Thank you James, you are hard core cast iron repair person! Here is the problem, his 22 year old son took it camping and used it for a hammer. Straightening these warped resin parts is easy; I use boiling water to heat up the parts, then straighten them. Looking for super simple recipes for the crockpot. In a forge or other major heat source you heat the cast iron part to be welded to a dull red. AR15.COM is the world’s largest firearm community and is a gathering place for firearm enthusiasts of all types. It would probably cost you more than just replacing the cast iron pan. If the excavator is a deceent peiece of equipment the "casting" may be a forging. From hunters and military members, to competition shooters and general firearm enthusiasts, we welcome anyone who values and respects the way of the firearm. Two bits of information for you. So now I'm gonna show you how to straighten your hair with a flat iron. The bending may generally be done at about the ordinary hardening heat of tool steel and should be done by a steadily applied pressure, not by blows. But now that I have a flat-topped glass stove, they work less well because they're not perfectly flat. Fixing Warped Pan I have 2 pans that the bottoms of them are warped and bowed out ever so slightly so they do not sit nice and flat on my glass top. If it rocks back and forth, you may wish to replace it. My best friend had a cast iron skillet that belonged to his Mother. Apparently this method avoids the uneven cooling that causes cracking. I have tried putting a shim between the cap iron and the iron on one side. Is it possible to “unwarp” the skillet? If you search out garage sales, flea markets, and/or thrift stores, you probably can find a similar pan. All I could do was throw it away. Heat straightening does not symmetrically straighten the metal and is a gradual process. I’ve repaired a cast iron bench vice and a skillet with the handle broken off. There is a method of welding Cast Iron that has worked for me. So, now that we’ve addressed the basics of how a vinyl record gets Over time, the pressure to reduce costs led to the phasing out of such processes by American producers. Be sure to tap it with a chipping hammer between welds. Ceramic Top (Flat Top) Electric Range and Cast Iron Pots, Self-Cleaning Oven for Cleaning & Seasoning. (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';fnames[1]='FNAME';ftypes[1]='text';fnames[2]='LNAME';ftypes[2]='text';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:9434909144325990,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-4487-7159"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="//cdn2.lockerdome.com/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs"); What’s Cooking America is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products which are identified on this web site with green text. Cast iron can also be brazed with a torch and brass filler. Answer: Some old iron plows. I would just display it in your kitchen as the antique it is. Peter Marino sent me the following information on electrolysis: Glenn Vaniman (12/03/03) sent information on welding broken cast iron skillets: The Lowell Hotel-Pembroke Room’s Afternoon Tea, Perfect Prime Rib Roast Recipe – Cooking Instructions, Perfect Boneless Leg of Lamb Roast Recipe, Cleaning and Seasoning Cast Iron Cookware, What’s Cooking America ©2004-2020 by Linda Stradley, What’s Cooking America Privacy Policy and Disclosures. The big problem with welding cast iron is cracking when weld cools. Average repair time prepping metal , heating , welding , cooling , finishing. Join 6,470 readers in helping fund MetaFilter. Question I have a Delta contractor's saw that I bought back in the mid 80's, which is a pretty heavy duty saw. Do you know of anyone that can repair a cast iron skillet. Could you please let me know if I can send it somewhere to have it repaired for him. The same thing that warps cardboard -- humidity -- can sometimes help you The first thing I welded was a broken cast iron hinge for a very nice wood burning stove that I got for $15 because the antique store owner thought it could not be fixed. I do not believe that you can repair this pan easily or cheaply. The industry instead turned to Blanchard grinding for surfacing. Simple Ways to Straighten Fence Posts: 13 Steps (with Pictures) - … I have never heard of doing this. America's most trusted culinary resource since 1997. They heat fine and such, just a bit of a personal annoyance. Speaking of cast-iron skillets, I have two, and they worked brilliantly on a gas stove. Grinding a Warped Cast-Iron Table Saw Top Flat It's not unusual for machinery tables to get deformed out of their proper flat shape, but the problem is correctable. I have a cast iron pan that is a little warped, and also has some hot spots. I’ve been welding for 33 years. March 25, 2007. Don’t be afraid to completely grind out what you just welded to get a better final product. In this article, you'll learn the 6 most common causes of warped pans and baking sheets, how to prevent pans from warping, and how to fix pans that are already warped. To repair them, build a fire in the yard or use a gas burner. Thank you for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I guess that, as I suspected, there's no good answer to this question. I will just bookmark this site. To check the bottom of your pots and pans for flatness, use a straight edge, such as a ruler, on the bottom surface. A - Airgun … The iron is curved from top to bottom, but I doubt that is a problem. Nickel is a soft metal and gives with heating and cooling of the iron. After a minute or so, pick out a part using tongs or hemostats, then straighten the part with your hands. Heat straightening involves applying controlled heat to a deformed part of steel in heating and cooling cycles until the metal gradually straightens. As you notice, my flat iron is of course of good quality. Check out the following pages: Electrolytic De-rusting, David G. Smith has a web page with his technique for cleaning old cast iron pans: Cleaning and Seasoning Cast Iron Cookware. Straighten CAST IRON Targets: Anyone KNOW HOW To? Once I returned home and started to clean it I realized there was a long crack around the bottom of the kettle. LOL. Thank you for taking time out for my email. Can you eat off of nickel? Can this be fixed by someone without any metal working skills? I'll stick with baking cornbread with them until I can get rid of the glass-topped range and go back to gas. So solving the flatness issue perhaps should be considered an academic exercise only? Thanks for trying. Im not sure how- if it was from damage or age. How to Flatten or Straighten a Warped Griddle: Easy Tutorial – Brenda (5/10/03). Since we aren’t welders, our advice is to use the pan as display only or discard it and get a new one. Place the parts in a flat Pyrex dish, then pour boiling water over them. Your style is really unique in comparison to other people I have read stuff from. Straighten in and you mught have two pieces. I’m from a small farm community and like to cook some stews in old cast iron pots. I have been told that you can repair a warped cast iron skillet by heating the skillet then applying Ice Cubes to the indented side which will cause the cast iron to contract rapidly and cause the dent to pop back out. Feedback: Glad you have a method for repairing it. It is sometimes necessary to straighten a casting which has become warped or twisted. Inside and out. Weld it while it’s still hot. You be the judge if you want to share this. One is a bit. Sure, you can sand down cast iron by hand or with a sander. Hi One of the webbed cast iron wings for the Craftsman 10" table saw I'm rebuilding is warped in the center, it sags about 1/32". https://carveyourcreation.com/how-to-straighten-warped-wood The skillet is over 50 years old and has great sentimental value not to mention the fantastic food that has been prepared in it. Smooth out welds with a grinder and an abrasive flap disc. That sorta works, but not great. I am not a welder, but did these projects in night school. Does it look like the bottoms are warped? I have no direct experience with this, but I have heard of folks having good success with using a sort of trivet between the burner and the bottom of the skillet. Flattening Cast Iron Tops by Planing, Grinding or Scraping ¶ Many old arn surfaces were originally factory finished by metal planers. If you get short dark red streaks with no bursts you got cast iron. Ask MetaFilter is a question and answer site that covers nearly any question on earth, where members help each other solve problems. Ask MetaFilter is where thousands of life's little questions are answered. How to Straighten Your Hair with a Straightening Iron - Howcast Thank you so much for your reply, and I will do just that display it as the antique it is :-). Later in years these will crack or holes will come in old pots from use and abuse. Essentially it just creates a small air gap between the heating surface and the skillet. In order to avoid a very large pieces of cast iron from cracking after its been welded cover it with sand and allow it to cool down on its own with no drafts. Fabricators straighten metal using many methods, including heat straightening. If you touch a grinding disk to the unknown and get a stream of bright yellow streamer with terminal burts, heat it and straighten it. Wow! There are tons of youtube vids of people sanding the inside of their cast iron to have a smoother finish. (deployads = window.deployads || []).push({}); Question: Peter Marino sent me the following information on electrolysis: I had my favorite cast iron frying pan crack and break. I have been asked to try and fix an old 16" long cast iron plane, the sole is badly bent or warped. Kitchenware that no good kitchen would be without. This stress relieves the metal. Electrolysis works very well for rust removal. Glenn Vaniman (12/03/03) sent information on welding broken cast iron skillets: Well, sure there is. My best friend taught industrial arts and told me how to fix it. 6 – 8 hours. All posts copyright their original authors. Question: Warped Or Cracked Cast Iron Pots, Techniques For Restoring An … https://cutthewood.com/diy/how-to-fix-warped-wood-from-water I don’t believe that you can repair a cracked cast iron pan or kettle. The piece should be grinded clean and cracks opened up to get a full penetration weld. Cast iron may be twisted or bent to quite an extent if worked cautiously. James Turner. Use ” Nickel ” welding rods. – Romel Washington (10/18/03). The tea kettle with the crack could probably be repaired that way, and perhaps the skillet with the hole in the bottom. Anyways I was thinking of heat and gentle pressing to attempt to straighten the sole so I can machine the sole flat. Also pick out any trash or slag to prevent any future cracks. I am sorry but I don’t believe you can repair this pan. I learned out of necessity. Your mileage may vary. Might take some time and patience depending on how much sanding needs to happen. I saw your web site, very nice! The real problem seems to be that it is also twisted. Or just a raised spot or two? I did the hinge and a broken disc spacer by this method and they both remained intact with no cracking! If it works, let us know. Then while still very hot you arc weld the crack or broken pieces together with Stainless Steel welding rod, then let the whole welded part cool on its own at room temperature. An industrial grinder could easily flatten the bottoms. The old iron castings had imperfections in them. Is there any way to un-warp it, other than taking it to a machine shop to get flattened? Fyi, in addition to the flat-ness issue, you're also not supposed to use cast iron on glass stoves because they're highly likely to permanently scratch/damage the stove top. Thanks Nancy. If you check the manual for your stove, you will almost surely find guidance that cast iron cookware is not to be used. Is nickel safe to use in repairing the cast iron? They are made for cast iron. Question: Do you know of any way I can repair it? This has worked many times for me. My sister had her frypan ground down, and it works much better now, but she had a thick-bottomed pan to start with. Hope this is of interest. Speaking of cast-iron skillets, I have two, and they worked brilliantly on a gas stove. – David Moore (6/30/02). Also, you'll learn which type of pans and materials are the most and the least likely to warp. After welding let the fire burn out or cut your gas burner down a little every 30 minutes. Both ends of a crack should be drilled with a small bit to prevent running. Frying pans are made from a variety of materials and are subject to warping due to the temperature extremes used during cooking. Check to see how thick the bottoms are. Here’s how you avoid this. I just purchased a beautiful antique cast iron tea kettle from a thrift store. But now that I have a flat-topped glass stove, they work less well because they're not perfectly flat. It sounds beyond repair! Answer: I did this when my favorite cast iron skillet broke. We have our flat iron. Patricia, thank you for sharing your expertise on welding. The iron is pretty heavy duty Cast Steel. However, that would make areas of the bottom too thin to be of any practical use. Have welded several cast iron pots. Ergo, he broke a hole in the bottom. And a 1830’s piano harp. Could someone ship you the Cast Iron item to you to be repaired? Cast Iron can be welded (MIG welder). Did you just invent a new business ???? Answer: Put the piece to be repaired over the fire and get it to about 400_500 degrees.