hi, i'm into building wire scuptures and other metal work, never welded before and dont know much about it what would be a good way to go with bonding thick wire together? something that wont burn through the wire and leave me with a gap i have to fix....what kind of weld? i heard theres a few kinds is this true? what would i need to look into? thanks for any help bobby
Bobby You forgot to mention what kind and size of wire (and other metals) you are using. This would make a difference as to what kind of answers you're going to get. Lane
Resistance welding with a spot welder is the quickest method. One of my students has taken to making giant spider webs from steel wire. Once I showed him how to set up the spot welder, he started making very big webs.
The size of the wire will determine how large a spot welder you need.
Don't worry about being boring; ignorange is the biggest killer of all.
I was talking to a guy a few months ago at one of the businesses I weld for. He used to work in an asphalt plant repairing big loading buckets. Needless to say, this place is filled with all kinds of grease and gunk to set your O2 off.
He was changing out an empty O2 cylinder. When he put the regulator on the full tank, he opened the main valve, & BOOM!
It seems no one ever told him about keeping hydrocarbons away from oxygen. He didn't even know to crack the cylinder before putting the reg back on. He is still around to talk about it, so I guess he might have put his regulator on the ground or something before putting it on the full tank, resulting in combustion. Would the whole tank let got, or just the valve?
Thanks
Whenever you remove the regulator from a cylinder for any reason, the standard procedure is to momentarily open the valve (with the regulator removed). This pressure rids the area directly inside the valve of any contaminants that could prove hazardous when the valve/regulator area is under pressure.
To "crack" just means to open slightly. As in: "Hey, do you mind cracking that window?". Even though you open the valve for only a half a second or so, it's pretty loud, so grab the ole earplugs.
With shielding gasses (co2, argon, tri-mix), you are just clearing the cylinder's throat, so to speak. With oxygen, you are getting rid of fuel for a possible explosion.
Good Luck
OK, you got my attention, please explain. Lane
ya got your cause and effect reversed here. O2 doesn't get set off, it sets off the hydrocarbons.
Oops! So the oxygen allows the hydrocarbon to burn?
John L. Weatherly wrote: (clip) So the oxygen allows the hydrocarbon to burn? ^^^^^^^^^^^ Yes. More than "allows." CAUSES!
Along these lines, I'd like to pass on a lesson I learned when I was just starting to use oxy/acetylene. I got this from the manager of a very active welding shop in a large corporation. Besides "cracking" the valve momenarily before attaching an O2 regulator, he recommended leaving the connection from regulator to cylinder valve just slightly loose. Then, with the wrench on the nut, and one hand on the wrench, crack the cylinder valve slightly with your other hand, until you hear oxygen leaking from the connection. Then slowly tighten the nut, and watch the gauge go up to cylinder pressure, and hear the leak stop.
If, by any chance there is any combustible material in the connection (a stray spider, for example, or a dead fly), you will have a chance to close the valve, or re-loosen the nut, before the big explosion can take place.
No such thing has ever happened to me, but I figure it could always be the next time.
hmmm thanks guys now ya got me all spooked, not sure if i wanna weld/braze wire now...i'd love a way to join the metal without wrapping it with more petal or just bending it together but dang i dont wanna blow everything up.hmmm i have used solder for years..are there solders for larger applications, thicker wire, not real thick but maybe 14-18 ga....and throw a couple good soldering tool names along with it if ya know of any, a good solderer, use the pen type ones for small projects, thanks for any help...i wish i knew of this forum thing a long time ago, great advice and help here, thanks again bobby
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