Large diameter cable welding?

Sam Salvati

Sam Salvati

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Aug 6, 2007
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Is there a problem forge welding large diameter low wire-count cable? I got some concrete tensioning cable (thanks Joe!), and it is made up of 3/16ths round bar, 4 around a 5th. Would it be possible to make your own cable with say 1/4 round rod, 4 rods just twisted together? Would it be possible to weld that up as is or would it take a few folds to squeeze out any voids?
 
Sam,

I have worked this stuff and it does take a few folds or a large bundle to get enough cross section reduction to eliminate the voids. Also since it is all the same material you may not get much pattern. I have been wanting to try it in a box again and see what I come up with. It would look cool in a W pattern or even re-stacking it into a mosaic tile billet.
 
I intertwined some 1095 wire into some of this cable. I haven't ground the blades ye tto see what I have. It was a PIA to get it all spaced evenly and welded evenly.
The billets I've ground were folded and don't have much of a pattern.
 
I think if you twist/weld it really tight and then add a couple other pieces of cable to it you will get a good billet. You really need a good cross section to get rid of the voids though. if this is the same material i have it is only about 5/8th dia. I would bundle at least 5 of these together after doing the twist/weld. But then I would do it in a box from the start. That way I would not have to mess with the smaller pieces.
 
I'm with Chuck, Sam.

I've welded up some monster 2.5" cable. Somewhat along the same lines, a friend of mine owns/operates a trackhoe with a processor. The Oregon chain off the processor is HUGE. I was really excited when he gave me one, but by the time it was all welded and drawn into a knife size billet, the pattern was all but gone. Just like that huge cable. :(
 
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One of Jim Hrisoulas's books talks about this, IIRC. Specifically, he mentioned pulling equally spaced (radially) wires out and replacing them with drill rod of the same or comparable diameter. Supposed to juice up the standard "lizard scale" cable pattern.
 
I am not talking wire cable, but more small diameter round rod (no smaller than 3/16ths) twisted together like cable.
 
Structural cable, right Sam?
Like this.
 

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birdog4 said:
Structural cable, right Sam?
Like this.
Click to expand...

YES that is the stuff, Nice blade Birddog!!!!

What ended up "working" for you with this stuff? Twist very tight first? I like the horizontal layers like that, that is a cool look, exactly what I am looking to do. Your welds look very clean also nicely done! Could you explain a bit about your process welding this stuff up Birddog?
 
I am getting ready to do a can weld on a piece of 1" cable. I came up with a piece of stainless tubing that the cable just fit into.

I am going to weld the cable to the threaded end of a bolt of the same diameter, slip the cable inside the stainless tubing until the bolt bottoms out, then weld the other end of the cable to the tubing. I can then put the tubing in a vise and twist the cable, using the bolt head, before I weld it closed.
I'll weld a handle to the bolt, bring it to temperature and we'll see how it welds.

I love this stuff, Fred
 
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