jmeineke

Ok - I'm a believer now Thanks to everyone who responded -- very good information. I will say one thing - If I were to have bought those two types of rod off the shelf and read just the product info and not Robb's article, I would definitely have done it the other way around. The more you learn, the more you realize how little you know…

I'd buy that theory except that they state 1105 gives a finished hardness (when applied on top of 2110) of 50 to 52 - that seems to contradict the product literature. Plus their hardness numbers and properties match up fine if you flip the rods around in their article (i.e., where they say 2110 put in 1105 and vice versa). On a different note, how much are the Cronatron rods? I used US Forge hardfacing rod on top of 7018 mainly because it was able to get it for $4.03 a lb (after shipping I think it was just under $5 a lb for the quantity I ordered) and has a hardness of 53 and a medium impact resistance. The only thing I don't like about it is that it has surface cross checks (which the US Forge rep told me was normal).

I asked the question in a different thread but didn't get any takers, so I've decided to try again in a new one. Bottom line, I'm confused about Robb Gunther and Karl Schuler's anvil repair instructions. In their article, they state that Stoody 2110 should be the underlay rod and the cap should be Stoody 1105. Here are the quotes from http://www.anvilmag.com/smith/anvilres.htm "If your anvil has a wrought iron base and the damaged area goes through the tool plate so that You have to begin the repair by welding to the wrought base material, use Stoody 2110 (or equal) 3/16" rod (DC reverse works best; however, it will run AC); Unlimited passes. Expect 45 Rockwell C as welded.""When you can finish building up the repair area in no more than three passes (or layers thick), use Stoody 1105 (or equal) 1/8" rod (DC reverse, or AC); expect 50 to 52 Rockwell C as welded" Why would 2110 be used as the base and 1105 as the cap? Shouldn't it be the other way around? According to the product literature, Stoody 1105 has a lower RC hardness rating (listed at 38 – 42) than the 2110 series (rated in the 50's). 2110 is also rated has having excellent impact resistance and 1105 only as moderate. Again, why would you cap with 1105 wich is softer and less impact resistant than 2110 which is harder and has a high impact resistance? Maybe someone on here can shed some light on why Rob and Karl suggest using 2110 as the base and 1105 as the cap? Could they possibly have mixed up the rods in their article? What am I missing here? Here's the product info for the Stoody rod: Stoody 1105 Abrasion Resistance Moderate Impact Resistance Moderate Hardness on 1045 Steel HRC 38 – 42 Magnetic Yes Surface Cross Checks No Machinability Yes Deposit Layers Up to 4 Hot Wear Applications Up to 600°F Stoody 2110 Abrasion Resistance Good Impact Resistance Excellent Hardness On Carbon Steel – As Deposited BHN 200 On Carbon Steel – Work Hardened HRC 48 – 53 On Manganese Steel – As Deposited BHN 210 On Manganese Steel – Work Hardened HRC 50 – 55 Magnetic No Surface Cross Checks No Deposit Layers Unlimited

I'd love to find an expert in the Central Ohio area who could show me the "anvil repair ropes." Since this used to be your old stomping grounds, do you know of any experts still around central OH? I'm really developing an interest in fixing them and want to learn everything I can about it. Heck, I'd sweep the guy's shop floor if he'd let me hang out and watch him work

Just curious - Why no welding?

Thanks. Yeah, it looks good, but the proof is in the pounding. Will have to see how it holds up under actual use.

Well, I finally finished it and am pretty happy with the results. The real question, the most important, is will it hold up. I ended up using about 5lbs of 7018 and just over 4lbs of HF rod. Total cost was around $50 ($24 for the HF rod, around $10 for the 7018 and the rest in grinding wheels and a flap disk). Anvil cost was $20, so I've got about $70 and 30-ish hours invested. I built up most of the missing plate with 7018 (picked up a new welder that does DC). I laid down all but the last three layers, ground the 7018 flat, and did ball-bearing drop test to see how it rebounded (not very good, I found out - about 50% and pretty decent dents in the surface from the drop). All passes were peened with an air chisel and then wire-brushed. I then did the last three passes with this stuff http://www.amazon.co.../B000RGN1TY,and, after several hours of grinding / touch up, re-did the drop test. It looks to me to be about 85% rebound with a 1" ball bearing (approx. 8.5" return from a 10" drop), although it does leave a tiny "scuff" mark in the surface. I'm not sure it's the best rod to hardface with, and I may still end up having to put a plate on it like HWooldridge did in this thread. I also put a thin layer on the table (left the horn alone). The color match is perfect - can't see any difference between what was left of the original plate and the repair. I threw in a couple of "before" pictures for reference.

Sorry to hear about that, Steve. I'll be praying for you and all the others who are mourning the loss of William.

Guess it's just a general principle - I don't want to decrease the value of anything I own. Someday it will belong to my kids, or it may have to be sold if there were a job loss, etc. You never know... There's also the possibility of upgrading to a better anvil, in which case selling what one already has becomes a factor. I'm with you, though - "first, do no harm," and that's why I started this thread.

Looks like you did a nice job - the before and after pic really tells it all. Did you heat treat the face when you were done with it? My concern about doing anything at all with the face, or the edges of it, is that (as I understand it) you end up softening the plate around the heat affected zone (HAZ). I've read Rob's tutorial, but it almost sounds like he's talking about going all the way down to the body to do the build up. I don't really see anything about fixing a chip in the plate, but I'm assuming if it's small enough you could just do a pass or two of 2110. Also, I don't quite understand why 2110 is used as the base and 1105 for the final pass - seems like it should be the other way around. The Stoody 1105 has lower RC hardness rating and the 21 series has an RC hardness in the 50's and is rated excellent for impact resistance (as opposed to moderate for 1105). Maybe someone on here can shed some light on why you would use 2110 as the base and 1105 as the cap? Stoody 1105 (http://www.thermadyn...t_19_Cse002.pdf) Abrasion Resistance: Moderate Impact Resistance: Moderate Hardness on 1045 Steel: HRC 38 – 42 Magnetic Yes Surface Cross Checks No Machinability Yes Deposit Layers Up to 4 Hot Wear Applications Up to 600°F Stoody 2110 (http://www.thermadyn...t_34_Mne006.pdf) Abrasion Resistance Good Impact Resistance Excellent Hardness On Carbon Steel – As Deposited BHN 200 On Carbon Steel – Work Hardened HRC 48 – 53 On Manganese Steel – As Deposited BHN 210 On Manganese Steel – Work Hardened HRC 50 – 55 Magnetic No Surface Cross Checks No Deposit Layers Unlimited

I'm in the middle of working on a broken anvil and was pretty happy with the results of some welding / grinding. I'm thinking about doing the same thing to the horn and cutting table my 309 lb Arm & Hammer. My question is, will I be decreasing the value of it if I do? Also, what do you all think about repairing the edge chips on the faceplate of the A&H with some Stoody 2110? My inclination is to leave the faceplate alone, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to get some opinions. Thanks.

Yeah, I had the back panel off and blew out what I could wiped off what wouldn't blow away (there was a thin layer of 'caked on' stuff in it). I wiped down the diode assembly heatsinks too. I have everything put back together and haven't re-attempted to take it apart again or take off the face plate. I'll probably look at it again in a few weeks after I finish up some other things that need to get done.

Thanks for the info. Mine is an older machine, so I don't know exactly how the leads are wired in just yet. If they are brazed on, I'm not going to mess with it. If they are bolted down, I can handle that. Last night while I was lying in bed wondering how the heck they could be held in, I had a "slap myself on the forehead" moment - I never removed the faceplate! I'm guessing the mounting screws for the dials are under it. If not, I'll probably just leave it be and start saving up for some QD's.

I don't disagree with QD's being a viable option and I'm not saying it's a bad idea - It's just not the answer to the question I asked. Right now I'm stuck with what I have to work with - some cable, a stinger and a ground clamp. I can add QD's later on down the road but I can't afford them right now. The least expensive option is to work with what I have.

Thanks. The manual on Lincoln's website was the first thing I looked at too, but they don't show anything holding those selector switches in place. Anyhow, I thought that once I removed the bolts that hold the plate that the choke and the rectifier assembly sit on I would be in good shape... No such luck.

Nah, I'm not worried about it. I'm sure that once I get the case off I'll be fine. I'd rather just put the longer leads on than do quick disconnects. I'll be okay with the electronics once I'm inside, but thanks for your concern. I had everything disassembled to the point where the front of the case moved freely from the main transformer and diode unit - the only thing I got stuck on was getting those knobs free of the main housing. Once those are out, the whole front should come off (the power switch has been disconnected as well as the metal strain relief plate that holds the stinger and ground leads). I've put everything back together for now and will use it with the shorter leads, but if anyone can offer some real help on this one I'd appreciate it. I'm sure someone on here can fill me in.

Anyone ever replaced / upgraded the welding leads (stinger and ground) on a Lincoln AC/DC 225/125 machine? I just bought one last week but it needs to have the leads replaced. Last night I started unscrewed everything that looked like it needed to be taken off. I got it down to the knobs that stick out of the machine but couldn't figure out how to get them detached from the front of the case (Note - I got the dials off, but the 'nubs' that stick out of the machine would not push back through the holes. I didn't want to force anything). Anyone have any advice / tips on how to get the main part of the case off?

I couldn't disagree more. There is absolutely nothing wrong with asking if making a career out of something is viable. When you go to college, you have a vast array of choices in front of you. It would be foolish to not look around, ask questions and consider BOTH what 1) you want to do and 2) what puts food on the table. Arftist gave a great answer and Monstermetal gave another. Zats - It's a great question, and I'm glad you asked it.

I was doing a few small practice welds and didn't bother putting my gloves on - had a piece of spatter fly off and stick to my ring and ended up with a small 2nd degree burn and a pit in the ring.

I'll be praying for you. Hang in there.

Thank you - that makes a lot of sense. So, bottom line, it sounds like if I can learn to hold an arc with 7018, then the weld should be just as good as the AC variety. It also sounds like it should help improve my welding skills.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think I'm going to go the 7018 buildup route with 2 passes of HF rod on top. The HF rods are advertised as 'Medium' impact resistant, so I'll just have to wait and see whether that will be good enough. If not, I may try welding the plate on like HWooldridge describes here. I have one last question. I'll be using a Lincoln 225 AC buzz box to do the 7018, but I'm confused about the rod that I'll need. I just learned that there's 7018 and a 7018AC, but from what I can tell, the plain old 7018 will work on AC only machines, but the box says that they are "Not recommended for low-voltage AC welders." Unfortunately, the don't really tell you what that means. So, what in the world is a "low-voltage" AC welder? Do I need to buy the more expensive 7018AC rods, or will the "normal" 7018 rods be okay for a Lincoln 225? I believe the L225's are rated at 80 OCV - is that too low? Will cranking up the current compensate? Just when I thought I had all the answers.... :blink:

So, if I understand you correctly, pre-heating is more for the high-carbon faceplate and not the anvil base since that would be low carbon, correct? Also, what is it about the MIG welding process that causes you to not need to do a pre-heat (or maybe I just heard incorrectly that you don't have to pre-heat with MIG)?

Why is it important to pre-heat an anvil before welding? I've heard you don't have to do it if you're using a MIG welder, but for Arc welding you need to pre-heat to 400. Why would you need to do it for one and not the other, and what benefit does it provide? What happens if you don't pre-heat?

I am very sorry to hear about your son. Please know that you and your family are in my prayers.