*This battery reconditioning program exceeded my presumptions. It worked on any drill battery, several AA and AAA batteries, **batery.repair** and any camera battery. The steps are simple and the act itself is exciting to do. No matter what type of battery you`ve got, it is sure to function again!*

Great memories. I was doing shit like this in the late 80's when I started playing with cars. I couldn't afford a welder but had heaps of batteries lying around.

Wheelie Pete , I have been a professional welder for 23 years and have taught at Mesa community collage AZ. as a second job for extra cash . First of all thanks for filming this . One of the reasons you had such an unstable arc was you were pushing your rod not pulling or dragging it you Push a MIG and Pull and Arc . If you push a Arc rod you are trying to weld thru your shielding flux which will give you problem with penetration . when welding with a Mig(Metal inert gas)you should push it

Since emergency repair in the field usually warrants deep penetration, you want to run DC- electrode so the heat is on the material being welded not on the tip of the electrode. 6011 is "farmer rod" it works in either DC- or DC+ and will cut right though paint, dirt, rust, etc. 7018 will work also though.

The video is just fine Pete. You got the concept, the how to, safety, and purpose across well. Don't worry about re-doing it. The next project is yearning for your great mind.

I am a certified welder and I love your video. I pay so much for a decent welder and to see that it can be done with a couple of batteries is awesome.

@ED4action

9 жыл бұрын

michael leopard i heard that, i'm just a amature buzzard pooper, i wonder what kind of "duty cycle" those batteries have?....lol id' suggest putting your rods in an airtight container so they don't get soggy, maybe a section of pvc with end caps..

Thanks for uploading this video. I've heard of using car batteries for welding, but never seen it done, so this video is great. I'm going to have to try it one day.

Nice demonstration, good layman explaination for the technically challenged. I especially like how you keep the schematic in your pack and mention safety tips all through the video.

I can't stress it enough that you should practice this at home before you have to try it in the field. I've had to do 2 field repairs in the past and I was really glad that we'd actually practiced this in the shop first.

Very cool, and very handy. I've heard of this being done, but never actually seen it. Thanks!

Thanks for taking the task on and posting it for us. You apologize too much. Your doing everybody a favor. if they don't like the way you do it......... You know what I'm saying. I need not finish that sentence. Fantastic job.

Great video. I like how you tried it in parallel just to show that it doesn't work that way.

you can't beat this when it comes to emergency welding, very nice video, thanks!

@WheeliePete Nice tip on using the jumper cables clamped to the rods! Thats truly an emergency situation workaround.

After we got done filming I went to some smaller material (3/16 flat bar) and some smaller rod (3/32" 6011 rod) that I cut down to about 5" and laid some actually passable-for-decent-beads. Using thinner rods will help the arc stike, but you have to move fast to keep from burning holes through the material. Cutting down the rods really helps too. You can use both pieces after you cut, you just have to strip back the flux to clamp the cut off piece in your electrode holder.

very nice video. Thank you for taking your time filming.

Very cool! I love these old tricks

nice video, i found it useful (only in case of emergency thou) good job

you are a genius. i cant wait to try this. this would defiantly get you out of a jam.

Awesome, I was wondering about this for a while.

I watched a few of these videos... Your's was the best. You explained why you did what you did and followed a safe way as well. I've seen car batteries blow up... It's not pretty or funny. Thanks for Sharing

Great video mate, kudos to you and g'day from Australia.

very very good demonstration thanks alot !!

I've heard of some guys adding a resister. Actually lengthing your gap a bit does that some. But don't worry about it. The thing is fixed. That is enough to make me a happy little camper.

Thank you SOOOO much. Now I can start my Car replica project

@EnduranceT The welding rod basically creates a constant resistance in the "short circuit". To damage the batteries you would have to short them a lot faster. I did see a battery short and blow out once when a full gauge battery cable wire grounded out to a hot exhaust pipe. There's just not a large enough path to ground in a welding rod to allow the battery to discharge fast enough to damage it during welding.

Completely. Each 12 volt circuit is an independant loop. Cool side effect is the gauge on the charger gives you an idea of what power your drawing. Less than you'd expect, especially if you don't rush changing rods, take the time to chip etc.

You've earned my thumbs up.

A well done video!

I think that was great, never thought of that and its only in a pinch you would do this.... great vid man.....

Good practical video that may help a lot of people in a pinch. Using a positive ground creates a softer arc for a better weld? Good to know. BTW, electron flow is from negative to positive, but that doesn't matter if you get a good weld. Thanks!

That isnt bad stick welding for useing three car batteries, although seemingly a lot more sparkage. i give you props man!, and if you can stick it in a vise and beat the shit outa it with a hammer any weld would have to hold till you could get it fixed right/better. im gonna have to try this if the situation ever arises

@rob320is There is TONS of ventillation in that garage. The prior owner was painting cars in there and what you can't see are the massive roof vents. I've welded in much, much, more confined environments..lol...

Going to try this- thanks.

man that was a great vid..... it will help me a lot..... tnx

@Vitally14 Nothing happens you just lose some resistance, actually makes the arc easier to start with the battery welding. I will often just cut the rod in half, then peel a little of the flux coating off the end so I can clamp the bare rod into the electrode holder. Works great.

I have always wondered if this would work. Works a lot better than i figured it would. Plenty good for a quick fix if you dont need super strength or need it to look pretty.

Brilliant video mate... cherio

@ColtDeltaElite10mm You're absolutely right about dragging. I usually drag, not sure what I was doing in the video. I really have been wanting to update this video with more testing of supplies, number of batteries, etc. Just need some time (and extra batteries.) lol...

Great video!

@PatMcLJr Actually, it's quite safe as long as you cover the batteries and keep them as far away from the work as possible to prevent igniting any escaping hydrogen gas with a stray spark. Yes, you can use a jumper cable clamp to hold a welding rod.

Thanks for the video- Battery welding works great but when were out in the wilderness in Australia three Battery's are a luxury- We use Two & it has got me out of trouble three times with busted front suspension. (Before I got a real tough 4wd) :o)

Great tutorial thanks !

yep. Electricity flows from the negative side to the postive side. Electrode negative produces more heat at the material being welded for better penetration.

Good stuff bud

Thanks Dear Pete, you are the best, great help, i appreciate it, i love your work and wish you the best always, take care :)

Cool vid! We use 6010 as a root bead only, on pipe in the oil fields. It's a fast freeze rod good to cut through grease dirt and moisture. It's a high hydrogen rod, these rods should not be allowed to dry out. A hot pass and cap with 7018 is how the welds are finished out. I don't know about 6011 or 6013 though.

@offrhode92 I'll have to give it a try, it was my understanding though that 6013 was a light pentrating rod used to make good looking welds, but it has a penetration up to about 3/16. 6011 being a more all purpose (farmer-rod) good for welding through all kinds of dirt, rust and crap. I'm going to do a follow up video here in the near future. I've been playing with smaller than 1/8" rods and cutting them in half. They start up a lot better and hold the arc well.

@ColtDeltaElite10mm Absolutley! I would just experiment around and find what works for you. I'm going to try and do an update video for this in the near future and use some different rods, rod sizes, etc.

@4chizl Good tip. Yeah, magnetism and electricity do go hand-in-hand.

Arc welding rods are usually composed of different metal blends (depending on the application), with a flux coating around the rod.

This is actually a neat idea,,, although I don't usually carry 3 extra batteries with me...and for the shop at home I could probably buy a welder for not much more than 3 car batteries would cost...but It certainly appears that it works...good vid...

thanks for the vid that was great

thank you for the video, this is good for dooms day type things also

That's why I cover them with a wool blanket to keep stray welding sparks off them. You can do this with any set of 12v car batteries, dry cell, gel, lead acid, etc...

your weld is better than I can do so don't worry

One can make a handy arc furnace by incorporating a graphite (electrically-conductive) crucible as one electrode and a vertical carbon rod as the other electrode. Add appropriate flux to make for a submerged arc. Useful for melting refractory metals no less!

If you are going really low on amps try to find 1/16" rods. I sometimes use rods that diameter for very thin materials and turn by powerarc welder down to the minimum amperage rated for that rod.

Since your using this as an all purpose emergency field outfit you may want to stock it with 6013 or 7013 rods their decent all purpose rods, any position, any polarity, and easier to use since you just straight drag them instead of having to weave like a 6011/7011 rod and throw less slag.

@algae1000 Yeah you're right, I've put in a notation on the video now for clarification. When I made the video I was thinking conventional flow notation (+ or excess charge to - less charge) instead of Electron Flow notation which is actual flow from - to +. The DC- (straight) polarity flows from the electrode to the material putting 2/3 on the heat onto the material which produces a more stable arc in DC welding.

@megazonbomb The funny part is that this trick has gotten us home from wheeling multiple times. The first time we tried it we just had jumper cables and some old rod that we clamped into the jumper cable jaws, no goggles, no gloves...after that trip I put the kit together. Impresses the hell out of people when you can weld their junk back together on the trail and send them on their way...lol...

blew my mind!

very informative thanks

I learned the welding trick by accident, when I had a bank short. I grabbed the jumper, and it fused to my hand. I'd say that was a pretty good lesson, no?

@A10WarthogsAreSweet We've had to do this a few times on the trail and we've never had a problem restarting the vehicles. I've never actually tried to run the batteries down far enough to the point where they wouldn't start the vehicle. Might be an interesting experiment... But yeah, do your welding, then put them back in the vehilcle and the alternator will recharge the battery.

I haven't noticed the batteries heat up to where it would concern me.. The connecting wires will get burning hot depending on the gauge you use though. The thinner gauge of connecting wire the more resistance it will provide, but the wire will heat up (if you go to thin it can melt.) I use battery cable thickness wire to make the connections.

fantastic

Technically, yes, that would net you 12 volts. You'd basically have a MONSTER 12v battery. The problem with that is if you get a rapid drain you would have serious problems. Multi-battery systems in vehicles usually use battery isolaters so if one battery dies it doesn't take the other one with it. The best way for most situations is to use a VSR (voltage sensitive relay) activated solenoid which will keep multiple batteries charged without letting a drain on one kill the other.

I read somewhere (online) that one should place an inductive load (coil) in series to assist in establishing an arc and also to smooth out the load on the batteries (as the arc alternatively establishes itself and collapses) .. this can be hard on the battery. Evidently an inline inductor goes a long way to "smooth out the bumps". Trust this as reasonable.

Sometimes 24V isn't enough juice to get the arc to stabilize and you end up just sticking the rod to the material. When I've done this in the field with fresh rods and batteries, 36V (three batteries) can run pretty hot...

so cool!!!

The gaws are serrated so it is hard to grab the rod, If Vise grips or even pliers are handy it helps a lot.

The problem with that is you would just start vaporizing the welding rods - burning right through them rapidly... You're trying to balance the voltage needs of the rod with the battery configuration.

@MrMarreBarr Hence the explanation that this is a technique we use for emergency welding out on the trail.

damn thats pretty cool

Nice!!!

This is awrsome. I lpve it. Put oit aome more stuff brother

@meade9166 You would have to make a series of really bad mistakes to make a battery explode. Batteries explode because hydrogen gas being given off by the batteries ignites. If you cover the batteries with a blanket or coats you pretty much eliminate the possibility of this happening. Batteries will not "explode" from the act of welding with them. You can get a battery terminal to melt if you discharge it fast enough and it will make a lound popping sound as it blows the solder.

@TheBodvarg I'm not sure exaclty. I found on the web: "Basic Coated Low Hydrogen Electrodes are suitable for welding mild steels, medium high tensile structural steel, low alloy steel, non machinable deposit on cast iron and depositing buffer layer before hard surfacing steel." I guess the best thing to do would be to give it a shot and see how it works in the shop...

@ColtDeltaElite10mm Well, we wheel mostly overbuilt Toyotas so we're not under them all that often having to weld stuff... ;-) Couldn't resist. Oh, I've had splatter down the ear canal before...yeah, it sucks. I've done plenty of field repairs (on other people's junk) in the brazing goggles with a #10 lens. Works fine. It's a giant step up from using 3 pairs of sunglasses. lol. Just wrap your head in a coat.

@WheeliePete I found a mortar shell storage container from a surplus store is perfect. Add a bag of silica gel for good measure, 100% sealed and moisture free :-)

A nifty piece of kit...was wandering if this method could be used for Plasma cutting Pete?

yeah mate brilliant vid, heard about it but never seen it done, nice truck to, same as mine but we call em hilux's in oz, cheers mate

Oh your so close there. Use booster cables. 2 sets make the connections. Vise grips to hold the rod. Stuff you ususlly hsve along' or should. Just need to take a helmet and rods- use 7018 x 1/8. You usually have good enough gloves for a few rods. Expect 5 rods before recharging. I have used this idea on the farm often. It is a lifesaver.

@WheeliePete Ahhh, so the rod itself poses as a big enough resistor. Interesting. I've never welded before but I study electricity and am going to be an electrician apprentice soon. I'll probably try welding at some point though, it's also a very interesting and useful trade.

That would only produce 12 volts. Parallel wiring does not increase voltage, just amp-hours. If you put two 12v batteries in parallel wiring you essentially create one large 12v battery. To get 24 volts you would need to wire two 12v batteries in series. If you can find small enough rods, you can weld with 24v effectively. With bigger steel thickness you need the penetration that 36v will give you.

Cheers for the vid, im gonna have a go with a few batteries on an old metal bed frame I wanna bring back to life. I think the volts though are the packets of charge (electrons) being sent at any one moment and the amps are the amount of packets(volts) being sent at any one moment :-) bit of trivia :-) The welds arnt great as you say there, but if you were out and about you would spend a little more time and hey it saves you trekking back and getting your truck after walking home :-D

I've been welding for many years. Been flashed a lot of times. There's no chance that 12v is going to start a 1/8" 6011 rod. Even if by some miracle it did start you would have to have your face right in it and then keep the arc going and stare at it in order to "roast your retinas". The cure for severe arc flash is a trip to the doc to get the jelly they have for this exact thing put in your eyes. But yes, eye protection is a good thing, not arguing against it...

Well, I have first hand experience seeing a rapid drain when a remote mounted battery's long main wire managed to come off it's mounting and drape across a hot exhaust, whereupon it promptly melted the wiring and grounded out. The wire gauge was thick so it allowed the battery to RAPIDLY discharge (all the energy in the battery, with no resistance to speak of due to the size of the wire, draining at once) so rapidly that the battery terminals blew out with a loud bang. Scary situation!

@DuraToTheMaxxx You can use 24v, but you may not get the penetration you need depending on the thickness of the material. 36 runs pretty hot, but the penetration is excellent. Yeah, I know aobut the magnet. Always forget to do something in a video that everyone catches... ;-)

I'm going to re-work this video in the near future, put it into HD, etc. and I'll test a few different rods and change the polarity around. In the field when we've had to use this it's almost always involving busted steering components (like rod ends and shackles (thick material)). Without the ability to clean the metal the 6011 rod as hot as it will go just cuts through the crap and makes a solid (but never pretty) weld. But yeah, when I rework this video I'll do a rod test, polarity, etc.

great!

Yeah, your flow of electricity is being regulated by the size of the wiring so if you have big wires, it will flow a LOT. That's why it's good to practice at home before you need to use this technique in the field under emergency conditions.

@mossmon I have no idea. Might be worth a shot.

Impressive! It might work better if you use 6013 rod. Those are set up specifically for DC-negative welding and from my experience are WAY easier to use than 6011 (which are made for DC-positive). I'd be interested to see how well it would work if you did it with 6013. Post a video!

@RGVCripted You know, I've been wondering if moto batteries would work myself. I only have the one in my bike though, never had three to play with. I bet with a VERY small rod (like a 1/16") you could probably do it.

Amazing, although.. asking the the workers around the construction site convincing them to lend there car battery's might be the hardest part about this method.

This is field emergency use. Don't worry about any of that- it'll still work. Be prepared and then use what you have.

If you change the polarity it'll run much better. E-6011 will blow a hole in stuff because it's a high-penetration rod intended for structural applications... Try E-7018 with that.

When doing it this way I always put the positive cable on the work piece and the negative holding electrode. And I have always use 2 batteries 3 is easier and hotter but 24 v will work