Speaking of soldering LMAO

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67Dart273

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Hit upon this thread by chance this morning

Does Your Hot Solder Drool and Cover Your Copper Wires Like Hot Butter?

Some time ago I'd bought a BIG American Beauty at some sale for cheap almost as a joke. The other day I took it to work and showed the CEO and my super. Waltzed into the CEO's office and said, "I'm REALLY not happy with the soldering equipment I've been issued," and yanked that thing out!!!!

Old American Beauty, complete with asbestos / cloth power cord, 550 watts!! The copper tip is ONE AND ONE EIGHTH INCHES in diameter!!!! Notice my strained fingers trying to hold it up!!!

IMG_1724.JPG
 
I use to hold the solder with my teeth when I ran out of hands in the old days. Come on lots of us have done it.
 
I have one or two of those huge soldering irons. Found them at work, have no idea what they were originally used for. Yeah, you can solder some big stuff with this. Its probably enough to do copper pipe too.
 
Great for Radiators. I actually used mine a few weeks ago to put the support bracket back on.
 
LOL makes the lights flicker when you plug it in I bet!
 
More Power!!

In the vein of "trailer trash" "You might be a redneck if........."

"You could be running too much power if.............."

You key up your transmitter and the water level in the toilet bowl changes

You key up your handi-talkie and the antenna glows red

Your transmit receive relay is a Ford starter solenoid

You had to order 460V 3 phase from the power company

You are transmitting and the guy you are talking to 200 miles away experiences TV interference

It's the middle of winter and the transmitter expels so much heat that you have to run the A/C

You have to build antenna elements out of 00 gauge welding cable or they will melt

"LlFE IS TOO SHORT FOR QRP"
 
True story............ Any of you guys know what a "quad" IE "cubical quad" antenna is? These were used by some radio amateurs and CBers. The quad was invented by some folks who were trying to fix a problem with a VERY high altitude religious short wave transmitter in south america. The weather conditions and the thin atmosphere caused the antenna element ends to MELT DUE TO CORONA DISCHARGE!!!! They ended up with a form of 'quad' which is a continuous loop, there fore there are no high voltage end points This was HCJB, at 10,000 ft in the Andes mts.


WIKI
Quad antenna - Wikipedia
"
The quad antenna is a development of several inventions.

In 1924, Moses Jacobson patented a loop antennas with rhombic shape.[1]

In 1938, George Brown et al. patented a loop antenna with rhombic shape and quarterwave sides.[2]

In 1951 Clarence C. Moore, W9LZX, a Christian Missionary and engineer at HCJB (a shortwave missionary radio station high in the Andean Mountains) developed and patented [3]a two-turn loop antenna that he called a "quad". He developed this antenna to resolve issues caused by large coronal discharges while using a beam antenna in the thin air of higher altitudes. Moore describes his antenna as "a pulled-open folded dipole". While the main point of Moore's patent was the two turn single loop design which is not the antenna termed "quad" today, the patent does include a mention and illustration of a two element unidirectional "quad", and describes the time when the full wave loop concept was developed:"

Radio station HCJB.......These guys were SERIOUS

HCJB - Wikipedia
 
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I heard that HCJB has some incredible range and cover a whole lot of South America
 
I have one or two of those huge soldering irons. Found them at work, have no idea what they were originally used for. Yeah, you can solder some big stuff with this. Its probably enough to do copper pipe too.

I'm thinking sheet metal. What is your "work?"
 
I heard that HCJB has some incredible range and cover a whole lot of South America

I guess they are gone. At one point they ran a LOT of power back in the day to combat Russian jamming
 
I think HCJB is still around, it is am & fm now instead of short wave. I met a visiting missionary at church awhile back that worked there. Pretty interesting guy.
 
That is so cool. Sheet metal work for sure. Like what the still builders would use to solder the copper.
I always wanted a big ol electric iron. That one is the granddaddy!
 
No one has mentioned, leading the roof to fender seams....?
Am I that old?
I'm not a sheet metal guy, but I did HVAC service for about 11 years. The shop were I worked still used torch heated coppers for any soldering they did.....which was not very often, though they did quite a bit of custom work. Flashings, entrance boxes, etc. The boss's kid who now owns the joint is likely a master at restaurant stainless welding.
 
That thing could double as personal protection.
 
That thing could double as personal protection.

................So darn heavy I can't hardly SWING it!!!

..........Stand.............by.....................

FOUR POUNDS it weighs LOL and not very well balanced, either!!
 
Flat seamed metal roofing, cornices and such, downspouts, and flashing with returns. Electric irons are mostly used for sections and pieces made up in the shop for obvious reasons. Heavy iron like that is needed mostly for flat lock seams. Joseph Jenkins stocks American Beauty irons and a lot of related tools and materials.
SOLDERING DEVICES

TRADITIONAL ROOFING MAGAZINE - Issue #6 - Installing Flat Lock Soldered Copper Roofing

Electric iron video on this page.
TRADITIONAL ROOFING MAGAZINE - Issue #6 - Expansion Joints in Copper Box Gutters
 
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