HOW do you MEND broken CAST IRON?
Question:I bought some cast iron fencing [garden borders] & they arrived w/broken points :-(
It was bought on ebay, and I thought it was insured but it was not.
The seller has not responded to my emails and were jerky in communication b4 hand [which I've NEVER exp./ebay until this ... ]
ANYWAY~perhaps I'll take last option & TRY to MEND these fence sections myself.
I do NOT know how to weld, lol!
IS THERE any other way to mend cast iron aside from welding?? Pleaaaase?? (I sure hope so)
THank you in advance!
Answers:
an epoxy type glue should do the trick.
use a hair drier to get the iron warm and dry.
cast is very porous, put some on each side, use a stiff brush
to get it into the metal.
push together. the weakness will be gold/hot expansion.
"gorilla glue" a brand name for another type of glue might work. unlike epoxies this type of glue should be applied to damp surfaces. it expands during setting, so get it as thin as possible,
drilling a hole and using a steel rod might help.
cast iron CAN be welded, but it s tricky,
another possibility, find some kind of decorative cap instead of repairing the tips.
If you don't want to get it welded, it won't be very sturdy but would look OK if you use some gorilla glue and use heavy tie wraps and spray paint over--won't be something you can lean on but should look ok for a while at least. Sounds funky but it would probably work.
Only way to make it sturdy is to weld it. And cast-iron requires special rods, so even if you know someone that welds as a hobby I'd get a pro.
If it's just decorative borders, JB Weld is a liquid epoxy that just does wonders.
You still may have to be careful how you pick up and move the borders around though.
Your best bet is to take them to a wielding shop for repair.
It really shouldn't cost much, and you may have to paint them after you get them back.
Brazing is the best way to "weld" cast iron. I would go with an epoxy or JBWeld. Gorilla glue needs to be clamped for a few hours to work and I don't know if your parts could be sufficiently clamped. It also expands so you may need to sand or grind off the overage. Hopefully you put a note in the sellers account.
Take it to a qualified welder. There is no other way to fix cast iron permanently.
liquid steel home depo or a auto parts store will sell it comes in a tube
You can try brazing them with a torch.But it will eventually break.I have a old cast iron wash pot that I have planted flowers in, it was broken when I got it, it has been repaired 3 or 4 times in 2 years.Cast iron is hard to get to mend.When I had it brazed it broke again later right beside where I fixed it and the every time after that its always right beside where its been fixed.Some welding shops will tell you they can permanently fix it but I've never seen a piece of cast iron fixed permanently yet.And I'm almost 50.
JB weld
Jb weld may work for you. for cast iron to be welded properly it needs to be pre heated then welded with the proper rod and then cooled slowly by being buried in sand or stove ashes work very well.
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