Who uses a spray welding torch?

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Mister Ed
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Joined: Fri Dec 14, 2018 6:06 pm
Location: Fremont, Mich

Who uses a spray welding torch?

Post by Mister Ed »

Ok, question for you guys ... who uses a thermal spray welding torch (metallizing torch)?

I just bought a used Castollin UltraJet torch and have started playing around. This thing is going to be slicker than bull snot once I get the hang of it. Downside is powder is expensive, but I have been trying to scarf up "cheap" surplus I can find.

Check out this video from the 7 min mark to about the 25 min mark (not my video):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06s6j_Kv36M
Thanks,
Ed
Wayne
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Location: Corsicana Tx.

Re: Who uses a spray welding torch?

Post by Wayne »

I used a machine shop that could spray a cylinder to build it up and then bore it to size never heard of a spray welding torch before.
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Jim Corcoran
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Location: Austin, Texas

Re: Who uses a spray welding torch?

Post by Jim Corcoran »

Ed,
Thanks for posting the video. I learned something new today.
Jim
" You need to get at least 30 miles out of Austin before you're firmly back in Texas."
Mister Ed
Posts: 408
Joined: Fri Dec 14, 2018 6:06 pm
Location: Fremont, Mich

Re: Who uses a spray welding torch?

Post by Mister Ed »

Wayne - It may well have been the same (or very similar) process. It appears there are several different spray welding processes. Some use powder, some wire ... some are hotter than others ... some are better for rotating shafts (which is what I had seen before). When you hear of cams or cranks being build up and reground, they are using this process.

Jim - What is really somewhat baffling is the processes are somewhat unknown ... but they have been around for a long time. There are alloys designed with a hardness in the low 20's HRC up to around 100 HRC ... so from easy machinable to non-machinable hard facings.

The powder is expensive @ $70/lb for the cheaper Victor stuff. That's probably the biggest drawback. I've been playing around with the torch and need to figure it out a little. My results are not quite as good as what you see in that video. :lol: But, playing around with some scrap parts ... I have had some successes and failures so far.
Thanks,
Ed
Kansas Rust Buzzard
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Re: Who uses a spray welding torch?

Post by Kansas Rust Buzzard »

You just got my attention! I am eagerly watching to see how this works out for you.
Mister Ed
Posts: 408
Joined: Fri Dec 14, 2018 6:06 pm
Location: Fremont, Mich

Re: Who uses a spray welding torch?

Post by Mister Ed »

Well crap! One of my 2 rear wheel spiders had a really cupped brake band area and my thought was this spray torch would be the perfect way to build it back. I start heating the outside of the spider. It was not even hot (had not hit blue yet) and all of a sudden I had one of those "Oh shit" moments .... ping, snap, ping I hear. The casting cracked close to 3" long, right through and past some bolt holes. Time to send the good casting out to have another poured.

I never have had much issue with cast cracking when brazing (or welding with cast iron rod) but this would have happened no matter which process I was planning to use (wasn't even that hot yet). Hindsight is 20/20 but how the stresses developed and why is readily apparent to me now.

So, I now need to devise a way to heat up my complete parts (evenly). This was something I was actually thinking about for this process, just to speed things ... up since iron sucks up so much heat.
Thanks,
Ed
Kansas Rust Buzzard
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Joined: Fri Dec 28, 2018 9:33 pm

Re: Who uses a spray welding torch?

Post by Kansas Rust Buzzard »

Of course I am into threshing machines, their flat belt pulleys have a bad habit of cracking, the old blacksmith shop used to build a big fire and always heat the the whole thing up at once to nickel weld it. Most people say you don't have to heat cast up that much but they always said the hotter you got it before distortion the better.
Wayne
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Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2018 10:03 am
Location: Corsicana Tx.

Re: Who uses a spray welding torch?

Post by Wayne »

I read somewhere that sometime inside cast you have holes with air or water and when you heat the piece the water turns to steam and we know what happens when it has no place to go. Talking about an aw shit moment. I was heating part of a roast and gravy in my heavy pyrex dish on the stove burner with the lid on. All of a sudden I hear this explosion, turn around and the lid is now setting on the burner with broke glass scatered around and gravy running down inside my stove. Live and learn. I was able to salvage some of the roast.
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