> We have a guy who is very successful at welding cast iron (which, > according to Del is "grey iron") using nickel rod. He has welded over > 100 plates without a single failure! So FWIW, I think the nickel rod is > best. This man also says the secret is to weld only about 1/2 inch at a > time then wait until it has cooled so it is only warm to the touch. A lot of welders will tell you it can't be done, but there is a local shop here that welds cast iron for a living. It's what they do every day all day long. Folks from all over the world send them one of a kind irreplaceable castings, which they repair just like any other mundane iron tractor or lathe part. The owner isn't too fond of nickel for repairs, since he has to burn out so many failed attempts to redo it his way. He gas welds the stuff, with gray iron filler rod, and a flux of his own recipe. With the various arrays of burners I saw in his shop, I think he could preheat a locomotive to bright yellow in about ten minutes. It's scary to think what his monthly oxygen and acetylene gas bill is. A few of us here have had him do plates, with no failures, but you have to be prepared to build the finish up from scratch on the resulting moonscape. Jeannie, a local welder should have no trouble with the shift lever repair, either with nickel rod, or brazing. I've personally repaired and modified them with brazing, as well as all those pedal repairs through the years, so it can't be that tough. Ron N
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