How to Weld without a Welder (Step-by-Step Guide in 2022)

If you are not a professional welder and looking forward to getting some welding projects done at your garage maybe as a part of a DIY project, welcome aboard. Although welding work demands some experience and expertise of a professional welder, there are plenty of other options that don’t involve a welder.

If you have some repairing or renovation work going on or a small project going on where you need to join two metal parts together and you can’t afford a professional welder, read along this article to know how to weld without a welder like a pro. There are some effective ways to bond metal to metal without welding. Namely,

• Epoxy: Uses adhesives for bonding metal. The easiest and cheapest solution.
• Nanomaterials: Promising but still evolving technology. Doesn’t run the risk of damaging the metal surface.
• Spot Welding: Done using electric current. Requires copper electrodes.
• Soldering: Requires electric power. Capable of joining, unlike materials. Uses filler metal and flux. Doesn’t require melting the metal parts involved.
• Brazing: Similar to soldering, more powerful. Can hold weight.
• Riveting: Solid bond for metal sheets.
• Screw Joint / Fasteners: Short-term joint. Uses bolts, fastens, nuts, studs, etc.

Epoxy

This is perhaps the most prevalent choice for beginners. It’s certainly the easiest plus cheapest solution, however, it doesn’t continually hold up as anticipated.

This could be a good choice for non-structural constituents, however. If you are looking for creating metal joints that are not supposed to support much weight, this welding process can be a good choice.

Please note that it will not correctly adhere to all metals. For instance, refined aluminum is nearly incredible to bond to.

Tools

• Epoxy: adhesives (depend on the material)
• Abrasive Pad or Sandpaper
• Metal prep

Procedure

• You have to methodically clean the surface of the metal. If the metallic is smooth, it perhaps won’t stick actually well.
• The #1 error you will probably make is when using epoxy, you will not correctly prepare the surfaces. Make certain they are dead clean in addition to oil-free. Preferably, use a metal prep toward getting adhesion.
• When I am using epoxy I scuff the surface up with an abrasive pad or some sandpaper.
• You might etch the metallic surface. This would give a nice, rough surface that the epoxy could bite into. It will give the epoxy tons of surface region to hold on to.
• Mix the two portions of the epoxy, then blob them on the portions that you want to stick together.
• In terms of epoxy, make certain you are using the correct stuff. Lots of the “over-all purpose” stuff out there just does not work that great on metal, despite what the tag might say.

Application

• Metal coatings
• Industrial tooling and composites
• Electronics and so on.

Pros

• Very easy to apply.
• Fast and Convenient.
• Typically a pretty decent method of doing a provisional fix.

Cons

• Do not take those ‘Thirty kazillion PSI power’ claims for granted. They typically don’t mean much.
• Whereas it could adhere well, the material is super brittle.

Nanomaterials

The use of Nanomaterial, or Nanoscale sculpting, is a very effective method of joining metal without welding which is still being advanced.

Tools

• Electro-chemicals
• 3D printer
• Adhesives

Process

• Coarse the metallic surface by a precise etching way
• This results in a fine hook-like construction being shaped on a tremendously small scale.
• Two of these surfaces are then combined using glue, which makes a very sturdy bond.

Application

• You can use this method to join big and heavy constituents together, in applications, for example, the construction of cars and ships.
• You can carry out nanoscale sculpting at room temperature and it doesn’t ask for too many safety measures. As this technique develops, there is the prospective for it to be used in any amount of applications.
• I use this method for joining stainless steel without welding which is not capable to be bonded using other methods. This means numerous new applications may be converted possible, particularly in medical technology.

Pros

• You can perform this welding procedure at room temperature.
• Fewer risk than heat-based approaches. It removes the requirement for high temperatures that could damage surfaces, particularly those that are by now treated otherwise painted.
• Forms a very sturdy bond among surfaces.
• Has the prospective to be used in a variety of applications.

Cons

• The technique is still in progress and not yet completely tried and verified.

Spot Welding

This is an exciting method, in which several skills are required to perform this. I have found this technique very operative and effective to bond metal to metal without welding. However, there are some restrictions on the thickness of the metal being welded.

Keep in mind, denser metals are further difficult toward spot weld since the larger electric current requires to flow over the electrodes.

Tools

• Copper electrodes
• Electric connection

Process

• Put the two electrodes on the opposite side of the spot where you are trying to weld.
• Turn off the switch and glid electric current from the electrodes toward the spot wherever the electrodes are holding in place toward getting welded.
• Moreover, this merely works on the spot wherever the electrodes are located.

Application

• Welding sheet metals
• Welding wire mesh

Pros

• Very fast meanwhile the heat created is extreme and so the production is achieved very fast
• Cost-effective
• The high pressurizing scheme helps out in the decrease of utility bills.

Cons

• Owing to the high thermal conductivity this turns out to be a complex process toward weld silver plus copper.

Soldering

Soldering is another procedure of welding without a welder that adjoins two metal parts with the aid of appropriate filler material at a temperature less than 450° C.

Tools

• The solder which is a filler metal is a blend of lead plus tin. The solders accessible in the marketplace are in the form of soft solder plus hard solder. Soft solder is prepared up of lead plus tin, as well as hard solder is through up of copper, tin, plus silver.
• Diverse solder could be obtained by varying the ratios of lead plus tin in the blend.
• The foremost feature of solder is that it could melt at lower temperatures since its melting point is low.
• Flux, typically, zinc chloride is used.

Process

• Melt the filling metal or the solder to combine two parts.
• The soldering process does not include melting the work parts.
• A suitable solder joint is flat, shiny, and looks similar to a volcano otherwise cone shape. You want just sufficient solder to cover the whole joint however not too much so it converts a ball or spills toward a nearby lead otherwise joint.
• You have to use a proper flux in the soldering procedure to clean plus eliminate the impurities produced because of oxidation.

Application

• Heating component.
• Soldering discovers its applications in locomotive and fabrication businesses and is used in locomotive radiators otherwise tin cans.
• It is moreover used in Electrical Contacts in TV and radio, linking thermally delicate works, and occasionally used to join, unlike metals.

Pros

• The ideal method for joining angle iron without welding.
• It is simple, lower cost, flexible, inexpensive, and user-friendly.
• The low quantity of power is essential to heat the soldering iron.
• The soldering could be done at a lower temperature, as well as controlling is easy.
• Soldered joints could be dismantled.

Cons

• The soldering procedure cannot join weighty sections and it is ideal for small parts only.
• Solders are expensive, and soldering needs suitable solder to get robust bonding.
• Accomplished labor is essential for soldering.

Brazing

Alike to soldering, Brazing moreover uses a blend of fluxes, heat, as well as filler metal to fuse metals. In this procedure, you have to put a flux resolution among the pieces of metal as well as filler metal to be heated and joined together.

Tools

• Heating component
• Filler metal
• Flux

Process

• Not like welding, brazing includes heating the filler toward a temperature that is lesser than the melting temperature of parts being fused. You can use the process of brazing for tinny metals similar to aluminum.
• Through brazing, it is easy to attach two pieces of actual thin aluminum without hurting the base metal and it is a way of fusing metal without welding. What is more, on a small scale (by thin metals) the brazing method is strong enough to bear a decent weight, or as a minimum the same quantity that the material could hold. (For instance, shelves).
• numerous metals, in addition to ferrous metals, could be joined together by this procedure. Further, several applications of brazing might require the usage of fluxing agents to control hygiene.

Application

• Automotive engines
• Kitchen cutlery
• High-temperature ceramics etc.

Pros 

• Brazing gives off less thermal distortion.
• It permits tighter controls above tolerances.
• It does not melt join’s base metal.
• Non-metals, as well as different kinds of metals, could be brazed.
• Brazing could be covered for defensive purposes.

Cons 

• Deficiency of joint strength.
• Brazed joints might be damaged underneath a high service temperature.
• While done in manufacturing settings, brazed joints require a higher degree of hygiene.

Riveting

This is an efficient alternative to welding and the old method of binding two parts of sheet metal together.

Tools

• Rivets
• Riveter
• Mandrel

Process

• This works through introducing a rivet through a head on one end over the holes on both the parts of metal.
• Once over, the other end is twisted or manipulated so it cannot fall over, fastening the two shards together.
• This is a compact technique, as well as there, are a couple of diverse kinds of rivets that are used:
  • Blind rivets – these are the calmest to use rivets plus they only need an application from one side. If they are set properly then you will not need to strike them in as you do by solid rivets. Two parts make-up a blind rivet: the tube-shaped body addition to the setting mandrel.
    
    The rivet is located into the hole using a tool called the Riveter. You have to clasp the mandrel until it emerges on the additional end of the material. While the mandrel breakdowns off, the rivet has been connected correctly.
  • Tinner’s rivets – these rivets are used mainly for thinner shards of sheet metal. They have a plane head as well as are typically through soft iron otherwise steel. The tinner’s rivet is implanted from the base over the two metals’ holes, then set alongside a solid bench or else anvil.A rivet Set is then placed against the channel of the rivet as well as it is then hit until it is flat, safeguarding it in place.

Application

• Doors and windows
• Window blinds
• Fiberglass roofing
• Hanger Straps
• Wind guards
• Gutter construction

Pros 

• Low functioning as well as material cost.
• Blind joints are likely.
• Part Disassembly outcomes in very little damage to the part.

Cons 

• Higher pressure concentration nearby riveted area.
• An added riveting setup is essential.

Screw Joint/ Fasteners

Screw Joint is a kind of short-term joint. We have to use bolts, fastens, nuts, studs as well as a standoff for joining two and additional metal parts.

Tools

• Bolts
• Fastens
• Nuts
• Studs
• Standoff

We can use the following kind of screws and bolts.

• You can use machine screws where frequent assemblies and disassemblies are required.
• Self-tapping bolts are a low-price solution. And so we can use them for one-time assemblage.

Process

• Drill the metal parts
• Put a screw through them, join using bolts and fasteners

Application

• Installed to create non-permanent joints.

Pros 

• These are short-term joints; blind Joint is probable.
• The wide diversity of fasteners is obtainable for numerous applications.
• Extremely dependable associated with additional sheet metal joining methods.

Cons 

• Additional fastening (nut, standoff) cost whereas using machine bolts.
• Gaskets are essential to attain a water-resistant joint.

Related Readings: How to Weld Brass to Brass

Final Thoughts

Efficient welding forms a very strong bond between two parts of metal. While this has numerous benefits, it can also be expensive and unsafe for beginners or hobbyists. However, for tying metals, welding is not the only way. There are different ways of combining metal sheets or rods.

All the techniques I have described above lack only one thing, that is high heat welding and that is probably what you were looking for. Hopefully, I was able to make you understand how to weld without a welder.  I have tried to explain all the popular techniques along with the necessary tools, process, and their pros and cons. Just find out the one that suits your need and go for it. It’s easier and more fun than you think!