Can This 1940's Bandsaw Part Be Saved? Cast Iron TIG Welding Repair

[@ScottWConvid19]

My son just began to learn to weld at 17 this year and I found your videos very helpful. This was no exception. I've been told by garage welders that cast iron can't be welded, that the welds never hold. Now I know that it's all about the knowledge of the metals used

[@danielboughton3624]

There was a place where I grew up and all they did was weld cast iron e.g. cylinder heads. The issue with cast iron as I understand it is you rob carbon and create hard spots when you get to weld temperatures which is why the nickel rod is used and also why many people braze. The hard spot creates a new place for a crack which is also why peening and pre/post heating are used to try to manage stress in the area. The other issue is cast iron varies in composition so some castings will take a weld better than others. If any one knows better please weigh in. I've never welded cast iron so just summarizing what I've heard from those who do.

[@TimWelds]

That's awesome to hear that your son is picking up such a useful skill at that age! With cast iron, it depends a lot on the particular material and sometimes it goes better than others. This time, it seemed to work out pretty good, but time will tell whether it holds up in service. Parts like exhaust manifolds are particularly prone to cracking again because of all the thermal cycles.

[@GaryT1952]

Beautiful job Tim!

[@jondavidmcnabb]

I laughed so damn hard when you said, "Because this is a welding channel I'm going to machine it like a savage in one single pass!" You win the internet SIR Bravo!!!!

[@Tubeagrutis]

Very cool! As a beginner welder who's learning from you, I haven't seen some of these techniques and process for cast iron repairs here on YT, so awesome to learn about them and see them in practice.

[@photojunky7342]

I had to do my first cast iron TIG “weld” this past week. I bought silicon bronze rods and got pretty good results. I would normally stick weld with some N55 but this was a weld along the threaded outlet of a pump casing that kind of rolled along a narrow edge. Figured a more delicate touch would be a good plan. Pretty proud of how it all turned out.

[@TimWelds]

Awesome! Silicon bronze is a solid choice.

[@scottcates]

Brazing is good for cast iron.

[@loumalizia162]

Retired metallurgical/welding engineer. Cast iron has a high Carbon content and when you try to weld it with normal rods and wire the Carbon is sucked out of the heat affected zone of the cast iron into the weld metal. This not only hardens the weld metal but weakens the HAZ creating a weak spot right next to a hard area. ergo the problem. However, carbon is not soluble in Ni and high Ni alloys so the HAZ isn't depleted and Ni gives a more ductile but still strong weld.

[@joshuaennis3799]

Thank you. Nice explanation

[@ZILAwelds]

What a nice job!

[@TimWelds]

Thanks Peter!

[@joshuaennis3799]

Nice milling machine looks clean. You've really built this channel up in every way.

[@amcustomfab]

Man, I need to up my camera mount game. Great video as always. Tim

[@TimWelds]

Thanks! That one on the arc shot camera is just one of the big Noga arms for an indicator.

[@dougtenney1029]

That took some skill. Nice work!

[@mmatthews7]

Cast is always an adventure!

[@TimWelds]

For sure, I always give a little disclaimer before I take on a repair like this. It started out scrap and there's a chance it might still be scrap when I'm done with it.

[@victormildew1717]

Here in the UK, I use arc welding rods, pure nickel as a TIG filler material.I remove the flux outer coating with a small hammer on an anvil, then Scotch Brite them. Gives great results, especially welding dissimilar metals.

[@stanleybiaz]

Excellent work, as always!

[@74willy81]

Absolutely a beautiful job Tim, both in procedure and execution. One tool I find very beneficial for the peening process is a needle scaler. Very fast and it offers complete coverage quickly. Thank you again for this excellent tutorial.

[@TimWelds]

Thanks! I had a needle scaler at some point, but I'm not sure where it ended up.

[@melgross]

This will drive you nuts, Tim. I had to do a quick fix on a part that arrived broken and I didn’t have any proper material. So as I like to experiment, I tried 309L that I had. Surprisingly, it worked very well. I didn’t heat the CI before, or after. This is a bracket that holds the heavy motor for a South Bend tool post grinder I bought. That was a bit of time ago and I’ve since used this in other broken CI objects, all successfully. I wasn’t sure if it would work, but apparently, it does. I wouldn’t use it on a cylindrical object because of the forces involved, but open ended objects seem to work.

[@snowgorilla9789]

309 is more versatile than most believe, including hard serfacing

[@TimWelds]

If it works, it works! 👨‍🏭

[@analogplanet9675]

1+ on 309L for almost anything with an unfriendly metallurgical work flow.

[@ciggs5649]

I build racing engines and do many cast iron repairs. I found a tig rod that changed my life. It's called Copper Head made by Freedom Alloys. I buy it through Tifco Industries. It welds really smooth and doesn't crack. You can weld quickly without much preheat. I gave away every nickel rod in my shop after discovering it.

[@snowgorilla9789]

Very,very nice job on a not so easy job. Have witnessed lots of failures on cast repairs

[@T3glider]

“Machine it like a savage” … brilliant!

[@AXNJXN1]

Super impressive repair Tim!! I would love to have worked this project with you to learn the particulars you explained in this video because I think they are critical points to consider. Nicely done!

[@TimWelds]

Thanks!

[@justintasht1067]

Awesome video and fantastic as always. Love how you explain what your doing and why 👍👍

[@TimWelds]

Thanks! I appreciate it.

[@donmadere4237]

That’s a great job considering the pieces you had to weld and it being cast iron!!👏🏻👏🏻

[@AWDJRforYouTube]

Very nice job Tim...if I do say so MYSELF, also new subscriber to your channel as well.

[@TimWelds]

Thanks!

[@ecky_thump]

Excellent work 👍😉… all the best from 🇬🇧

[@TimWelds]

Thanks!

[@BCole-bj4lv]

That came out nice using tig. I just did two cast iron repairs with the 55%, stick welding. It worked out really nice but I didn't have the detailed control that you managed. One repair I stuck in sand and the other larger piece I covered with a blanket. It seemed to work fine with that rod. Thirty years ago I stick welded a hydraulic coupler from my backhoe with 6011, preheating it and then putting it in an oven. It has never failed.

[@terrycoombs7693]

A few points - if you're not melting the base material you're technically brazing . I prefer Invar42 nickel/iron filler because it DOESN'T shrink as it cools , and if I'm going to TIG braze cast iron I prefer phosphor bronze filler - I also have thin strips of cast iron cut from an old stove door if I need to go that way . Your finished repair looked really good ! I also like to overfill and machine back to profile . I'm actually a retired master cabinet maker with a serious metalworking addiction hobby , but i stay as busy as I want to with repairs for friends and neighbors .

[@tomhill4003]

That was some really advanced stuff... presented perfectly!

[@billmetal]

Beautiful work!

[@allthingsconsidered3211]

Thanks for sharing I’ve only seen silicone bronze brazed on a shackle and it failed later too.

[@4550Boom]

Great tutorial and excellent repair!

[@davidjernigan8161]

Looks like a bit of a challenge.

[@dannywilsher4165]

Back in the 1970's I made a living welding in the oilfields of South East New Mexico. After watching dozens if not hundreds of videos welding cast iron, I guess I was lucky. I welded hundreds of cast iron jobs with stick rod and a gasoline powered Lincoln welding machine. Never used any of the methods I see on the yt. And never had any cracking or callbacks for something not holding. It's been a long time ago but I used a rod that I bought off the shelf at a welding supply. I do remember that the man that sold me the rods said to burn them as cold as possible and not to be afraid of letting the rod puddle and flow over the original material. I welded the sides of engines still in the car dozens of times. I would pull the motor mount out and jack up the engine and go to town. Good old days... I guess cast iron was different back then...

[@TimWelds]

Older stuff does seem to weld up better. It's not always necessary to preheat, but it's pretty easy for a small part so it's worth it to me if it stacks the deck in my favor.

[@dannywilsher4165]

@@TimWelds I agree.

[@jaredf5828]

Nice work Tim! That repair looked really good.

[@ahbushnell1]

Very nice.

[@EddieVBlueIsland]

Nicely done.

[@jim5148]

Wow, that was a nice weld/repair!

[@edweirdmassey]

I am not a pro but I find old cast welds much better than new cast iron does. I put it in my wood stove to pre heat, then tig with stainless filler and then back into the wood stove buried in the ashes. I will let the stove go out and dig it out in the morning with surprisingly good results.

[@mikelamuraglia5645]

Great repair

[@OldtimeIronman]

Nice job! I have to confess I prefer the nickel 99 myself. Or 309 stainless if nothing else is available. The repair job you did is nearly invisible and is easily just as strong as new, if not stronger!

[@mrdddeeezzzweldor5039]

I like a compact needle scaler for the weld bead peening process. It does a more complete and quicker job of upsetting and stress relieving the weld area than a chipping hammer. HF has a compact air needle scaler for about $40. You can custom contour the needles on a grinder to get the type of peen penetration you want or remove needles to create a peening 'shape'. It also works very well for stick weld flux removal, especially in tight areas and can be used for weld bead contouring to a certain extent..

[@zmotorsports62]

Great job on the repair.

[@craigkeller]

Looks Great!

[@JosephLance-x9q]

I just tigged a Yamaha engine case today, I enjoyed your cast weld video, very informative, thanks for showing it 🇨🇦👍👍

[@Kevin-cy9cv]

Good looking job

[@justinvanburen8259]

Great work!!

[@dennisyoung4631]

Nice Estwing hammer. I want to get one, and seeing one like this tells me a lot more than the flat Amazon, etc. pictures.

[@johnb5519]

Funny this video popped up, because me and my buddies were talking about welding cast iron, a few nights ago.

[@mikeoswald15]

I would like to be able to tig cast iron engine blocks and heads. The challenge would be to have a large enough oven, and how to handle it moving from oven to bench, and then, of course, blanketing it for heat retention. My experience with tig is welding 304ss, making cabinets and enclosures for industrial controls. Did that for 18 years+

[@tpendletonYT]

Thanks for a very informative video.

[@JCWren]

I'm curious how much effect the peening actually has. Of course, I'm not a metallurgist or anything like that, but with the force you're hitting it with, is it even leaving any marks and actually compressing the metal, and if it is, to what depth? It almost feels like a "Well, we've always done it this way" kind of thing.

[@TimWelds]

Peening does add a compressive stress on the surface generally, but I don't know how much it actually does in practice on welds like this. I'll do whatever I can to try and stack the deck in my favor, though. It does leave dents, and if nothing else, it keeps me occupied while the temperature settles.

[@pettere8429]

@@TimWelds that last thing may be what makes it work. 😀

[@brettbuck7362]

@@TimWelds The shock while it is still extremely hot probably makes sure the entire thing stays in one allotropic phase.

[@analogplanet9675]

It really works. The surface is the most important part of the weld, where greatest tension accumulates during cooling. It is visually evident on slender parts how much it can reduce the pull of the cooling weld. My favorite method is to use a sandblaster at high pressure with sparse amount of sand. This will quickly warp sheet steel, showing the bulk stresses that come from even a tiny grain of sand sized dent. Also has the advantage of rounding off any tiny surface defects that could otherwise nucleate a fracture. My trick for getting away with heat treating tool steels beyond their maximal working hardness (i.e. inadequately tempered) is to Sand-peen the crap out of them after a low temper and slow cool down. Like say A2, with only 300f for example.

[@summerforever6736]

Came out great boss!!

[@CrazyTony65]

The nickel iron rod picks up some of the carbon from the free graphite in cast iron making the weld extremely hard. I've TIG welded cast iron with Brutus rod, it Rc'd at 65, usually it's very soft when used on mild steel.

[@tallyman15]

Nice work

[@johnnymizerati6169]

I find it interesting when ever someone has to do a cast iron repair. I witnessed a high end engine builder doing a repair. I asked him a question about an engine block that I have to repair and he mentioned the ni99 rod but also mentioned he's had good success using the 308L rod, which surprised me. He said he has someone standing by with an acetylene torch while he's welding to keep things toasty. And he's mentioned he machined parts afterwards without issue. I'm curious. have you tried a 308L for cast iron repair?

[@Raul28153]

I might default to braising that/ Braise is plenty strong. But they do make a TIG consumable for cast iron I bought some and it took just fine to my cast iron weld..

[@tedbastwock3810]

Cool, I always wondered about this, glad to see you do it since I always like your videos so much. Thanks Tim

[@Equiluxe1]

I had to repair some 140 year old ram pumps and found that the best way was to use 100% pure copper tig wire, as the cast was so full of rubbish of one sort or another, worked very well, otherwise I tend to weld with 316 stainless filler for cast iron. Never given me any problems.

[@WojnarskiWeldingFabricaion]

awesome video love the clean shop I feel claustrophobic if there's too much junk and dirt around it just makes you appreciate your work environment the more you take care of it, I know its hard to sometimes when if you have a bunch going on, I just like to try to put everything away and clean up after a job so I have a fresh start. I haven't welded a lot of cast iron good tips I've welded a lot of cast aluminum. that was a crazy bandsaw I need one for myself one day 👍

[@mmccon2007]

Very nice!

[@martin-vv9lf]

Is there a reason you didn't replace the piece that broke off from the brake shoe with new material such as mild steel? I would think the labour would be a bit less and it should be stronger. good job nonetheless.

[@TimWelds]

That was my plan B. If I were to do that, I'd machine the tab, then mill a pocket for it to fit against and braze it with aluminum bronze. I think this was faster to just use the existing pieces and it's loaded in compression, so the joint through the hole won't really see much load anyway.

[@Sparky_D]

"mill it like a savage" 😂

[@berndferger2767]

Top Job👍

[@billdoodson4232]

Ohhh, nice. I've only had to weld cast a couple of times, used nickel stick welding. One was to repair a vice that had cracked in two, it was the only one in the workshop and as we were on a ship 3000 miles from the next port, it needed a good repair. As far as I know, that ship went to scrap with that repaired vice. The other repair was rubbish.

[@weldor111]

Did you ever try actual cast iron rod and actually weld cast iron? I have some of the rod but haven't tried it yet. It's funny looking rod, it is square about a quarter inch in diameter and about a foot long and looks like a piece of cast iron and is used with powdered flux. Nice job by the way.

[@heartlandguy1]

Nice job that’s a great idea to use your grill for a stress relief oven , a toaster makes a great one too

[@filster1934]

"A drill bit (twist drill) can deflect a little bit". Put's an end mill in a drill chuck😁 Good welding tutorial, though.

[@White.Elemant]

Good video! I'd really appreciare if some random youtuber 😉 was crazy enough to test the cast iron welding practises. Everything I see on youtube about it is pretty much the same, but I'd really love to see how the weld fails if you don't peen it, or manage the heat. Or both. What about brazing, how would that work (or not) with cast iron...

[@reneguay1347]

You could also braze it with brass

[@jeffcarpenter396]

I brazed cast for forty years run it under cold water while hot and also tig welded cast stainless filler wire or you cans use mig welder in emergency tig weld some pot metal if you want to be impressive

[@Flygio]

Perfect!

[@tubeonline629]

I was surprised you used aluminum for the block, aluminum dissipates heat so fast, and I thought you would want to keep the heat in it.

[@donaldhalls2189]

Excellent job, would you have been able to use mig ? thanks for sharing, all the best to you and your loved ones

[@TimWelds]

Thanks! With the right wire, MIG would work, but in this case, it's such a small repair that it wouldn't be worth it to me to set it up. Rockmount has some really good MIG wire for cast iron repairs.

[@the_grand_tourer]

Nice vid ! Thanks, good tips. Subbed.

[@DeereX748]

Is it possible to weld cast iron that goes through regular heat cycles, such as a cast iron plate that makes up the side of a wood-burning stove? I have a 75 year old Danish made cast iron wood stove that was dropped during a move and one corner was broken, a run of about 4 inches.

[@loumalizia162]

Use high Nickel wire or Ni electrodes with preheat.

[@ahmadmustafa3992]

Amazing

[@blackout7615]

If you do a lot of work like this a needle scaler is worth the money.

[@TimWelds]

Totally! I had the same thought halfway through this. I had one at one point, might still have it in a box somewhere.

[@danielboughton3624]

Looks good. Is there a reason you didn't replace the 2 broken bits with a piece of mild steel so you could just have a single weld? My thinking is that might have been simpler and stronger than fixing the broken pivot and welding the broken bits back to the shoe.

[@TimWelds]

That was plan B. In that case, I would have machined a little pocket to fit a plasma cut tab, then brazed it with aluminum bronze.

[@tomthompson7400]

really tidy end result.

[@gerardoalarcon5013]

Andre Gignac? Is that you?

[@cleanmachine08]

Any real savage would have machined the top off their mill vice.

[@jondavidmcnabb]

🤣😂

[@gacherumburu9958]

👍👍

[@torowazup1]

👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼😎

[@tomgibson5769]

Great repair.

[@robertrivasarroyo1174]

Very nice!