Welding horseshoes
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Welding horseshoes
I have a basic stick welder.....uses 1/16" rods..... one of my sports is pitching horseshoes.... I have a crack in one shoe that I would like to weld...... should I use a basic welding rod?..... or a specialized one?..... (one with better tensil strength?)..... I'm also new to welding...... any info will be appreciated..... note: shoes are steel
slackdog
slackdog
#2
given the use of the shoes, super glue or bubble gum would work (just kidding). The strength of the shoe is not all that important considering the use.
What kind of rods do you have, what is the current range of your machine and is it AC or AC/DC?
bottom line, most any rod would suffice. You are probably on the upper limits of the capacity of your machine (given the 1/16" rod) in respect to the thickness of the metal you are welding (not sure how thick a shoe is). Due to that, you may have better luck if you V out the crack ( about 1/3 way from both sides would be my preference) and then fill with weld. V-ing one side and then welding and then V-ing the other side and welding may work better for you. It would prevent having a thin area that you may burn through due to the inexperience.
You do not need to make a real wide V groove. Just one wide enough so you can weld the bottom first. Too narrow of groove may cause you to arc to the side of the groove rather than the bottom.
but. like I said, this is not a high strength application and I think it would be hard to hurt it. If all else fails, grind it out and start over.
What kind of rods do you have, what is the current range of your machine and is it AC or AC/DC?
bottom line, most any rod would suffice. You are probably on the upper limits of the capacity of your machine (given the 1/16" rod) in respect to the thickness of the metal you are welding (not sure how thick a shoe is). Due to that, you may have better luck if you V out the crack ( about 1/3 way from both sides would be my preference) and then fill with weld. V-ing one side and then welding and then V-ing the other side and welding may work better for you. It would prevent having a thin area that you may burn through due to the inexperience.
You do not need to make a real wide V groove. Just one wide enough so you can weld the bottom first. Too narrow of groove may cause you to arc to the side of the groove rather than the bottom.
but. like I said, this is not a high strength application and I think it would be hard to hurt it. If all else fails, grind it out and start over.