Welding cracks with copper

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2013: Welding cracks with copper
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Stan Howe Helena, Montana on Tuesday, October 08, 2013 - 11:00 am:

This showed up in my mail today from Farm Collector magazine. Perry Matthews was the Vo Tech Shop Foreman/teacher here for many years and was a Model T guru for many. He did a lot of T engines and babbitt work. I barely knew him as I moved here only a couple years before he died. I was surprised to see his name in this article. If it could be done, Perry could do it according to all I have heard about him.

Interesting idea and worth trying.


After reading about different methods of welding cast iron, I thought you could use one more that worked for me and others. Most restorers of old-iron have the necessary tools to perform this operation.

My dear departed friend, Perry Mathrew of Helena, Montana, showed me this trick.

The crack we fixed was along the bottom of the water jacket on a 1926 Model 'T' Ford that I own. We performed it over 20 years ago and it hasn't leaked a drop.

Small 1/8 inch holes were drilled at the ends of the crack. This crack was over 10 inches long. Then using a rotary file, the crack was 'V'd out but not all the way through the crack.

Using an acetylene torch, with a small tip, he played the heat on the crack while at the same time he would rub the crack with a piece of small copper tubing. You could see the crack was getting a copper color to it. Very little heat was used, just enough so a copper tone was showing in the 'V'd sides of the crack.

Next he took some solder and used just enough heat along the crack to melt the solder. After testing the job for leaks, the solder was filed down to the contour of the block. We applied paint and the crack is hard to find.

I keep antifreeze in the 'T' year around with no loss of coolant.

I have no idea of the chemistry between the copper and cast iron. All I know is it works.



Read more: http://www.gasenginemagazine.com/gas-engines/my-method-of-welding-cast-iron.aspx #ixzz2h8hJZq1Y


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Jim Thode Chehalis Washington on Tuesday, October 08, 2013 - 11:24 am:

Interesting, I had not heard that before but with a web search it apparently has been around for some time.

"In 1910 dyke's encyclopedia on soldering cast iron they advise to v out the crack then take a copper rod and rub it on the crack many times until you can see copper on the cast iron then heat the part up add flux and solder the crack up."

Jim


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Mark Gregush Portland Oregon on Tuesday, October 08, 2013 - 11:29 am:

I have a head that has a braze repair that is about that long. It weeps a little at one end. Looks to have been done in one sitting. Amazing what people do to repair these parts.
I'll have to try this on my block as it has two cracks on the drivers side. It might work as well as pinning, which is a lot of work.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Tom Carnegie on Tuesday, October 08, 2013 - 11:35 am:

Nice Stan. I've never heard of that trick before. Not only was Perry a clever fellow, he was also a gentleman and super nice guy. I knew him from the Montana 500. In 1978 our T's were running pretty close and we had quite a battle.

Perry Mathews

Perry getting into his car in 1978.


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