Page 5 - HIWT Spring 2012 World of Welding

hiwt@welding.org HOBART INSTITUTE OF WELDING TECHNOLOGY

EARLY HISTORY OF ARC WELDING On February 26, 1915, Lincoln Electric Company applied
MACHINES for a patent naming Albert H. Homrighaus of Detroit MI, a
salesman, as the inventor. The patent office rejected all claims
based on the strength that various United States patents had
(Continued from page 3) been issued showing that these claimed items were all old. In
a final rejection, the examiner stated that the German Patent
Although, there may have been others, these two companies No. 207,774 of March 4, 1909 disclosed most features of the
had probably the most impact and formed the root of Homrighaus patent application. However upon insistence of
commercial arc welding in America. The machines were of the the patent attorneys, Patent no. 1,238,406, dated August 28,
constant voltage type using resistors in the welding circuit and 1917, was granted to Homrighaus as assignor to Lincoln
protective devices for limiting the possibility of overloading Electric Company for some of the original claims.
the machines. With the rapid market growth of electric arc
welding, other companies became interested. This brief history suggests that arc welding on a commercial
basis was probably practiced earlier in the German Empire
Lincoln Electric (Fig. 5) and General Electric (Fig. 6) and than in the United States. It also points out that arc welding was
Westinghouse (Fig. 7) all entered the field from 1906 through possibly one of the first “international technology transfers”,
1912 by designing and manufacturing welding machines. as it would be referred to today.

One day, Mr. Elliott received an inquiry from the Pelton Water References:
Wheel Company (Lester Allen Pelton, 1829-1908, inventor Siemund Wenzel Electric Welding Process Bulletin No. 101
of the Pelton turbine) for a welder without resistance in the
circuit. Mr. Elliott met Mr. Lincoln and asked if Lincoln Notes by Mr. Edward A. Hobart (1888-1985), undated
Electric could design and build such a machine. Mr. Elliott
furnished ideas and drawings and a young engineer named Welding: A Journey to Explore Its Past, by Andre A. Odermatt.
Robert Kinkead, a 1912 graduate of The Ohio State University, Hobart Institute of Welding Technology, Troy, Ohio.
had the idea to add a reactance in the welding circuit to provide
a more tenacious arc. This was the start of the variable voltage
machine design in the United States.

Welding: a journey to

explore its past
by andré a. odermatt
Foreword by Jeff Weber, Sr. Associate Executive Director, AWS
Easy to Read Thoroughly Researched
Richly illustrated in full color
What is this simple but complex
process called welding? When did it begin?
Worldwide journey to explore welding
from early discoveries to modern times.
Basic knowledge of the history of welding.
Inventors and trailblazing companies
that made it happen
Problems encountered during development
Most important processes
Contributions of welding to society
“If you enjoy welding and history, this book will give
you many hours of pleasant reading... It is loaded
with interesting tidbits of welding lore.” - A.F. Manz

To order, call 1-800-332-9448, ext. 5433 or order online at
http://www.welding.org/c-22-general-welding-books.aspx

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