cast nodular iron welding
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From: Banned from Woodward Avenue
cast nodular iron welding
What is involved with doing this properly? I have a 450 amp tig and several decades of experience welding. I have never welded nodular Iron -Preheat? Nickel alloy rod? I am putting a torque arm bracket on a Dana 60. Thank You -Tim
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From: Buffalo, New York
My brother used to be a weldor (isn't that the right word, a "welder" being the machine a weldor uses?). He says it is quite difficult to do well. A couple of tips from him were as follows.
-if the piece has had a lot of exposure to lubricants, it will be difficult to weld. Cast iron is porous and it will absorb grease and oil which contaminates the weld.
-thick pieces tend to crack.
-a "semi-hot" technique should be used, with some preheating of the piece. Ideally, the whole piece should be heated to avoid cracking and distortion
-there is special rod that should be used.
He was pretty unenthusiastic about welding cast iron.
Rich Krause
-if the piece has had a lot of exposure to lubricants, it will be difficult to weld. Cast iron is porous and it will absorb grease and oil which contaminates the weld.
-thick pieces tend to crack.
-a "semi-hot" technique should be used, with some preheating of the piece. Ideally, the whole piece should be heated to avoid cracking and distortion
-there is special rod that should be used.
He was pretty unenthusiastic about welding cast iron.
Rich Krause
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Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 2,931
From: Upstate NY
Originally posted by rskrause
My brother used to be a weldor (isn't that the right word, a "welder" being the machine a weldor uses?).
The Grammar Police are out again!
Yes, you are correct Rich. Perhaps you are a member of "The National Blacksmith and Weldor Association"?
FWIW, Dwight Bolinger cites the use of '-or' as a suffix of prestige as an attempt to upgrade professions like 'advisor', 'expeditor' or 'weldor'. Maybe that's why we don't call them 'docters' or 'aviaters'?
To be fair, "welder" is an acceptable alternative (except to members of TNB&WA!).
Just picking on you. In spite of some of my writing, I like grammar, etc.
He was pretty unenthusiastic about welding cast iron.
Rich Krause
Your brother made very good points. I especially like the oil-saturated one. Even the preheating might be exciting.
My brother used to be a weldor (isn't that the right word, a "welder" being the machine a weldor uses?).
The Grammar Police are out again!
Yes, you are correct Rich. Perhaps you are a member of "The National Blacksmith and Weldor Association"?
FWIW, Dwight Bolinger cites the use of '-or' as a suffix of prestige as an attempt to upgrade professions like 'advisor', 'expeditor' or 'weldor'. Maybe that's why we don't call them 'docters' or 'aviaters'?
To be fair, "welder" is an acceptable alternative (except to members of TNB&WA!).
Just picking on you. In spite of some of my writing, I like grammar, etc.
He was pretty unenthusiastic about welding cast iron.
Rich Krause
Your brother made very good points. I especially like the oil-saturated one. Even the preheating might be exciting.
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Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 2,026
From: Japan
A couple of pieces of advice that I could add would be to definitly preheat, and postheat if possible. At least try to let the weld area cool as slowly as possible. I have used clay type floor dry before with good sucess. You just bury the part in it when you are done welding and let it cool on it's own. Another method I have heard of but never tried myself is peening. Basically you take a chipping hammer or something similar and tap the weld and heat effected zone until cool. Sounds kind of silly, but I heard that from one of my Welding professors.
Also, I know you mentioned that you have a TIG machine, but I would say that if you have a regular set of welding leads and an electrode holder that the SMAW process would be more ideal due to any contamination that is likely present..
The TIG process is very suceptible to contaminents where the SMAW process (stick or arc welding to the layman) is not as bad.
Lincoln makes an electrode with high Ni content that I would recommend, I believe it's called 55Ni.
You might look over at the www.aws.org site as well. There is a Bulletin board there that could be pretty helpful if you do some searching.
<--- A.W.S. Member.
Also, I know you mentioned that you have a TIG machine, but I would say that if you have a regular set of welding leads and an electrode holder that the SMAW process would be more ideal due to any contamination that is likely present..
The TIG process is very suceptible to contaminents where the SMAW process (stick or arc welding to the layman) is not as bad.
Lincoln makes an electrode with high Ni content that I would recommend, I believe it's called 55Ni.
You might look over at the www.aws.org site as well. There is a Bulletin board there that could be pretty helpful if you do some searching.
<--- A.W.S. Member.
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