Block stitching

[propane1]

Anybody ever do that. Just watched a you tube video on a fella fixing holes in a cast iron transmission shifter cover, for an old tractor. Neat fix. His was just a basic stitch because it was a cover. Not needing to be air or liquid tight. I have watched other videos in the past of a more serious repairs where it needed to be sealed. Neat processes.


Noel

[RoamingGnome]

Very Interesting technique, bit labour intensive but you don't have to worry about any heat distortion like you would get with welding/brazing...

[JSinMO]

Looks like a pretty good fix. I’ve never done that kind of repair, but a couple of my tractors do have cast iron repairs done to them.

This is my 1953 Super H. When my dad and I got this tractor it had a hole in the block right behind the governor. Number 1 rod cap had come off and the rod went right through the block! The chunk of cast iron came with the tractor. Since the hole wasn’t near a water jacket my dad brazed the piece back in and we rebuild the engine. It’s been running fine with no problems for almost 20 years now!

Here is my 1941 Farmall M. I bought this one at auction and son and I got it back in running condition a couple of years ago. As we were working on it we realized the bottom of the transmission had been broken at some point in its past. These old Farmalls used round roller bearing and I figure a bearing probably came apart and the balls ended up under the bull gear which broke the case. A bad day for some one for sure!

My hat is off to who ever the guy was that fixed it!
This one works just fine as well! That repair must have taken a lot of heat the keep the cast iron warm while it was fixed!

[Gordy]

I have seen a few of those busted rear ends. Up here in MN it is generally due to bad gaskets on top, that let water in. If enough water gets in and freezes it can blow the casting out. Sometimes just sitting, other times when you try to drive it.

I watched a welder repair a block on a model R Mac that had a crack in the coolant jacket. Grind a bevel in the crack, heat the block and start stitch welding 1/2" at one end of the crack then the other end,back and forth till he met in the middle. Then placed a 1,000 watt halogen light next to the weld to slow down the cooling, for an hour. He used hi nickel / stainless steel rod, he said it was the best thing for sticking to the cast iron. OH and it didn't leak The boss was happy

Following his lead I have welded a few cast pieces over the years with good luck. But OMG are they proud $$$ of that stainless rod


Gordy

[DavidBarkey]

Never done that repair . But I have used that principle to hold parts together or keep from turning . To keep a collar or sleeve from turning after putting together a hole is drilled st rattling the parting line and then tapped and set screw installed . Acts like a round key way , but holds in 2 directions.
Neat repair . That idea could be used to hold a patch in place for welding or brazing I think .

Many years ago I worked for awhile in a welding shop . One job that can in was a manifold off an old tractor . It had a crack in it in the middle . I was given instructions and the task of doing the repair . There was a propane flame bench(large BBQ) deal for heating it up . But first had to make jig to hold the part straight and hold the sand in . Yes I said sand . The way it was explained to me is that the sand did 2 things .1 displaced oxygen from inside of the runners and 2 retained heat longer in the part . Once the part was heat up the flame turned down and welded up . Like Gordy said , gouged out stitch welded with SS arc rod ends in . then flame turned up let soak in heat for awhile then progressively low the heat . at the end of the day flame was shut off and a flame proof blanket was put over it and let set till next day . Next day was amazed at the results .

[Timj]

My father has fixed many cast things over the years, pump housing being the most common, but blocks and other machinery parts too. Things they say can't be fixed, he'll just say well I don't know, let me give a try.
He use to mainly braze stuff back together, then NI rod became his weapon and still uses it some but complains about the price. His preferred fix today is to just weld it with 7018. He preps the piece, then pre heats it. Little stuff in the wood stove, big stuff in the campfire pit. Last summer he did a pump housing in the kitchen stove, he can get away with that since Mom is gone. He then welds it up and buries it in ashes to slow cool. Works for him.

[Eugen]

All I can say is that I'm amazed by the skills you and some people have. @JSinMO and @Timj

[Harry]

Yes guys there are many ways to repair casting and all I can say if the repair doesn’t crack then it was successful. I’ve learned many things about castings from old welders I worked with, some from schools I’ve attended and some from books. It’s an interesting subject to me. First off you have to determine what kind of casting it is. Best way I know is to grind on it and watch the sparks. Cast iron will look red and cast steel will look like regular low carbon steel.
SS rod is a mix of nickel and chromium. Nickel is good for the cast but not the chromium. Nickel will flex somewhat before cracking but not chromium. Chromium will mix with the carbon in the cast and cause all kinds of problems, cracking one of them. Can you use SS rod to fix it? Yes if that’s all you have. Ni rod would be better but I have used SS rod and it worked fine. I have a tig welder so I take no rod for stick welding and remove the flux and tig weld with it. I’ve got a stash of it that someone gave me who had no idea what it was. That’s my ramble for today on welding castings. Harry