How to make a homemade electrode for welding

Electrodes in our time do not belong to the category of scarce goods. In any hardware store, we can buy electrodes of any diameter and for any purpose. Every craftsman, at home, always has some kind of stock of electrodes: three, four, etc.

But! Agree, there are times when, in the midst of work, the electrodes suddenly run out. Unpleasant. I didn’t think, I didn’t calculate, I didn’t stock up. It’s good if the neighbor is also a welder and helps out with a dozen other electrodes.

And if there is no place to take it? And the work must be finished!

This is what we're talking about, actually.

I will say right away: I have two recipes for you. One of them is a miner

Recipe one. How to make an electrode for welding

This technology requires a lot of time and some materials (which, like normal electrodes, you may not have). Therefore, although this method exists, but in my opinion ... as long as you make these home-made electrodes ... you can get hold of the factory ones.

Nevertheless ... Suddenly it will come in handy for you:

To make electrodes according to the first recipe, you will need:

- steel wire of the appropriate diameter (2, 3, 4, 5 or 6 mm.)

- liquid glass

- chalk or ... paper

Mix 2 parts of liquid glass with one part of chalk. Dip the wire into the bath with this solution, leaving 3 centimeters uncovered on the surface (for mounting in the holder). Remove from the bath and hang on a wire to dry.

After a few minutes, when the solution began to dry out a little, additionally “roll” your electrode in chalk.

Complete drying time is about 20-30 minutes. After that, the electrode must be calcined in an oven at a temperature of 110 degrees.

As you probably guessed, you should not count on high technological performance from such a homemade product. You cannot make a high-quality seam with such an electrode. But if you are satisfied with the work with "tacks" - this electrode is what you need!

Instead of chalk, you can use... paper! Soak an ordinary newspaper with liquid glass and ... wrap the wire with it in 5-6 layers. This option is considered more successful than the previous one. It is assumed that when the paper burns near the arc, the carbon dioxide released from combustion will protect the molten bath from oxygen.

Recipe two. Miner. How to make an electrode

This recipe is taken from the mining environment. That's really where, in case of unforeseen work, there is nowhere to take the electrodes !!!  

Miner's ingenuity sometimes gives rise to such technological solutions that you are amazed!

So ... A wire of the required diameter is taken and simply coated with ... ordinary clay! And that's it! They don't even dry. They work right away.

But there is one caveat. For welding with this electrode, direct current is needed. Where direct current is taken in the mine - I will not tell. Because this technology is associated with a gross violation of safety regulations. If there are miners among my readers, they will guess what I am talking about.

Although, I'll give you a hint. She is in this photo:

If you only need to cut metal, then use a conventional apparatus on alternating current. For cutting, this electrode is most often used. If there is no factory one at hand, but the work needs to be done.

Like this!