cast iron repair

[Ulma Doctor]

Sometimes making a repair that doesn't work will inspire other ideas that do work.
I fear no cast iron repairs, but a with chinese vice it may be tricky to retain strength, their cast most likely will have a lot of carbon it it.
pre-heat your work, peen your welds,post heat and cool slowly
most of all have fun with the process whether it works or not!!!
if it works...braggin rights, if not paperweight:rofl:

 

[John Hasler]

The nickel rodsI have used are welding electrodes (rods) with a specific coating to work with cast iron. An arc welder is used so I believe that the correct process term is welding.

If I use an electric arc to melt tin-lead alloy and stick two bits of copper together I'm still soldering. I realize that the term "welding" is used very broadly but strictly speaking it involves melting and fusing the workpieces with the possible addition of filler. Bonding them with a lower melting point material such as nickel or nickel-iron alloy is brazing.

One possible problem with brazing that vise part is that it may not be exactly the same shape after it cools.

 

[GarageGuy]

If I use an electric arc to melt tin-lead alloy and stick two bits of copper together I'm still soldering. I realize that the term "welding" is used very broadly but strictly speaking it involves melting and fusing the workpieces with the possible addition of filler. Bonding them with a lower melting point material such as nickel or nickel-iron alloy is brazing.

One possible problem with brazing that vise part is that it may not be exactly the same shape after it cools.

I was under the impression that if you melted the base metal into the puddle it was welding, and if you didn't melt the base metal it was soldering or brazing. The rods are not pure nickel (although you couldn't tell by the price), but high nickel alloys designed to work best on cast iron. They are flux coated and designed to work with AC/DC SMAW processes. If you used an AC carbon arc torch or gas torch, this kind of rod would not work properly.

GG

 

[itsme_Bernie]

"Act in haste, repent in liesure...."

Hah hah.. I must remember that



Bernie

 

[Pontiac Freak]

I have been using my charcoal grill for preheating my cast pieces and post heating as well. After welding them I put them back in overnight and let the fire burn itself out. Next morning the pieces are warm to the touch but that all. Havent had any cracking issues yet. Peening right after running a bead seems to help as well.

 

[joe kozak]

...

can you braze it in place in the vice? frankenvise

 

["Mike"]

I've brazed a few of those crappy Chinese vices and they have held up pretty good but I also know that they are suspect and don't really reef down on them. That being said, I've used them for at least 10 yrs and they haven't broke yet. Pre-heating and long cool down IS the key. They were broken when I GOT them so I had nothing to lose and I use them on moveable pedestals outside so I have a vice that I can move around. Mike.

 

[Dociron]

If I use an electric arc to melt tin-lead alloy and stick two bits of copper together I'm still soldering. I realize that the term "welding" is used very broadly but strictly speaking it involves melting and fusing the workpieces with the possible addition of filler. Bonding them with a lower melting point material such as nickel or nickel-iron alloy is brazing.

One possible problem with brazing that vise part is that it may not be exactly the same shape after it cools.

Welding is a fusion process where the material being added melts the parent material of the part to be repaired and becomes part of that parent material.

Soldering and Brazing are essentially chemical/mechanical bonds that are only as strong the physical strength of the solder or brass used.

Also Nickel has a melting Temperature of over 2600* and Gray cast Iron of around 2200* so I don't think your bonding iron with a lower melting point material.

 

[John Hasler]

Welding is a fusion process where the material being added melts the parent material of the part to be repaired and becomes part of that parent material.

Welding does not necessarilly involve the addition of any material at all (cf spot welding, friction welding and electron beam welding). It does involve fusion of the workpieces.

Also Nickel has a melting Temperature of over 2600* and Gray cast Iron of around 2200* so I don't think your bonding iron with a lower melting point material.

Which is why nickel brazing rod is actually a nickel alloy. Even if you use pure nickel, though, you are still filling the space between the workpieces with a second material rather than fusing them.

As I said, the term "welding" has been broadened in common use to include processes that would not be labeled such in a university classroom. You can tell your customer that you welded his cracked manifold but you probably don't want to list cast iron as one of the materials normally repaired by welding on your midterm exam in an engineering class (you might get away with it in a votech welding class, though).

 

[GarageGuy]

As I said, the term "welding" has been broadened in common use to include processes that would not be labeled such in a university classroom. You can tell your customer that you welded his cracked manifold but you probably don't want to list cast iron as one of the materials normally repaired by welding on your midterm exam in an engineering class (you might get away with it in a votech welding class, though).

Ouch. Condescend much?

GG