcome was you have three materials all of whom react to heat at different levels, steel plate, tungsten carbide and your brazing or welding material.

 

[Mike678]

I have brazed a good number of carbide tips to teeth for a drilling rig .I used to operate it for opal mining . Also silver soldered a number for lathe tools . MY tips are to grind the carbide with a green wheel if possible , to remove any coating . Drop into metho or petrol to clean well . Heat up carefully , do not over heat or you will put oxide on the surface .

 

[Deepseeker]

Seeing a blacksmith at work on a forge is amazing how they can join two pieces of steel together and finished on the anvil so that when it cools you can not see a join.
Unfortunately some of the skills of the early tradesmen have been lost with their passing.
It is a throw away world now and very little is repaired.
Picked up a VW beetle that had been rolled years ago for zilch, was going to make it into a beach buggy until a new panel beater/painter neighbour moved in across the street.
Over a few get to know one another beers he saw the Beetle and asked what I was going to do with it?
When I told him he said, "You rebuild my Mini Cooper engine (parts supplied) and I'll have your battered VW looking like new." Which he did.
Win win!

Yes nightjar
sadly some of the skills of the early tradesman have been lost, but the skill of forge welding is still there mate, just hidden from public view ,hopefully some of the young ones will take up blacksmithing as a hobby and learn the skills .......maybe :Y:

Those skills are still hanging around in the heads of us old blokes. Here is a pic of a folding chair, one of a set of four that I made for my ex-wife some years ago.
All hand forged on an anvil from flat steel and round bar, with hand made rivets.

The second pic is a planter stand that I made, which Mrs Deepseeker still has in the backyard.

My only problem now is that I don't have a proper shed to do anything in.

 

[Dihusky]

Here in Perth, there is a grandson (not mine) carrying on blacksmithing skills at weekend shows. he forges items at public requests. Home fire tools, scratchers etc.
During apprenticeship we were taught how to temper our cold chisels, centre punches, scribers etc. We also made up tungsten tipped tools for specialty machining jobs.

Those were the days when Apprentices were taught by real tradesmen that were proud of their skills and respected, European countries seem better at retaining their trade skills than we are, Germany with their 'Journeymen', years away travelling using and developing their skills before returning and being welcomed into their local Guild.

Always loved watching our local Smithy when I was a kid, ended up a chippy myself, but can still remember how to make a frame for double hung windows with counter weights or flat cut a roof for pitching, last window I did was in 2005. Fewer and fewer people who can restore old buildings using traditional techniques... sad

 

[Mackka]

Yes Dihusky, i worked with a pommie bricklayer and whenever a chimney / fireplace had to be built, they would call him snd we would build it. They said he was the only bloke that knew how to build the inside of the chimney to provide the correct draft.
Mackka
PS
I have gotten onto a really good young electrician in North Brisbane . Send me a pm if you need one.

 

[Nightjar]

I think from memory one of the difficulties to overcome was you have three materials all of whom react to heat at different levels, steel plate, tungsten carbide and your brazing or welding material.

Never was a prolem brazing the tungsten to steel when making our speciality tools. The problem only arose when I was given a tin full of blunt tips that had been fixed to the holderd with a clamp locked with an allen key.
The silver solder wouldn't run when heat applied?
Will take a photo of our woodfire tools I knocked up in early 70's, still going strong.
Another bit of advice I was shown.
A container (half a steel 12gallon drum) some old engine oil) Tools were heated until they just began to glow then dunked in the oil and left to cool. To this day there is not a speck of rust on any of them.

 

[Mike678]

Grind the old tips and clean them well . It is good to grind the sharp corners , they will then be fixed better. This applies to any thing that you braze .

 

[Nightjar]

Keeping the home fire burning.

 

[Mike678]

Do a Google for 4x4 alternator for welding . Plenty to read there . I did buy an alternator for welding but never fitted it . Still got it but no specs . I will have to dig it out and see what is written on it . For sale $50 plus postage , brand new never used .