How I Learned to Use a Spot Welder

Before learning how to use a spot welder, I had to learn how to cut sheet metal.

I used a shear to try to achieve a smooth, clean cut. I held the shear steadily and used the table for leverage to cut the sheet metal.

Using the shear, brake, and roll machine was another method of cutting pieces of sheet metal.

To use the spot welder I needed sheet metal to weld.

I used a tri-square and a marker to draw rectangles that were one inch wide by two inches long.

I cut along the lines on the sheet metal using the shear, roll, and brake machine.

I used the same machine to bend each piece of sheet metal at an approximate 90-degree angle.

Before spot welding, I used sandpaper to clean the outside of the sheet metal. Rust and stains yield weaker welds.

A fellow classmate demonstrated how to use a spot welder. To use a spot welder you must wear safety goggles and leather gloves. The machine sparks when it is activated.

I used and held the spot welder at different times. The numbers on each piece of welded sheet metal represent how long, in seconds, the spot welder heated the pieces together.

My classmates and I pulled apart the welded pieces of sheet metal. We did this to test the strength of each weld. As the heating period reached seven seconds, the weld grew stronger.

I continued welding more pieces of sheet metal and increased the heating period. However, heating the metal for too long only burnt the metal. I was told by my instructor, Mr. Grosinger, that nine seconds was way too long and past the machine's limitations.

The weld grew stronger. I was unable to find the point in time (length of heating period) at which the sheet metal joints begin to weaken.

How to Make a Handmade Flashlight

These are the three phases involved in making a handmade flashlight. You can choose to make your own battery or purchase one in a store.

To make your own penny battery you'll need pennies, cardboard, salt, and water.

Pennies produced after 1985 contain zinc and copper. To find the zinc you can sand off the tails side of your pennies.

Wet the pieces of cardboard and soak them in salt and water.

If you stack all the pieces together correctly, your penny battery should generate some voltage.

A large stack of pennies is enough to power an LED. The LED I used required 0.3 volts of energy.

The next phase involves making a circuit. Incorporating a switch into your circuit will allow you to turn the LED on and off at will. If you wish to use AA batteries, you can tape them together or use a battery holder.

To attach different wires to your circuit you can simply strip the ends of the wires and twist them together. I recommend using a soldering iron to solder the joints where the wires meet for a stronger bond.

To begin your circuit, attach a wire to the cathode and anode of the LED. Solder the wires to the LED. Be sure to tape the wires together. The LED is fragile! You can use shrink tubes to fortify the joints.

To conclude Phase 2, attach your switch and battery to the LED. I found electric tape very efficient and useful. If you attach all the components correctly you should end up with an operational flashlight.

Carrying around a circuit when you need a flashlight isn't practical. The third phase of the project involves building a protective apparatus to hold your circuit. You can be as creative as you'd like.

The final step is to see if your flashlight can survive a 5-foot drop.