I just happen to come across this discussion room and realized there are
some questions regarding Cadwelding. Well, first of all, I would like
clarify the terminology a bit. The process is actually call 'Exothermic
Welding'. Since Cadweld has been in the industry the longest, people start
calling the process 'Cadwelding'. It's like people calling tissues-Kleenex,
soda's-Coke, or photocopies-Xerox. For those of you who has no idea what
exothermic welding is, here's a simple explanation of exothermic welding. It
is the process of using pure molten copper to melt any metallic compounds
together, creating a solid connection. The reason this is known in the
industry to be the best type of connection possible is because it is the
only connection that creates a molecular bond. Which is just like unspliced
cable. (Everything is melted together into 1 solid piece of metal!)
To make an exothermic welded connection is simple. All you need is a Mold,
Handle Clamp (to hold the mold together), Disk & Weld Metal (to create the
molten copper), Flint Igniter (to light up the weld metal), and a Mold
Cleaning Brush (to clean up the mold so you can continue to make more
connections). Also, since you are dealing with molten copper, I would
suggest you to have the proper safety equipments, i.e., gloves, goggles,
etc... (I guess that's just common sense. It's HOT!!)
Normally when you are ready to purchase a Mold from the supply house, they
will ask you what kind of connection you want to make, and what are your
wire sizes or what you are connecting to (i.e., a T connection, X
connection, End to End connection, etc...) The reason for this is so they
can provide you with the correct mold you need for your connection. It is
VERY important to use the correct mold for the right type of connection and
wire size. If not, you'll end up with a bad connection or a connection that
doesn't work! Worst of all, using the wrong mold might even cause the molten
copper to leak out and melt everything in it's way, including YOU!
Now here comes the best part!! I also happen to work at ATI Tectoniks, the
makers of Tectoweld. We manufacture all the Exothermic Welding materials! :)
So if you ever need help with exothermic welding problems, you can feel free
to contact me at 1-877-EXOWELD, or visit us at www.atitec.com. (And don't
worry, we won't speak in secret codes, we speak English!!) If you like, just
go to your local supply house and ask for Tectoweld products.
Lastly, if you are located in the California area, we have Demo
Presentations on the 'Safe & Proper Handling for Exothermic Welding'. Which
we will be more then happy to do for you or your club meetings. And if you
are located outside of California, we also travel nationwide 4 times a year
for these demonstrations. Just give us a call and we'll be more then happy
to set it up for you! I hope this clarifies some of the questions people
might have, and hopefully gave you a better understanding of Exothermic
Welding!
Regards,
Wilson Lui
ATI Tectoniks
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