welding a pitman arm

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My father in law has a old ford tractor that has been modified, alot. well the steering is quite goofy and the pitman arm needs to be shorter. It appears to be forged steel i hit it with a sanding disc and it throws long streaming sparks just like steel. So can I remove a 1 inch section and bevel 45 to a 0 landing and start filling using a tig. forged steel can be welded with any er70 filler correct? any particular cooling method or just let it cool slowly in the open air.
Reply:I welded mine with 7018 and it has worked fine for years. I beveled and welded and let it cool naturally.
Reply:good to know alot of people freak out thinking these things are cast iron, and i'm like no way their cast iron. Cast iron is pretty brittle and snaps off easy. I'm sure welding it would be fine but i was unsure if it might need some kinda special cooling
Reply:Since you're not driving this thing on the highway, Id say er70 would be fine, but I would bury it in sand to cool.
Reply:would their be another option other than er70? that might be better. I dunno much about forged steel and welding, but im soaking up every ounce i can find.
Reply:Ive got to ask why you want to do that?
Reply:If it's high carbon steel you might want to use a real ductile filler like ER310 at least to "butter" the edges of the weld to try to prevent cracking. If the weld metal picks up too much carbon from the parent material, it may not be ductile enough to withstand the stress and strain of shrinkage when it cools, causing cracks.If you can find the book "Metals and How to Weld Them" by the Lincoln Welding Foundation in your library, it has a good chapter on how to weld high carbon steels.Last edited by Kelvin; 09-13-2011 at 11:53 AM.
Reply:Originally Posted by farmer37Ive got to ask why you want to do that?
Reply:Look at the spark characteristics when grinding, they will give you a good idea of what the material is.Wiki site.I would leave a little bit of a land instead of a point. Also use angle to help align when setting up.You could also add a pipe sleeve. Slide on pipe sleeve; Align w/ angle; tack around piece; weld out; grind; slide sleeve over joint and weld sleeve.Just a thought.Semper FiJesus may have been a Carpenter, but his dad was a Millwright" A grinder and a can of paint, will make a welder what he aint' "I've done so much, with so little, for so long, that now I can do anything with nothing!