On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 13:31:41 -0500, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:
===Mark wrote:
===
=== An old PM article uses a homebrew transformer similar to the one I
=== wound in 10th grade for my from-scratch soldering gun. A long time ago!
===
=== I recall someone's suggestion that a "real" soldering gun could form
=== the basis for a spotwelder - all I'm interested in doing is making
=== better bandsaw blade joints than my crappy Silver soldering has
=== produced to date. My bandsaw only has 10-inch wheels, and I haven't
=== been able to make a lasting joint in HSS - 1/2 inch stock....
===
=== Before I rush out and buy a cheap soldering gun, has anyone done this
=== successfully?
===
=== Thanks / mark
===
===
===
===I'm pretty certain a solder gun, even a 250 watt one, won't put out enough
===current to butt spot weld anything as heavy as a bandsaw blade. Steel foils
===maybe, but not a blade.
===
===Here's one I hadn't seen before. It claims to weld bandsaw blades using a 12
===volt car batttery for its high current energy source:
===
===http://www.advancecarmover.com/bladewelder.html
===
===Do you have a proper fixture to hold the blade ends lined up and butted
===together while soldering them? It's a real PIA to do that job right without
===one. Usable commercial ones are pretty cheap, and it's a pretty easy thing
===to DIY.
===
===Like this one:
===
===http://www.tufftooth.com/sure-splice.html
===
===Just my .02,
===
===Jeff
I have the blade welder made by Advance Car MOver, and its called a
Badger Bandsaw blade welder, and have one real thing to say abaout it.
IT KICKS butt when it comes to welding up a bandsaw blade. I have had
mine over a year now, and its used quite a bit, and it works mighty
fine and does a superb job of sticking a blade together. It works on
Bimetal as well as carbon steel blades, but you do need to make sure
you have a good fully charged battery and good connections from the
welder to the battery. Other than that, the instructions are straight
forward and its a iece of cake welding up blades. I have done 3/16
thru 5/8" with it so far, mostly 3/8 and 1/2 in both carbon and
bimetal. Properly annealed (follow instructions once again) and I have
yet to have a blade break at the weld. Sure beats silver solder or
brazing them by far.
I have on one occassion run up on some carbon blade stock made by F E
Morse (IIRC) that I could just not weld with it. Since I bought the
roll of blade stock, I figured I would just carry it down to the local
place that I used to have weld my blades up at, as they have a sure
nuff high dollar setup for this job. They also had nothing but
problems welding up the blade, so the material got sent back, so it
sure was not the welder that made problems. Another coil of saw blade
stock I received in the previous coils place worked like a champ. Go
figure.........maybe quality control was on vacation that day it was
made.
Fot the price the BAdger Blade welder is hard to beat. Until you clean
up and bevel a blade clamp it in a fixture and silver solder it, you
can cut a piece and clamp it in the BAdger and even if you have to
carry it out to your vehicle and open the hood to use it, you can
weld up a blade better and faster. Its pretty well idiot proof if you
follow the instructions.
Visit my website:
http://www.frugalmachinist.com
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I had no input whatsoever.
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