From test leads to bond cables to anode wires, there are a lot of instances when wires need to be permanently attached to a pipe/metal substructure. How do you do that? It's a process known as exothermic welding, sometimes just known as welding or cadwelding. This is not brazing, a topic for a later time.
When people call, the first question out of my mouth is, "Are you welding to steel or ductile iron?" Steel is more susceptible to the welding process, where ductile (DIP) and cast iron require more stubborn materials to get the wire welded.
The second question, "What size wire are you welding?" A follow up is, "are you using a sleeve?" Cadweld welders are specific to 1) the material of the pipe, 2) the size gap left for the wire being welded, and 3) sometimes curved for a more secure fit against the pipe. The size of wire, and potentially the sleeve, will alter the size gap in the graphite welder.
The third question is the size of the pipe. For smaller steel lines (3.5" and smaller), the molds are curved. For DIP and cast iron lines <24", the specific pipe sizes all have their own mold. For projects welding to multiple sizes, you can use a product called mold sealer that will help the hot weld metal keep from running out.
The main manufacturers we work with are Erico Cadweld and Continental Therm-O-Weld.
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