Butt Welding - Hand Welding

Hand Welding

Butt welding can also be achieved through traditional blow torches in the most common form of butt joints, a process that uses some variety of flux, usually a tin-based solder and precise hand-eye coordination that is common for hand-made boxes of copper, brass, and silver. There are two types of butt welding; one is carried out by smiting and another is carried out by welding two work pieces by non-overlapping.

The process consists of two desired strips of metal that are lined with flux that is lightly dried with a blowtorch until it is a sticky consistency, followed by cutting a strip of solder that is generally 20% of the full joint's size. Applying heat gently makes the gel-like flux now appear white and powdery which now is primed to be welded in which the blow torch is arched so that the "heat cone", the bluest and hottest part of the flame, is now directly upon the sauter melting the joints together evenly.

The joint is then cooled and cleaned in a solution of sulfuric acid diluted in 20 parts water – commonly known as "pickle" – to remove imperfections. Sanding and polishing then achieves the desired finishing.