Improvements in Welding Metals.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 4th July, 1899-Accepted, 28th Oct.,
1899
Improvements in Welding Metals.
communication from THE COPPER & STEEL WELDING COMPANY, of Galesburg,
Illinois, a Corporation organized and existing under the laws of the State
of Illinois, one of the United States of America, and doing business at
Galesburg, Illinois; and elsewhere, by Nels Nelson, its President.
I, ALFRED JULIUS BOULT, of 111, Hatton Garden, Holborn Circus, in the County
of Middlesex, Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
The invention consists of a welding flux or compound; and in the method
of welding together different metals and alloys and copper.
To weld copper and different metals and alloys, such as iron, steel, brass, cte., a
flux is employed, the reducing agent of which is potassium ferrocyanide. This
agent may be combined with various substances to present an efficient and
readily applicable compound, and, in this instance, three combinations of sub-
stances are described in which the potassium ferrocyanide is employed, either of
which combinations will operate with perfect satisfaction and uniformity of
action.
13
The first, simplest and most easily made compound consists, in about the pro-
portions, by weight, hereinafter stated, of borax, 2 parts; of pulverized clay,
1 part; and of potassium ferrocyanide one-eighth part.
The second consists of borax, 2 parts; of pulverized copper, one-half part;
of white vitriol, three-eighths parts, and of potassium ferrocyanide, one-eighth
part.
1
The third consists of blue vitriol, two-eighths parts; of borax two and one-
fourth parts; and of potassium ferrocyanide, two-eighths parts.
To weld two pieces of copper, the two ends or surfaces to be united are placed
together in close contact and heated to a cherry red; then removed from the
fire, and either of the above-described fluxes is sprinkled on the faces to be
united. The metal is then reheated to the proper point for welding, is again
rem from the fire, and subjected to pressure, as by hammering or rolling,
,eld the pieces together.
To weld copper and steel or iron, the two pieces of metal to be united are
placed in the fire, with the copper uppermost and exposed to the air, whereby
to prevent undue heating of the copper, the point of this step in the procedure
being to heat both metals to a point sufficient to cause the subsequently applied
flux readily to melt or fuse and so flow over those faces of the metals that are
to be united. Sufficient heat is now directly applied to the piece of iron or
steel, as the case may be, to bring it to a cherry red, this degree of heat, as indi-
oated by the glow of the iron or steel, being sufficiently high to impart the
desired degree of heat to the copper, or other metal, and the two pieces of metal
are then removed from the fire, and either one of the above-described fluxes is
sprinkled on the faces to be united. The two pieces of metal, with the copper

page_text: uppermost, are reintroduced into the fire and heated to a point near that of
fusion of the copper, or to a point when the iron, or steel is soft enough to weld,
and the two pieces of metal are then withdrawn, and subjected to pressure, as
by hammering or rolling, to weld the pieces together...
To weld copper and brass, the same steps are followed as in welding together
copper and iron, or steel, except that the brass must be uppermost while the
metals are undergoing heating.
It is to be understood that my correspondents do not limit themselves to the
proportions of the different substances in the respective compounds, here given,
as they may be varied without departing from the spirit of this invention.
1
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention, as communicated to me by my foreign correspondents, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declure that what I claim is:-
1. A welding flux, one of the ingredients of which is potassium ferrocyanide,
substantially as described.
2. A welding flux composed of borax, pulverized clay, and potassium ferro-
cyanide, in about the proportions specified, substantially as described.
3. A welding flux composed of the following substances by weight: Borax,
2 parts; pulverized clay, part; potassium ferrocyanide, 1/8th part, substan-
tially as described.
4. The method of welding copper, and steel, or iron; which consists in placing
the copper and the iron, or steel, together in a fire, with the copper uppermost,
and exposed to the air, then heating the under metal to a cherry red, then
removing the two metals from the fire and applying to the faces to be united a
flux containing potassium ferrocyanide, then reintroducing the metals into the
fire with the copper uppermost, then heating the metals to a point near that of
fusion of the copper, and then withdrawing the metals and hammering or roll
ing them together, substantially as described.
.
5. The method of welding copper and brass, which consists in placing the
copper and brass, together, in a fire, with the brass uppermost, and exposed to
the air, then heating the under metal to a cherry red, then removing the two
metals from the fire and applying to the faces to be. united' a flux containing
potassium ferrocyanide, then reintroducing the metals into the fire with the
brass uppermost, then heating the metals to the proper heat for welding, and
then withdrawing the metals and hammering them together, substantially as
described.
6. The method of welding copper with itself, which consists in heating the
pieces of copper to a cherry red, then removing the pieces and applying to the
faces to be united a flux containing potassium ferrocyanide, then re-heating
the pieces, and, finally, hammering or rolling them together, substantially as
described.
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