GENERAL SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
1. Always wear proper clothing, safety glasses and gloves when
exothermic welding.
2. Only weld items mold is designed for.
3. Do not use worn or broken molds which could cause leakage
of molten weld metal.
4. Make sure that the material being welded fits in the mold
properly and that the mold will close tightly around them.
5. Do not alter molds or accessories without factory
authorization.
6. Avoid breathing concentrations of smoke, as it may be
hazardous to your health.
7. Avoid contact with hot materials.
8. Remove or protect fire hazards in the welding area.
9. Avoid moisture and contaminants in the mold and materials
being welded. Contact of molten weld metal with moisture
or contaminants may cause weld metal to spew out of mold.
10. When welding to pipe or vessels, you should consider
the following:
a. the effect welding may have on structural members
and thin wall pipe or vessels.
b. pipe or vessels that are pressurized or contain (or have
contained) flammable, explosive or hazardous
materials should be evaluated in the case of a melt-
through or hot molten weld metal coming in contact
with any flammable, explosive or hazardous materials.
11. Failure to abide by the above and follow welding procedures
may result in improper welds, damage to the material being
welded or create hazardous situations for the individual.
PREPARATION OF STUD
1.
End of studs must be clean. Use a coarse brush or file to
remove rust and oxide.
PREPARATION OF STEEL, CAST IRON OR RAIL
1. Surface to be welded must be bright clean and dry.
2. Remove rust and mill scale with rasp, coarse file or grinder.
3. Remove oil, grease or pitch coatings with a solvent or
torch.
4. Galvanized surfaces may be cleaned with emery cloth to
remove oxide film. It is not necessary to remove galvaniz-
ing unless it is double or triple galvanized
5. Cast iron surfaces must be free from large pits and flaws.
For cast iron less than 1/2" thick, do not use larger than a
#65 cartridge.
NOTE: Use powder marked C.I. for cast iron. Do not use
regular powder.
6. Under some conditions of temperature and humidity the
surface to be welded will sweat causing porous welds. This
can be eliminated by warming the surface with a hand
torch prior to welding.
WELDING PROCEDURE
1. Check mold tag for material to be welded and proper
cartridge size to use.
2. Make sure all surfaces and conductors are clean, dry and
are the proper sizes for the mold's application per mold tag.
3. Molds can be dried by heating to approximately 250
o
F.
Molds may be dried with a hand operated butane torch or
by firing a charge in the mold before making the desired
weld.
4. Position mold onto conductor(s). See front of this sheet for
positioning of conductors into mold. Lock mold with
handle clamps or frame, which ever is the case.
5. Insert steel disk being sure it is directly centered over the
tap hole. Failure to insert disk into mold will create improper
welds and spewing of weld metal.
6.
Pour cartridge or cartridges into the crucible being careful not
to upset the steel disk. Tap bottom of cartridge to loosen all
starting powder and spread 2/3 of the powder evenly over the
top of the welding powder. Close the lid of the mold and pour
the remaining starting powder into the ignition pocket on top
of mold lid
.
7. Before igniting, verify conductor positioning and that mold
is closed completely.
8. Close cover and ignite starting powder with flint gun. Pull
flint gun away quickly to prevent fouling flint. When
necessary to hold down on mold cover use a long tool to keep
hand away from flash of igniting powder.
9. Wait approximately 30 seconds before opening mold to
permit metal to solidify.
10. To clean the mold, use a natural bristle brush, soft cloth or
newspaper before making next weld. On horizontally split
molds, use a small diameter rod or screw driver to remove
slag from tap hole. Caution should be used when cleaning
molds to avoid burns from contact with hot mold.
DO NOT USE WIRE BRUSH TO CLEAN MOLD!
NOTE: 1. A fouled flint gun may be cleaned by soaking in
house hold ammonia.
2. Proper cartridge size is marked on mold tag and
shown on the bottom of the cartridge tube.
3. Cartridge size is the approximate weight of the
powder in grams. When the cartridge size specified is
not available, two or more smaller cartridges or part
of a larger cartridge may be used. Care should be
taken not to mix starting material in-between
cartridges.
4. Handle Clamp adjustments may be made by
removing cotter pin and clevis pin and turning eye
bolt one turn clockwise to loosen or one turn counter
clockwise to tighten.
Revised 7.19.19
