Broke VAC exhaust elbow::

I have always had very good luck with nickel rods and a stick welder. Pre heat with a torch and post heat to bring the temp down slow. Here is a CC that I added electric start to. It has been working fine for years.

Frank

• Muggy Weld Site

My personal experience with welding broken cast exhaust is almost 100% unsuccessful. Furnace cast (or exhaust cast) unlike normal gray iron cast is embedded with materials like sand or even sometimes asbestos that are good at withstanding intense heat but are terrible at holding a weld.

I also think that maybe the constant heating and cooling does something to it.

I'd save my welding rod and buy a new repop one.

I rate exhaust cast right up there die cast or pot metal - great stuff until you break it.

Jerry

Cast iron manifolds are quite repairable if
you stay away from arc weld . Use oxy/acet cast
iron rod and flux , some preheat and some post
heat. I do many manifolds with oxy/acet and have been
quite successful .The material in the rod is nearly
identical to the cast that you are trying to fix.

Below is a link to some cast repair , two picts
are SC exhaust elbows ,both in bad shape and both
have been repaired .

george

• cast iron repair

Now I was told that if you heat the "item" prior to welding it helps. However, my wife won't let me put any more stuff in the oven that is not a food product.

Thanks RBF

Send me a picture of the damage , maybe I can repair it .

george