Christopher Mikesell
Member
I recently discovered that the original eagle hitch latches and jaws on the SC and DC are cast steel, not cast iron. This is significant because it means that they can be built up by welding rather than brazing.
I established that they are in fact cast steel by using a spark test, a flame (melting) test, and by peeling up a curl with a cold chisel. I then built up a damaged set of jaws using 3/32" 7018 H4R (stick welding) and had very good results.
It took me about 4 hours per latch to weld and grind them back to shape. Also, I was able to replace the broken tang at the top of one jaw with a piece of bar stock.
I established that they are in fact cast steel by using a spark test, a flame (melting) test, and by peeling up a curl with a cold chisel. I then built up a damaged set of jaws using 3/32" 7018 H4R (stick welding) and had very good results.
It took me about 4 hours per latch to weld and grind them back to shape. Also, I was able to replace the broken tang at the top of one jaw with a piece of bar stock.