James:
It is the “End Of The Welding As We Know It”. For a while anyway… There was an accident at the Louisville, Kentucky plant which supplies most of the calcium carbide to North America. Calcium carbide is the main raw material used for for making acetylene gas for oxy-acetylene welding and more importantly oxy-acetylene cutting. Most welding is done with other processes and most cutting can be done with propane, MAPP (Methylene Acetylene Polypropylene), or natural gas. The cutting torches will require different tips and even when up and running there are those who will dislike the longer preheat times.
Suddenly the things I was doing and planning to do have changed. There are other, smaller sources of acetylene so critical uses should still get enough to get by though none have enough excess capacity to meet all the demand. I expect prices to rise of course. Funny how the other sources suddenly find it more expensive to produce acetylene. It will be interesting to see how far reaching the ripple effect will be. You don’t have to think too long to see how all of society is affected by, if not dependant upon, metal fabrication/welding. A couple times in your novel “Patriots” you mention using welding gases to do a job. This is fortunately not not the sudden and final end but it is a good time to come up with switch to Plan B at least as a trial.
My side line is repair and light fabrication and for that I use a variety of processes. In case of a major disruption I have a very basic AC/DC transformer welder and a growing collection of welding rods. My Listeroid powered genset runs primarily on diesel but my fuel supply can be easily extended by supplementing it with furnace oil, vegetable oil, propane, methane or woodgas. With just the welder I can of course weld but also do a surprisingly good job of cutting and piercing. Well, the word “cutting” may be a bit generous but “severing” is a fair description and is better than nothing.
Why a stick welder? Well, there is no denying the ease and speed of wire feed MIG (Metal Inert Gas) welding but simplicity, reliability and versatility will be more important to me. I will have no contact tips, liners rollers, guides, shielding gas or squeaky clean wire to worry about. If some one has a better set up and stockpile that will be great but on my budget this will be quite sufficient. If I have a box of rods I can keep going and do so even in conditions that MIG welding is simply not possible. As for versatility working on different metals means just switching electrodes and no concerns about needing a particular shielding gas. 7018 electrodes are sort of the benchmark for steel but they need to be kept perfectly dry for inspected welds and at least very dry for decent home welds. Electrodes like 6013 and 6011 though are happy on the shop shelf and will run on the most basic, low cost welders. Some may scoff at these two rods or at stick welding in general but in a pinch (or a crunch) they will work pretty well and no one will be X-raying the welds. No big commitment is necessary for diversity; just whatever quantity of specialty electrode you think you can justify. I’ll have to admit that aluminum is no fun with a stick welder but it is sometimes possible.
One especially nice angle is that this survival skill pays me to practice. As it pays I can expand my preps related to the skill or preps in general besides just making ends meet in these uncertain times. Add to this set up a few hand tools and basic supplies like gloves and lenses and the situation is quite capable and sustainable. If there is anything left of society after the crunch I expect to supply a service which is valuable to myself and others. A second welder would make good sense but it’s already on my list. Cheers, – Groundhog