|  ARC WELDING, CUTTING, HEATING, AND LIGHTING  Arc welding, cutting, heating, and lighting images below lead to the full stories on the value of the electric carbon arc in cutting, lighting, heating, and welding: Arc welding is an electrical method of joining two or more pieces of metal—much more firmly than hammers and nails or glue connects wood. When an electric welder makes a proper weld, the strength of the weld is equal to or greater than that of the material being welded, and if necessary, the welder can make his weld water and airtight. . . . Arc welding, fundamentally, is a process of fusing two or more pieces of metal together to form one piece. Heating adjacent surfaces to the melting point with an electric arc and then adding a sufficient amount of molten metal to provide reinforcement and fill any vacant space between the parts to be joined accomplishes this. The series of sketches below shows this arc welding process. Some knowledge of what takes place within this arc, shown in the illustration above, is necessary to learn how to weld successfully. . . . | |