If you’re welding up a machined surface, the best option would be to TIG weld it. It has much lower weld shrinkage than most iron rods, meaning it minimizes cracking. Experienced cast iron welders who work on repairing or manufacturing cast iron products regularly always and only preheat. He holds certificates for Certified WeldingEducator (CWE) and Certified Resistance Welding Technician (CRWT) from the American Welding Institute. Cast Iron Welding Repair using Flux Core Wire. But black-pipe fittings are made of malleable black iron. However, take consideration of the following issues … Every dollar contributed enables us to keep providing high-quality how-to help to people like you. "I knew it to be true with other welding, but I was encouraged by the suggestion for stitch welding to keep the heat, "Learned the need for preheat and keeping in a temperature range, also using short welds! One is called preheated welding and the other is called non-preheated welding. Keep fire suppression handy when working with your welding rig. It can mean thousands of dollars in replacement parts or hundreds of dollars for hiring a cast-iron welding specialist. However, there are basically two approaches by which you can weld cast iron. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. It’s a good way to provide a strong hold in a crack or between two components needing joining, while not causing cracking and a change of the cast iron properties. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. You should not attempt it on the strength of reading a brief Internet article, no matter how informative. This article has been viewed 217,044 times. However, there are a few things you want to remember when welding cast iron to steel. It’s a good option to minimize the extreme heating and cooling of the electric welding processes, and it’s easier to maintain the temperatures of the components with it. Cast iron comes in different qualities and ratios of iron, carbon, and steel and you should be sure of the cast iron you choose to weld. To create this article, 19 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. For more advice, including how to tell when you should reheat or cool the iron as you work, keep reading. However, that does not make welding impossible. However, it’s a metal that’s commonly welded and can produce a strong component that will last just as well as a cast product without welds. But with the arrival of COVID-19, the stakes are higher than ever. However, it’s a good option if you’re having trouble welding it for some reason. You should never quench the weld with anything cold like water or compressed air. Therefore, knowing what you’re doing is more crucial than ever. Below, both methods will be described. High nickel rods aka NI rod, work pretty well for tig welding cast iron, You can also beat the flux off of a nickel stick rod and use it for tig welding. In fact I welded cast iron the other day with it. There are different types of cast iron such as the common gray iron which can be welded, albeit with some difficulty. Following a set of guidelines should ensure that your welds have no cracks and that the internal strength is sufficient to withstand the component’s purpose. Cast iron is one of the more difficult metals to weld. Sixth do a root pass and fill the grove. To create this article, 19 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. The proper polarity will be specified on the box. Instead, the slower the whole component cools, the better. Thanks.". Scrub it hard to get all the dirt, … If the casting breakage is not a result of an anomaly (poor original quality, machine “crash,” physically dropped), the original casting may be insufficient in strength to bear the current mechanical load(s) imposed by the machinery, in which case, if no supplements are added (regardless of the achievement of an excellent repair joint), you may find it necessary to have at it again at some point down the road. The best way to tell what type of cast iron needs welding is to consult the product manual or contact the manufacturer, if it’s not stated on the material. TIG welding shouldn’t give you any spatter issues. Follow along as I repair this broken cast iron using Matheson .030 Flux Core welding wire. Image credit: Airman 1st Class David Bernal Del Agua, Mconnell Air Force Base. To weld cast iron, start by preheating the section you’ll be working to a temperature between 500 to 1200 degrees F so that it’s stable enough to work with. Image credit: CC0 Public Domain, Max Pixel. Here is a list of their weldability: Ductile iron: Weldable but rare, as it’s an extensive and slow process. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/9\/92\/Weld-Cast-Iron-Step-1.jpg\/v4-460px-Weld-Cast-Iron-Step-1.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/9\/92\/Weld-Cast-Iron-Step-1.jpg\/aid1519928-v4-728px-Weld-Cast-Iron-Step-1.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"

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\n<\/p><\/div>"}. Cameron grew up in Allentown, Pennsylvania, a once-proud steel town on the Lehigh River, where he got a taste of TIG welding in his high school shop class. However, it still poses a challenge to prospective welders as the graphite flakes within grey cast iron can enter the weld pool to cause weld metal embrittlement. Stainless steel: Cast iron fused with austenite stainless steel doesn’t harden and change properties so much with iron consumables. Generally, preheated welding is performed by heating the cast iron from 500 to 1200 degrees. The general consensus among the R-Tech team is that manual metal arc welding (MMA) should initially be the go-to process for welding cast iron. Yes, it is possible to weld cast iron. In this case, 90% of readers who voted found the article helpful, earning it our reader-approved status. You may wish to use additional pieces of carbon steel flatstock to increase the holding strength; it will help distribute the loads exerted to the area of repair. Black steel pipe can be welded using any welding method used for steel. First, you need to clean the area you plan to weld. There is only a small range of filler wire and electrodes that will weld cast iron properly. C.L.M.Cottrell, 'Welding cast irons', published by TWI, Abington, Cambridge, UK, 1986 and available from Woodhead Publishing, Abington, Cambridge, UK.