Method for processing welding wire

Claim 1

A METHOD OF PROCESSING WELDING WIRE TO PRODUCE A WELDING WIRE SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL DEFECTS AND HAVING A CLEAN PERIPHERY, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: (A) ESTABLISHING A MAGNETIC FIELD AT A FIRST LOCATION; (B) PASSING A LENGTH OF WIRE THROUGH SAID MAGNETIC FIELD AT SAID FIRST LOCATION WHEREBY DEFECTS IN SAID WIRE PRODUCE VARIATIONS IN SAID FIELD; (C) SENSING VARIATIONS IN SAID FIELD CAUSED BY DEFECTS IN SAID WIRE; (D) INSTANTANEOUSLY CUTTING SAID WIRE ADJACENT SAID FIRST LOCATION IN RESPONSE TO SENSING OF A DEFECT THEREIN; (E) REMOVING A PORTION OF WIRE FROM SAID LENGTH OF WIRE AND THEN WELDING THE CUT ENDS OF THE REMAINING WIRE; (F) WASHING THE REMAINING WIRE WHICH HAS PASSED SAID FIRST LOCATION WITH A DETERGENT SOLUTION: (G) RINSING WITH AN INERT LIQUID THE WIRE WHICH HAS BEEN WASHED WITH SAID DETERGENT SOLUTION; (H) WIPING THE WIRE WHICH HAS BEEN RINSED WITH SAID INERT LIQUID; (I) SUBJECTING THE WIPED WIRE TO A DRYING INERT GAS STREAM; (J) WASHING THE WIRE WHICH HAS PASSED SAID INERT GAS STREAM WITH A GREASE SOLVENT SOLUTION; (K) WIPING THE WIRE WHICH HAS BEEN WASHED WITH THE GREASE SOLVENT SOLUTION; (L) SUBJECTING THE WIRE WHICH HAS BEEN WIPED OF THE GREASE SOLVENT SOLUTION TO ANOTHER INERT GAS STREAM; AND (M) WIPING THE WIRE WHICH HAS BEE SUBJECTED TO THE LAST-MENTIONED GAS STREAM WITH A PAIR OF FABRIC TAPES MOVING BOTH AXIALLY OF THE WIRE AND CIRCUMFERENTIALLY THEREOF.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF PROCESSING WELDING WIRE TO PRODUCE A WELDING WIRE SUBSTANTIALLY FREE OF INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL DEFECTS AND HAVING A CLEAN PERIPHERY, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE STEPS OF: (A) ESTABLISHING A MAGNETIC FIELD AT A FIRST LOCATION; (B) PASSING A LENGTH OF WIRE THROUGH SAID MAGNETIC FIELD AT SAID FIRST LOCATION WHEREBY DEFECTS IN SAID WIRE PRODUCE VARIATIONS IN SAID FIELD; (C) SENSING VARIATIONS IN SAID FIELD CAUSED BY DEFECTS IN SAID WIRE; (D) INSTANTANEOUSLY CUTTING SAID WIRE ADJACENT SAID FIRST LOCATION IN RESPONSE TO SENSING OF A DEFECT THEREIN; (E) REMOVING A PORTION OF WIRE FROM SAID LENGTH OF WIRE AND THEN WELDING THE CUT ENDS OF THE REMAINING WIRE; (F) WASHING THE REMAINING WIRE WHICH HAS PASSED SAID FIRST LOCATION WITH A DETERGENT SOLUTION: (G) RINSING WITH AN INERT LIQUID THE WIRE WHICH HAS BEEN WASHED WITH SAID DETERGENT SOLUTION; (H) WIPING THE WIRE WHICH HAS BEEN RINSED WITH SAID INERT LIQUID; (I) SUBJECTING THE WIPED WIRE TO A DRYING INERT GAS STREAM; (J) WASHING THE WIRE WHICH HAS PASSED SAID INERT GAS STREAM WITH A GREASE SOLVENT SOLUTION; (K) WIPING THE WIRE WHICH HAS BEEN WASHED WITH THE GREASE SOLVENT SOLUTION; (L) SUBJECTING THE WIRE WHICH HAS BEEN WIPED OF THE GREASE SOLVENT SOLUTION TO ANOTHER INERT GAS STREAM; AND (M) WIPING THE WIRE WHICH HAS BEE SUBJECTED TO THE LAST-MENTIONED GAS STREAM WITH A PAIR OF FABRIC TAPES MOVING BOTH AXIALLY OF THE WIRE AND CIRCUMFERENTIALLY THEREOF.