Broken Cast Iron Radiator Welded Back Together
“I accidentally dropped the cast iron radiator tank for an old tractor I’m restoring on the cement floor of my shop, and a piece of the casting broke off. It was a bad break, because one side of the piece that broke off is a gasketed surface, and therefore any repair had to be clean enough to keep the radiator from leaking at the gasket. Also, the break was complicated by the fact that it went through one of the holes for the bolts that secure the tank to the radiator frame and compresses the gasket,” says John Ottem, Broomfield, Colo.
“Due to these complications, when I first saw the break I thought I might just as well start searching the Internet to find another tank. However, I remembered reading an article in FARM SHOW about Magna 770 rod for welding cast iron (www.breckocorp.com; ph 800 720-2887), so I contacted a professional welder and sent him photos of the broken pieces, as well as information about this new kind of rod. He wasn’t sure he could successfully weld the pieces together, but said he would like to try out the new rod.
“I called the company and ordered five rods. A couple of weeks later, the welder returned the tank with the weld completed. I was able to grind the weld down to match the flat gasket surface and drill the weld out of the hole with very little effort. I then clamped the tank to the radiator frame and filled the radiator with water. No leaks, so I’m a believer in the Magna 770 rod.
“As stated in the article, Magna 770 rod isn’t cheap. I spent $50 for five rods. However, based on problems with broken cast iron I’ve experienced in the past, with welds that usually don’t hold, this seems to be a big breakthrough. I spoke with Jimmy Morris at Brecko when ordering the welding rods and he was very helpful, offering a lot of advice for preparing the surfaces and completing the weld.”
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, John Ottem, 1016 E. 6th Circle, Broomfield, Colo. 80020 (ph 303 882-9622; jottem@q.com).
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Broken Cast Iron Radiator Welded Back Together FARM SHOP Welders/Torches 64 “I accidentally dropped the cast iron radiator tank for an old tractor I’m restoring on the cement floor of my shop and a piece of the casting broke off It was a bad break because one side of the piece that broke off is a gasketed surface and therefore any repair had to be clean enough to keep the radiator from leaking at the gasket Also the break was complicated by the fact that it went through one of the holes for the bolts that secure the tank to the radiator frame and compresses the gasket ” says John Ottem Broomfield Colo “Due to these complications when I first saw the break I thought I might just as well start searching the Internet to find another tank However I remembered reading an article in FARM SHOW about Magna 770 rod for welding cast iron www breckocorp com; ph 800 720-2887 so I contacted a professional welder and sent him photos of the broken pieces as well as information about this new kind of rod He wasn’t sure he could successfully weld the pieces together but said he would like to try out the new rod “I called the company and ordered five rods A couple of weeks later the welder returned the tank with the weld completed I was able to grind the weld down to match the flat gasket surface and drill the weld out of the hole with very little effort I then clamped the tank to the radiator frame and filled the radiator with water No leaks so I’m a believer in the Magna 770 rod “As stated in the article Magna 770 rod isn’t cheap I spent $50 for five rods However based on problems with broken cast iron I’ve experienced in the past with welds that usually don’t hold this seems to be a big breakthrough I spoke with Jimmy Morris at Brecko when ordering the welding rods and he was very helpful offering a lot of advice for preparing the surfaces and completing the weld ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup John Ottem 1016 E 6th Circle Broomfield Colo 80020 ph 303 882-9622; jottem@q com
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