Looks much better than when I saw it this morning!
Brandon
Another one saved . Nice job .
Good job! You da metal man!
Nice work on saving the base. I'm impressed!
You use the nickel rods? They sure are fun
Hey Kyle,
I used Mig with mild steel wire. I weld cast everyday in the Ornamental Iron business and it holds very well. It's also quick, fixed the base in about an hour. I have used nickel rods on other cast before with good results. Owen
I never have tried a mig on cast. Did you use flux core, or shielded? If shielded, which gas did you use? I have an almonst identical situation on a Wayne 60 base. Did you use mild steel to replace the missing section? I know this is a lot of questions, but your repair sure looks worth trying to repeat.
Thanks, Kody
Kody,
I used 75/25 gas... CO2 and Argon and yes, i used 1/4" plate to make each part to match the cast. I also used a piece of solid bar and drill a hole through it to match. I ground the radius back on the top edge to blend.The reason i decided to fix it, was when i searched Wayne 60 base on Oldgas, it seems there are more looking then selling! LOL
Looks great. Another question...before you mig'ed it, did you pre-heat the cast iron first?..if so, did you use a torch and how hot? Thanks.
I'm really glad a respected metal man admits to using a mig on cast iron. I was told years ago to just grind a deep groove in a crack on a 60 base, then turn the heat up as high as it will go and crank up the wire feed. Fill it, grind it fill it as necessary until satisfied after grinding. Worked great and has everytime for me. Remember these are for "display" now, not structural integrity.
Great post Owen and great looking work!
Larry
Steve,
Heating is not necessary. Like Larry said, plenty strong enough for display.
Thanks for the info. Nice job.
Great Job! Gives me hope the five breaks in mine can be repaired also.
Great job Owen! I can see from the rest of the pump as to why you were interested in a pump with a broken base! Very attractive pump! That color scheme would be impossible to duplicate!
Looks good. I've mig welded cast both ways by heating to a dull cherry red with a torch and then mig, and also just turning up the heat and weld, so far has turned out fine.
Ken.
Ron,
Here's the thread on fixing a cast base....
I'm not surprised, Owen another job well done. A true craftsman!
The base looks great. I once had one repaired at a welding shop, the guy said he put in an oven and heated it to 500 degrees before mig welding. I once had an Erie with two cracks in it's base. I used a cheap 120v flux core wire welder turned all the way up. I welded about one inch, and while the metal was still glowing bright orange, I wrapped it tightly in an old terry cloth towel until it cooled. I repeated the process until both cracks were filled. It took a while, but it worked fine.
Perfect, looks great.
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Kurt
I just had a Wayne 60 base welded back together. It was in 4 pieces. Looks good but the welder was cussing it and cost me a pretty penny.