Welding Lucas blades

[glenn k]

I sent blades away to Shoda Travers and some idiot ground the outside of the blade now I have trouble soldering teeth on and keeping them on as there is not enough metal left and some corners have rounded a bit.
Can this be built up? If so what electrodes should I use? I was thinking of using CIG toolcraft as they would be hard enough to cut without tips. I have welded up chips in my wood chipper blades with these no problems. Has anyone tried to build up their blades? I asked in the welding forum but still waiting expert advice.

[funkychicken]

The outside of the blade? Which bit is that exactly?
You can weld them with a mig, that's what we do when a tip get's snapped off (the steel, not just the tungsten)

[glenn k]

Just mig with mild steel wire?
By the outside I mean the bit that holds the tunsten teeth, they ground the outer edge of the blade behind the teeth

[Exador]

You mean the shoulder? If so, then it shouldn't be a problem to build up, although I'd be inclined to go with the hard steel rather than mig, since mild steel mig wire isn't going to be much chop wear-wise, although it might take the impact better than something more brittle.

I'd reckon you'd want to have a gas torch handy to "warm it down" afterward as well, just as you do when re-tipping. good luck, let us know how you go.

[Sigidi]

Can you post a Pic Glenn?

[metricky]

Hi,
How about using metal filler rod with an oxy set, most engineers should be able to tell you which one you would require. I have used this once before, built it up larger than need and filed it down to be flush with the blade.

[glenn k]

Maybe I should try with an oxy made a mess with the arc and toolcraft electrodes.
I put a thread in Welding to ask why.
After the outside of the blades were ground a small piece of steel was left behind the tooth this bent back, but now it just looks like its hit too many things with no tugsten to protect the blade.

[Sigidi]

Glenn, what has happened to the face/edge of the gullet? it looks bright and clean like it has had a file over it or something? I found out a while ago you can keep cutting with as little as 1.5 whole teeth, but if you do keep cutting, when you drop off the blade to old mate saw doctor he ends up charging you much more for 'building' up the blade again before he puts the teeth on like normal.

If/when I hit metal, I'll finish the log with that blade, but change it out for subsequent logs.

[glenn k]

How much do you get charged to build them up again? And who does it ? May save me stuffing up another blade. Gullet has not been filed maybe it was reflection from the sun I did heat the teeth and scrub with a wire brush to get the solder off.

[Sigidi]

Scrubbing with wire brush - that'd be why she's shiny I'd say.

As for who I use and how much, he charged $15 over the price of a normal re-tip and as I said I had 3 teeth completely missing, another with 1 corner still intact and the other was still a full tooth. by the time I had finished with it the shoulder to hold the tooth was a bit rounded, but I was in a bind had no blades left and only had two logs left to do before finishing - worst of it was I was in Brissy, so didn't want to drive best part of 3 hours home and come back for two bleeding logs.

Unfortunately Glenn the chap is up here in Gympie, I heard of folks sending their blades to him, but from Melbourne you'd be better off sending ya blade to central saws... 37 Abel St, Bendigo (03) 5443 1877. These are the chaps who make Lucas blades.

[glenn k]

If the teeth change shape they must be touched up with mild steel or something not much harder. CIGWELD just told me to use mild steel so I will touch them up with the MIG as suggested earlier. I hope I didn't bugger the blade I tried to weld up with tool steel it's a mess at the monment.