Challenging CRACKED Cast Iron Housing Repair! | Flame Spray Welding

Can we fix this cracked cast iron transfer case housing!? This housing is off a Caterpillar 966K Wheel Loader, there are multiple cracks through the bolt holes into the housing so we’re going to have a go at repairing it! Repairing cast iron is always a challenge because of how ‘dirty’ and brittle the cast iron material is, and repairing a large and thin housing is one of the most challenging parts to try and repair. For the repair we will be using our preferred method of metal powder and jet flame spray gun with oxy acetylene. We also show the process of dye penetrant testing to show the cracks and grinding them out before using flame spray welding. Will this repair work or fail?!

In this video we are using:
- Dy-mark Flawchek dye penetrant system
- UTP Variobond flame spray gun

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Our channel is all about showing you real life machining work from our workshop on the Gold Coast Australia. We specialize in manual machining, hydraulic repairs and heavy fabrication for the earth moving, mining and civil construction industries. So if you're a machinist that wants to see some big gear in action be sure to subscribe to our channel right now. We upload new videos every week that show lathe machining, milling, welding and all the good stuff that comes from a machining workshop. If that sounds like something that you would enjoy seeing, then make sure to join us by subscribing!

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[CuttingEdgeEngineering]

Hey everyone 👋 We've unfortunately had delays getting seals to finish our Hitachi cylinder rebuild this week so we've got this cast iron job videoed instead! Hope you enjoy it 😄👍

*HELP SUPPORT MATTY's WORKSHOP CANCER BATTLE*

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[paulhannoever]

The fact that Kurtis is willing to have a failed project published just shows how professional and confident in his skills he is. Accepting ones own limits and not being afraid to state them really shows character. Also not charging the customer! No wonder kurtis has so much to do, good on you!

[dystopianlucidity]

The slow character development of Kurtis turning into a Disney princess with the birds is priceless. Homeless getting better and better wrecking packages is hilarious. I commend you for posting a failed repair, but often times our failures teach us more than our successes, Cheers to all three of you. Much love.

[clintwoodworth]

I am a one man auto repair shop in Indiana. I've had your videos playing the shop last few days. While your workmanship is top tier and integrity is first class, I'm most impressed by your time management! You're never rushed, never stressed, and I have no idea how that's possible!! Please tell me your secret! Also, I think an "unboxing" series from homeless would take over the internet.

[tda]

A large, complex casting like this, which has had multiple machining operations, been stressed through use and developed cracks without any obvious reason was always likely to be a lost cause. I hope your customer watches this and realises the skill and effort you put in to try and achieve a good outcome.

[rnk]

At the beginning of this video I told my girlfriend this guy is nuts for even attempting what he's about to do. I'm sorry for laughing when I heard the crack but I realized that I was right. That is just way too much damage cast-iron to successfully fix. At least with my welding experience. I've been a welder for 18 years and was rooting for you. I was hoping I could learn something from this. What I learned is that cast iron is just as difficult for you as it is for me.

[davinanderson]

As a foundry engineer who works with ductile iron all the time, CAT is notorious for isolated thick sections in the middle of thin sections geometries… this creates a lot of residual stresses in the solidification and cooling process. Drill holes to add stress concentrations and now you have a casting destined for failure! As always, the CEE content is great!

[assassinlexx]

In the shipyard they had large cast part on a large bed of coal with fireproof blankets on top. They repair it right in the burning coal. After that still under the blankets. They slowly let the coal to burn all up and let it start to cool. This was not a one day job.
Full marks on trying to fix a massive cast iron part.

[RazorEye]

What I love about your channel is that you aren't only showing the "best case scenarios" of everything, you show all the low points as well. The fact that you didn't charge for a repair that didn't work out speaks tremendously for your character and that you never want to compromise on what your work means to your customers. Nothing but respect to Kurtis, Karen and everyone's favorite safety officer.

[johnspathonis]

Hi Curtis I would recommend that you try Eutectic electrodes for cast iron. Cast iron electrides are usually 100% nickel or a Ni/Fe blend. They are a bit expensive but are good quality. The advantage of using an electric arc process over oxy is that there is much less heat involved. While you have the broken casting it may be a good learning expereience to trial some electrode repairs. I have persponally used (sucessfully) Eutectic electrodes to repair a cast iron frame on a tractor about 48 yrears ago. So Eutectic has been around for a while. Also progressive heating in small steps then wrapping in an insulating blenket may help to give a slow uniform temperature rise especially with a large 3 dimensional complicated casting.. Also wrapping in a blanket after doing the work will ensure a slow cool. Differential expansion and contraction is the killer with cast iron. Even with an electrode repair, preheating the job is still requird. Cheers.

[thepagan]

We made thousands of gearboxes over the years and thankfully never suffered too much from cracking. One type was prone to cracks so we redesigned the area and changed to SG iron, problem solved. Rarely have I seen breaks like yours, but there were one or two that were caused by rapid stopping and as the gearbox was under load the area around the output shaft would exhibit cracks more often through the dowel pin location holes and also on a few of the bolt holes. Very interesting post which exhibited the problems that can arise with cast iron repairs. Thanks for posting Kurtis, Karen & Homey 👍

[baronclime]

Cast iron is a pain no matter. Not many out there would show a failed repair. Props to you Kurtis. You told the customer what may happen. It happened and showed the internet how things can go pear shaped.

[lesliewhyte]

Just another reason why so many people follow every episode of CEE Australia. Thank you Kurtis for putting that episode on here. The way you explain every detail as you work is amazing.

[ezrhino]

ive been with the channel since the beginning. What strikes me is the willingness to admit defeat in certain instances and in doing so make it a victory for the channel. The explanations, the work, the videography, the editing, the comic relief, all of it come together to make the channel truly the special thing it is. Why there are not a couple of million subs defies logic. Certainly deserving more as it is one of the best channels on youtube. Cheers from

[marvinmarlin]

Kurtis thanks for showing us things that go wrong. The guy that taught me to weld said that it’s only by understanding why something went wrong that you can learn how to do it right. A mantra I still use today.
You both work so hard on getting things right within your relative skill sets that makes every episode a joy to watch, you and Karen deserve every success.
Homey’s contributions are also priceless.😂

[jonginder]

I’m so impressed how deep and broad Kurtis skills are. He’s a top notch boiler maker, machinist, sculptor etc etc. Great talent and hats off to those who taught him him his skills.

[ironsidestwo]

Not sure any amount of skill could have saved this casing, kudos to CEE for even attempting it and showing us the results, failure is a learning process just as important as success👍

[Turboy]

This is actually the best video to demonstrate the problems with welding cast iron that I've ever seen. It's highly educational and should be shown in its entireity to EVERY welding class.

[daves]

As always, solid work. You can't save everything, but we sure do like to try. I worked on the railroad here in the U.S. as a Carman (train car repair). All the couplers are cast and part of our job was to look for cracks in these components. When we had to perform a repair we had a similar approach to what you did Kurtis with 1 or 2 notable changes. We had temp sticks that we could touch to the part, and when they melted, we knew the part was at temp. We also periodically rechecked to make sure no portion was cooling down too fast during the repair. I think the gas burners are a good idea. However, I think had you spaced them further from the repair area to heat more of the part, it probably would have helped. One more thing we did was to cover the part in very thick welding blankets when we were done, to insulate the part from cooling too fast. I'm sure you've already learned the lessons that come with failed repairs, but that's half the fun, in my opinion. I hope you find this constructive and I still feel like you did good work. Cheers from the Ohio/Michigan line

[donniecardwell]

Nothing wrong with failure as long as you learn something from the experience . In my opinion Curtis has an overwhelming amount of knowledge and experience in his craft, work ethic and passion to do the job correctly and methodically. Thank you Kaeren for your great contribution and skill as a videographer to bring these valuable work experiences to your followers and Curtis for sharing his vast knowledge .