Welding welding was invented in 1893, and around that time another process, oxyfuel welding, became well established. Acetylene was discovered in 1836 by Edmund Davy, but its use was not practical in welding until about 1900, when a suitable torch was developed. At first, oxyfuel welding was one of the more popular welding methods due to its portability and relatively low cost. As the 20th century progressed, however, it fell out of favor for industrial applications. It was largely replaced with arc welding, as advances in metal coverings (known as flux) were made. Flux covering the electrode primarily shields the base
Calcium carbide turn of the 20th century. The method for the production in an electric arc furnace was discovered in 1892 by T. L Willson and independently by H. Moissan in the same year. Pure calcium carbide is a colourless solid. The common crystalline form at room temperature is a distorted rock-salt structure with the C units lying parallel. The reaction of calcium carbide with water, producing acetylene and calcium hydroxide, was discovered by Friedrich Wöhler in 1862. This reaction was the basis of the industrial manufacture of acetylene, and is the major industrial use of calcium carbide. Today acetylene is mainly