Remember the last time something broke off your 4WD or trailer in the bush, and you thought, geezzuss, what I wouldn’t give to have an electric welder right now. And the electricity to run it.

Well, you too can make ugly welds in the bush, and strong ones as well. All you need are two pairs of jumper leads (you should already have one), three batteries (your car’s probably got two now), a pair of vice grips (they’re in your tool box), a few welding rods, and a welding mask (or a lens from one).

Join all these together the way I tell you, and you’ll have a 36 volt DC welder. Most commercial arc welders deliver 40 volts DC, so 36 volts is close enough.

Now, here’s how you do it. Place the 3 batteries side by side, and use two of your four jumper leads to connect them together IN SERIES. That means the negative terminal of battery #1 to the positive terminal of battery #2, the negative of battery #2 to the positive of battery #3. You now have a 36 volt battery. Then using another jumper lead, connect the positive terminal of battery #1 to an earth on your vehicle (or part to be welded), and the last jumper lead connects the negative terminal of battery #3 to the handle of your vice grips. Put a welding rod into your vice grips and you’re ready to start welding.

Rods of around 3.2mm are ideal and this setup will weld medium to heavy steel, but if the job is lightweight, such as roofrack tubing, you may have to come down in rod size to 2.4mm and delete one battery. It’s all trial and error. If you haven’t welded before, find a mate with a proper welder and have a practice first - you will actually find it easier to weld with batteries, because the rod doesn’t stick to the work.

But before you start, a few precautions. Eye protection is important, so use a welder’s hat, or make one by cutting a hole in the bottom of a cardboard box and taping a lens from a welding mask into place. These lenses can be bought cheaply from tool and industrial supply places. Make sure your kids aren’t watching while you weld. Also clear the work area of flammable materials such as petrol cans, long grass, etc.. It would be a shame to get this far and then set fire to your car! So don’t forget your fire extinguisher.

John Parkinson