# FLOW WELDING



## woodchucker (Sep 29, 2021)

back in the 80s I went to a manufacturing trade show and saw an amazing welding setup. I think they called it FLOW WELDING. Has anyone seen it? What happened to it?

The guy took two piece of steel, set them out, then took the gun and ran the gun to the seam. Out came this black heavy looking slag as he moved the gun.
When he was done, a pair of pliers lifted the black slag, and a beautiful weld was underneath.  NO FLASH no weaving..

Stunning welds, with what looked like no expertise.

I have never seen it since?


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## G-ManBart (Sep 29, 2021)

Haven't seen that one, but flow welding is usually done by the addition of molten metal to joint two parts.


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## woodchucker (Sep 29, 2021)

How did they do it with a flexible hose?  molten metal going through any hose has to be scorching hot?

it was really cool , and the weld was absolutely gorgeous.


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## JRaut (Sep 29, 2021)

Submerged Arc Welding (SAW) perhaps?


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## woodchucker (Sep 29, 2021)

damn, that's close. I don't remember the loose flux... I kind of remember the slag just lifting off, and being black, but that doesn't mean that they haven't changed it in 35 or so years.


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## benmychree (Sep 29, 2021)

Where I used to work, they made large diameter line pipe, up to 42" with 15/16" wall thickness, if the sub arc welds had a defect in an area inside or outside, they had a portable hand held sub arc gun that had a flux hopper built onto it.  All the welds were X rayed for defects and repaired if necessary.  Small skinny guys were in demand there for inside the pipe work, as small as 20" diameter.


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## kb58 (Sep 29, 2021)

benmychree said:


> ... Small skinny guys were in demand there for inside the pipe work, as small as 20" diameter.


That reminds me of a coworker who, for his summer job, was a pipeline welder in El Centro California, which is basically a desert. He said that one day, he was welding inside a pipe when it was 114 F outside, and it was then that he decided to become an engineer...


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## kb58 (Sep 29, 2021)

Coincidentally I just watched this video. Start at 9:34


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## G-ManBart (Sep 30, 2021)

JRaut said:


> Submerged Arc Welding (SAW) perhaps?



That's what I was thinking....or a variation on it.


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