Pin brazing is a hassle free, safe method for creating electrical connections to ductile iron and steel pipelines. If the object is to be cathode protected or earthed, using the pin brazing method is ideal.

Pin brazing was invented back in the 1950’s and ever since has been the primary choice for attaching cables and earthing metal objects within the cathodic protection industry.

Not only do you keep the metal from changing its metallurgical properties, this method is much faster and more safe as well. The pin brazing method lets you do the brazing in any weather and requires very little skill training to learn. Usually one hour is sufficient.

The technique is based on electric-arc silver soldering. The specially made pin brazing unit is extremely lightweight welding equipment.

When you press the trigger of the pin brazing gun, you complete a electrical circuit where DC current is released. The resulting charge melts the flux within the brazing pin and solders the connection between the two metal objects.

When brazing you rarely surpass 650 degrees Centigrade, this means you probably won’t affect the metal as much as you would have done with hotter welding methods like CAD welding.

Here is a short video on how this method looks like out in the field :

The process takes about one to two seconds to complete, when the gun has finished its job of completing the circuit, the pin is usually mechanically or electrically broken and you are left with a homogeneous connection between two metal objects.

This method is perfectly suited for the following areas :

• insulated pipe sections ( joints )
• Connection of measuring cables
• Installation of sacrificial anodes
• Bonding zinc bracelets to subsea pipelines ( primarly on pipelaying vessels )

The cathodic protection industry, and ourselves have always considered Pin brazing to be the most versatile and safe method to do cable connections .

You can see our Pin brazing equipment here