WANT TO SEE WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE ON THE BACKSIDE? WANT TO FIND OUT HOW STRONG THE WELD IS? FIND OUT HERE: th-cam.com/video/cVrydI-v7B8/w-d-xo.html More cast iron welding videos here: th-cam.com/play/PLfbf78fMz9VpweFv4IqUfrrNV6Vvro7Cd.html HERE IS THE INDEPENDENT TESTING SHOWING THE CARBON CONTENT ls1tech.com/forums/forced-induction/1750208-what-truck-manifolds-really-made.html NO I did not mess up. NO I did not weld one side then finish on the other. Both sides of the manifold were prepped. You saw me prep one side. The other side was also prepped for a future tig welding video. Being the producer, cameraman, narrator and welder, I didnt realize that I was welding on the side that you didnt see me prep.
+akim mohammed thanks man! It's a g-shock. I alternate between 2 watches. This is the one I'm wearing in this video. amzn.to/2CBH1bP To see my other watch, just click the link in the description where it says "tools I use". Thanks man! Cheers!
I like this product. Cool, My Grandad welded for INGALLS ironworks shipyard from 1935 till he was 80 years old. He let me burn my first rod at age 8 He burned over 400 1/4 inch rods a day up in bulkheads and was a supervisor. My father worked for Ingalls then became a machinist for Calumet and Hecla Wolverine division of Copper tubing works. I learned how to Braze sealed systems for GE and later developed a training course for Refrigeration systems that is still in use. The alloy industry has some amazing braze and welding products. Cast Iron is a challenge.
Thats awesome man! I love hearing stories of the old timers making a full career and then the next generation following that path. What an honor. It sounds like he had a great work ethic that he passed along also.
I learn a lot from your channel, because you cover things other welding channels don't, which is excellent. Love the tips of different types of iron and welding and how to treat them.
Many interesting comments. When I learned to weld cast iron during my apprenticeship late 60S, we had cast iron welding filler rods. They were .25" square cross section and about 24" long. Used these with an oxy set and the filler "disappeared" into the work. You end up with an almost invisible weld that looked almost like the original! The cast iron filler rod became the workpiece, it merged before your eyes. No cracks, no joins just solid cast iron! Beautiful! It did require pre and post hearing to relieve stresses. Cast iron filler rods have not been available in Australia for MANY years. Regards Peter
I have heard of those rods but I have not had an opportunity to try them. Some engineer probably decided because they worked well that they should be discontinued 😁 cheers brother!
MG makes the best contaminated cast iron rod I have ever used. I repaired cast iron pouring cups on molds in an aluminum foundry for years using their rods. The cast iron cups were sprayed with a non stick coating several times a day. You can t get any more contaminated than that. Sometimes they were cracked sometimes they had holes and sometimes they were broken off. I drilled cracks and ground off the edges on the others to 45 degrees. Then preheated and made a pass on each side of the crack and peened each pass. Then joined and filled the gap peening each pass never allowing to cool. All passes are made at 30 to 40 amps. Then you wrap tightly in a welding blanket and allow to cool completely and repeen. Worked great on the nastiest cast iron I ve ever seen. The rods are high but worth the cost. The cups were in daily use and held up for years. The other rod companies I contacted said it couldn t be done but MG said they had just what I needed and if it didn t work they would send their field expert out to help solve the problem if it could be solved. It worked great with a few minutes on the phone with their expert for instruction. M G is an outstanding customer service based company with many problem solving rods.
MG is the best if you can afford it. I broke a leaf spring on a super heavy duty farm trailer. Turned out it was obsolete so no parts available. The spring shop in OKC that I had used is long out of business. Long story short. . .I got some speciality rod from MG and welded that sucker. I was shocked that it worked TBH
Excellent video, and all the useful stuff is said. Instead of Muggy Weld impossible to find, I've used SS 312 rods for years to weld all the difficult stuff: iron, manganese steel alloys; springs, tooling steel, stainless to steel, crankshafts, etc...Easily machinable, 20 % elongation, extremely resistant to heat. SS 312 rods works very well in 95 % of the situations. It's a very useful item to have in the shop.
@@BrandonLund You're welcome. It's a very strong and resilient alloy, it has been designed in the end of the forties for welding turbine blades on the jet engines. So it's practically impervious to heat, thermal cycles, vibrations and corrosion. Besides it's very easy to use, needs lows amps, works AC and DC, giving beautiful welds with small inverters, and the "glass" pops alone. Another use I did was for welding galvanized tubing as the HAZ is pretty small and the welds need none grinding after. So no job after, just a local cold galva on less that one inch wide. That pays alone the price in professional use, cutting down the work.
I've never used Muggy Weld, I never heard of it back in the day. If I had a real problem child piece of cast iron. I got away with using 308L stainless, because of the 50% elongation factor. But later discovered X-ergon and used their rods or wire exclusively. Great job and info, next cast iron project I run into I'll give it a try. Thank you Brother.
Great video! As a welding instructor, I saw many Ford 360 school bus manifolds that were cracked. ALWAYS clamp or bolt the manifold to an old head or large thick piece of steel plate to eliminate warpage as the manifold cools. Weld as this video recommends.
@londen3547 Reading and listening were never your strong point. To save you time from watching the video again and me from having to reply to what has already been explained, read the video description, and you will know WHY this was done this way. Knowledge is power. Now you know.
Great video - I worked in heavy Steel and Aluminum industry for over 35 years and we welded cast iron, ductile iron etc... quite a bit. We always preheated to 400 - 500 deg F and made short welds and peened them with air operated descalers and we always covered them with Kaowool to slow cool for approx. 1 hour. We used Certanium welding rods and I can't recall any issues as they worked great - expensive but worked great when you needed it! Great video but I would always recommend some preheat and slow cool down as it always worked for us.
This guy is a legend. I'm new to this channel and I'm a beginner welder myself, so it helps to learn a bit of TIG welding even though I am using a MIG set up atm. But overall great information to learn that will help me in future. Also saw that this dude even took the time to reply to most of the comments, that takes some dedication.
Thanks man! I'm glad I could help. I appreciate your support. I put up new episodes every week so hopefully there is something enjoyable for everyone. Take care buddy and thanks for the great comment! 👊👍
Brandon, I saw an English Guy Cold Stitching an old cylinder head that had a crack in the water jacket! When he was done, crack gone, no leak, Awesome!
The cold stitching process is a great technique, probably the most effective method with least chance of catastrophic damage/failure of the part. Labour intensive, sure, but it'll last and probably the way I'd choose on a rare/super expensive/irreplaceable part due to the success rate and less chance of being scrapped if it failed.
The English guy was working in an old rail road Depot, on old trains. He did cold stitching on an old 30s English car. Showing old world technology for the ages...
Hey brandon if your reading this to help with cast iron, place some scrap plate next to your crack and strike a very low setting arc on the plate and heat a low setting up then dip over to your crack, its alot more efficient then trying to start the arc on the cast iron if its stubborn, if that manifold is thick enough then need not to worry it just helps get a better temperature for your start.
A little informative side step from the main topic: Many people know to drill a hole in material to prevent further cracking, but never thought about why this works. It has to do with Pressure = Force / Area (P=F/A). When you drill a hole, that force is applied over the circumference of the entire hole you drilled instead of the end of the crack. The pressure is diminished by spreading the force over a greater area. Obviously, if the force is too great, and the hole too small, it can crack beyond the drill hole. Been there.
I came from the old school of silicon bronze filler for cast iron. What a PITA. Even after stop drilling, v gouging, pre heat 500deg. in a heat treat oven and short stitch TIG welding and peening followed by post heating with natural cool down, the manifolds just like yours (small block Ford) still had the distinctive 'tinkling' sound of cracking at room temp. Arrgghh!!! Had to do that one all over again before success. There's an additional addendum to this story, maybe fodder for later??Then I discovered Eutectic's '680' filler. Considerable stretch when cooling, works on all ferrite materials, and beautiful easily controlled puddling. Worked even when you do not take all the time, precautions with a quick and dirty give a hoot attempt. Used to feel this would make a rookie look like a hero!!But this new Muggy filler is new to me. Definitely worth keeping in one's arsenal. Thanks!!
Thanks man! Brazing is an art form in my opinion. That was one of the first processes that I learned on. I used to pride myself trying to make the "stack of dimes" look. Now I'm just happy to get it in there LOL. This muggy weld rod goes in like butter though. It sounds similar to the 680 you mentioned. Thanks for your support brother!
Lots of comments majority are positive. I have welded fifty five years and I’m not a good welder I’m an auto mechanic who welds out of necessity do a lot of frame repair and fabrication.I leave the tricky or dangerous welding to the pros like you .Thankyou for the video it would have been nice when I learned how to weld if we had videos
A very good video...I weld, on occasion, learned a lot watching this and I really liked the little welder set...This was also a very good lesson in technique teaching as well...My thanks to the gent that made it.
Awesome demonstration Brandon, I've repaired 100's of cast iron manifolds back in the '90's, using either Eutectic 2240 electrodes or Eutectic hot spray, different manifold failures required different techniques. Wish I'd known about Muggy Weld back then.
I once did a beautiful job welding a Slant 6 exhaust manifold crack. I had it resting in the vice, loosened it and it fell out of the vice and hit the floor. I even managed to grab it, but it rolled out of my hand and broke into 3 pieces - nowhere near the weld btw! Moral of the story was, sometimes cast becomes so brittle that it's a waste of time repairing it. I felt a little silly but this manifold breaking was a blessing in disguise. a) I didn't fit it to the car, and b) it taught me how to identify good candidates for repair and those that ought be rejected. If they're not rare, I always tap exhaust manifolds with a hammer now.
Oh man! I can actually picture that happening. You are correct about cast being brittle. It seems it can vary widely. Some cast is much easier to repair than others.
The properties of it change with age combined with the type of use the car has had. I don't know what those variables actually are but if the cast has gone that light brown color it usually is no good. It gets altered on a molecular level I'm thinking.
Thanks Brandon you just turned me onto a kick a.. Welder. Ive been looking for a machine like that for 20 years. As a mechanic and an automotive hobbyist would help me break through a barrier of fabrication problems. Thank you! Im going after one of those!
Glad I could help buddy! If you search my channel you will find a review including the features on this welder. Its one of my favorite welders. Here is an interesting video also th-cam.com/video/xMe35tXg-Ng/w-d-xo.html
Right on brother! I probably enjoy repair work more than anything...each thing brings a new problem with a little different solution. Cheers and thanks for watching!
Brandon Lund ; you’re exactly right that’s where you get that hands-on experience… One of the first things I learned to use was a hammer and I could shape any piece of metal. Every place I worked at, I was the repairman and loved it And get all the specialty welding and fabricating.Very few have the skills that we do, but anyways thanks for getting back to me God bless
The importance of drilling holes at the end of the cracks can't be stressed enough. Thanks. I say the same to some TH-camrs that don't. Crack propagation is real.
@@BrandonLund it is. I was taught it at college and I've had colleagues who have avoided it and the micro cracks cause a premature failure. Especially in high stress situations. I have drilled the ends and done this for metals and plastic welds. Never let me down.
Fracture mechanics is the field of mechanics concerned with the study of the propagation of cracks in materials. My professor wasn't going made when he taught me lol
A couple years back I had my Chevy 383 stroker engine on my engine startup stand and I couldn't get it started so I had it in my garage and it was the coldest winter ever here in Windsor Ontario Canada and guess what? Yup the block cracked in 2 places. I could send you the pics. So I have been doing a lot of research into welding it and I have heard about Muggy Weld but have not bought it yet. I would love to try it so I can finally get my 1980 Camaro back up and running again. Thanks for the opportunity for getting some.
Your in it Daniele! It's a shame that the stroker got cracked but the good news is that Muggy Weld is a perfect fix for that! Be sure to keep an eye on that video. As soon as it hits 1M I'm making the announcement. Good luck!
I had a new rebuilt 383 motor do that and junked it. Thought I drained all the water and left for Florida for a few months. It cracked in the valley and the side of the block. Also years later a roadrunner I was restoring, the 383 block was cracked me and my buddies attempt destroyed it. He was a welder like I was then but I've never welded cast iron. but anyhow, lots of info and great video!
Some twenty-odd years ago, my neighbor had an early '70s Ford pickup with a 460 and a HUGE crack (1/4"+) in the exhaust manifold. He asked if I could weld it, so we gave it a try. We used my wire-feed welder with ER70S-7 wire, and an acetylene torch with a rosebud tip. With it still on the truck, we heated the manifold up to a dull/medium orange, then with the welder set at a low heat setting, proceeded to fill in the gaping maw that was the crack, until it was sealed. It still wasn't leaking when he sold the truck some 5-7 years later. I'm still amazed and impressed.
If you can wrap the welded part in a heat blanket, it will cool slower and become harder. I weld forklift casting and I can tell you that you hit welding cast iron on the money! Great video!
I'm not a school taught welder, but have been welding for over 45 years, I always used nickel rod to weld cast iron, never had any problems with cracks. Ever use that? 👍😎
Muggy rod is fantastic. Use it all the time. Boy you kids are getting better all the time i check. Most kids today can't start a lawnmower let alone know how to weld.
Hahahahaha @Tom Lee Isnt that the truth! I showed both of my kids how to change oil and a tire. That muggy weld is fantastic, a little pricy but worth every penny when welding cast iron!
I hope this is the right video to win some muggy weld! I came from the 2-sided flux core video, welding a cast iron pan on both sides! IF this is the wrong video to win, I still like the video, anyway! All I have that I can use IS flux core, gasless welding capability! I have a cast iron griddle that has a long crack in it! I HATE to throw out cast iron cookware because I or someone else dropped and broke or cracked it! SO, if I were to win the muggy weld rods, I'd use it to repair that nasty long crack! Thanks, Brandon, I learn a lot from your channel!
Thanks @Kim Curtis. The giveaway is over but I'm always sneaking stuff inside my videos to give away. I have a whole cast iron repair series playlist that will give you tons of information to make cast iron repairs and they are actually very strong! I appreciate your support!
Hi Brandon, Just for fun, try welding cast iron manifolds the old school way. Clamp to a steel plate, preheat to dull red, gas weld with Ferro Flux and cast iron "square rod". Then wrap with insulation and cool slowly. It is very crack resistant and will last for years.It is also not effected by contamination from the exhaust.
@@BrandonLund Probably a much better method than you did, Brandon. You said a.c.or d.c. will do. WRONG. A.c. will put in an even heat to both side's ( positive and negative), whereas,d.c. carries 2 thirds of the heat on the positive side, and 1 third on the negative side. Almost 100% of the time, use negative earth.
David Burke That is how I learned to weld cast iron. I don’t know if you can still buy the square rods and flux anymore. I haven’t seen them in decades.
I like to try this rod on my farm attachments. Ive been using this super expensive rod from my local welding supply shop and doesn’t really work that great. Id love to try this stuff out.
Brandon, I worked with cast iron and learned from an old timer who told me to do the same as you only difference was to reverse the polarity. Doing so stops the worry for preheat or cracking from heat. The welds will come out looking like jet rod or stainless welding. Smooth with no undercut no cracking. Give it a shot.
David Conner excellent tip! It makes sense really. Running electrode negative, just like you would for sheet metal. I'll have to give it a try! Thanks!
Brandon Lund cracked block.froze grind mix radiator sealer or jb original with powder iron or steel wool . Never leaked.😎old time trick .furnace retort cememt for manifolds.
@@dondesnoo1771 I got a cracked block in my boat, both sides of the block actually. Can you be a little more specific on the procedure you used for that situation? Thanks in advance.
The undercut may be that you went a bit fast with your weld and didn't let the weld fill in. There is a tendency to run quick with cast iron because it doesnt like heat, but you still have to allow that weld rod fill in its own cut. Excellent video
jason bourne You are spot on when you say there is a tendency to run quick when welding cast. We all try to limit that heat input, and in an effort to do that, sometimes we go a bit too fast. Thank you for this great comment! Cheers brother!
i'm a machiniste welder on the field,i like your way of doing this.....actually the trick is using your flux hammer all the time after you weld will actually help cause cast iron will retract fast as it cool so by doing this you are helping you cast to expend and as it cools ;)
Hi Brandon, I love your videos especially since you don't judge us folks that have to work with what we have instead of what is ideal. I'd love to try some muggy weld. I'm a Monument Preservationist at Gettysburg National Military Park and we have tons of cast iron artillery carriages that we repair. Thanks for your ideas.
I have a test piece of cast iron that was stick welded with a pure nickel electrode sat in my wood stove, it has gone through hundreds of heating and cooling cycles and not cracked. I preheat to 300 c, stitch weld, then leave to cool overnight in a bucket of dry sand.
Thank you for excellent information, although I'd much rather save the time with the method and product shown in the video-in all cases, you know that cast iron parts come in a variety of uses and thicknesses? I will be using these rods extensively for sure.
I always pre heat and post heat and then i would wrap my post heated part in a heat blanket. I have brazed them and stick welded them. Drilling @ each end.
WANT TO SEE WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE ON THE BACKSIDE? WANT TO FIND OUT HOW STRONG THE WELD IS? FIND OUT HERE: th-cam.com/video/cVrydI-v7B8/w-d-xo.html More cast iron welding videos here: th-cam.com/play/PLfbf78fMz9VpweFv4IqUfrrNV6Vvro7Cd.html HERE IS THE INDEPENDENT TESTING SHOWING THE CARBON CONTENT ls1tech.com/forums/forced-induction/1750208-what-truck-manifolds-really-made.html NO I did not mess up. NO I did not weld one side then finish on the other. Both sides of the manifold were prepped. You saw me prep one side. The other side was also prepped for a future tig welding video. Being the producer, cameraman, narrator and welder, I didnt realize that I was welding on the side that you didnt see me prep.
I watched because we share the same last name. Probably not related. I am adopted anyway. Years ago the cast iron hitch for our disk (farm tillage thing) broke and Dad started hunting for a new used disk because in the 70's there weren't many options. Our local blacksmith didn't want to tackle it. My HS shop instructor suggested cast iron rods which were apparently new. I was not an accomplished welder by any sense of the word. I gave it the can do anything if you try attitude and we used that disk for several years later. Oliver brand. I got really lucky. Years later I became a certified weld inspector at a major defence contractor. Was just one of those merit badges that I rarely needed. But, a nice tool to have in the box. Hole drilling to stop the crack is a very sound metallurgical method.
Great name Larry. Its actually a made up name my great grandfather came up with when he immigrated to the United States from Sweeden. His last name prior to the name change was Mattson, so for that reason I'm not related to many lunds :). Cast iron rods are awesome! You can still get them but its becoming a lost art.
As at least one other guy has said this is an exhaust manifold for a GM LS engine and they are likely cast steel rather than cast iron. And they are very popular for DIY turbo manifold setups. I am running a set of these manifolds on my turbo 6.0 and I welded/modified them extensively using a MIG welder and no preheat or other fancy gimmickery.
The material is definitely cast iron. Watch the video at 3:15. The drillings are dark gray in color. The gray comes from the graphite flakes in the cast iron microstructure. Steel has carbon in the form of carbides but no graphite. The drillings would be much brighter looking if it were steel.
If they are iron, they can be MIG welded with a little patience and no cracks. Tons of people on LS1tech doing it and I've done it. Rockin' em on the turbo 6.0. If it is iron like you guys say, it's a way better iron than you'd find on a manifold from a small block in the 70s. I talk about how I had to move one of the collectors in this video around the 11:24 mark th-cam.com/video/ceq_kx6i32Q/w-d-xo.html Also, you can see the moving of the collector and the removal of all the bosses and holes in this build thread here about 3/4 of the way down: ls1tech.com/forums/conversions-hybrids/1863935-turbo-6-0-t56-build.html I ground off all the bosses for the heat shields and EGR and everything else and wherever there were holes I filled them up with the MIG.
Thanks very much for sharing, I would pre-heat with a cheap gas torch and it doesn't cost much. And you guys kill me with these videos since I'm a retired multiskilled worker and need a garage to keep playing my hobbies!
Thanks Bill! I recommend the preheat also and I can totally relate to needing a space to work. I watch a bunch of machining videos but I don't have the space to have any machines so for now I live vicariously through them Hahaha Cheers brother!
Hi, nice job. I got a lot out of this video. Some items are hard to replace like vintage car engine blocks with cracked water jackets. So this will save a lot of engine lives I'm sure
Thank you very much William! This was exactly the point of this video. Not everything can be replaced and this rod I feel gives the best chance of success for the user and the part being welded :)
I always preheat before I do any cast welding.. I set it on top of a kerosene heater on high I also weld it while it sits on the heater then slowly bring the temp down on the heater...
Heck, I welded a set of Ford exhaust manifolds with my wire welder, filling in gaps over 1/4" across. They never leaked in the several years my neighbor owned it, and still worked when he sold it.
Dont say that too loud Eric, there are folks on my MIG welding cast iron video that say it cant be done LOL. In all seriousness, good for you man. I'm a firm believer in "give it a try". It cant be more broke than it already is. I like that can do attitude. I've mig welded cast also and have had really good luck too.
Is brazing lower temp than welding? I am noob what's the difference? Is the benefit of brazing that you apply filler metal at lower heat thus reducing chance of stress cracks?
To stick-weld cold cast iron, just use a series of very short tacks (half-second to one-second maximum) , immediately peening each as it cools down, and never letting the piece get too hot to touch. Takes time, but is reliably effective.
@@iancameron1662 right here www.amazon.com/Blue-Demon-BLUEARC-160STI-Welding-Equipment/dp/B01G5DRLI4 if you search my channel, I also have a review of this welder.
Mr clark metal shop teacher welded cast iron all the time with oxy acetylene and some borax flux his fixes lasted life time he was amazing craftsman i learned lots off of him and my uncle sam the old timers where true crafts men i learned a lot from them
For anyone who wants to know, the purpose of drilling the holes is to allow the stresses at the tip of the crack to be distributed around the hole you drilled. Now, instead of all the stress in one point (the tip of the crack) it is evenly distributed around an arc.
Good info! Enjoyed the video.,.Never heard of Muggy weld ,but seems to work well.Frozen blocks and Manifolds are a constant problem in the Marine engine industry here in Northern Ontario ,Every spring we see who know hows to PROPERLY drain a marine engine.Most just re Power.
Thanks man! From what you describe I can see a HUGE potential to make a lot of money in the marine industry. If it cant be welded with this rod than it probably cant be fixed. If I were a customer with a cracked block, I would gladly pay a few hundred dollars or more to have my boat fixed Vs. buying a whole new motor. A lot of people are under the impression that cast iron cant be repaired. That is far from true. As long as they know it will never be as strong as the factory original and that there is a possibility that it could fail at some point down the road, everyone wins.
I remember back in the 80s when we had old 60 model vehicles and use brazing rod with acetylene for the preheat it is, I can be pretty tricky. Nickel rods are cool though even on a stick welder. Very good video
You say that, that was one of the first things I learned on...I was "stacking dimes" with braze and oxy /acy before it was even a "thing" LOl. Seriously though, brazing is still a very effective method for repairing lots of things, but it seems like some of the older methods are slowly fading.
Lol what??? Of course cast iron can be welded. The vast majority of ‘cast iron’ is cast steel anyway. However after a PMI confirms the composition to be iron then you can use a suitable electrode, I like 100% nickel or 90/10 nickel
Tried it today.. Had hell of a job striking the ark with 2.5 rod. Kept sticking, so I kept increasing the amps. I was soon on max setting and my welder either kept cutting out or the rods kept sticking to the work.😯 Managed (some) penetration and when I chipped it with the hammer the weld held. Let's hope I've sorted it. It was my first ever cast iron weld !
I just weld that shit up with good ol flux core mig. Heat it up first, weld it and keep a little heat on it and let it cool slowly so it doesn't crack.
I've repaired a couple of exhaust manifolds like this using stainless wire, lots of preheat and slow cooling and they lasted fine (one was from a 5 cylinder turbocharged Fiat Coupe, notorious for cracking). I'm under no illusions that it's a technically good method though, it's just what was available to me.
Been successfully welding cast iron for almost fifty years.when "stitch" welding cast iron I try to only heat it to where you can put your hand on it a moment later.deffinatly bevel the crack,drill both ends and try not to over heat it...but I like to use "99" rod
+Jo Jo Mama I enjoy working with cast. Little more to it than just gluing 2 pieces of metal together. I like the extra attention to details. I think that's what makes it enjoyable. Do you do any blacksmithing by chance?
Good eye. I prepped both sides because one side was for this project and the other side is going to be an upcoming TIG episode. Being the director, camera man and welder, I lost track and accidentally welded the side that no one saw me prep.
That Manifold appears to be from a V8 Buick . I had a V6 and the Manifolds were identical except 3 ports rather than 4 , Honestly I'd be preheating with an LPG torch , not necessarily to the point of glow , but fill it with sand and then place in your houshold oven at 500 deg for an hour then LPG (Propane for you Yanks ) and weld it in ONe hit then peen as it cools , then back under the torch and into the oven to cool over about 3 hours from 500 Deg F to 100 Deg F then turn the oven off. I have welded many Manifolds like this and not had issues. A neat trick if there is a spring works close by is ask if you can place the manifold in their Oven for a couple of hours and then into the hot sand pit if they use one to cools slowly :)
I once welded up a broken trans case I stripped it of all parts then set a bag of charcoal ablaze in it after about 15 minutes we welded the crack like you did one end then the other then peened it then put more charcoal in it and lefty it burn out slowly reassembled it the next day ,its still working today about twenty years now an old ford farmtractor
I can vouch for the efficacy of Muggy welding rods. They flow and wet in like butter. They're my go-to rod on cast iron. You can also knock the flux off and TIG with them. I keep a selection of these rods on hand for the occasional cast iron job and they always work well.
Hey Brandon , I would like to try the Muggy weld 72 and 77 rods to see if they can build up erosion on a 180 ton Carrier chiller. The water box lid and flange are rusted out!! I like your videos and was able to fix my broken cast bench vise after watching you weld cast with your mig. Thank you , keep up the good work!!
Tim, hearing from a viewer that they were able to make a successful repair after watching the channel is very rewarding! Thank you for sharing your story and good luck on your contest entry! Cheers!
@Tim Kimbley Congratulations, YOU WON! To claim your Muggy Weld welding rods, please contact me by Friday Midnight EST with your shipping information. YOU MUST go to my You-Tube channel and click the "About" tab. From there, click on "for business inquiries" and you can send me a direct email with your details. DO NOT PUT YOUR PRIVATE INFORMATION HERE. Thanks again for your support on the channel and I really hope you enjoy the welding rods. Be sure to check Facebook and Instagram for behind the scenes stuff also. I'd love to hear you thoughts after you get them. Take care Brandon
Good eye. I prepped both sides because one side was for this project and the other side is going to be an upcoming TIG episode. Being the director, camera man and welder, I accidentally welded the side that no one saw me prep.
Because people believe that their way is the only way and any other way is wrong. Unfortunately there are numerous ways to repair cast iron, numerous filler materials, numerous processes (MIG, TIG, STICK Oxy Fuel ect.) cold welding technique V.S. pre-heat / post heat....you just have to be open minded to different methods and techniques. Welding cast is a crap shoot. What works for one may not work for another.
My girlfriend has a 15" crack. How much rod will I need to get full penetration. She says I need to preheat the hole and the crack prior to laying down my rod and it will prevent sticking my tip. I feel like I need a bigger rod but what do ya do? God, I'm so juvenile sometimes...🙄
15" is a huge gap, If you have a little rod, your gonna have to make multiple passes being careful not to blow through...you could always trade it in for a new one 😜 😁 -Thanks for the laugh :) Cheers brother!
I am a retired combination welder. Try Certanium welding rod, 889. Made by Cronatron. Trick is to change your angle of rod to almost straight up 90 degree to run short beads. I also never use grinding wheel to prep weld area. I used dremmel bit. Does not smear metal molecules like a grinding wheel. Heat up before weld and cover or wrap to let weld cool slow as possible to room temperature. I used fire bricks when able to retain heat and a weld blanket if available. Problem was other workers would steal blanket. I preheated bricks in welding rod warmer that I used for 7018 rods to keep out moisture. Loved certanium. I to always drilled holes end if cracked area. Be sure to go a little past end of crack. Good luck !
Very interesting! I want to know more. You are the second person to say this. How do you attach the copper and the electrode? I cant find information on this.
So you wrap the stranded copper wire around the welding electrode? What mm or size is the stranded copper wire? I want to try this. I am very interested
Bait and Switch Initially the exhaust ports were down, against the table, and you drew your simulated crack, cleaned it up and welded it. At the end of the video, when you finished everything up the exhaust ports were facing up. I did see you welding with the exhaust ports facing up, but... ...was there a problem with the piece, the rods or your technique that you had to refine during the process?
Good eye guys! Both sides were prepped, only one side was welded. The other side is going to be tig welded in a future episode. There is no bait and switch other than I accidentally welded the side that you did not see me prep.
WANT TO SEE WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE ON THE BACKSIDE? WANT TO FIND OUT HOW STRONG THE WELD IS? FIND OUT HERE: th-cam.com/video/cVrydI-v7B8/w-d-xo.html
More cast iron welding videos here: th-cam.com/play/PLfbf78fMz9VpweFv4IqUfrrNV6Vvro7Cd.html
HERE IS THE INDEPENDENT TESTING SHOWING THE CARBON CONTENT ls1tech.com/forums/forced-induction/1750208-what-truck-manifolds-really-made.html
NO I did not mess up.
NO I did not weld one side then finish on the other.
Both sides of the manifold were prepped. You saw me prep one side. The other side was also prepped for a future tig welding video. Being the producer, cameraman, narrator and welder, I didnt realize that I was welding on the side that you didnt see me prep.
I like your watch, what kind of watch is it?
+akim mohammed thanks man! It's a g-shock. I alternate between 2 watches. This is the one I'm wearing in this video. amzn.to/2CBH1bP To see my other watch, just click the link in the description where it says "tools I use". Thanks man! Cheers!
I can't wait for that!!!! Damn time going be running slow until then lol. Seriusly I will check that sounds interested
@@arturolopez7683thanks man! th-cam.com/video/cVrydI-v7B8/w-d-xo.html
@@ThePaulv12 great idea! plus it gives a little cleaning action before welding! Great tip!
I like this product. Cool, My Grandad welded for INGALLS ironworks shipyard from 1935 till he was 80 years old. He let me burn my first rod at age 8 He burned over 400 1/4 inch rods a day up in bulkheads and was a supervisor. My father worked for Ingalls then became a machinist for Calumet and Hecla Wolverine division of Copper tubing works. I learned how to Braze sealed systems for GE and later developed a training course for Refrigeration systems that is still in use. The alloy industry has some amazing braze and welding products. Cast Iron is a challenge.
Thats awesome man! I love hearing stories of the old timers making a full career and then the next generation following that path. What an honor. It sounds like he had a great work ethic that he passed along also.
@@BrandonLund can you confirm that you I won the giveaway
I'm HVAC certified, I know what you're talking about
I have had good luck post cooling slowly by wrapping the part in my welding blankets instead of sand.
@@michaelpiecewicz9748I always wondered if that would work
I learn a lot from your channel, because you cover things other welding channels don't, which is excellent. Love the tips of different types of iron and welding and how to treat them.
Thank you very much!🙏👍 @Bill Does Stuff
Many interesting comments. When I learned to weld cast iron during my apprenticeship late 60S, we had cast iron welding filler rods. They were .25" square cross section and about 24" long. Used these with an oxy set and the filler "disappeared" into the work. You end up with an almost invisible weld that looked almost like the original! The cast iron filler rod became the workpiece, it merged before your eyes. No cracks, no joins just solid cast iron! Beautiful!
It did require pre and post hearing to relieve stresses.
Cast iron filler rods have not been available in Australia for MANY years.
Regards Peter
I have heard of those rods but I have not had an opportunity to try them. Some engineer probably decided because they worked well that they should be discontinued 😁 cheers brother!
Thank you for the video.
I have a block that froze and cracked and wanted to try something like this .
Thanks man and good luck with your repair! If you think of it, let us know how you make out
MG makes the best contaminated cast iron rod I have ever used. I repaired cast iron pouring cups on molds in an aluminum foundry for years using their rods. The cast iron cups were sprayed with a non stick coating several times a day. You can t get any more contaminated than that. Sometimes they were cracked sometimes they had holes and sometimes they were broken off. I drilled cracks and ground off the edges on the others to 45 degrees. Then preheated and made a pass on each side of the crack and peened each pass. Then joined and filled the gap peening each pass never allowing to cool. All passes are made at 30 to 40 amps. Then you wrap tightly in a welding blanket and allow to cool completely and repeen. Worked great on the nastiest cast iron I ve ever seen. The rods are high but worth the cost. The cups were in daily use and held up for years. The other rod companies I contacted said it couldn t be done but MG said they had just what I needed and if it didn t work they would send their field expert out to help solve the problem if it could be solved. It worked great with a few minutes on the phone with their expert for instruction.
M G is an outstanding customer service based company with many problem solving rods.
MG is the best if you can afford it. I broke a leaf spring on a super heavy duty farm trailer. Turned out it was obsolete so no parts available. The spring shop in OKC that I had used is long out of business. Long story short. . .I got some speciality rod from MG and welded that sucker. I was shocked that it worked TBH
Excellent video, and all the useful stuff is said. Instead of Muggy Weld impossible to find, I've used SS 312 rods for years to weld all the difficult stuff: iron, manganese steel alloys; springs, tooling steel, stainless to steel, crankshafts, etc...Easily machinable, 20 % elongation, extremely resistant to heat. SS 312 rods works very well in 95 % of the situations. It's a very useful item to have in the shop.
Thanks Pablo I'll have to give it a try!
@@BrandonLund You're welcome. It's a very strong and resilient alloy, it has been designed in the end of the forties for welding turbine blades on the jet engines. So it's practically impervious to heat, thermal cycles, vibrations and corrosion. Besides it's very easy to use, needs lows amps, works AC and DC, giving beautiful welds with small inverters, and the "glass" pops alone.
Another use I did was for welding galvanized tubing as the HAZ is pretty small and the welds need none grinding after. So no job after, just a local cold galva on less that one inch wide. That pays alone the price in professional use, cutting down the work.
Great tips Pablo! Thank you! 🙏
I've never used Muggy Weld, I never heard of it back in the day. If I had a real problem child piece of cast iron. I got away with using 308L stainless, because of the 50% elongation factor. But later discovered X-ergon and used their rods or wire exclusively. Great job and info, next cast iron project I run into I'll give it a try. Thank you Brother.
Thanks buddy! It's real good stuff. A little pricy but it works awesome.
Great video! As a welding instructor, I saw many Ford 360 school bus manifolds that were cracked. ALWAYS clamp or bolt the manifold to an old head or large thick piece of steel plate to eliminate warpage as the manifold cools. Weld as this video recommends.
@loveshisharley thanks man! Yes that is excellent advise for sure! Thanks for watching and commenting
@londen3547 Reading and listening were never your strong point. To save you time from watching the video again and me from having to reply to what has already been explained, read the video description, and you will know WHY this was done this way. Knowledge is power. Now you know.
Thanks I’m welding a cast iron engine block and this helped me out allot
Great to hear!
Great video - I worked in heavy Steel and Aluminum industry for over 35 years and we welded cast iron, ductile iron etc... quite a bit. We always preheated to 400 - 500 deg F and made short welds and peened them with air operated descalers and we always covered them with Kaowool to slow cool for approx. 1 hour. We used Certanium welding rods and I can't recall any issues as they worked great - expensive but worked great when you needed it! Great video but I would always recommend some preheat and slow cool down as it always worked for us.
Thank you!
What a good teacher you are. I have no idea what welding was before I clicked on your video. Now I know a bunch.
Thanks Matthew! I appreciate your kind words!
This guy is a legend. I'm new to this channel and I'm a beginner welder myself, so it helps to learn a bit of TIG welding even though I am using a MIG set up atm. But overall great information to learn that will help me in future. Also saw that this dude even took the time to reply to most of the comments, that takes some dedication.
Thanks man! I'm glad I could help. I appreciate your support. I put up new episodes every week so hopefully there is something enjoyable for everyone. Take care buddy and thanks for the great comment! 👊👍
"So it helps to learn a bit of tig"
Is he not using an arc welder??
@@karllunney1383 he is, that guy is just a beginner. its hard to remember all the types sometimes.
Brandon, I saw an English Guy Cold Stitching an old cylinder head that had a crack in the water jacket! When he was done, crack gone, no leak, Awesome!
Very cool!
The cold stitching process is a great technique, probably the most effective method with least chance of catastrophic damage/failure of the part. Labour intensive, sure, but it'll last and probably the way I'd choose on a rare/super expensive/irreplaceable part due to the success rate and less chance of being scrapped if it failed.
The English guy was working in an old rail road Depot, on old trains. He did cold stitching on an old 30s English car. Showing old world technology for the ages...
yep, saw it too... in an english TV show "Car SOS" it was an "Austin 12" from 1928...if my memory doesn' t fail :)
Hey brandon if your reading this to help with cast iron, place some scrap plate next to your crack and strike a very low setting arc on the plate and heat a low setting up then dip over to your crack, its alot more efficient then trying to start the arc on the cast iron if its stubborn, if that manifold is thick enough then need not to worry it just helps get a better temperature for your start.
A little informative side step from the main topic: Many people know to drill a hole in material to prevent further cracking, but never thought about why this works. It has to do with Pressure = Force / Area (P=F/A). When you drill a hole, that force is applied over the circumference of the entire hole you drilled instead of the end of the crack. The pressure is diminished by spreading the force over a greater area. Obviously, if the force is too great, and the hole too small, it can crack beyond the drill hole. Been there.
Good information! Thank you! :)
I came from the old school of silicon bronze filler for cast iron. What a PITA. Even after stop drilling, v gouging, pre heat 500deg. in a heat treat oven and short stitch TIG welding and peening followed by post heating with natural cool down, the manifolds just like yours (small block Ford) still had the distinctive 'tinkling' sound of cracking at room temp. Arrgghh!!! Had to do that one all over again before success. There's an additional addendum to this story, maybe fodder for later??Then I discovered Eutectic's '680' filler. Considerable stretch when cooling, works on all ferrite materials, and beautiful easily controlled puddling. Worked even when you do not take all the time, precautions with a quick and dirty give a hoot attempt. Used to feel this would make a rookie look like a hero!!But this new Muggy filler is new to me. Definitely worth keeping in one's arsenal. Thanks!!
Thanks man! Brazing is an art form in my opinion. That was one of the first processes that I learned on. I used to pride myself trying to make the "stack of dimes" look. Now I'm just happy to get it in there LOL. This muggy weld rod goes in like butter though. It sounds similar to the 680 you mentioned. Thanks for your support brother!
Lots of comments majority are positive. I have welded fifty five years and I’m not a good welder I’m an auto mechanic who welds out of necessity do a lot of frame repair and fabrication.I leave the tricky or dangerous welding to the pros like you .Thankyou for the video it would have been nice when I learned how to weld if we had videos
Thanks Roger! We are in the same boat...i didn't have videos either when I started welding...heck, we didn't even have internet or cell phones 🤣🤣🤣
A very good video...I weld, on occasion, learned a lot watching this and I really liked the little welder set...This was also a very good lesson in technique teaching as well...My thanks to the gent that made it.
Thank you Vern for your kind words! I'm glad I was able to help.
Awesome demonstration Brandon, I've repaired 100's of cast iron manifolds back in the '90's, using either Eutectic 2240 electrodes or Eutectic hot spray, different manifold failures required different techniques. Wish I'd known about Muggy Weld back then.
Thanks man! It’s good stuff!
I once did a beautiful job welding a Slant 6 exhaust manifold crack. I had it resting in the vice, loosened it and it fell out of the vice and hit the floor. I even managed to grab it, but it rolled out of my hand and broke into 3 pieces - nowhere near the weld btw!
Moral of the story was, sometimes cast becomes so brittle that it's a waste of time repairing it.
I felt a little silly but this manifold breaking was a blessing in disguise. a) I didn't fit it to the car, and b) it taught me how to identify good candidates for repair and those that ought be rejected.
If they're not rare, I always tap exhaust manifolds with a hammer now.
Oh man! I can actually picture that happening. You are correct about cast being brittle. It seems it can vary widely. Some cast is much easier to repair than others.
The properties of it change with age combined with the type of use the car has had.
I don't know what those variables actually are but if the cast has gone that light brown color it usually is no good. It gets altered on a molecular level I'm thinking.
Thank you Mr Brandon Lund for this video. I’ve learned a lot just from watching your videos
Thank you very much!
This is great information for cast welding but you definitely have to watch the whole video to the end. Thanks for sharing
Thanks David!
Lots of skill, experience and knowledge goes into this. Very nice job.
Thank you!
Thanks Brandon you just turned me onto a kick a.. Welder. Ive been looking for a machine like that for 20 years. As a mechanic and an automotive hobbyist would help me break through a barrier of fabrication problems. Thank you! Im going after one of those!
Glad I could help buddy! If you search my channel you will find a review including the features on this welder. Its one of my favorite welders. Here is an interesting video also th-cam.com/video/xMe35tXg-Ng/w-d-xo.html
Beautiful work, I miss welding fabricating machining and repairing was my favorite!
Right on brother! I probably enjoy repair work more than anything...each thing brings a new problem with a little different solution. Cheers and thanks for watching!
Brandon Lund ; you’re exactly right that’s where you get that hands-on experience… One of the first things I learned to use was a hammer and I could shape any piece of metal. Every place I worked at, I was the repairman and loved it And get all the specialty welding and fabricating.Very few have the skills that we do, but anyways thanks for getting back to me God bless
God bless you brother!
The importance of drilling holes at the end of the cracks can't be stressed enough. Thanks. I say the same to some TH-camrs that don't. Crack propagation is real.
THANK YOU! I've actually had people say its not necessary.
@@BrandonLund it is. I was taught it at college and I've had colleagues who have avoided it and the micro cracks cause a premature failure. Especially in high stress situations.
I have drilled the ends and done this for metals and plastic welds. Never let me down.
Fracture mechanics is the field of mechanics concerned with the study of the propagation of cracks in materials.
My professor wasn't going made when he taught me lol
I agree with you 💯. Great point on drilling plastics too! Its probably as prone to propagating outwards as much as cast iron! Thanks again!
A couple years back I had my Chevy 383 stroker engine on my engine startup stand and I couldn't get it started so I had it in my garage and it was the coldest winter ever here in Windsor Ontario Canada and guess what? Yup the block cracked in 2 places. I could send you the pics. So I have been doing a lot of research into welding it and I have heard about Muggy Weld but have not bought it yet. I would love to try it so I can finally get my 1980 Camaro back up and running again. Thanks for the opportunity for getting some.
Your in it Daniele! It's a shame that the stroker got cracked but the good news is that Muggy Weld is a perfect fix for that! Be sure to keep an eye on that video. As soon as it hits 1M I'm making the announcement. Good luck!
I had a new rebuilt 383 motor do that and junked it. Thought I drained all the water and left for Florida for a few months. It cracked in the valley and the side of the block. Also years later a roadrunner I was restoring, the 383 block was cracked me and my buddies attempt destroyed it. He was a welder like I was then but I've never welded cast iron. but anyhow, lots of info and great video!
Some twenty-odd years ago, my neighbor had an early '70s Ford pickup with a 460 and a HUGE crack (1/4"+) in the exhaust manifold. He asked if I could weld it, so we gave it a try.
We used my wire-feed welder with ER70S-7 wire, and an acetylene torch with a rosebud tip. With it still on the truck, we heated the manifold up to a dull/medium orange, then with the welder set at a low heat setting, proceeded to fill in the gaping maw that was the crack, until it was sealed. It still wasn't leaking when he sold the truck some 5-7 years later. I'm still amazed and impressed.
That's awesome! You have a great get it done mentality! I love it! Cheers brother!
If you can wrap the welded part in a heat blanket, it will cool slower and become harder. I weld forklift casting and I can tell you that you hit welding cast iron on the money! Great video!
TODD CASTLE thanks man! I appreciate your support brother!
I'm not a school taught welder, but have been welding for over 45 years, I always used nickel rod to weld cast iron, never had any problems with cracks. Ever use that? 👍😎
From my understanding, I believe this rod contains nickel (along with other secret ingredients). Nickel is good stuff
Muggy rod is fantastic. Use it all the time. Boy you kids are getting better all the time i check. Most kids today can't start a lawnmower let alone know how to weld.
Hahahahaha @Tom Lee Isnt that the truth! I showed both of my kids how to change oil and a tire. That muggy weld is fantastic, a little pricy but worth every penny when welding cast iron!
I hope this is the right video to win some muggy weld! I came from the 2-sided flux core video, welding a cast iron pan on both sides! IF this is the wrong video to win, I still like the video, anyway! All I have that I can use IS flux core, gasless welding capability!
I have a cast iron griddle that has a long crack in it! I HATE to throw out cast iron cookware because I or someone else dropped and broke or cracked it! SO, if I were to win the muggy weld rods, I'd use it to repair that nasty long crack!
Thanks, Brandon, I learn a lot from your channel!
Thanks @Kim Curtis. The giveaway is over but I'm always sneaking stuff inside my videos to give away. I have a whole cast iron repair series playlist that will give you tons of information to make cast iron repairs and they are actually very strong! I appreciate your support!
Good job on the video Brandon. Thanks for posting.
You're welcome thanks for watching
You have all the right answers when welding cast...job well done, Thank you :)
Thank you very much! I appreciate your support!
Hi Brandon, Just for fun, try welding cast iron manifolds the old school way. Clamp to a steel plate, preheat to dull red, gas weld with Ferro Flux and cast iron "square rod". Then wrap with insulation and cool slowly. It is very crack resistant and will last for years.It is also not effected by contamination from the exhaust.
I've seen some old timers do it this way but never tried it myself. It's very interesting to watch and very much an art form in my opinion.
@@BrandonLund Probably a much better method than you did, Brandon. You said a.c.or d.c. will do. WRONG. A.c. will put in an even heat to both side's ( positive and negative), whereas,d.c. carries 2 thirds of the heat on the positive side, and 1 third on the negative side. Almost 100% of the time, use negative earth.
@derek haydon If you disagree with the polarity these rods were meant to run on you need to take that up with the manufacturer.
@@BrandonLund sometimes the best Captain shouts from the shoreline.
David Burke That is how I learned to weld cast iron. I don’t know if you can still buy the square rods and flux anymore. I haven’t seen them in decades.
Drilling the holes on each end of the crack makes a big difference...good job.
@Zlatko Zivkovic thank you! 😊
It is the best explanation they have given to repair a maniford. Very good
Thank you very much!
I like to try this rod on my farm attachments. Ive been using this super expensive rod from my local welding supply shop and doesn’t really work that great. Id love to try this stuff out.
Songer121 your entered! Good luck!
@@BrandonLund Op Jim
Brandon, I worked with cast iron and learned from an old timer who told me to do the same as you only difference was to reverse the polarity. Doing so stops the worry for preheat or cracking from heat. The welds will come out looking like jet rod or stainless welding. Smooth with no undercut no cracking. Give it a shot.
David Conner excellent tip! It makes sense really. Running electrode negative, just like you would for sheet metal. I'll have to give it a try! Thanks!
@ARNWRKR I did, but I'm always interested in trying viewer suggestions. His comment makes a lot of sense.
Brandon Lund cracked block.froze grind mix radiator sealer or jb original with powder iron or steel wool . Never leaked.😎old time trick .furnace retort cememt for manifolds.
@@dondesnoo1771 I got a cracked block in my boat, both sides of the block actually. Can you be a little more specific on the procedure you used for that situation? Thanks in advance.
@@bcjsmith1 mixed powdered iron and radiator sealer filled with steel wool to hold made a paste
The undercut may be that you went a bit fast with your weld and didn't let the weld fill in. There is a tendency to run quick with cast iron because it doesnt like heat, but you still have to allow that weld rod fill in its own cut. Excellent video
jason bourne You are spot on when you say there is a tendency to run quick when welding cast. We all try to limit that heat input, and in an effort to do that, sometimes we go a bit too fast. Thank you for this great comment! Cheers brother!
Great presentation..I actually mig welded manifold back in the 80s not having no skill...I learned a lot and I thank you
Thank you!
i'm a machiniste welder on the field,i like your way of doing this.....actually the trick is using your flux hammer all the time after you weld will actually help cause cast iron will retract fast as it cool so by doing this you are helping you cast to expend and as it cools ;)
Thanks man!
Hi Brandon, I love your videos especially since you don't judge us folks that have to work with what we have instead of what is ideal. I'd love to try some muggy weld. I'm a Monument Preservationist at Gettysburg National Military Park and we have tons of cast iron artillery carriages that we repair. Thanks for your ideas.
Thank you very much! That's very interesting and impressive!
Stainless steel 309 stainless steel rods and these muggy welding rods work excellent for cast iron.
"99" rod can work as well
The democrats will get rid of your old monuments and you will be unemployed
I have a test piece of cast iron that was stick welded with a pure nickel electrode sat in my wood stove, it has gone through hundreds of heating and cooling cycles and not cracked. I preheat to 300 c, stitch weld, then leave to cool overnight in a bucket of dry sand.
This is an excellent method!
Thank you for excellent information, although I'd much rather save the time with the method and product shown in the video-in all cases, you know that cast iron parts come in a variety of uses and thicknesses? I will be using these rods extensively for sure.
I always pre heat and post heat and then i would wrap my post heated part in a heat blanket. I have brazed them and stick welded them. Drilling @ each end.
Yeah I was going to say use the nickel rod works great on cast iron been doing it forever
Absolutely spot on, pre heat and cool down in a bucket of sand. I am a time served welder and this was how i was taught.
I have repaired engine blocks and heads with muggy rods, I've even TIG'ed with them. NI99, and silicon bronze also work.
I was impressed with the instructions that came with their rods. I plan to try to TIG with these. Im excited to try them.
WANT TO SEE WHAT THIS LOOKS LIKE ON THE BACKSIDE? WANT TO FIND OUT HOW STRONG THE WELD IS? FIND OUT HERE: th-cam.com/video/cVrydI-v7B8/w-d-xo.html
More cast iron welding videos here: th-cam.com/play/PLfbf78fMz9VpweFv4IqUfrrNV6Vvro7Cd.html
HERE IS THE INDEPENDENT TESTING SHOWING THE CARBON CONTENT ls1tech.com/forums/forced-induction/1750208-what-truck-manifolds-really-made.html
NO I did not mess up.
NO I did not weld one side then finish on the other.
Both sides of the manifold were prepped. You saw me prep one side. The other side was also prepped for a future tig welding video. Being the producer, cameraman, narrator and welder, I didnt realize that I was welding on the side that you didnt see me prep.
Great job showing the weld and explaining it. Big thumbs up!
Randall Millam thanks man, I appreciate your support!
I watched because we share the same last name. Probably not related. I am adopted anyway. Years ago the cast iron hitch for our disk (farm tillage thing) broke and Dad started hunting for a new used disk because in the 70's there weren't many options. Our local blacksmith didn't want to tackle it. My HS shop instructor suggested cast iron rods which were apparently new. I was not an accomplished welder by any sense of the word. I gave it the can do anything if you try attitude and we used that disk for several years later. Oliver brand. I got really lucky. Years later I became a certified weld inspector at a major defence contractor. Was just one of those merit badges that I rarely needed. But, a nice tool to have in the box. Hole drilling to stop the crack is a very sound metallurgical method.
Great name Larry. Its actually a made up name my great grandfather came up with when he immigrated to the United States from Sweeden. His last name prior to the name change was Mattson, so for that reason I'm not related to many lunds :). Cast iron rods are awesome! You can still get them but its becoming a lost art.
As at least one other guy has said this is an exhaust manifold for a GM LS engine and they are likely cast steel rather than cast iron. And they are very popular for DIY turbo manifold setups. I am running a set of these manifolds on my turbo 6.0 and I welded/modified them extensively using a MIG welder and no preheat or other fancy gimmickery.
We discuss just this topic in today's video :) Cheers and thanks for watching!
The material is definitely cast iron. Watch the video at 3:15. The drillings are dark gray in color. The gray comes from the graphite flakes in the cast iron microstructure. Steel has carbon in the form of carbides but no graphite. The drillings would be much brighter looking if it were steel.
@@Secession1900 right on! You are the first person I believe who has noticed this. As you pointed out, cast looks nothing like steel when drilled.
@Joseph_kilbreth1987that seems to be a common misconception with some. th-cam.com/video/cVrydI-v7B8/w-d-xo.html
If they are iron, they can be MIG welded with a little patience and no cracks. Tons of people on LS1tech doing it and I've done it. Rockin' em on the turbo 6.0. If it is iron like you guys say, it's a way better iron than you'd find on a manifold from a small block in the 70s. I talk about how I had to move one of the collectors in this video around the 11:24 mark th-cam.com/video/ceq_kx6i32Q/w-d-xo.html
Also, you can see the moving of the collector and the removal of all the bosses and holes in this build thread here about 3/4 of the way down: ls1tech.com/forums/conversions-hybrids/1863935-turbo-6-0-t56-build.html
I ground off all the bosses for the heat shields and EGR and everything else and wherever there were holes I filled them up with the MIG.
Yes you would preheat as well as keep applying heat as it cools down, the slower it cool the less chance it cracks.
Love to see that repair crack tested ...
Peter, click the link in the pinned comment. We tested it
For what? Just as long as it doesn't leak
Thanks very much for sharing, I would pre-heat with a cheap gas torch and it doesn't cost much.
And you guys kill me with these videos since I'm a retired multiskilled worker and need a garage to keep playing my hobbies!
Thanks Bill! I recommend the preheat also and I can totally relate to needing a space to work. I watch a bunch of machining videos but I don't have the space to have any machines so for now I live vicariously through them Hahaha Cheers brother!
Hi, nice job. I got a lot out of this video.
Some items are hard to replace like vintage car engine blocks with cracked water jackets. So this will save a lot of engine lives I'm sure
Thank you very much William! This was exactly the point of this video. Not everything can be replaced and this rod I feel gives the best chance of success for the user and the part being welded :)
Thanks for an easy and clear explanation !!!
Thank you very much! I'm glad you enjoyed!
Looked pretty good after the 1st pass. Looks like you may know how to weld.
Thank you very much. I can’t take all the credit though, these rods flow pretty nice :)
@@BrandonLund I can say that's a good weld. I know. I suck at it. Not from the lack of practice.
@Gene B thanks man! 🙏
I always preheat before I do any cast welding.. I set it on top of a kerosene heater on high I also weld it while it sits on the heater then slowly bring the temp down on the heater...
Pre-and Post heat is the way to go when you can!
I have NO IDEA about welding but you crushed that repair. Props.
THANK YOU! I appreciate your support!
Heck, I welded a set of Ford exhaust manifolds with my wire welder, filling in gaps over 1/4" across. They never leaked in the several years my neighbor owned it, and still worked when he sold it.
Dont say that too loud Eric, there are folks on my MIG welding cast iron video that say it cant be done LOL. In all seriousness, good for you man. I'm a firm believer in "give it a try". It cant be more broke than it already is. I like that can do attitude. I've mig welded cast also and have had really good luck too.
How to fix cast iron manifold.. Take off engine, throw in garbage, install headers.
THIS! 🤣🤣🤣👌👍
@@BrandonLund but seriously... Nice work man!!
Seth Bergile thanks brother! That was a good comment tho! 😁
Or junk it and get$ for it
Seth Bergile yeap 😂😂😂😂
I've found brazing to be very effective on cast and it is often over looked
Absolutely! Your right, Brazing is an excellent repair for cast.
@@BrandonLund And cheaper!
Brass brazing rod and your good to go
Is brazing lower temp than welding? I am noob what's the difference? Is the benefit of brazing that you apply filler metal at lower heat thus reducing chance of stress cracks?
To stick-weld cold cast iron, just use a series of very short tacks (half-second to one-second maximum) , immediately peening each as it cools down, and never letting the piece get too hot to touch. Takes time, but is reliably effective.
Right on!
sixmagpies p
Use "99" rod or 309 stainless steel rods maybe 😀
Great point with the file tip
You can adjust your temperature by increasing and decreasing your arc length and angle
Right on!
You explain and teach very well. Got a cast iron wood burner I got to repair. Cracked front to back on top. Wish me luck.
@lil De thanks and good luck on your repair!
👍 Интерсно и познавательно! Пролетариату всех стран нечего делить. Мы должны учиться друг у друга.
Прямо на брата! У меня много российских зрителей, и все приветствуются. Мы все можем учиться друг у друга! Ура!
желательно нагреть весь коллектор .тогда можно варить простым электродом так же слоями.
@@BrandonLund Were did you buy this blue ark welder never heard of it.also how much
@@iancameron1662 right here www.amazon.com/Blue-Demon-BLUEARC-160STI-Welding-Equipment/dp/B01G5DRLI4 if you search my channel, I also have a review of this welder.
Категорически поддерживаю, ибо сказано в писании - Да будет сварщик сварщику братом!!!!))))
Using a Rosebud is a very good additive to this technique. Blending molecular structure is the key to welding cast iron
Right on!
Mr clark metal shop teacher welded cast iron all the time with oxy acetylene and some borax flux his fixes lasted life time he was amazing craftsman i learned lots off of him and my uncle sam the old timers where true crafts men i learned a lot from them
I totally agree! I love learning from the old timers. They are a wealth of knowledge!
@@BrandonLund so true bro
For anyone who wants to know, the purpose of drilling the holes is to allow the stresses at the tip of the crack to be distributed around the hole you drilled. Now, instead of all the stress in one point (the tip of the crack) it is evenly distributed around an arc.
Good info! Enjoyed the video.,.Never heard of Muggy weld ,but seems to work well.Frozen blocks and Manifolds are a constant problem in the Marine engine industry here in Northern Ontario ,Every spring we see who know hows to PROPERLY drain a marine engine.Most just re Power.
Thanks man! From what you describe I can see a HUGE potential to make a lot of money in the marine industry. If it cant be welded with this rod than it probably cant be fixed. If I were a customer with a cracked block, I would gladly pay a few hundred dollars or more to have my boat fixed Vs. buying a whole new motor. A lot of people are under the impression that cast iron cant be repaired. That is far from true. As long as they know it will never be as strong as the factory original and that there is a possibility that it could fail at some point down the road, everyone wins.
I remember back in the 80s when we had old 60 model vehicles and use brazing rod with acetylene for the preheat it is, I can be pretty tricky. Nickel rods are cool though even on a stick welder. Very good video
You say that, that was one of the first things I learned on...I was "stacking dimes" with braze and oxy /acy before it was even a "thing" LOl. Seriously though, brazing is still a very effective method for repairing lots of things, but it seems like some of the older methods are slowly fading.
@@BrandonLund I love brazing, I was taught at a young age, I'm now 60.
@@gbryson3678 its definately a very good fundamental skill to learn in my opinion. I love it also :)
Thanks brandon great vid was always afraid to do it now i know i can 👍👍
Your welcome! I'm glad I could help
First time i know that cast iron can be weld §)
No body told me this before!!!
Well done mai
Thank you very much!
You can do it with regular rods too if you pre and post heat.
Lol what??? Of course cast iron can be welded. The vast majority of ‘cast iron’ is cast steel anyway.
However after a PMI confirms the composition to be iron then you can use a suitable electrode, I like 100% nickel or 90/10 nickel
Tried it today.. Had hell of a job striking the ark with 2.5 rod. Kept sticking, so I kept increasing the amps. I was soon on max setting and my welder either kept cutting out or the rods kept sticking to the work.😯 Managed (some) penetration and when I chipped it with the hammer the weld held. Let's hope I've sorted it. It was my first ever cast iron weld !
Congratulations man! Once you get them started they run smooth as butter. I'm sure you did fine!
Very good presentation, tanks.
Thank you!
I just weld that shit up with good ol flux core mig. Heat it up first, weld it and keep a little heat on it and let it cool slowly so it doesn't crack.
I've repaired a couple of exhaust manifolds like this using stainless wire, lots of preheat and slow cooling and they lasted fine (one was from a 5 cylinder turbocharged Fiat Coupe, notorious for cracking). I'm under no illusions that it's a technically good method though, it's just what was available to me.
Been successfully welding cast iron for almost fifty years.when "stitch" welding cast iron I try to only heat it to where you can put your hand on it a moment later.deffinatly bevel the crack,drill both ends and try not to over heat it...but I like to use "99" rod
+Jo Jo Mama I enjoy working with cast. Little more to it than just gluing 2 pieces of metal together. I like the extra attention to details. I think that's what makes it enjoyable. Do you do any blacksmithing by chance?
@@BrandonLund ... I've been blacksmithing probably fifty years,don't do much of it anymore but on an "as needed" basis
I am very interested in the subject
JoJo Mama ee
@@BrandonLund m.ññl
Top job fella,! 👍👍🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
Thank you very much!
Pretty good straight video , my old boss always made me put a v in cast iron products and if possible heat the part slightly , cheers steve
This is a helpful video, hopefully I can find similar rods locally. Thanks for putting the time into this video.
Thank you very much!
Do you do two test with this? The only reason I ask is, because you started on the outer side and the finish weld was on the inside?
Good eye. I prepped both sides because one side was for this project and the other side is going to be an upcoming TIG episode. Being the director, camera man and welder, I lost track and accidentally welded the side that no one saw me prep.
You're right. i just watched it again, wonder what that was all about?
That Manifold appears to be from a V8 Buick . I had a V6 and the Manifolds were identical except 3 ports rather than 4 , Honestly I'd be preheating with an LPG torch , not necessarily to the point of glow , but fill it with sand and then place in your houshold oven at 500 deg for an hour then LPG (Propane for you Yanks ) and weld it in ONe hit then peen as it cools , then back under the torch and into the oven to cool over about 3 hours from 500 Deg F to 100 Deg F then turn the oven off. I have welded many Manifolds like this and not had issues.
A neat trick if there is a spring works close by is ask if you can place the manifold in their Oven for a couple of hours and then into the hot sand pit if they use one to cools slowly :)
Right on! That's the preferred method in my book! I was seeing how these rods responded to the cold method :) cheers and thanks for watching!
mozzmann """"
I once welded up a broken trans case I stripped it of all parts then set a bag of charcoal ablaze in it after about 15 minutes we welded the crack like you did one end then the other then peened it then put more charcoal in it and lefty it burn out slowly reassembled it the next day ,its still working today about twenty years now an old ford farmtractor
Michael Richter nice job! It’s a great feeling fixing something like that!
I can vouch for the efficacy of Muggy welding rods. They flow and wet in like butter. They're my go-to rod on cast iron. You can also knock the flux off and TIG with them. I keep a selection of these rods on hand for the occasional cast iron job and they always work well.
Hey Brandon , I would like to try the Muggy weld 72 and 77 rods to see if they can build up erosion on a 180 ton Carrier chiller. The water box lid and flange are rusted out!! I like your videos and was able to fix my broken cast bench vise after watching you weld cast with your mig. Thank you , keep up the good work!!
Tim, hearing from a viewer that they were able to make a successful repair after watching the channel is very rewarding! Thank you for sharing your story and good luck on your contest entry! Cheers!
@Tim Kimbley Congratulations, YOU WON! To claim your Muggy Weld welding rods, please contact me by Friday Midnight EST with your shipping information. YOU MUST go to my You-Tube channel and click the "About" tab. From there, click on "for business inquiries" and you can send me a direct email with your details. DO NOT PUT YOUR PRIVATE INFORMATION HERE. Thanks again for your support on the channel and I really hope you enjoy the welding rods. Be sure to check Facebook and Instagram for behind the scenes stuff also. I'd love to hear you thoughts after you get them. Take care Brandon
Great video. I now feel confident to do this job myself. Thanks
Awesome Robert! I'm glad I was able to help!
Phenomenal welding dude. I wish that was my Seville manifold.
I appreciate that man!
clean up, preheat , an use ENI 99 rod , one pass , done.
Thats also a great repair rod, however this was a viewer requested video and they were asking specifically about muggy weld products,.
Did you flip that over ? You started on one side and showed the finnish on the other side ! If i'm wrong sorry .
Good eye. I prepped both sides because one side was for this project and the other side is going to be an upcoming TIG episode. Being the director, camera man and welder, I accidentally welded the side that no one saw me prep.
How do you get a thumbs down on this job? He welded it perfect.
Because people believe that their way is the only way and any other way is wrong. Unfortunately there are numerous ways to repair cast iron, numerous filler materials, numerous processes (MIG, TIG, STICK Oxy Fuel ect.) cold welding technique V.S. pre-heat / post heat....you just have to be open minded to different methods and techniques. Welding cast is a crap shoot. What works for one may not work for another.
Excellent video.. I will add them rods to my collection..
Thank you very much!
Awesome video !
Thank you very much!
Looks like a LS exhaust manifold
...at least he had on gloves,some of those welders don't wear them, nice burns ...
I never wear a glove on my right hand
Me too
My girlfriend has a 15" crack. How much rod will I need to get full penetration. She says I need to preheat the hole and the crack prior to laying down my rod and it will prevent sticking my tip. I feel like I need a bigger rod but what do ya do?
God, I'm so juvenile sometimes...🙄
15" is a huge gap, If you have a little rod, your gonna have to make multiple passes being careful not to blow through...you could always trade it in for a new one 😜 😁 -Thanks for the laugh :) Cheers brother!
Use a different rod
15" is a cavern...forget welding, just dip the wick and avoid falling in.
LOL Thanks for the helpful advice guys, I knew that I could count on yall!
My rod is probably bigger. Call me.
I am a retired combination welder. Try Certanium welding rod, 889. Made by Cronatron.
Trick is to change your angle of rod to almost straight up 90 degree to run short beads. I also never use grinding wheel to prep weld area. I used dremmel bit. Does not smear metal molecules like a grinding wheel. Heat up before weld and cover or wrap to let weld cool slow as possible to room temperature. I used fire bricks when able to retain heat and a weld blanket if available. Problem was other workers would steal blanket. I preheated bricks in welding rod warmer that I used for 7018 rods to keep out moisture. Loved certanium. I to always drilled holes end if cracked area. Be sure to go a little past end of crack. Good luck !
Thanks man! I will be sure to give it a try! Thanks for sharing.
a no nonsense informative video , helps me, as I have a repair that looks the same as the video !
Thanks! Glad I could help!
In Russia we take any good welding electrode and put around copper wire and weld , that’s it and no need preheat
Very interesting! I want to know more. You are the second person to say this. How do you attach the copper and the electrode? I cant find information on this.
Brandon Lund for that need stranded wire not solid
Brandon Lund
th-cam.com/video/vnqsx41fqZI/w-d-xo.html
So you wrap the stranded copper wire around the welding electrode? What mm or size is the stranded copper wire? I want to try this. I am very interested
Brandon Lund u can try any like from 3mm and higher
I keep heat on the bead with a rose bud and peen it with a large needle scaler.
Aren’t most cast iron repairs done with brazing?
Many are. There are a bunch of different ways to repair it, including tig and mig welding. Thanks for watching! Cheers :)
Very well done. Learned something due to your efforts on how you made this cast iron repair, thank you.
From Missouri
Thanks Jack! I appreciate your support and kind words :)
I'm impressed. Usually I've thrown the cracked manifold away.
I love it!!!
Thanks! 😁👊
I used JB WELD and duct tape for extra measures.
Sounds like you saved a pile of money! :)
Duct tape on an exhaust. Seems legit
Just send it :)
Bubble gum and chicken wire works better bro..!!
Don't forget to burn some sage around the welder and your work.
Bait and Switch
Initially the exhaust ports were down, against the table, and you drew your simulated crack, cleaned it up and welded it. At the end of the video, when you finished everything up the exhaust ports were facing up. I did see you welding with the exhaust ports facing up, but...
...was there a problem with the piece, the rods or your technique that you had to refine during the process?
Good eye, but if you look closely tho it actually gets switched at 6:15 when he starts welding, not after welding.
Good eye guys! Both sides were prepped, only one side was welded. The other side is going to be tig welded in a future episode. There is no bait and switch other than I accidentally welded the side that you did not see me prep.
Ah just slap some hi heat jbweld on that crap. All good.
That's sounds a little sketchy lol 🤔😁
😂🤣😆 send it
Thanks for mentioning preheat- extremely important as well as post heat- s-l-o-w cooling...!
Always!