Successively joinable carbon electrode for gouging metallic articles

Claim 1

A successively joinable carbon electrode for gouging metallic articles, comprising: an electrode body coated on its outer periphery with a thin copper layer; a substantially coaxial projection formed at one end of the electrode body comprising a continuous combination of: a substantially cylindrical base part integrally formed with the electrode body, and coated on its peripheRal surface with a slightly tapered thin copper layer, which is continuous with the copper layer on the outer periphery of the electrode body, the tapered layer being thicker at the portion where said base part meets said electrode body; and a noncoated frustoconical top part; a substantially coaxial socket provided inside of the other end of the electrode body in a substantially similar shape to said projection except for the slightly tapered copper coating on said projection, said socket including: a substantially cylindrical open upper part having a substantially uniform thickness copper layer on the inner wall thereof which is continuous with the copper layer on the outer periphery of the electrode body; a noncoated frustoconical bottom part; and a slot cut throughout the longitudinal length of the wall of said electrode body defining said cylindrical open part; wherein the inner diameter of the cylindrical open part of said socket is slightly smaller than the largest outer diameter tapered portion of said coated cylindrical base part of the projection so that said tapered copper layer on said base part closely conforms with the copper layer on the cylindrical open part of said socket upon joining of electrodes, and the total length of said projection is smaller than the total depth of said socket.