Topic: Stick welding with batteries

[jfrabat]

Looking around the web, I came across this interesting article...  It seems that with a couple more items thrown in the Jeep, we can do some emergency welding, which is always a nice feature to get out of a jam.  Here are the articles:

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/v/PV5oLPLUzrM?version=3&amp;amp;hl=en_US" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">http://www.youtube.com/v/PV5oLPLUzrM?version=3&amp;amp;hl=en_US</a>

I threw together this short video demonstrating the setup for stick welding with a set of jumper cables and a pair of batteries. This isn't intended as a replacement for a shop welder, but it does work as a trail/roadside repair. I've used this method dozens of times to weld up link mounts, spring hangers, a cracked wheel, cracked frames, drag links, etc. There are, of course, alternate methods of mobile welders but the jumper cable/battery method is super cheap, easy to set up, and consists of tools and materials that almost everybody already has.
I do own a ready welder, but I find that I usually just toss a few sticks of welding rod in my toolbox to save on space and weight. If I know that I will be doing some welding, then I'll bring along the ready welder...but it stays in the shop and pulls spoolgun duty for my MIG welder most of the time.

Stick welding with batteries is a little different than welding with a standard stick welding power supply (AC or DC). Normally, a stick welder would be constant current...meaning that, you select and amperage and the power supply maintains that. Using batteries means that you are using a constant voltage source...the current varies based on how close you hold the welding rod to the weld puddle. Controlling electrode height is critical...it takes some practice. Because batteries are capable of supplying so much current, the rod almost never sticks like it does when welding with a conventional power supply (it can stick if the batteries are discharged, or if you have a loose connection). Even if you are an experienced stick welder, you should practice this once or twice before relying on it out on the trail.

The welding in this video was done with 1/8" 6011 rod, but others work well too. I usually just take a few sticks of 6011; it is a good general-purpose rod that works well for most types of trail repairs. If you know that you're going to be welding some cast iron, stainless, high carbon, or something else, then you should select the proper electrode...
I've seen people use coat hangers, coins, etc. as a filler rod and I've tried it a few times; but without flux, you end up with a pretty nasty bird-poopy looking weld. Its easier to be a little proactive and toss some welding rod in your toolbox...

It should be obvious, but I'll state it anyway. Wear the proper protective gear. You have 1 set of eyes...don't try to weld with a set of your favorite oakleys. Using the batteries as a power source offers its own set of risks as well...I have logged many hours of arc time using batteries as a power source and never had a problem, but keep this in mind:
-Batteries offgas an explosive mixture of Hydrogen and Oxygen when being charged. A welding arc can ignite this gas and blow battery acid all over the place. Just be sure you don't weld where sparks can drop on the batteries, and you're in a well ventilated area
-A direct short across a 24v battery bank with heavy gauge jumper cables will melt battery terminals, the jumper cables, and your hand. Batteries are capable of producing more than 600 amps when fully charged...that's a LOT of current. Make sure you don't accidentally create a short when you're hooking everything up
-Disconnect the batteries from the vehicle if possible. A welding arc generates large voltage spikes and noise...although the rectifier/regulator in an alternator is fairly rugged, there are dozens of little microelectronic circuits all over the vehicle that aren't so rugged. You don't want to destroy a $1000 ECU/PCM/whatever.
-Fully discharging lead-acid batteries shortens their life significantly. If you're going to try this, make sure that you don't allow the batteries to become discharged during welding, and make sure to recharge them after you are done. Batteries will last a long time if properly cared for, even if you use them for welding.

Stick welding using standalone batteries:
Welding with jumper cables and a pair of batteries - YouTube

Stick welding using a vehicle with a 24v electrical system:
Welding with jumper cables and my Deuce and a Half - YouTube

Text and Photography By: Chris Perosi
First Published: February 2001

If you spend enough time on the trails, you're guaranteed to see breakage that just cannot be fixed through any "normal" means on the trail. Sometimes you get lucky and someone has an on-board welder, and whatever the carnage is, it can be pieced back together. But what happens if you don't have one of those expensive on-board welding systems around? We've all heard the stories while trading tales around the campfire, "Jimmy-Joe-Bob broke an axle one time, and they welded it back together with a coat hanger!" But does it really WORK? Well, the honest truth is, yeah, welding with a coat hanger does work. But there are easier ways to make a trail welding setup for a few dollars using parts you already have.

Simply put, to weld metal together, you just need the ability to melt the base metals together. Where do you find the juice you need when you're on the trail, though? Well, chances are, you don't wheel alone, so you've got at least two batteries hanging around between your truck and others. The fact is, you can weld with just one if you really need to, but two batteries wired in series will give you a far better weld. To hook them up in series, you just need a cable -- a full-fledged battery cable with battery terminal connectors on the end is your best bet, but in a pinch, using one of the wires in a spare set of jumper cables will work wonderfully.

The easiest way to strike an arc for welding is to go out and buy yourself some welding electrodes, also known as "sticks" or "rods". This is much easier than using a coat hanger, and not a whole lot more expensive. There are literally thousands of different kinds of sticks out there, some better for use in certain situations than others. Fortunately, if you don't know what you're looking for, not to worry -- your local hardware store, Home Depot, or Lowes will only carry a couple different kinds anyway. I recommend the 6013 sticks for less-experienced welders -- these sticks are known as "contact sticks" in that you don't have to hold a minimum space between the stick and the material in order to maintain the arc. You just lay it on the work and it will spark up. As you gain more experience welding, you can move to the 6011 sticks, which generally yield better penetration and weld better on dirty metal -- but they're much harder to use.

While you're at the hardware store buying sticks, you'll want to pick up some eye protection. A full-face welding helmet is your best bet, but if you're looking at this setup as an emergency-only trail welder and don't want to have to carry anything big with you, you can get away with a set of welding goggles. Just make sure you get a set of goggles with a shield dark enough for welding. You may have to buy the shield separately from the goggles, as most goggles sold in local stores are brazing goggles. These use a much lighter lens than is required for adequate protection while welding. The darker replacement lenses should be located in close proximity to the goggles, just make sure they're marked as replacement welding lenses. While you're there, you might consider a pair of welding gloves, although these are not entirely necessary if you're careful and don't mind a little bit of welding splatter splashing back at you.

Once you've got your batteries, goggles, sticks, and cables, you're ready to weld. Just remove the two batteries from the vehicles, and hook the positive terminal on the first battery to the negative terminal on the second battery. This will hook up the two batteries in series, yielding 24 Volts of power.

Once you've got the juice flowing from one battery to the next, you need to harness all those cold cranking amps and put them to work for you as a welder. For this you'll need another set of jumper cables (or a first set if you've used a battery cable to hook the two batteries in series). Hook up the negative lead of the cables to the empty negative terminal, with the other end attached to the work piece. Hook the positive cable to the empty positive terminal, with the other end clamping the electrode. At this point (after protecting your eyes, of course) you can go ahead and stike the arc to begin welding.

You could use this same theory to get even more juice by using three batteries. It works the same way -- hook the positive on the first to the negative on the second. Then hook the positive on the second to the negative on the third. In fact, you could do this with an unlimited number of batteries -- but there comes a point where you'd be vaporizing the metal instead of welding it together. Try it with two batteries first, and if you still feel you need some more juice, give it a go with three batteries if another is available.

Believe it or not, this setup actually works, and has been used successfully countless times to get people out of the woods and back to civilization where more suitable repairs could be made. You already probably have access to two batteries, and the rest of the materials can be picked up at the local hardware store for under $20. Chances are even if you've never welded before, you've got just about everything you need already -- the only things you'll have to buy are welding rods and goggles, which can be found for as little as $5 total. The downfall of this setup is that there's no way to regulate it -- you get the full cold cranking amps the battery or batteries are putting out, nothing less. This can lead to welds that are too hot if you're not careful, and instead of melting the metals together, you could wind up putting holes in the work.

In a perfect world, the ideal weld would be made between two pieces of clean, bare metal. This would involve grinding and other forms of preparation. On the trail, though, you'd just be happy to brush all the mud off a part before welding -- remember, this is only supposed to last long enough to get you off the trail. The purpose of this article is simply to describe a quick and easy way to setup a welder for emergency trail fixes -- not to teach you how to actually perform the welding. I'd recommend you try this several times before putting it to work for you on the trail, and unless you become quite proficient at it, don't trust your welds as anything but emergency fixes, just enough to get you back to civilization. Failure of field fixes such as these on drivetrain, steering, or suspension components could lead to serious injury or death. There are many books on welding that can explain the ins and outs of the actual welding procedure, and if you really want to improve your welding skills, most times you can find a welding class offered at the local college or adult school.

Anyway, after reading and seeing this, i got me some welding sticks, googles, and the cable to connect 2 bateries and threw them in the Jeep.  I figured this would be good for emergency repairs to get back to civilization!

Felipe

[Torch_Ind]

 

[jfrabat]

Probably not the best you can do to a battery, but if it gets you back to civilization, I rather be prepared!  Another tip I ran into (closed the link and now I cant find it again) is that if you are overheating (say you theoretically have a ton of mud on your radiator, as I have had), you can help your radiator by turning your heater to full...

[aka-justin]

Nice!

[Bounty Hunter]

Probably not the best you can do to a battery, but if it gets you back to civilization, I rather be prepared!  Another tip I ran into (closed the link and now I cant find it again) is that if you are overheating (say you theoretically have a ton of mud on your radiator, as I have had), you can help your radiator by turning your heater to full...

I've considered putting a small 12v water pump from an RV under the hood and carry a couple section of garden hose to clean the radiator in a pinch using any water source.

[jfrabat]

I've considered putting a small 12v water pump from an RV under the hood and carry a couple section of garden hose to clean the radiator in a pinch using any water source.

I already carry that in the Jeep.  I even made a small filter using a Y connector an some mosquito netting so that the pump will not swallow grass and other large particles.  This became very usefull during the trip we made about 6 months ago (I did not have mine at the time, but other club members did, and I cleaned my radiator using one).