nickel rod and cast steel

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i have another thread here where i have been asking about welding to a cast differential.  my main question at this point is, i know i can weld cast iron with a high nickel rod, but will using that rod hurt cast steel?  the reason i ask is because most of the welders on this forum want to believe the differential is cast steel, though the spark test says it is iron.  but if the welding process can be the same for both, then it really wont matter to me what the material is.  also, what would be better, NI55 or NI99?  i dont have a lot to weld, but the weld will see a lot of force and abuse.
Reply:NI55 is non machinable and NI99 is machinable.  John GSMAW,GMAW,FCAW,GTAW,SAW,PAC/PAW/OFCand Shielding Gases.  There all here. :
Reply:I know you are just trying to figure this out, and do the right thing. That is a good thing. I hope you know I'm just trying to help. Cast iron sparks are red, not yellow/orange. The housing is steel. Different alloys spark differently. I believe it is the higher silicon content in cast steel that causes the orange-ish color, and causes the trails to be short. There is a really good web page out there explaining this in detail, but I can't seem to find the link right now.Miller EconotigCutmaster 38Yes ma'am, that IS a screwdriver in my pocket!
Reply:I'd run 99 for ductility sake.  If you preheat and weld it like iron, the process would be fine for steel.
Reply:Originally Posted by Joe HI know you are just trying to figure this out, and do the right thing. That is a good thing. I hope you know I'm just trying to help. Cast iron sparks are red, not yellow/orange. The housing is steel. Different alloys spark differently. I believe it is the higher silicon content in cast steel that causes the orange-ish color, and causes the trails to be short. There is a really good web page out there explaining this in detail, but I can't seem to find the link right now.
Reply:ok, here is a question. if it is cast steel, it should weld like steel correct?  so what if i try and mig it (with regular wire and co2)?  if it is cast iron, i should know right away from the way it welds right?  but if it is steel, it should mig ok right?i guess i am just going to have to test it before i go and grind all the extra material off.
Reply:Is that the housing you are grinding on in the picture? If so, that is steel for sure. The cutoff wheel may have had something to do with it...Miller EconotigCutmaster 38Yes ma'am, that IS a screwdriver in my pocket!
Reply:Originally Posted by Joe HIs that the housing you are grinding on in the picture? If so, that is steel for sure. The cutoff wheel may have had something to do with it...
Reply:If that is the housing, its STEEL for sure.  Cast iron sparks are orange and almost nonexistent.  Cast iron sparks only travel a few inches to a foot from the grinder.If its cast and you mig it, it will crack under the weld immediately.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:Originally Posted by David RIf that is the housing, its STEEL for sure.  Cast iron sparks are orange and almost nonexistent.  Cast iron sparks only travel a few inches to a foot from the grinder.If its cast and you mig it, it will crack under the weld immediately.David
Reply:well, i welded on it today, to see how it welded.  i was using mild wire, and co2 on a lincoln 155.  i started by running a bead by it self, in a 90* area of the lip.  the bead looked nice, and didnt have any porosity.  it looked like it would be good to go ahead and try welding a scrap piece of mild to it.  when i did that, the bead looked good, and felt/sounded good.  however, i then, after letting it cool some, took a hammer to it to see how well it would break off.  well, two small taps on the hammer and off it came, with very little penetration into the cast part.  i know that the lack of penetration could have a lot to do with the fact that it was cold, and i did not try and preheat anything, but could this also be partially caused by being cast iron as opposed to steel?any opinions?
Reply:does nobody have an opinion on the pics?
Reply:Ummm...... It appears that you have almost no penetration into either piece.Miller EconotigCutmaster 38Yes ma'am, that IS a screwdriver in my pocket!
Reply:Agreed..Looking at the thickness of the piece...Very little penetration at all..You need Heat! my man..If I was to tig that it would be at 200 amps no problem..Crank that machine up and try it on some scrap first.....zap!I am not completely insane..Some parts are missing Professional Driver on a closed course....Do not attempt.Just because I'm a  dumbass don't mean that you can be too.So DON'T try any of this **** l do at home.
Reply:I think you better pre heat and try with ni55 or ni99.  Looks like cast to me, no matter how deep you go, it may still crack like that.  One more try with the mig as hot as it will go and preheat the housing.  run a bunch of beads on some heavy plate to get your settings close.  Voltage all the way up and set the wire speed for the best arc.Put a 2 X 4 in the housing and when it chars, its preheated enough.Please keep us posted.  This is a good threadDavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:If that housing is cast iron I wouldn't bother with it, especially for off-roading applications. I've welded on several housings, all of them were steel. I can not imagine an iron one holding up.The sparks in the picture above are definately steel. The broken piece may look like it does because of the way it was welded... A small weld like that with no preheat on a large piece would cause rapid quenching of the welded area. I've got a leaf spring that I quenched and snapped, just to see how brittle it really was (snapped like a twig), and the grain structure looks almost exactly like that.Miller EconotigCutmaster 38Yes ma'am, that IS a screwdriver in my pocket!
Reply:Here's a picture...Looks like cast iron don't it? I was kinda suprised when I saw it. It is in fact high carbon steel, 5160 to be exact. This is what happens when it's cooled too quickly.Miller EconotigCutmaster 38Yes ma'am, that IS a screwdriver in my pocket!
Reply:i may be able to tig it, but i am not that experienced with tig.  im not sure what i should do.  as far as the 2x4, should it be charing from contact, or from radiant heat?  as for this housing, that is the whole reason i am trying it.  i need to do it on this particular axle.so it sounds like this probably is steel, but that because i did nothing for the preheating or slow cooling it broke the way it did?  i know there was no penetration into the housing, but would cast iron even form a good looking bead  (at least from the outside)?  my small experience with cast iron has been little ornamental knuckles on pickets and such, nothing near like this.  and i will keep you all posted, i should be getting the ring gear back probably this week or next.
Reply:The piece of wood can be touching the housing.  This should get it up to about 450.  Its going to take a while to warm it up.DavidReal world weldin.  When I grow up I want to be a tig weldor.
Reply:I think you need a bigger mig...BobBob WrightSalem, Ohio  Birthplace of the Silver & Deming Drillhttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/southbend10k/http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sawking/1999 Miller MM185 w/ Miller 185 Spoolmate spoolgun
Reply:there were some nodular iron housings out there.I just dont know on which axles.  Currie, I believe, offers a nodular iron for an upgrade.Anyway keep the pics coming weld it like you own it
Reply:Originally Posted by lewraythere were some nodular iron housings out there.I just dont know on which axles.  Currie, I believe, offers a nodular iron for an upgrade.Anyway keep the pics coming
Reply:i did the spark test again today.  it is cast iron for sure.  i had steel to compare it to, and it was definitely cast iron.
Reply:Whoa your not trying to weld link brackets there are you? Or was that for practice sake? I shaved my 14 bolt to the max without having to add metal to the bottom of the housing. The cneter is a horrible casting I wouldnt weld to it personally.HTP Invertig 201Lincoln Idealarc SP250Miller 180 AC StickBy farmall:They should have held the seagull closer to the work, squeezing evenly for best deposition.
Reply:If you know its cast iron, then it's for certain a losing battle.  If you REALLY need a bracket there, your only real option that stands a chance of holding up is to weld a bar from axle tube to axle tube that passes over that location, and then weld it to that bar.  Either that, or make a bracket that will bolt to up to the diff cover holes.Thats the best way go with round tube from axle tube to axle tube, then tie into the diff cover.HTP Invertig 201Lincoln Idealarc SP250Miller 180 AC StickBy farmall:They should have held the seagull closer to the work, squeezing evenly for best deposition.
Reply:If that picture is showing where that bracket needs to be I would just fab up something that bolts to the upper half of the diff cover mounting holes and forget welding to anything...  be alot less of a mess than trying to weld a big ole contraption from axle tube to axle tube. and ive had track bar brackets mouted by bolting to the diff cover holes before without a problem (which is what it looks like that bracket is for) But as a noob to welding materials like this, I was told mild steel could be welded to cast iron with brazing or certain electrodes... Are these methods just not strong enough for this type of application?I like to party!
Reply:Originally Posted by CaptainWillyIf that picture is showing where that bracket needs to be I would just fab up something that bolts to the upper half of the diff cover mounting holes and forget welding to anything...  be alot less of a mess than trying to weld a big ole contraption from axle tube to axle tube. and ive had track bar brackets mouted by bolting to the diff cover holes before without a problem (which is what it looks like that bracket is for) But as a noob to welding materials like this, I was told mild steel could be welded to cast iron with brazing or certain electrodes... Are these methods just not strong enough for this type of application?
Reply:that test weld was just some random piece of scrap.  what will be welded to it will be a plate, probably about .5" thick, across the bottom.  i will be removing at least 2 if not 3 or 4 of the diff cover bolts, and this plate will have holes drilled and tapped to replace the ones that were lost.i am shaving the ring gear, and plating the bottom of the housing.this is what is being taken off the ring gear:this is what the housing will look like (not my pic)
Reply:updates:well, i got my ring gear back today from my dad's shop.  i had it turned down about 3/4" all the way around.  now i need to shave the bottom of my differential to take up all the room i just gave it.  i am going to take off about 3" from the bottom of my 14b.  here is the ring gear, before and after.before:after:now before everyone questions this, i am fully aware of the risks, and how likely it is to break now.  i am ok with that, and this is an experiment.  if i do break this, i will have to replace my entire housing.  and if it doesnt work, then i will just go back to the normal ring gear/housing.