Mig welding to cast steel !?!

I have scene it done a few times had the idea of making up a de dion with the original carrier.

Is it adviseable to mig to cast steel ?

if you are asking id have to say no. I see little to gain and potentially lots to loose! I dont know if you can weld to it, however it is of unknown purity/composition and a failure would be disasterous. Other opinions may differ.

I reckon it can be done, but with MMA (stick) welding using the correct dissimilar metal rod. The problem is how do you know what type of steel the carrier is? as above there is so much to loose when there is a proven method that works.
Ask a small local engineering firm where they get their profile cutting done & take an accurate pattern to them. A CNC plasma cutter will make a lovely job & it shouldnt cost much.

quote:

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Originally posted by JoelP
if you are asking id have to say no. I see little to gain and potentially lots to loose! I dont know if you can weld to it, however it is of unknown purity/composition and a failure would be disasterous. Other opinions may differ.

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You need to use cast stick rods.In an ideal world,heat up the job as much as poss' before welding.An oven is ideal.
I've had varying degrees of success in various applications throughout industry.

I think that he's talking about cast steel, not cast iron. Two totaly diferent animals. I constructed my I/R/S rear hubs using the Sierra carriers welded on the ends, there is a couple of pictures in my archive, (now added). It's no big deal, you just need max amps, as the hub carriers are about 3/8" thick. Regards Ray

[Edited on 24-11-06 by Chippy]

Plus one I made earlier

[Edited on 24-11-06 by Chippy]

He said cast steel, not cast iron. cast steel welds just like normal mild steel, no special rods needed. agree about preheating to take the chill out of it before welding, and if i was doing it for myself, i'd use stick over mig
as imho its less likely to crack. If it's a highly stressed ,critical weld, and my life was at stake i'd weld it with low hydrogen rods baked in the oven before use.



Some car stuff is forged steel
Originally posted by TPG
You need to use cast stick rods.In an ideal world,heat up the job as much as poss' before welding.An oven is ideal.
I've had varying degrees of success in various applications throughout industry.

go for the low hi rods and defo bake them, they are a lot better to weld with after a good baking, well for root runs they are and they dont splatter and dance about as much either, like them rear carriers you do any ndt on em after that, the cast stuff will react differently to the heat from welding, it may be prone to cracking etc but nothing that sticking it in the oven after welding for a few hours and then letting cool down slow wont help to avoid.