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1400 BCE
The First Welds in Iron
When ironwork started to become more widespread, people realised that if you heat Iron to a high enough temperature, the atoms will become excited and begin to bond to each other. This process, known as forge welding, creates an extremely strong bond that will permanently join two pieces into one. https://school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/ironwork/311833 -
1101 BCE
Brazing becomes common in iron
Brazing processes become more common to join metals, allowing for shapes that would be difficult for a forge weld to be created. It involves melting a non-ferrous metal in between a joint, acting like glue. http://www.weldinghistory.org/whfolder/folder/bhpre1900.html -
Concept of arc welding
Sir Humphrey Davey creates an electrical arc and melts two carbon rods together, which is how arc welding works in metals. http://www.weldinghistory.org/whfolder/folder/wh1800.html -
Gas welding invented
Now that the Acetalyne torch has been invented, people started melting steel and iron together, creating a more modern interpretation of welding. -
Arc welding truly invented and patented
The first arc welding machine was patented and sold. It worked by oxidizing carbon into CO2, shielding the molten metal created by the arc from oxygen, which makes a stronger weld. -
Modern stick welding Invented
This process created an arc to melt the base material. Now, filler material is added when the rod itself melts into the puddle. The rod is coated in a flux, which burns into a combination of gases, including CO2 and argon. This now shields the weld from oxidation. http://www.weldinghistory.org/whfolder/folder/wh1800.html