Furnishing weld material

Abstract

Apparatus for furnishing weld material to a surface for welding thereto along a predetermined welding path, comprising an elongate guide (such as a tube) having a contacting surface (typically internal) substantially uniform in cross section and defining a longitudinal guide path (as by a slot opening) corresponding to the welding path, means for maintaining the guide in a position with the guide path adjacent to the surface to be welded and in registry with the welding path, weld material supply means in controlled contact with the guide (as inside the tube) and comprising an elongate flexible member having a contacting surface with its cross section (typically external) shaped to fit slidably in a predetermined position alongside the contacting surface of the guide (as inside the tube), a longitudinal opening through the elongate flexible member, and an elongate piece of flexible weld material (such as a wire) slidably positioned in and protruding from the opening, means for moving the weld material supplying means along the guide (as through the tube), typically by pulling at a substantially constant speed, and means for positioning the protruding end of the piece of weld material substantially at a predetermined distance and attitude adjacent to a location on the welding path and feeding the weld material in such manner as to provide a desired weld bead along the welding path as the supplying means is moved along the guide.