evfreek Posted May 19, 2019 Share Posted May 19, 2019 Hi. Using the technique I mentioned earlier, I was able to successfully weld a broken cast iron C-clamp. I used a small oxy propane torch and cast iron welding flux. The weld had no porosity. Oxy propane has a porosity problem with steel welding due to the heat being in the wrong part of the flame. But, there was a problem. EBay had 3/8" cast iron welding rod, but I was afraid it was too thick. That turned out to be correct. I found a cracked piece of cast iron pipe and hacksaw a 3/8 x1/4" rod from it. I couldn't get enough heat, so I ended up cutting it in half lengthwise and welding the two pieces together. This took a long time, but it worked great. I found out that piston rings aren't cheap! Hopefully I'll find some at a garage sale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irondragon Forge ClayWorks Posted May 19, 2019 Share Posted May 19, 2019 If you know any mechanics that overhaul engines, see if they will save the used piston rings for you. At one time I had about 20 pounds of them for free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evfreek Posted May 20, 2019 Author Share Posted May 20, 2019 Wow. I overhauled an engine once, and just threw the old ones away. I don't have any friends who do this now, since the engines last so much longer. For now, I'm going to just use old pieces. But I will forge a tiny pair of tongs to feed the pieces since pliers don't work well and aren't safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anachronist58 Posted May 20, 2019 Share Posted May 20, 2019 Where DID I put those old rings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThomasPowers Posted May 20, 2019 Share Posted May 20, 2019 Got an automotive program at a high school or VoTech? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evfreek Posted June 2, 2019 Author Share Posted June 2, 2019 I looked extensively at Craigslist and EBay, but only found expensive new rings. I've never seen these at garage sales. Then, at a storage unit clean out, I finally succeeded. They were seized and brittle, but I managed to break a couple out. They spark tested as cast iron, so that's good. They seemed a little hard, but a file will cut them. The third ring groove had a wavy thing and two thin springy rings which sparked as spring steel. I guess I can repurpose the pistons as pistonium as soon as I get a foundry setup working. Thank you for the suggestions. I'll report back on how well they work, but I have seen good results reported from the web. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.