Cast Iron repair, my education!

[Shield Arc]

Matheson ( Linweld ) in Omaha used to stock 2-300# at all times.

My wife is in Omaha right now! Wonder if she would swing by there on her way to the airport tomorrow? Yeah right , what was I thinking?

Cast Iron or Cast Steel? Is there a difference in the welding/machining process?

From my limited understanding, they are quite different materials but often the name is used interchangeably. How do you tell them apart?

Here is one way.

 

[CDN Farm Boy]

Thanks for the chart, that will be helpful.

If I'm reading it right (and I'm not in the shop to confirm) an engine block is cast iron (don't weld unless you are a pro and following strict procedures) but a truck differential is likely annealed malleable iron. Is a different process required or would a standard mig welder be good and have at it?

 

[Shield Arc]

I really don't know. 99% of my welding was new construction, a little repair on cast steel equipment. I can count on one hand how many times I've done cast iron repairs.
A guy on Welding Web has good luck with a Mig welder on cast Iron. Here is his procedure.

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.

 

[yomax4]

Yomax4 do you have any on line sources to purchase cast welding rod like in the picture on the left.
George recommended this site, but it's been down for a week or so.
http://www.tuckervalveseat.com/



This is the only site I've found so far, but I can't figure out if that price is for 1-pound, or how much.
TM Technologies - Cast Iron Flux and Filler Metals

You can ask at any welding supply. tell them Kast-Weld 111 is available from a company called " Weldcote Metals " Or google them and they may send you a sample. Weldcote is a goup of former Harris Welco guys who started over after Lincoln bought harris Welco. Good luck..

 

[george md]

Yomax4,
Even though the tucker site is down , they have a phone # posted . Just call it ,that is what I do always.
Price was 8.00 /lb about 3 months ago when I ordered 100 lbs , airco has not had any for more than 10 yrs,
last I got from harris was 8 or 10 years ago . The old airco and harris were machinable as welded , but all
the new rod now comes from far east and you will normalize in order to drill and tap it. Best flux is from
superior flux in cleveland , better than harris or airco.

 

[Turbys_1700]

Thanks for the articles...
I read them about 6 months ago or so when I repaired a base for a drill press that broke into two pieces...
It was grey cast...
I took the part, grinned out a bevel on the bottom side, and successfully welded it back together with a cast iron rod...
The base was preheated in a charcoal grill before welding and after welding was allowed to cool over several days as sand was dumped over the part while it was still in the charcoal grill...
It has held together now for almost 6 months with no adverse effects...
I am certainly not a professional welder and my welds are not the prettiest you have ever seen...
But they hold and are good enough for me...

 

[Shield Arc]

Or google them and they may send you a sample. Weldcote is a goup of former Harris Welco guys who started over after Lincoln bought harris Welco. Good luck..

yomax 4 I did Google it. Google took me to several welding forums. When reading some of the posts, looks like all roads lead to AirGas.

Yomax4,
Even though the tucker site is down , they have a phone # posted . Just call it ,that is what I do always.
Price was 8.00 /lb about 3 months ago when I ordered 100 lbs , airco has not had any for more than 10 yrs,
last I got from harris was 8 or 10 years ago . The old airco and harris were machinable as welded , but all
the new rod now comes from far east and you will normalize in order to drill and tap it. Best flux is from
superior flux in cleveland , better than harris or airco.

Welcome to the site George! Glad you found it!:thumbsup:
OK guys, this is the man for cast iron repair.