Atomic hydrogen arc welding - videos

**Altair** · Feb 16, 2021, 09:27 PM

Atomic hydrogen arc welding videos from 1943.

Previously:

Pile cage welding machine - video
Making a welding machine in the third world - video
Resistance seam welding - GIF
Laser deposition welder - GIF
Welding a submarine hull - photo
Arc stud welder - GIF

**nova_robotics** · Feb 19, 2021, 12:32 AM

Neat historical footnote. Looks like a precursor to tig welding. A precursor that includes hydrogen embrittlement.

**jdurand** · Feb 19, 2021, 06:22 PM

And the possibility of leaking hydrogen into your workspace.

**nova_robotics** · Feb 20, 2021, 07:18 AM

Originally Posted by jdurand

And the possibility of leaking hydrogen into your workspace.

Hey now, why would you be worried about that? Hydrogen gas is going to be powering everyone's stoves, cars and homes soon, and it doesn't have a practical upper explosive limit like every other fuel does. And it's not like it's insanely hard to get a joint on hydrogen pipe to seal or anything. Anyone else think the new "hydrogen economy" is going to crash and burn just like the last time they tried it in the early 2000s?

**jdurand** · Feb 20, 2021, 11:23 AM

Originally Posted by nova_robotics

Hey now, why would you be worried about that? Hydrogen gas is going to be powering everyone's stoves, cars and homes soon, and it doesn't have a practical upper explosive limit like every other fuel does. And it's not like it's insanely hard to get a joint on hydrogen pipe to seal or anything. Anyone else think the new "hydrogen economy" is going to crash and burn just like the last time they tried it in the early 2000s?

Remember, hydrogen is everywhere so it's a free fuel. All I ever get are blank stares when I ask where they plan to get this hydrogen from.

I was just researching strong magnets for a client (advance research for when we get to the new shop...we're going to be busy!) and ran across some pretty well done fakes of perpetual motion motors. Pretty well done, lot of work went into them.

One I particularly liked used a hard disk platter as the central rotor. I will admit these have excellent bearings on them but in this case it still had the motor attached with a little battery pack.

**nova_robotics** · Feb 20, 2021, 12:48 PM

Originally Posted by jdurand

Remember, hydrogen is everywhere so it's a free fuel. All I ever get are blank stares when I ask where they plan to get this hydrogen from.

Yup. The problem with hydrogen for the last 50 years has been the dismal economics, and trying to find better catalysts to make electrolysis more economical. New govenment incentives and carbon credits might push it into profitability, but it'll still be tough. The problem is I've driven enough cars that have developed gasoline/brakes/cooling/oil/exhaust/power steering leaks to know that I never want to own a thing that runs on pressurized hydrogen.

Originally Posted by jdurand

I was just researching strong magnets for a client (advance research for when we get to the new shop...we're going to be busy!) and ran across some pretty well done fakes of perpetual motion motors. Pretty well done, lot of work went into them.

One I particularly liked used a hard disk platter as the central rotor. I will admit these have excellent bearings on them but in this case it still had the motor attached with a little battery pack.

This brings back painful memories of an old boss. He was all set to send $525,000 to some company in Virginia or something because they had a seacan that just makes electrical power with no fuel. It took days to talk him out of that. What pissed me off most was I actually had to look up all the background information because he just wouldn't let it go. Spoiler: it was a motor hooked to a generator. How does one get to their 6th decade of life and not ever hear of a perpetual device before? And this wasn't even one of the creative ones. Some of them are actually kind of neat.

**jdurand** · Feb 20, 2021, 01:59 PM

Originally Posted by nova_robotics

Yup. The problem with hydrogen for the last 50 years has been the dismal economics, and trying to find better catalysts to make electrolysis more economical. New govenment incentives and carbon credits might push it into profitability, but it'll still be tough. The problem is I've driven enough cars that have developed gasoline/brakes/cooling/oil/exhaust/power steering leaks to know that I never want to own a thing that runs on pressurized hydrogen.

This brings back painful memories of an old boss. He was all set to send $525,000 to some company in Virginia or something because they had a seacan that just makes electrical power with no fuel. It took days to talk him out of that. What pissed me off most was I actually had to look up all the background information because he just wouldn't let it go. Spoiler: it was a motor hooked to a generator. How does one get to their 6th decade of life and not ever hear of a perpetual device before? And this wasn't even one of the creative ones. Some of them are actually kind of neat.

I got an idea on how to make one for amusement, based on the steel balls hung from a frame that bounce back and forth. Just have to hide a few items here, a battery there... And then set it on a shelf and start it before a meeting with someone. At some point people should, in theory, notice it's still clacking and isn't slowing down.

**nova_robotics** · Feb 20, 2021, 02:07 PM

Originally Posted by jdurand

I got an idea on how to make one for amusement, based on the steel balls hung from a frame that bounce back and forth. Just have to hide a few items here, a battery there... And then set it on a shelf and start it before a meeting with someone. At some point people should, in theory, notice it's still clacking and isn't slowing down.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxford_Electric_Bell

You might be on to something.