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Stick welding 03-18-2013 21:18:05 96.53.210.246 Report to Moderator	That is a biased article despite what it says. O/A welding, brazing or spray welding may be the best methods of repair but there have been thousands of successful cast iron repairs using arc welding. There are also numerous suppliers of rods especially for cast iron repair. I don't think Lanse said it was the right way or the wrong way but his repair held and it's hard to argue with that. [Reply]   [No Email]
welding man 03-19-2013 09:49:42 76.9.224.70 Report to Moderator	Re: Stick Welded some Cast Iron the RIGHT way... in reply to Stick welding, 03-18-2013 21:18:05   I have probably repaired as much cast in the last 35 years as anyone on this forum. I have arc welded it-brazed it- OA welded it and metal stitched it and every process will work. Some are better than others on a given application. My problem with cast is, any way you repair it is expensive. Some of the electrode is well over 50.00 a pound not counting gasses for preheat and post heat and labor. It is pretty hard to repair a $29.95 Chinese vice for someone and charge him $150.00 to repair it.   [Reply]  [No Email]
Stick welding 03-19-2013 11:18:18 198.53.83.89 Report to Moderator	Re: Stick Welded some Cast Iron the RIGHT way... in reply to welding man, 03-19-2013 09:49:42   I agree with that. Nickel rod is through the roof expensive! I was just pointing out that it can be successfully repaired using arc welding. Some people claim MIG with standard S-6 wire will work on some cast ron repairs.   [Reply]  [No Email]
Puddles 03-19-2013 12:45:57 24.113.77.208 Report to Moderator	Re: Stick Welded some Cast Iron the RIGHT way... in reply to Stick welding, 03-19-2013 11:18:18   A guy on Welding Web posted this a few years ago. I do a lot of cast iron repairs with 100% success so far. Last year, after several months of research, I found information on a couple websites & mostly in an old Lincoln Welding book. The process is called "Cold Welding Cast Iron With MIG". I practiced several weeks on broken cast iron parts & broken/cracked manifolds my bro' gave me to get my technique down pat. It has worked with superb results. I use MIG, 309/309L .030 wire, 98/2(AR/CO2) @15cfh & generally in the 80A range. You can use any gas with a mix of no more than 5% CO2 (ex:95/5). The 309 wire has a carbon content of .01 & works best. The idea is to keep the temperature cool by running short beads <1" & allowing the joint to cool before continuing. After running the short bead, you can take your glove off & lay your hand on the metal & will feel only warm to the touch. Since your pieces are not large, I would suggest shorter 1/2" beads & allow each weld to cool back to room temp before continuing.   [Reply]  [No Email]
welding man 03-19-2013 14:46:14 76.9.224.70 Report to Moderator	Re: Stick Welded some Cast Iron the RIGHT way... in reply to Puddles, 03-19-2013 12:45:57   I have not tried that process,Puddles and would not dispute it in any way, but it will still cost $75.00 to repair that 29.95 vice.   [Reply]  [No Email]
Puddles 03-19-2013 15:03:49 24.113.77.208 Report to Moderator	Re: Stick Welded some Cast Iron the RIGHT way... in reply to welding man, 03-19-2013 14:46:14   Oh Welding man I agree with you 1000%! :wink: I think Lanse does a lot of this for the challenge, and the learning experience. You or I would have pitched that vice in the scrap bin in New York second! :lol:   [Reply]  [No Email]
smallercrawler 03-19-2013 07:38:50 166.82.254.181 Report to Moderator	Re: Stick Welded some Cast Iron the RIGHT way... in reply to Stick welding, 03-18-2013 21:18:05   Not a welder and no dog in this discussion, but do have a couple of observations: 1. Worked in a large internationally known gray iron foundry years ago that cast machine tool bases (lathes/mills/shapers/etc.) weighing into the multiple tons in size. Some were so big that the bottom half of the mold (cope/drag??) was actually set into a pit in the floor. After knockout and cleanup, the castings were inspected for flaws/voids/improper knit lines/general integrity. Both structural and cosmetic defects were repaired using OA and rough sticks of metal from that pour. Of course either ovens or large spot burners were used in the repair, along with proper cooling rates depending on the casting size. The repair guys were the specialists and IIRC recieved higher wages, as a proper repair would save the cost of a re-pour. 2. I think Lanse did title his post "...the RIGHT way" (his capitalization).   [Reply]  [No Email]
george md 03-18-2013 21:28:57 209.213.167.201 Report to Moderator	Re: Stick Welded some Cast Iron the RIGHT way... in reply to Stick welding, 03-18-2013 21:18:05   Arc always leaves a hard zone next to the weld and without normalizing it will remain brittle. Article is not as much biased as it is accurate. Having o/a welded cast for the last 30 years ,I can assure you that it is more accurate than the rod suppliers trying to peddle their wares.   [Reply]  [No Email]
Stick welding 03-18-2013 22:25:31 96.53.210.246 Report to Moderator	Re: Stick Welded some Cast Iron the RIGHT way... in reply to george md, 03-18-2013 21:28:57   A lot of advances have been made in cast iron welding in the last 30 years as well. It would be interesting to hear someone like Eutectic Castolins take on cast iron repair with arc welding.   [Reply]  [No Email]
trap4570 03-19-2013 08:05:26 166.147.104.15 Report to Moderator	Re: Stick Welded some Cast Iron the RIGHT way... in reply to Stick welding, 03-18-2013 22:25:31   A friend had an old Massey with a water cracked block. I did some searching and came across a product called 'Castaloy' that made the repair really easy. It can be bought in less than a pound quantities and came with the flux. It takes a little more heat than a butane torch, but not much. It was just like soldering and sealed the crack perfectly. It's not intended for repairs to high stress areas but works great on cracks. I did the repair four years ago and no leaks. It was far easier than lacing the block with sintered iron bolts and a lot cheaper than using nickel rod and a lot of heat. I've also used the steelaloy and alumaloy for repairs to other stuff. I found the product on Ebay   [Reply]  [No Email]