I've only heard that it was a relatively common procedure/quick fix, not so
much what an actual plumber would perform regularly (not much money involved
with not replacing parts/pipes), but more of a quick solution for those who
had welders available.. rural areas, for example, where calling plumbers
wasn't a common solution to a problem. Totally self-sufficient, common sense
folks of past generations.

I know that resistance soldering (discussed here recently) will nearly
instantly take a connector contact to over 700 F.. that's a couple of turns
of an AC transformer secondary winding shorted, but in very close proximity
to the short.. yes, the voltage does drop to a very low value, but very
rapid heating of a small part is the result.

I would like to try the welder procedure, but haven't found myself in a
situation where I could. I've heard that the procedure works effectively,
from various serious/sincere and experienced guys, since the 60s.

--
WB
..........


"spaco" wrote in message
.. .
Was it an AC buzz box, or was it a DC welder? When an AC buzz box is
shorted, I think the transformer is detuned so much that the power output
at a couple of volts is almost nothing.

Pete Stanaitis
--------------------

Wild_Bill wrote:

If this at all related to recent cold weather and frozen pipes (copper
tubing).. an old procedure was to use long leads attached to a buzzbox
welder, clamped to the line over a distance of copper tubing, and flipper
on, at a low current, 'till the water flowed.