Vince Pitelka on wed 15 sep 04
MIG welding equipment is pricey, and TIG is pricier. Anyone who wants to do
metal scupture and has the money might want to consider TIG, because you can
arc weld stainless, aluminum, bronze, etc.
But if you want very strong welds for the lowest price, a regular
old-fashioned arc welder is the way to go. Get a 220-volt Lincoln, Century,
Airco, or Miller 225 amp buzz box and a small oxy-acetylene outfit, and you
can do anything you would ever need to do in building kilns, ware carts,
extruders, slab rollers, etc. The oxy-acetylene outfit is for cutting and
bending steel and for brazing, and can also be used for welding thin sheet
steel. But it is no good at all for high-strength welds of thicker
materials, such as you would use in building a kiln. An old-fashioned arc
welder is the cheapest solution for that kind of work.
In undergraduate school in 1969/70 I was involved in a sculptor's foundry
program at Humboldt State University. We built all of our own equipment,
including crucible furnaces, cupolas (cast iron furnaces), melt-out
furnaces, overhead track crane, and all sorts of other equipment. Humboldt
still had an industrial arts department at that time, and all serious
foundry students were vigorously encouraged to take the IA technical welding
courses in gas and arc welding. Ever since then I have been encouraging
potters to do the same thing. It is such a pleasure to be able to build
your own kilns, tools and fixtures to your own needs and specifications, and
such a pleasure to use the stuff you have built.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft, Tennessee Technological University
Smithville TN 37166, 615/597-6801 x111
vpitelka@dtccom.net, wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/
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