Installation Manual

GENERAL SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS
1. Always wear proper clothing, safety glasses and gloves when
exothermic welding.
2. Only weld items that the mold is designed for.
3. Do not use worn or broken molds which could cause leakage of
molten weld metal.
4. Make sure that the conductors being welded fits in the mold
properly and that the mold will close tightly around them.
5. Do not alter molds or accessories without factory authorization.
6. Avoid breathing concentrations of smoke, as it may be hazardous
to your health.
7. Avoid contact with hot materials.
8. Remove or protect fire hazards in the welding area.
9. Avoid moisture and contaminants in the mold and conductors
being welded. Contact of molten weld metal with moisture or
contaminants may cause weld metal to spew out of mold.
10. When welding to pipe or vessels, you should consider the
following:
a. the effect welding may have on structural members
and thin wall pipe or vessels.
b. pipe or vessels that are pressurized or contain (or
have contained) flammable, explosive or hazardous
materials should be evaluated in the case of a melt-
through or hot molten weld metal coming in contact
with any flammable, explosive or hazardous
materials.
11. Failure to abide by the above and follow welding procedures may
result in improper welds, damage to the material being welded or
create hazardous situations for the individual.
PREPARATION OF CABLE
1. Cable must be bright, clean and dry.
2. Cable that is saturated with oil or grease must be cleaned. Cable
may be cleaned by burning it off with a propane or oxy-acetylene
torch. After burning off oil or grease, a wire brush should be used
to remove residue. Wet cable must be dried out. Use a hand
propane torch.
3. Corroded cable must be cleaned. Use the CCBRSH2 cable
cleaning brush or CCBRSH1 card cloth brush. It is important that
the ends of the individual strands are clean. This can best be
accomplished by making a fresh cut on the end of the cable.
4. Cable should be straightened before clamping mold in place. Bent
or out of round cable will hold mold open and cause leaks.
5. Remove insulation from insulated cable before cutting with hack
saw. Otherwise, ends of strands will become coated with
insulating material which may cause defective welds.
6. FLEXIBLE CABLE: A sleeve must be used when welding flexible
cable. WRPSLV wrap sleeves are recommended for 300 MCM
and smaller cable.
PREPARATION OF GROUND RODS AND
GROUND RECEPTACLES
1. Ends that are threaded, mushroomed from driving, or drilled and
tapped, must be cut off. Contact factory about ground rod driving
sleeves.
2. End of ground rods and receptacles must be clean. Use a coarse
file to remove rust and oxide.
3. UNDER SIZED ROD MAY BE BUILT UP WITH WRPSLV
WRAP SLEEVES.
WELDING PROCEDURE
1. Check mold tag for conductors to be welded and proper weld
metal cartridge size to use.
2. Make sure all surfaces and conductors are clean, dry and are the
proper sizes for the mold’s application per mold tag.
3. Molds can be dried by heating to approximately 250°F. Molds
may be dried with a hand operated propane torch or by firing a
charge in the mold before making the desired weld.
4. Position mold onto conductor(s). See front of this sheet for
positioning of conductors into mold. Lock mold with handle
clamps or frame, which ever is the case.
5. Insert steel disk being sure it is directly centered over the tap
hole. Failure to insert disk into mold will create improper welds
and spewing of weld metal.
6. Pour cartridge or cartridges into the crucible being careful not to
upset the steel disk. Tap bottom of cartridge to loosen all starting
powder and spread 2/3 of the powder evenly over the top of the
welding powder. Close the lid of the mold and pour the remaining
starting powder into the ignition pocket on top of mold lid.
7. Before igniting, verify conductor positioning and that mold is
closed completely.
8. Close cover and ignite starting powder with flint gun. Pull flint
gun away quickly to prevent fouling flint. When necessary to
hold down on mold cover use a long tool to keep hand away from
flash of igniting powder.
9. Wait approximately 30 seconds before opening mold to permit
metal to solidify.
10. To clean the mold, use a MCBRSH1 natural bristle brush, soft
cloth or newspaper before making next weld. On horizontally
split molds, use end of mold cleaning spade, a small diameter rod
or screw driver to remove slag from tap hole. Caution should be
used when cleaning molds to avoid burns from contact with hot
mold.
DO NOT USE WIRE BRUSH TO CLEAN MOLD!
NOTE: 1. A fouled flint gun may be cleaned by soaking in
household ammonia.
2. Proper weld metal cartridge size is marked on mold
tag and shown on the bottom of the cartridge tube.
3. Cartridge size is the approximate weight of the
powder in grams. When the cartridge size specified
is not available, two or more smaller cartridges or
part of a larger cartridge may be used. Care should
be taken not to mix starting material in-between
cartridges.
4. Handle Clamp adjustments may be made by
removing adjusting screw and turning eye
bolt 180° clockwise to tighten or 180° counter
clockwise to loosen.