welding cast iron

[freebird]

I found a small antique cast iron "loveseat" with a leg that needs welded back on. What type of rod should one use? Any special methods? I tried to weld it with regular rod and boy it didn't do well.

[johnbron]

You have to use "Nickle" rod or rod with nickle in it and you should heat the cast up a bit before welding it.

[Rudi]

Freebird:

Have a read here: Welding Cast Iron. Good info on the site.

[beaconlight]

Everything I ever heard was pre heat to 400 600 Degrees and cool slowly to stress releive. The V out and drill part was the same.

I will run this past my neighbor Al who is a steam fitter and does a lot of welding.
Bill

[Ron L]

Freebird. Use cast iron rod or braze weld. Make it super clean before process............

[beaconlight]

Yeah on the braze. A seat will not have a lot of vibration.

Bill

[John *.?-!.* cub owner]

If you want to weld without preheating, use a cast rod, and only weld about 1/4 inch, and let cool, then weld agian, let cool, etc. Also rela old cast iron is frequently brittle.

[freebird]

thanks fellas I went by a welding shop and the old guy recommended the brass...and heating the whole area, keeping it hot. All good input so we will experiment with all suggested methods.