Braze it or weld it?

stevieb49829 · Dec 2, 2023

This is a timing cover off a Continental Flathead. I cooked it in my wood boiler. Its bolted to a 1/2'' strongback plate, and I'll preheat it in my wood boiler. My rods say preheat to 7-800. For the most part, it's 3/16 cast where it's cracked. Would you braze it, or weld it with good cast rod in the stick welder. Also, I heard you can braze with a TIG, which I also have. Is that an option? steve

old · Dec 2, 2023

I'd try to find a good used one first. If that is a no go I would weld it but I would heat it up to 500 plus in my home oven then weld it with NI rod and then put it back in the oven and after say 30 minutes turn the oven off and let it cool.

stevieb49829 · Dec 2, 2023

Thanks, Rich. Its not imperative that I fix it, but its a good challenge. I have one more to use that isn't broken, but it may make a good spare if I can fix it well. There's one on fleaBay for under $50. steve

rustred · Dec 2, 2023

Looks like the perfect candidate for a brazing job. V out the crack a bit , heat it up with the torch and go to it.

Moonlite37 · Dec 2, 2023

I would braze it and be done with it before you could go look for a new one. Then check for warpage and grind it til all gasket surfaces match.

sms · Dec 2, 2023

I had a friend that had a welding business repair/weld an irreplaceable water pump for me. He preheated, welded, peened to relieve stress and cooled it very slowly over a day or two. It had spiderweb cracks, he got them all and 20+ years later it still doesn't leak.
I don't know what equipment he used, I probably did at the time.

caterpillar guy · Dec 2, 2023

It would need preheating either way Then slow cooling like already said. For brazing it would probably be stronger since the brass will soak in like solder does. Veeing it out to weld can be done though I would just weld it up with regular rod once hot. Grinding cast smears the pore in the iron shut so grinding to vee it out to braze is not such a good idea and chipping a crack on cast that thin is hard to do without causing more damage. The reason I would braze it without grinding on it. Heavy cast press bases they chip out the crack then either braze it or weld them up after preheating you will want to let it cool after the process you choose for about a half day till it is cool enough to touch then worry about any cosmetics you want to do though if brazed well it will not have a lot of material to clean off and might be better left on. then it should be run on a surface grinder to make sure all the face is the same plain so it doesn't crack when tightened up on the engine. I suppose if you had a real flat heavy topped table you could do a light check for flat. Or a granite block would work also.

Stephen Newell · Dec 2, 2023

You wouldn't know until you started welding it if it would work or not. Sometimes cast has so much impurities in it that it will burn instead of welding. Brazing on the other hand would work either way. Either case heat the metal first and when you are done let it cool as slow as you can.

Stephen Newell · Dec 2, 2023

Heat it in the oven and the Mrs may put a for sale sign on the tractor.

DoubleO7 · Dec 2, 2023

(quoted from post at 08:39:38 12/02/23) I had a friend that had a welding business repair/weld an irreplaceable water pump for me. He preheated, welded, peened to relieve stress and cooled it very slowly over a day or two. It had spiderweb cracks, he got them all and 20+ years later it still doesn't leak.
I don't know what equipment he used, I probably did at the time.

My go to welder guy for cast welding or brazing too would preheat in an old oven. Along with a metal box of washed, dry sand at the same time.
Take cast piece out of oven and weld it up.
Then set the cast on top of a bat of fiberglass insulation and cover both with he oven hot sand. Then another bat of insulation.
Sometimes it took three days before you could handle the part with bare hands.

This post was edited by DoubleO7 on 12/02/2023 at 07:59 am.

old · Dec 2, 2023

Not in my house the kitchen is mine here

dr sportster · Dec 2, 2023

It could easily be brazed I might use Ni-Rod

BarnyardEngineering · Dec 2, 2023

You can braze with TIG using silicon-bronze filler rod. Basically the same as doing it with the torch except the arc inside the argon gas bubble does the cleaning instead of having to use flux. You also have more control.

chuck machinist · Dec 2, 2023

What Steve suggests . Been there. did that! CM

Robert (ID) · Dec 2, 2023

Preheat and cool it slow... the insulation and dry sand is a good way.. I have used good clean floor dry too.. welded many baler needles up this way..

Brown David · Dec 3, 2023

(quoted from post at 14:08:04 12/02/23) Not in my house the kitchen is mine here

Single I take it?

buickanddeere · Dec 3, 2023

(quoted from post at 02:19:36 12/02/23) This is a timing cover off a Continental Flathead. I cooked it in my wood boiler. It s bolted to a 1/2'' strongback plate, and I'll preheat it in my wood boiler. My rods say preheat to 7-800. For the most part, it's 3/16 cast where it's cracked. Would you braze it, or weld it with good cast rod in the stick welder. Also, I heard you can braze with a TIG, which I also have. Is that an option? steve

What is the plan to stop the crack from extending further ?

stevieb49829 · Dec 3, 2023

B&D, it's cracked all the way across. It's already cracked into two pieces. Not much travel beyond that. steve

stevieb49829 · Dec 3, 2023

Since this is a test of my welding, I might try the TIG. I did see on Google there is a suggestion as to the Tungsten that is best. I'll have to go back and compare what I have in the torch to what is suggested. steve

stevieb49829 · Dec 3, 2023

"Brown David" I'm not sure what you are referring to about being single, but no, we just celebrated 49 years together. And I do know better than putting it in the kitchen oven. I think Old has done that before, but he apparently is the king of his kingdom. Me, I'm just the guy that changes the light bulbs, and plows the snow!!!! steve

Braze it or weld it?

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