My father used to have a device that held carbon rods that you strike an arc with and fed filler rods into (he used it with car batteries)
My father used to have a device that held carbon rods that you strike an arc with and fed filler rods into (he used it with car batteries)
Called "Carbon Arc Welding", and one of the ugliest processes ever.
I seem to remember seeing them in circa. 1950 (mid years) Popular Mechanics for sale in the back. Reminded me of carbon arc lamps. Likely the idea source.
Mart> >
I recall a time when Dad used two carbon rods from "D" cells and a set of jumper cables (hooked to a car battery) to produce enough heat to re-solder a wire on a generator/starter commutator . Saved our weekend of skiing behind Uncle Bill's boat ...
In an auto rebuild shop during WW2 we used a single carbon with a handle. Connected the commutator to the battery with a strap and touched the carbon to the each bar near the wire to heat. The starter armatures were otherwise very hard to solder, because of the heavy conductors. I suspect that works better on 6V than on 12V as there was plenty of heat on 6V.
Don Young
My dad described a similar setup he used for rebuilding batteries in the starter and battery shop he worked in just out of high school, soldering the cell connecting straps. I suspect that if you tried it on anything modern-made, it'd fall apart, last starter I worked on looked like the commutator had an injection-molded insulator, not mica with chevron washers, and all the connections were crimped/punched, not soldered.
Stan
That makes the old 'Solid Ox' welds look good.
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