Third World Arc Welding

[DylanM]

These images have been floating around the web for a while now, but I don't think they have been posted here before.










Death trap or good resourcefulness?

[poorchava]

That's quite an old picture. On the other hand vintage arc welders were done exactly the same way. Rarely did they contain anything but huge main transformer. The only difference was that those welders had a moving core, which allowed for rough power regulation. I think my grandpa has one of those in his cellar (he said he bought it around 1950-1960 and it was broken from the beginning).

This one should be same as functional, but bare mains wire are obvious death trap.

[Balaur]

Man, I just don't know. I'm fully familiar with this kind of stuff.

Many, many times I've helped my father to rewound the same type of transformer. I do remember overheating, drops of molten metal, sparks flying everywhere without protection, fuses replaced with nails, woefully underrated electrical network, and so on. I was very young at the time and I distinctly remember spending a rather nasty night because of pain in my eyes.

Frankly, looking back in time, I can see a lot of opportunities for making the process much better, even when considering the limitations and the lack of resources at that time. I don't want to judge, but come on, there are so many simple things to do that could improve your life tremendously. And please, don't think that I'm a rich westerner that speaks from his derrière, I've gone through this kind of stuff myself.

Just look at the state of the transformer: don't drag it on the ground, make some kind of wood frame, respect the duty cycle and you'll have a way better overall experience.

[G7PSK]

That photo has been on here in the past, I wonder how old the transformer is it could date to the 1920's from the insulation.

[SeanB]

That is aluminium wire, so it is later than 1970. The wire is still made, with the paper wrapping, as wire to wind oil impregnated power transformers for use in the power distribution network.  I looks like the owner is not the brightest kid on the block, but is very inventive.  Not the best welder either, from the looks of those welds, would not like to sleep on that bedframe he is putting together.

[G7PSK]

No eye protection or gloves so yes not to bright, I have known the welding rods to glow red up at the top when welding and lack of eye protection will lead to arc eye at the very least. My wife's sister and brother in law live in Zimbabwe and when I have visited  on one occasion I saw some one welding a fence using an old sock as eye protection. The welds he is producing look like the welding rods are damp.

[MartinX]

The transformer is probably home made, they have used tin cans and whatever flat iron piece they could get and snipped core pieces out of them, and then stacked them together.

[Paul Moir]

'Least they're isolated.