Welding with Coathangers

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Isn't there an old joke about welding with coat hangers or something?while browsing the interwebs this morning, I came across this:http://makeprojects.com/Project/DIY+...1#.UIRzCMXA-SoThe guy is actually using coat hangers, with some improvised shielding. He seems to have done some research, however the resulting welds look a bit off.I wonder if it would work better using better grade steel rod, and maybe refining the shield coating a little.Note: I'm not thinking of making my own rods to avoid buying them, I just though this was amusing, and some of you guys might get a kick out of it.
Reply:A real life MacGyver.
Reply:When I was a kid, my neighbor down the road would fix all my stuff with O/A, coat hangers and flux. The old borax stuff. His stuff always held and lasted, but I used to look at it and say to myself, i'm gonna learn this one day, and do alot better than that! God rest his sole, he was a great man. Beer Drinker! Whooo Doggie, Yowza! Miss that guy. He had a WICKED 55 Chevy! Guess what I have 35yrs later!  Attached ImagesI hate being bi-polar it's awsomeMy Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys
Reply:With O/A yes it can be done, and tig. His own homemade flux, no comment. I wouldn't do it on anything structural. An old shovel handle maybe. --Gol'
Reply:I remember reading somewhere that glossy magazine pages can work, but haven't tried it myself.Lincoln 175HD
Reply:Hi, I use any old steel rod with my plasma welder....I get to choose the mix I want by the filler I use.Mostly, as I have a bundle of 3.5mm rods, I knock the flux off of them and use them as filler.When I want to do a bit of tough surface coating or edging I use springs as they have a high carbon content.....I've also used wire cabling as it's also hi tensile steel.During WW2 there was a story about the prisoners of the Japs who made welding rods out of fencing wire and coated them with a white wash solution....they also made spectacles out of car windscreens.....but that's another story.Ian.
Reply:10 or so years ago I welded a busted stripper plate together on an old neighbor's baler with his O/A setup and a coat hanger. This fix worked and has held ever since. I have the baker now and can say that the coat hanger weld is still there. I'll get a picture to show this week. (soybeans are ready to combine, so it'll most likely rain)Lincoln Precision Tig 185Lincoln Power Mig 256Hypertherm PM 45Everlast 140STSmith O/A
Reply:My dad still has some tire racks made out of pipe that he welded with coat hangers > 40 years ago. Still holding together and they spent a lot of time outside in the elements.ESAB Heliarc 252
Reply:I've used coat hangers for years as welding rod with O/A. W/O flux they pop a lot but still weld alright, with flux they weld as good as bought welding rods.Only when the last tree has died and the last river has been poisoned and the last fish has been caught will we realize we cannot eat money.                                         -Cree Indian ProverbSA 200 LincolnVictor Torches
Reply:Originally Posted by manning10 or so years ago I welded a busted stripper plate together on an old neighbor's baler with his O/A setup and a coat hanger. This fix worked and has held ever since. I have the baker now and can say that the coat hanger weld is still there. I'll get a picture to show this week. (soybeans are ready to combine, so it'll most likely rain)
Reply:A car windscreen  Dont you meen windshield?I think the power line wire  in the US is CP aluminum (commercially pure) . I dont know when you would use pure aluminum when the 4043 and above alloys are stronger but Im pretty sure the power line Aluminum is CP.
Reply:OA and coathangers have done many an exhaust and floor pan up here in New EnglandDisclaimer; "I am just an a$$hole welder, don't take it personally ."
Reply:Windscreen is the English equivalent of your north American windshield. Backlight is the back windshield(I could be wrong on that one though). When I was in school for my C level the instructors told us that guys would make there own stick welding rods out of newspaper. They would wrap the coat hanger with newspaper then dip it into some sort of solution. This could be an old wives tale though. I like to believe its true!
Reply:A weldor friend of mine told me that at his welding school the instructor made them arc weld with coat hangers. The instructor told them that if they could do that then they could weld with anything. The technique of arc strike, stick control, and the correct amp settings help understand the process.My attempts at that learning exercise have not been very successful.
Reply:First welds I ever did (other than brazing) were done with coat hangers and O/A, long before I ever got to try an arc welder."The reason we are here is that we are not all there"SA 200Idealarc TM 300 300MM 200MM 25130a SpoolgunPrecision Tig 375Invertec V350 ProSC-32 CS 12 Wire FeederOxweld/Purox O/AArcAirHypertherm Powermax 85LN25
Reply:Originally Posted by InsanerideA car windscreen  Dont you meen windshield?I think the power line wire  in the US is CP aluminum (commercially pure) . I dont know when you would use pure aluminum when the 4043 and above alloys are stronger but Im pretty sure the power line Aluminum is CP.
Reply:My dad went threw the depression and he cut corners anyway he could to save a penny or two. He welded body panels up all the time with coat hangers and O/A and they always held great and looked good to. Best of all he got them for free from a local dry cleaner he knew. I got the job of straightening them out for him before he used them. I also had the job of pushing in on the panels and holding them in place while he tacked them down to keep them from warping up on him. We used to go to McDonalds sometimes and he would make each of us go up to the window by ourselves for our food to save a couple penny's on the tax.
Reply:Originally Posted by GWDA weldor friend of mine told me that at his welding school the instructor made them arc weld with coat hangers. The instructor told them that if they could do that then they could weld with anything. The technique of arc strike, stick control, and the correct amp settings help understand the process.My attempts at that learning exercise have not been very successful.
Reply:O/A is very forgiving and seems to be able to weld using just about any kind of steel wire as filler for mild steel welding. Sure, probably not the strongest welds, but on the other hand, the old junk you repair with such fillers probably wasn't too good to begin with. O/A is also very forgiving when welding dirty material, you can weld straight over paint, rust, oil and other dirt - I'm not saying you should, but standing in the middle of nowhere without a grinder in sight you at least can make pretty good emergency repairs done.
Reply:Hate to say it, but the windshield/rocker steel subassembly in my '69 Vette was welded by my FIL with coat hangers, baking soda and OA 15 years ago.  He used the method for 25 years prior to that.  The repair is still going strong.TA Arcmaster 300CM3XMT 304S22P12 suitcase feederX-Treme 12VSOptima pulserTA161SMaxstar 150STLHypertherm PM45OP setupStihl 020AVP, 039, 066 Magnum
Reply:He made a crude cellulosic rod, akin to a 6010.  It probably would have worked better if he hadn't used a Maxstar 150.  It's interesting to read about the history of welding.  The Reuben Smith he mentioned was a clever fellow.  In addition to some welding-related patents, he devised a system of machinery that allowed the A.O.Smith company to make 10,000 vehicle frames per day!A.O.Smith made coated electrodes for use in their own factory.  When Lincoln Electric started making extrusion coated electrodes in 1929, Smith sued for patent infringement but lost.  http://www.smithpumps.com/about/legacy.php?page=legacy"USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder
Reply:Originally Posted by stiffman
Reply:The hangers to use are/were the ones with the cardboard tube across the bottom & the hook was double looped, made with smaller dia, wire. Apparently the wire on these was much better quality = less garbage in the metal. I did it in pinches, the larger dia hangers didnt work as well,  ,  ,  , -corne-
Reply:Originally Posted by DSWThe "alum" power line a college buddy of mine took in for scrap was refused because it has steel in it. The scrap guy showed him by sticking a magnet to the stripped coil of wire.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alumini...inforced_cable
Reply:Im thinking this might be a cool video to make [Account Abandoned 8/8/16 Please Do Not Attempt Contact Or Expect A Reply]. See you on YouTube! -ChuckE2009Welded lots of motorcycle exhausts with Coat Hanger.......OA  Miller Dynasty 350Twenty Six HammersThree Crow BarsBig Rock
Reply:Originally Posted by LanseIm thinking this might be a cool video to make
Reply:I Imagine that all the old farts over 60 have tried welding with Bailing wire or clothes hangers or any other kind of iron wire imaginable. I welded with my dads OA outfit from the time I was 12 to about the time I graduated from High school. About then He got an old bomber starter and built his own arcwelder.  so then I would borrow it. I never had a bit of trouble welding with hanger wire unless I stole it from my Mom.  Mac
Reply:Thats really all the original rods were... Metal stick with newspaper shielding....I can vouch for being forced to chip off the flux of 6010 rod and welding with it. After we did that for 2 nights, not too many of us had stuck rods anymore....Lincoln Power MIG 210 MP ( boat anchor )Lincoln Weld-Pac 100 HDHobart IronMan 230Cutmaster 42Jackson NexGenSumner Ultra ClampsDWM120
Reply:Originally Posted by Tool MakerI Imagine that all the old farts over 60 have tried welding with Bailing wire or clothes hangers or any other kind of iron wire imaginable. I welded with my dads OA outfit from the time I was 12 to about the time I graduated from High school. About then He got an old bomber starter and built his own arcwelder.  so then I would borrow it. I never had a bit of trouble welding with hanger wire unless I stole it from my Mom.  Mac
Reply:I read somewhere that stick welding was originally done with bare wire electrodes beforesomeone came up with the idea that a coating on the rod would shield the arc.The newspaperidea seems to make some sense as some rods are "cellulosic"(sp.?)being coated withsome sort of wood or paper fiber pulp goo,(6010,6011 IIRC)Miller a/c-d/c Thunderbolt XLMillermatic 180 Purox O/ASmith Littletorch O/AHobart Champion Elite
Reply:Coat hangers are made out of steel and it's pretty obvious welding with them can be done. But one thing to think about is that Hanger Companies use the cheapest, crappiest wire they can find to make these. In most cases they will coat them with a light varnish to keep them from rusting on your clothes. But the fact that they cost next to nothing, and then get thrown away in most cases, is a testament to why it may not be the best material to use, unless it was an emergency. If I am welding something out of the norm, I will cut a thin strip off a sheet that will match the parent metal to be welded and use it a filler. P.S. I have never tried this but, they say this can't be done... you hold five 3/32" 7018 welding rod behind your neck and try to bend it (into a "U") around your neck.
Reply:Originally Posted by bobhdusP.S. I have never tried this but, they say this can't be done... you hold five 3/32" 7018 welding rod behind your neck and try to bend it (into a "U") around your neck.
Reply:Originally Posted by TozziWeldingOnly the toughest seasoned welders can do that, try it if your tough enough.
Reply:Back in the early 60s, a motor mount on my mother's '54 Dodge broke. We were poor as church mice, so it was a total disaster; no way we could afford to get it fixed.  My uncle, and old time shop guy with a lifetime in heating and refrigeration, came to the rescue.  He took the motor mount to his shop and put the two halves in a vise.  Then he welded them together with OA and a piece of coat hanger.  I still remember the bead - it was beautiful, looked like a pro MIG bead.  He put the motor mount back on the car and it was good as new.  I never forgot that.  It was a valuable lesson to a kid about the value of having tool and shop skills, something you see less and less of today. My uncle died in the early 80s from smoking all his life. R.I.P., old friend, and thanks for the lesson.Last edited by Ruark; 10-24-2012 at 11:12 PM.-RuarkLincoln 3200HDHobart Stickmate LX235TWECO Fabricator 211i