hardfacing with TIG?

Farriers apply hard Borium to horseshoes with an O/A torch, maybe TIG will work too??

I've had acceptable results. You do get a bit more intermix.

I thought that some sticks had alloying elements in the flux -- if so, that would complicate the task.

Why not just use the stick as intended? Better control?

What's that Lassie? You say that Buerste fell down the old rec.crafts.metalworking mine and will die if we don't mount a rescue by Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:38:57 -0400:

Thanks, that's good to know. I wanted to run a bead across the edge of a grub hoe, but it's so thin I don't think it would turn out ok.

Then it occurred to me that I could do a finer job of it if with TIG.

I should have used the thing on my shovel when I was in welding class umpteen years ago, since it's the sort of specialized tool that never makes sense to buy unless you find one in a yard sale for $5, but there is a powder-torch (oxyacetylene) that's great for laying down a thin coat of hardsurface on thin materials. Or was, anyway.... There may be a plasma-torch version now?

Ecnerwal wrote in rec.crafts.metalworking:

Perhaps the one you saw was similar to the Eutectic-Castellon unit that was demonstrated in MY first welding class...

Searching for "metal spray" will result in some of the electric powder spray torches/guns, and there might also be some of the oxy-fuel types being produced. The last time I looked at them, many of them used powder alloys.

I haven't tried the one I got for $20 at a flea market years ago, but it has an air motor in it to feed wire alloy rods from the back side, thru the gun and out into the oxy-acetylene flame for spraying the metal onto objects/surfaces. It's quite a thing of beauty, polished aluminum housing with crisply knurled parts, quality hardware and fittings. I got the original steel case and numerous sizes of fuel tips that look like very short cutting torch tips about 1" in diameter.

Describes the use of an O/A method of applying hard-surfacing (and other) powders.

FWIW, they also have Plasma applicators...

What's that Lassie? You say that Tim Wescott fell down the old rec.crafts.metalworking mine and will die if we don't mount a rescue by Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:27:22 -0500:

yep. I have a small grub hoe that could use a harder edge, but it's so thin I'm afraid to take a stick arc to it. I could tig it, but all I can get my hands on for hardfacing is stick electrodes.

I suppose it couldn't hurt to try. If the coating has alloying stuff in it, it shouldn't be any worse than when I started.

What's that Lassie? You say that Ecnerwal fell down the old rec.crafts.metalworking mine and will die if we don't mount a rescue by Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:20:07 -0400:

I've seen them in my welding text books too, but never in real life.

There may be some worthwhile info at Postle's site, or you might try contacting them, and maybe get some samples.

Other than companies that make the products for hardfacing, you could try posting questions in the sci.engr.joining.welding NG, or other welding groups.

Lincoln has some product info for tig and oxy/acy (4.3mb):

I only gave it a cursory glance, figure I'll take a better look later. These were bare filler rods I believe. Was mainly looking for any info they might have on tig and hardfacing (shrug).

Stoody/Thermadyne have rods for OA and TIG hardfacing:

I have the FPS-260 "powder-torch" (also from Thermadyne) and it works great, but I wouldn't buy one to fix a grub hoe.

What's that Lassie? You say that Wild_Bill fell down the old rec.crafts.metalworking mine and will die if we don't mount a rescue by Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:51:58 -0400:

They(mfg.) always want to sell you something else. I'm gonna try it on some scrap and see if the deposit grinds and pounds the same. If it does, I'll try it on the grub hoe blade.

On Oct 14, 8:43=A0pm, snipped-for-privacy@privacy.net (dan) wrote: ...

If you have TIG, maybe you could weld on a thin spring steel prybar without destroying its temper at the edge. Old circular saw blades are pretty good thin hardenable steel, too.

jsw

hmmmmm

How would NH3, Ammonia work ? DIY Nitriding Maybe add a little graphite ( desecated ) and then dip in Ammonia ( bake it )

What's that Lassie? You say that Jim Wilkins fell down the old rec.crafts.metalworking mine and will die if we don't mount a rescue by Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:52:27 -0700 (PDT):

Good to know. The hoe blade is only about .093 thick, so I don't want to add too much to it. A thicker/bigger hoe would be able to take a bead of 1/8" handpicking, but I need the hoe small and light to pack into the woods. I like the size, just needs to be a little harder at the edge.

On Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:01:44 GMT, the infamous snipped-for-privacy@privacy.net (dan) scrawled the following:

What are you doing hoing around in the woods, boy? (Or should I say "who"?)

I got my Oregon Master Gardener cert at the graduation "banquet" (homemade eyetalyun dishes on paper plates) tonight and one of the gifts was the O-hoe. They come in 12" lengths, too, I believe. Hula Hoes do, too. I prefer the hula hoe for the undisturbed look it leaves. Cool.

Japanese hoes are great, too. I can't think of the name of the one which looks like a curled leaf, but it's more like a cultivator. Check out the kana scrapers here:

gardening/weeders/kana

I won a nice Hori Hori a few months ago which works well for weeding and root cutting. THICK metal body, heavy, built to last. Good stuff.

-- The blind are not good trailblazers.

-- federal judge Frank Easterbrook

Dunno if anyone's mentioned it but the folks on sci.engr.joining.welding are knowledgeable and informative.

--Winston