Another welding question, bear with me

[Laminarman]

just an observation...

most non-commercial welders are intended for use on mild steel "tool steel" is much harder which may explain why "home use" welders have problems with some repair welds...

So, is a stick welder such a Hobart Stickmate AC/DC considered a "commercial" welder?

 

[BarryinMN]

Must be a faulty keyboard 3/32

 

[/pine]

So, is a stick welder such a Hobart Stickmate AC/DC considered a "commercial" welder?

Without doing some checking on the manufacturer's recommendations for usage I can't say...what I was making reference to is most of the 140 amp (or less) 110V "home use" welders all say "for mild steel"...

I am not saying these welders will not effectively weld harder (tool) steel but there is a difference...there is a big difference between old tool steel and new tool steel...the older the better IMO but not necessarily easier to weld with a home/hobby use welder

 

[Bill_C]

Hardened tool steel, typically being very high carbon, is difficult to weld. Actually laying the bead down is relatively easy, but the metallurgy of the steel makes it crack easily. Also, the heat from welding would anneal the material (losing its temper).

If you must weld it, my book calls for preheating it first to a dull red color.

 

[bota7800]

If you must weld it, my book calls for preheating it first to a dull red color.

What book is that? I am NOT being snide. I have asked about when to preheat or not before but haven't found a good reference. My stick book does not discuss it. Thanks.

 

[greenmule]

Preheat never hurts any steel ,so if you want to preheat,go ahead,don't really need to get it dull red though,but hot nonethe less,[hot enough to make spit sizzle].

If whatever you are welding,[which we ain't figured out yet by the way],is a hardened steel,yes preheat is nessasary as well as slow cooling,so you can't slow cool,so....

And other poster was right,you don't weld on high carbon steel right[and even if you do sometimes] you end up with a brittle weld which will break under stress.

 

[Bill_C]

The "bible" is Lincoln's "Procedure Handbook of Arc Welding" but it's rather thick and technical. For the post above, I referenced the book "Welding Skills" by R. T. Miller (no relation to the Miller welders), it's a lot more readable and is presented in a learn-it-yourself approach. I recommend "Welding Skills" highly, it covers everything.

 

[nunyabinis]

I once welded hardened steel sweeps to hardened steel spring tines because I didn't want to drill two 1/2 inch holes through six hardened spring tines in order to install bolts to hold the sweeps on. What a project that would have been.


I made two sizable tack welds on each sweep using a Lincoln 175 MIG welder with .035 FCAW-S wire. Held for years until one day I needed the sweeps for another project so I beat them off with a 2.5 lb sledge. One of them just would NOT come off. I beat it and beat it and beat it to no avail. Had to cut if off with a plasma cutter.


So yeah, it can be done.


.

 

[kayco53]

I have a small Lincoln MIG welder (115v) that does all I need for small, light guage repairs around the home. I am going to pick up an AC/DC stick welder. I know,I know, get a MIG, but I will use it six times a year at the most, and I don't want to spend two grand on a unit that can handle thick, heavy repairs. Here's my immediate need and my question: I have a chain harrow and I rigged a unit to lift it on a boom pole to carry it around. However, the darn thing keeps coming undone where the two halves link up. I'm am forever hooking them together, which is harder than it sounds as it's so heavy. I'd like to weld a piece of round barstock of some sort across the opening on each half to keep them together. The harrow tines are like 1/2" hardened steel or something. What metal could I weld there? Regular round bar stock mild steel, will that hold? Somehow in my mind I thought I read that you can't weld to the hardened steels they use on some farm implements (disc blades, harrow tines..etc) but I could be very wrong.

You can usually go with a higher strength rod like 9018 or 11018 for a higher carbon steel with a preheat and post heat.If its cast iron go with a high nickel rod.A stainless steel rod like 309 or Ni-rod is good but it must be be ground clean before welding.Check with a welding supply house in your area. I like stick welding for repair work it is much more forgiving.

 

[bota7800]

The "bible" is Lincoln's "Procedure Handbook of Arc Welding" but it's rather thick and technical. For the post above, I referenced the book "Welding Skills" by R. T. Miller (no relation to the Miller welders), it's a lot more readable and is presented in a learn-it-yourself approach. I recommend "Welding Skills" highly, it covers everything.

Thanks, Bill_C. I will pick them up.