Welding ASTM A36 Plate?

[LameHoof65]

Again, wasn't sure where to post this. I went to an oil supply co. here about a week ago and bought a 3'x6'x.5" plate for fabricating my flange on the 200. I know a bunch of you stated that 1018 to 1040 low carbon would be good. But I still wasn't sure about how well those would expand and contract next to the cast iron head?? But I do know some of the hot oil tanks used in construction and for road work use A36 steel (a medium carbon steel) and that it is fairly tensile and can take pretty good loads and somewhere I read where it would contract and expand fairly well with cast iron up to about 500. I also read where it can be difficult to weld. So does anyone know what I need to consider as far as toxicity? Type of weld would be best, Mig, SMAW, Electrode, flux core???? :

 

[StrangeRanger]

Somebody has given you som seriously wrong information.

1018 steel is a cheap, commercial grade low strength, low carbon (0.15-0.20 C) steel with somewhat variable chemistry and frequent impurities, it is best used for garbage fabrication: brackets, non-critical frames, etc.

1040 is a medium carbon (0.37-0.44 C) cold-rolled steel. It will warp like crazy if welded and because of its carbon content, it does not weld happily.

ASTM A-36 is a medium strength, low carbon, high-purity steel DESIGNED for fabrication. $ for $, it is probably the best steel you could buy for that purpose. AFAIK it requires no special care or techniques. We specify it for press frames, etc. because it never, ever contains any surprises like you find in commercial quality steels and it reduces the cost of fabrication dramatically.

You might want to send a PM to Fabricator, he is our resident expert in such matters, but I doubt you'l have any issues whatsoever with A-36

 

[SuperMag]

ASTM A-36 is a medium strength, low carbon, high-purity steel DESIGNED for fabrication.

AKA common structural steel, used for all manner of structural fabricating (beams, channels, tubes, etc.), and common as dirt on any construction site. Like SR said, it's made to be welded. Would be ideal for your application...

 

[PutPut6]

edit: oops, nevermind

 

[LameHoof65]

Well, again I am glad I asked for more information. I was not sure of it's applicability, but when I went to the oil co. supply place, the fella's there were shocked as well that the 1018 to 1040 would have been recommended. However, I just found that post and to their credit those on the forum actually recommended 1040 probably much closer to the A36 then the 1018 or 1020, so it was my mistake regarding the 1018-1020. At any rate thanks for the information. I think I will try the Mig with Argon and I guess the regular welding wire I have on it now I believe it is L-56 or something like that.

On another note, these guys had some of those weldable pipe els for fabbing an exhaust manifold and man were they expensive $11.50 per and the smallest they had were 2"diameter. I figure at least three per exhaust port. I don't know---really I haven't drawn that up yet to see what it would take...but contrary to what I have heard...that doesn't sound cheap to me.

 

[StrangeRanger]

Actually A-36 has only slightly more carbon cntent than 1018/1020. The specification is 0.26 max. It gains its strength from approximately half again as much manganese as the commercial grades.

The real advantage of A-36 is purity. Ladle chemistry is tightly monitored as are the processing techniques. There is no slag, no out of spec inclusions from bad remelts, no crud, no crap, no surprises. The only way you can get better quality is to buy PVQ (pressure vessel quality) plate, for which you do not want to pay unless you have to.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm a welding Engineering student at Ferris State Univ. and ASTM A-36 is what use for most of our projects. It is very easy to work with, you shouldn't have any problems. You can use your standard 6010, 6011, or 7018 electrodes for SMAW, an ER70S-3 filler wire with GMAW with 90%/10% Argon/CO2 shielding, an ER70S filler with GTAW, FCAW works extremely well with this material too. I hope this helps.

 

[Anonymous]

Darwin,

Strange Ranger and everyone else has given you great advice! You did however mention thet you were planning on using the "MIG" process to join the 1/2" A-36 plate to your casting. Just a quick suggestion: The "MIG" procedure is not ideally suited to joining heavy plate sections or castings with solid wire. I would be remiss to suggest that it couldn't be done; however, the joint preperation, and material manipulation quickly elevate the knowledge and skill required. Give serious consideration to using the "SMAW" aka "Stick" procedure. Also do your homework on joint preperation, preheat, and electrode selection. Joining mild steel to cast iron in a situation that involves thermal cycling (like an exhaust manifold) is not for the uninformed. (Unless you want to make a career out of chasing the resulting cracks ) Too many people feel that the presence of melted metal constitutes a proper weld. Feel free to drop me an e-mail and I will be happy to help in any way I can. I have several different "SMAW" electrodes in stock Ideally suited to what you are doing and may be able to save you from having to purchase 10lbs. of electrode for a repair that requires 4oz.

Best regards,

Fabricator

 

[Lazy JW]

Maybe I missed something here, I didn't think he was planning to weld TO the cast iron, but after re-reading I am not sure.
Joe

 

[LameHoof65]

Lazy JW, I had considered welding the cast iron, but as Fabricator has stated I probably should think that through a little more. But currently I am more concerned about welding port tubing and outer flanges for both intake and exhaust. As far as welding the cast iron, I think I can bypass that process and maybe place studs in the wall of the head similar to those on the aussie and argie heads. At first I thought this would be a problem, but from what I have read many of the old flatheads bolted the flanges to studs that actually penetrated in through the water jackets, heck some of the head bolts penetrated the jackets. So, I am cutting up another old head to see where the best places to do that are-respective to the inner flange of the A36 plate. The key is finding the right stud sealer that will keep the head from leaking coolant and the studs from backing out. If all fails then I may try welding to the cast using some of those muggy weld rods I think they are numbered 72---77 or something like that. The problem will be getting a 220 SMAW to do it--- I only have the MIG 135 and a 110v 90 Amp SMAW...neither of which apparently will suffice.