doonut
12-04-2004, 07:14 AM
To share some info with you all. Heating siezed hardware around flammable and painted objects can be impossible with a torch if not downright dangerous. To overcome that problem,many many years ago a smart guy invented a simple and cheap tool to get the job done. The following is your tool shopping list.
To build your very own Carbon Arc Heating tool you will need:
1) a cheap set of booster cables
2) a 3/8 inch brass compression union fitting
3) a D cell battery or two
4) a 6 volt battery like from an old car but still available from CTC or PEP boys or the like.
Now, remove one positive booster cable battery clamp and put aside as a third hand you might need sometime.
Strip a short section of the cable and if possible, tin it with solder. Then insert it into one end of the compression union and tighten it in place. If it will not tighten, you have a skinny cable so you might need to "whip" the bared copper with a small piece of wire to build up its diameter.
Next, take a D cell battery and using a hack saw, carefully cut it lenghtwise from two sides. You are trying to remove the pure carbon core from the battery so use gloves or wash your hands real good when you are done. Insert the carbon core into the other end of the compression union and snug it tight, SNUG ONLY or it might shatter.
Thats it, your new flameless super heater tool is done. Just connect the remaining booster cable from the negative battery post to the metal chassis of whatever you are working on and connect your tool cable to the psitive post. When you touch the tip of the carbon rod to the metal, the ensuing current flow will heat the carbon to white hot if you hold it there long enough. Temperature control is as simple as easing up on the pressure you are holding the carbon against the metal with. Some caution must be used as the carbon rod is fairly fragile but not too much so.
NEVER use a 12 volt battery unless you have a big resistor in series. The power of 12 volts will make the carbon so hot that everything will melt.
Total cost of this century old proven tool should be around 50 bucks and with a supply of used dead batteries to replace the carbon rod as it wears down, can last almost forever.
P.S. if you have an old carbon pile battery tester with a variable load device, you can use it hooked in series to give you very precise temperature control of the tool.
To build your very own Carbon Arc Heating tool you will need:
1) a cheap set of booster cables
2) a 3/8 inch brass compression union fitting
3) a D cell battery or two
4) a 6 volt battery like from an old car but still available from CTC or PEP boys or the like.
Now, remove one positive booster cable battery clamp and put aside as a third hand you might need sometime.
Strip a short section of the cable and if possible, tin it with solder. Then insert it into one end of the compression union and tighten it in place. If it will not tighten, you have a skinny cable so you might need to "whip" the bared copper with a small piece of wire to build up its diameter.
Next, take a D cell battery and using a hack saw, carefully cut it lenghtwise from two sides. You are trying to remove the pure carbon core from the battery so use gloves or wash your hands real good when you are done. Insert the carbon core into the other end of the compression union and snug it tight, SNUG ONLY or it might shatter.
Thats it, your new flameless super heater tool is done. Just connect the remaining booster cable from the negative battery post to the metal chassis of whatever you are working on and connect your tool cable to the psitive post. When you touch the tip of the carbon rod to the metal, the ensuing current flow will heat the carbon to white hot if you hold it there long enough. Temperature control is as simple as easing up on the pressure you are holding the carbon against the metal with. Some caution must be used as the carbon rod is fairly fragile but not too much so.
NEVER use a 12 volt battery unless you have a big resistor in series. The power of 12 volts will make the carbon so hot that everything will melt.
Total cost of this century old proven tool should be around 50 bucks and with a supply of used dead batteries to replace the carbon rod as it wears down, can last almost forever.
P.S. if you have an old carbon pile battery tester with a variable load device, you can use it hooked in series to give you very precise temperature control of the tool.