Solar Charged Welding from Batteries

[Ironhead]

Hello everyone,

I am trying to figure out how to control DC power from batteries to stick weld in the 70-120 amp range.
The old way was to hook 6 - 6v batteries in series. The current was regulated by using a long strip of iron banding strap on which a jumper cable was positioned along its length to vary the current. It worked, but the excess heat was generated in the strapping causing it to burn up after a while. It works but is inefficient.

Does anyone out there have any knowledge as to how one could control the current using semi conductors or anything that would be more efficient than the banding?

[Martin]

"solar charged welding" is what worries me..................by it's very definition, you're talking 70-120 amps, which is a colossal amount of power - even for very short times of use you'll consume enormous amounts of energy which will take either a very large solar array to generate, or a very, very long time to fill the batteries - and you'll need some very expensive batteries to withstand that sort of abuse..................to do it properly, you're talking several thousand quidsworth!
I'd be tempted to use almost anything BUT solar to do welding - solar is great for small electronic loads, where there is no other viable substitute, otherwise it's just too expensive.......to be honest, I reckon you'd do the planet less harm by running a diesel genny on biodiesel to power such exploits - and you can pick up secondhand arc welders for a few quid at farm./boot sales
(sorry, if in the US, substitute "dollar" for English slang for pound sterling - "quid" - present rate of exchange - 2 dollars per quid)