Rod for cast iron to milt steel repair?

[dragoneggs]

If you've already welded this, check the welds regularly. Cast iron changes over time if exposed to high temperatures. The process is called graphitization. The carbon in the cast iron is changed to graphite. Welding requires melting the cast iron and having it mix with the welding rod. The cast iron will not weld properly as the weld material doesn't fully bond to the cast iron because of graphitization. This is not a problem with brazing as the cast iron is not required to melt in order to bond with the brazing material which is why brazing is often used in repairing cast iron. Since this is a forge, the cast iron will be subjected to heating and cooling which may cause the weld to crack as the weld material is not fully mixed into and become part of the cast iron.

Thanks for the explanation. I am not well versed on 'graphitization'. Will read up on that. Been a real long time since my metallurgical class days.

 

[user.69169]

While you at it read up on Graphitic Embrittlement too. Might keep you from gettin dumb and usin vinegar to remove rust.
Only known bout dis since 1924.
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ie50174a010

Still true.

 

[Smokeydog]

(removed) hit the nail on the head. Improve the design. Don’t follow someones bad design. It breaking now probably saved you from future disaster.
Steel plate for table to support the drum. Legs to steel plate. Need room to coke your coal to have a good forge fire. Need room to work your metal in the fire. I have use heavy sheet metal carts or stands from the scrapyard. Some have used a 55 gallon drum.
Prefer a taper sided fire bowl for efficiency. Just depends on how much you do and the results you expect.

 

[Fallon]

It worked fine for 25-30 years until it got knocked over on concrete. So all things considered its done pretty well. If I have to do much beyond re-do a few welds like reingineer it or even just the legs, I'll just give up & make a propane forge. My plans for building a propane forge were derailed by the free coal forge with a little sentimental value.

I've got some Hobart Nickle 99 coming. Will see if that works well enough. Might add some bracing to the legs to beef them up & catch the drum if cast iron breaks loose.

 

[denchen]

Cast iron can be drilled without too much of a problem. What about drilling some holes and bolting to a new frame, or putting a nut and bolt through a hole, and welding to the bolt.

 

[user.69169]

All boils down to how you feel bout lookin at pile of charcoal and burned machines used to be your shop.

Ain't seen nobody yet is man enough to grab a fallin over forgepan wid a fire in it, but if you dat man I'm sure you won't hold it long enough to keep shop from burnin.