Tiller "Broke" my Tiller Moving

DappleDoxieStaff · Mar 23, 2014

joshuabardwell said:
Dang, our messages crossed in the Internet.

If you have a propane torch, whether or not you can heat it up enough depends on the tips you've got, but yeah, propane is plenty hot for heating and cutting if you have the right equipment. Heating before bending will do a better job of not weakening the metal, but I don't think you need to worry too much. This isn't high-carbon steel, so it's not like you're going to make it brittle. The key will be to use a tip on the torch that concentrates the heat where you want it. Get the bent section nice and red, and it'll bend back without too much trouble. Then just let it cool on its own--don't throw water on it or anything to hurry it up.

Then I will give it a stab!! May not be above my paygrade afterall!
Thank you all!!

2458n · Mar 24, 2014

I am a fair sized guy and you are going to want more heat then a small propane torch is going to supply. You are not the first and will not be the last to do something like this. Take the picture with you To a welding supply place and ask them to recomend someone.

Baby Grand · Mar 24, 2014

As Joshua said - you can do this with propane if you have the right tip for the torch. You want to get the steel dull red hot in overcast light. If you're working in direct sunlight, then move something to put the work in the shade the better to judge the color. With propane you will need to be patient and play the tip of the flame in a line along the path where you want the metal to bend. A long pipe wrench applied to the bent "ear" or a close fitting pipe through the hole should give you enough leverage to move the ear back to where it should be. If you can get you hands on a MAP gas or an oxy-acetylene torch, your chances of success will be better. Remember, wear heavy leather work glove and eye protection. There's a good chance you can do this yourself and you will get a great feeling of independence if you can pull it off. If not, then ask for someone to help - that's what I do.
Good luck and let us know how you make out!
-Jim

/pine · Mar 24, 2014

If you can dismantle the pieces you can use a few pieces of charcoal and a bellows/compressor and get it more than hot enough...(use the propane torch to get the charcoal white)

joshuabardwell · Mar 24, 2014

I'm surprised to see so much reservation over whether propane can get the job done. I'm sure a "weed burner" style propane torch wouldn't do the trick easily, but I know propane is used for cutting and heating the same as O/A. DappleDoxie, maybe you can clarify whether your torch is a propane or oxy-propane? That's the key criteria here. To put it another way, does it run off of just one propane tank, or does it have both propane and oxygen?

Baby Grand · Mar 25, 2014

joshuabardwell said:
I'm surprised to see so much reservation over whether propane can get the job done. I'm sure a "weed burner" style propane torch wouldn't do the trick easily, but I know propane is used for cutting and heating the same as O/A. DappleDoxie, maybe you can clarify whether your torch is a propane or oxy-propane? That's the key criteria here. To put it another way, does it run off of just one propane tank, or does it have both propane and oxygen?

I think when people hear "propane" they think Bernzomatic blue bottle from the hardware store like you'd use to sweat copper pipes, not something that's operating at higher temperatures with an oxygen tank. I've done some steel forming with a blue bottle, but heat times are painfully long and it's difficult to get a decent sized area up to temperature long enough to do much before it needs another heat.