[29stude]

Hello,

I've got this old water trough (I believe it's cast iron), which I would like to use as some kind water feature in my garden.

However halfway down, near one corner it has a hole around 1 1/2" long. Anybody got any suggestions how I can repair this? Obviously if it is cast iron then welding is not going to be possible, is there some kind of miracle sealant that would do the job? or would it be better to line the whole interior with something like fibreglass? (it is fairly heavily pitted all round).

Thanks, Gav.

 

[rockhouse]

araldite?

 

[streetfighter]

cast iron can be welded, its not usually a problem if the weld isn't put under duress.

 

[blue68]

can be brazed but that looks too far gone to get clean enough. Filler then rubberised paint mighy work

 

[29stude]

cast iron can be welded, its not usually a problem if the weld isn't put under duress.

Could I do this with MIG then? If so, what gas/wire do I need? I tried welding cast iron years ago with arc (and I think dissimilar rods) but it always seemed to crack afterwards.

Cheers,
Gav.

 

[Darren West]

id try welding it
if not chemical metal

 

[spanners]

mig it ,, mild steel wire argosheild gas, go easy a bit at a time then seal with epoxy ,, or just get some JB WELD

 

[spanners]

or two bits of tin and a nut n, bolt == SIMPLE,S

 

[sidspop]

Bit of lead sheet on inside and stuck on with sikkaflex. There's no pressure as such, so will seal. Then gob up hole on outside to make it blend in.

 

[dutchrod]

mig it ,, mild steel wire argosheild gas, go easy a bit at a time then seal with epoxy ,, or just get some JB WELD

id go for jb weld, defcon or any other metal filled epoxy. easy fix and probably stronger than the cast iron itself. wouldnt even be that hard getting the same texturelook on outside to make the repair totaly invisible.

 

[Big Joe]

How about drilling/cutting the hole to a neat round shape and then blanking off the hole with a round pluming fitting (an iron one perhaps) so that it looks like the hole is suposed to be there.

 

[wrench]

Old cast iron can be welded with Mig but would need to be cleaned up very well as mig dose not like rust. I tend to use cast iron welding rods and arc weld cast iron, best to pre heat the job first other wise you could get more cracks if not pre heated. don't try and weld it in one hit do a little bit a a time. I once spent 8 welding up a vintage cast iron lamp post cost a fortune in welding rods, and then the dick head who moved it with a fork lift dropped it and snapped it another place so ended up welding this thing for two days. If your not sure do what others have suggested using metal filler with a lead or copper plate on the inside.

 

[29stude]

Thanks for all your comments.

I had completely discounted welding, but interesting to hear it can be done.
However at the moment its going to be awkward to get it to my MIG (or my MIG to it for that matter)... So I'm going to try filling and sealing it as suggested with a lead backing patch. If that doesn't work long term, then I'll have a go at welding.

Will post a pic when its done.

Thanks again, Gav.

 

[blue68]

good luck, might hold