- Thread starter Turbo
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BrokenBiker
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if you know what the steel is, look for rods specifically for that..if you dont know what it is, i always opt for 309
hotponyshoes
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I've got some 321 filler if you want some.
Works fine on carbon steel
Works fine on carbon steel
It's an old long tail builders shovel.
Not sure what steel but it is very tough and springy.
It is cracked vertically where the ferrule merges into the shovel head.
I've welded one before nearer the point of the shovel using the mig and standard ms wire. It held up ok but eventually split again in a different place due to the shovel being worn thin.
Never heard of 321 so I did some googling.
There seems to be 2 types of 321 wire, one for mild and carbon steel.
https://www.lawsonproducts.com/products/321-mild-and-carbon-steel-tig-wire-1-8-cw1007
Another for stainless steel.
https://www.oxfordalloys.com/Oxford-Alloy-321-TIG-Wire
Which version do you have and what diameter?
frank horton
V twins are great but 4"s rule.........
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for that kinda job I just use 316 St/steel rods if the metal is not to thin....
She's got a few BULLDOG all metal shovels, some with horizontal splits that have been repair'd this way...
No idea how long ago they were fixed...still in use....
She's got a few BULLDOG all metal shovels, some with horizontal splits that have been repair'd this way...
No idea how long ago they were fixed...still in use....
hotponyshoes
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Typo! I've got 312 filler!
I'd be interested in a few rods. I'll drop you a message.
Munkul
Jack of some trades, Master of none
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Mild steel is carbon steel 
You can weld up to medium carbon steel with er70 filler rod. Do a bit of preheat with a torch and it'll be just fine.
316 - not the best choice, the weld dilution of the chrome can make the joint brittle.
309 or 312 would be better, as it has enough chrome and nickel in to be diluted by the carbon steel.
Honestly, I'd just weld it with mild steel.
You can weld up to medium carbon steel with er70 filler rod. Do a bit of preheat with a torch and it'll be just fine.
316 - not the best choice, the weld dilution of the chrome can make the joint brittle.
309 or 312 would be better, as it has enough chrome and nickel in to be diluted by the carbon steel.
Honestly, I'd just weld it with mild steel.
If you already have 312 then go with it, works well on almost any type of steel and is very resistant to cracking even on high carbon steel, great for anything where you aren't sure of the composition of the steel, either mild/carbon/tool steel/stainless. If its just mild steel er70 (er70-6 or er70-2) is great choice as it is a closer match to your base metal and is way cheaper than 312 (or 309 which would be another good choice for mystery metal/steel or mild to stainless).
312 would be way over matched on strength for mild steel but unless you want/need your weld to be your failure point then there's no reason you can't use it on mild steel. As its a spade you might find that a crack forms next to the weld if you use 312 as it will be significantly stronger so you won't get as much flex out of it as the surrounding metal. Also being a spade, it might be closer to a spring steel or higher carbon so the 312 will be more crack resistant in the weld metal, er70-2 may give you a bit more flex. Try the 312 and see how you go.
312 would be way over matched on strength for mild steel but unless you want/need your weld to be your failure point then there's no reason you can't use it on mild steel. As its a spade you might find that a crack forms next to the weld if you use 312 as it will be significantly stronger so you won't get as much flex out of it as the surrounding metal. Also being a spade, it might be closer to a spring steel or higher carbon so the 312 will be more crack resistant in the weld metal, er70-2 may give you a bit more flex. Try the 312 and see how you go.
I have 312 on its way to me from @hotponyshoes .
Already have mild and stainless steel rods.
I think I have some either 309 or 312 tig rod already I got from where I used to work.
It was used to make paint stirrers but as I cut off the flat bit at the end I can't be sure as it could be 316 s/s rod.
and if you dont have any , twist a couple of bits of mig wire together and it will get you by , ,,, not perfect ,Mild steel is carbon steel
You can weld up to medium carbon steel with er70 filler rod. Do a bit of preheat with a torch and it'll be just fine.
316 - not the best choice, the weld dilution of the chrome can make the joint brittle.
309 or 312 would be better, as it has enough chrome and nickel in to be diluted by the carbon steel.
Honestly, I'd just weld it with mild steel.
but
have to makes a hard master.
hotponyshoes
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Memmeddu
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I do the same thing at work
We have any kind of Tig fillers but none for carbon/mild steel .
I've ever used small broken drill bits to make cutting edges on tools
yep ends up as some sort of high carbon and it will get you by ,,, ive seen me burn the galv off coathangers before today and gas weld with them ,,, I once welded a gate hinge on with a few six inch nails held in a pair of vise grips and welded with a cutting torch ,,,, now those were the days
try telling that to the kids today ,,, we had it tough ,,, lol
luxury ,,,
You can get away using pretty much anything lying around with OA, just clean/burn the galv off and you can make it work in a pinch 
. OA was the first process I learned back in my first year of high school before we were allowed to use the arc or mig welder, still probably my favourite welding process.
Also removing flux off old mma rods can be a good source of cheap filler for TIG. Especially true for cast iron rods, the high nickel TIG rods are incredibly expensive, cleaning off the flux from mma rods and using them for TIG cast iron repairs has worked very well for me in the past. Also made some small repairs on 310 stainless by cleaning up some old 310 mma electrodes as I was going to have to order 310 ss TIG rods from overseas and I don't even think they had them in stock -_-
. OA was the first process I learned back in my first year of high school before we were allowed to use the arc or mig welder, still probably my favourite welding process.Also removing flux off old mma rods can be a good source of cheap filler for TIG. Especially true for cast iron rods, the high nickel TIG rods are incredibly expensive, cleaning off the flux from mma rods and using them for TIG cast iron repairs has worked very well for me in the past. Also made some small repairs on 310 stainless by cleaning up some old 310 mma electrodes as I was going to have to order 310 ss TIG rods from overseas and I don't even think they had them in stock -_-
I've done the broken drill bit trick a few times with reasonable success. I bought some weldmold 958 a while ago and have been making my own center punches and chisels for black smithing out of mild steel with weldmold TIG welded on the tips and these have stood up really well, basically as good as ones I've made out of tool steel (A2, D2 and H13). Makes for long lasting tools at a fraction of the cost of full tool steel.
Didn't know you could do that! I do have 309 mma rods but at 2.5mm they are a tad heavy for welding the shovel.
Also have a few cast rods and I'll have a play with them trying to repair some cast iron pots.
