cast iron weld

[rickyc2]

My wife had purchased a wood cast iron framed wooded slat bench. While moving my welder with my quad I ran over it causing some breakage. Question: Best rod to use, best preheat or what. Or should I braze it?

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks

[Sberry]

V the pieces with a grinder, slight preheat, nickel rod, run on AC if you have it. Peen lightly while cooling. Dont weld it all at once, a couple inches at a time is plenty and let it cool a little between welds.

[rickyc2]

Thanks SBerry for the info. I'll give it a shot.

[cope]

Hope you have better luck than I did. Not sure what's in the imported cast iron these days.

[Franz]

I swear the Mexicans have figured out how to include sand in their cast furniture. The last one I tried to weld wound up being repaired with JB Weld and reenforcment rods.
Good Luck

[Sberry]

Worst thing I ever try to weld was this tractor block on a 37 Chalmers. Just disintergrated. Finally put a JB weld patch over it.

[Dan]

Originally posted by rickyc2
My wife had purchased a wood cast iron framed wooded slat bench. While moving my welder with my quad I ran over it causing some breakage. Question: Best rod to use, best preheat or what. Or should I braze it?

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks

In my opinion, brazing is the best choice for this type of repair.

[Rocky D]

You mention some breakage...a picture would help to diagnose it better. S offers stick weld , while Dan offers O/A brazing...TIG is also a good method. A lot would depend on how thick the broken pieces are and how much stress they will be under after welding. Sometimes you can reinforce the break by welding/brazing a bolt or other piece of metal across the break. There are lots of ways to fix it, but with out a picture it's difficult to give advice.

[Franz]

Is that really RockyD, or have his kidnappers learned his password thru torture? Mayhaps they are forcing him to post.
Either way, don't listen to his advice till we confirm identity, there are a lot of strange things happening in CaliFOOEY.

[cope]

Originally posted by Franz
Is that really RockyD, or have his kidnappers learned his password thru torture? Mayhaps they are forcing him to post.
Either way, don't listen to his advice till we confirm identity, there are a lot of strange things happening in CaliFOOEY.

Franz, Its Rocky all right-truth is indeed stranger than fiction.

[rickyc2]

Thanks to all of you for info on the cast iron bench. It's thick and then goes to thin. Tried preheating and then welding: it's just a plain mess. I had four years of Metallurgy, and I swear this is the wierdest cast iron I've ever seen. I think I'll throw it away when the wifes not looking and claim it was stolen...

[Sberry]

Dont preheat too hot and turn the machine down, not as hot as steel for same size rods. Use AC

[Mike Sherman]

There are several ways to weld cast iron, two of the most common are Cold welding and Hot welding. Both of these processes require the use of an electrode designed specifically for cast iron. Other rods have been used with moderate success, to be 100% successful, use the rods designed for cast iron only. They are available at all welding supply stores. Both welds will require proper preperation of the piece. Grind it so you can weld from both sides and achieve full penetration. When welding cast iron it is beneficial to keep the welds short and do not weave very much, if at all. This applies to both cold and hot welding. Hot welding requires a preheat between 500 deg. F and 900 deg. F and maintenance of the interpass temp. of at least 500 deg. F. It also requires controlled slow cooling. A welding blanket or burying it in sand will help if you do not have an oven. Cold welding requires you to keep the temp. below about 200 deg. F, and to use only short, small welds. You must let the piece cool after each weld and never let the temp. go above 200 deg. F. You will need to jump around with your short, little welds as much as possible. There are no shortcuts to welding cast iron. Follow the procedure or you will have only moderate or no success. It is important to have a good means of monitoring the temperature as you go. Temp. sticks or a thermometer of some sort is essential.