Does anyone know if I can still get hold of a carbon brazing torch? I saw one a few years ago. It had two carbon electrodes in a kind of holder and connects to an arc welder. Also, do they work? Are they any good?
HI Steve
Think I've got one in the garage. Never used it - could be yours if it's any use to you ..?
Regards Adrian Suffolk UK
======return email munged================= take out the papers and the trash to reply
In a word..NO.!!!
Get yourself a gas one and save yourself the grief ...
Stuart
I have a brazing hearth looted from some educational establishment. The torch has long gone but the motor and air blower are still here. The hearth is in use but I have no need for the rest.
BTW school pottery kilns are useful sources of refractory blocks:-)
regards
I had one in the days before MIG welders were popular. It was an attachment to a regular arc welder transformer, and I thought it was OK and quite easy to operate. I did most of my car bodywork repairs with it as it was pretty impossible to weld thin metal in the conventional manner without blowing holes in it. MIG is now much better and stronger.
I don't think brazing is acceptable for car body repairs nowadays, least not on structural items.
I got the electrodes and brass rod from a welding supply shop. You used to be able to find these in Halfords.
They work very well. I haven't seen the rods about for a while.. I got some a while ago that were solid hard carbon. They didn't work. The ones that did work had a core of different material. Both sorts are copper coated. Be very careful to cover up when you use these, sun-burn and arc-eye are very unpleasant. Use a good mask.
Agreed, I have always had good results using it. The rods are still available from Hunter Tools of Godalming, Surrey - I bought some there a few months ago. I did try gouging rods too, but these did not provide the correct flame intensity/ flame length.
CRB
================= Quite useful for light gauge but a bit awkward in a confined space.
The rods are available here:
The message from "steve" contains these words:
f you're going to use one, DON'T neglect to use goggles. I did my eyes a nasty many years ago by using one without proper protection for a few minutes.
The message from "andyv" contains these words:
Correct. Coninuous weld only, except where spot welds are replaced by spot welds.
A few minutes? Good Lord. How long did the gritty blinks last, a few days? Ow.
The message from Chris Bacon contains these words:
Woke up in the middle of the night and assumed we'd had a power cut as I could see bugger all even after I'd switched the light on. Eyes were very painful but lukily I knew where my antihistamine eyedrops were - in the fridge door[1]. Groped and fondled my way there and poured in what felt like halft a bottle, which stung even more, but about five minutes later they were much better and by the next morning just uncomfortable. Took a few days to get completely back to normal. Of course, what long term increase in cataract chances I've got is indeterminate.
[1] I've learnt to keep the superglue and the eye drops apart.We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember Stuart saying something like:
All it needs is practice. I've had some fine results from them; mind you, that was after some bloody awful results at first.
Extra expense, when a decently made Carbon Arc torch will do fine for most of the jobs gas will do and use existing plant.
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