Hi All Got a problem have some line boring to do on a job. Normally use 312 stainless but customer insist on me using phosur bronze wire, last time i used got myself in a rigth pickle. Can any one give me some pointers on how to use this wire
Sorry pressed wong key on laptop. Looking for help on the best way to use this wire. The wire is SIFMIG8 I think i had it to hot and travel speed on the bore welder side to slow. Set up i use is one of the Italian made Elsa unit if this help any one. Look forward to any pointers. Thanks Dave
There are a few fantastic line boring chaps here that should be able to help you out. That sounds more like brazing to me.
I had a look at the specs. http://www.weldability-sif.com/media/pdfs/info/WO080807.pdf I have never used it. What is the application? I can see it being used on cast iron or if a hole was overbored and welded with it ,it could maybe take the place of a bearing. My thoughts are it would be difficult to use on a horizontal bore because of the different current setting it would need for the overhead,downhand and the two different verticals. You would have more of a chance with a vertical bore. I have done a lot of bore welding with a 60/40 Copper/Nickel wire on cast iron. It would be similar in the way it goes through the wire feeder. If the wire grabs in the tip the rollers keep feeding the wire and it ends up as a birds nest in front of the torch. To help in the bore I reckon a pre cut would be essential.
I am having to use for bore weld. And just couldn't get the welder set rigth to use the wire, too hot, too cold, molten pool runing ahead of its self bwteen 7 and 11 O'clock the bore was a horizontal bore. Ray read you menation 60/40 copper nickel, as the boring job are on king/swing post. The materail is some from of cast iron or cast steel. And as rule always per bore before any welding carried out. To remove contamintion of oils, greases and impact transfer metals. Clinet insist on using this wire, I need to get hang of it as may have to look traction engine wheel, and thats the wire I will have to use. Dave
Dave,from what you say I suspect the wire is not suitable for the application. The problem may be that the welder can't be set at a given current and be correct for the positions in a horizontal bore.If molten metal is flowing ahead of the weld pool going down the bore the metal may be to fluid to handle that. You can fiddle with faster torch speeds and lower wire speeds to try and get around that. Remember there is a vast difference between welding cast steel and cast iron. You need to know what it is and weld accordingly. If it is cast steel it should be welded with steel wire. The client is not always right.
If you drill a little bit on the material you want to weld you can tell real quick if it is cast if there is graphite in the chips and if they break in to small pieces other wise if the chips are long and stringy it will more than likely be cast steel
Any particular reason why the client is insisting on that particular wire..? As suggested above it might not be the optimum wire for the material in question. Also you didn't mention it but does the possibility exist of doing the welding with the bore in a vertical plane as Ray suggests, or must it be done horizontally..?
Are you pre-heating? What type of gas are you using?
That the wire they want to use. It's my best quest that the posts are some from of cast iron, as swarf comes off in tight little curls no big than little finger nail and dark grey in colour. I always use a 312 stainless wire which may not be rigth but it works. Gas i use for the stainless and and the bronze wire are pure argon and argon sheild heavy. Dave
Again I'll ask the question - why do they insist on using that particular wire..? Is it because the material has to be machined afterwards or is there some other reason..? In the past I've seen stainless used very effectively in building up cast parts, whether it's the best material is open to debate.
Now that we know that the material is cast iron it could well be that the client knows this is a good wire for welding onto cast. Having no iron content there will be no glass hard fusion zone and also no cracking either. Cracks in the fusion zone can propagate out into the casting in time. The problem is that the wire is likely not suitable for running through an ID welder with the bore in a horizontal position.
If the part cant be turned to a vertical position just weld it by hand with the wire they want to use. You can start on the bottom get your wire speed and voltage set work up both sides slowly, adjusting your welder as needed I have done this many times. It may not look as pretty when you are done as a bore welder wold but the final product and quality are what count. This is if you can fit in the hole and it is not to deep to weld by hand
Manged to weld the bore up again very badly, when machine out looked OK. Customer decided not to use it next time as charged per hour this time. Not done on a priced job, like the frist time. The reason they wanted to use it, is they were told its the best wire to use by someone who couldn't to the job in the first place. We all see lots of these people around. But he knows more than me because he been doing light engineering he 50+ and me 37 what could i know. Stainless wire might not be rigth but it work will stick with that for now. But will look into getting 60/40 copper nickel wire and see how that goes when time not so important ie; hospital job.
Glad its eventually sorted out. I find the Nickel/Copper wire very good for cast iron although smaller components need to be stress relieved if they are in a high load application like a bucket lever. The thing against is the cost. The last roll cost me $1700.00 so its not something you throw at every job.