Gauge plate. Not so good for welding.

Lo-Fi

Lo-Fi

H-M Supporter - Silver Member
H-M Supporter - Silver Member
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Dec 23, 2019
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Evening all. I've been doing a build of a tool grinder using stuff I have around the shop. This includes some ground flat stock that's been kicking about for years. Having cut many parts, it finally came time to weld them together to make the mount for the workhead........

Yep. Gauge plate it tool steel #FacePalm. It does NOT weld. I know you can't successfully weld tool steel. Somehow gauge plate didn't equate in my head to being tool steel. That's royally shafted my plans and the project. I'm awash with welders, but have no brazing gear, so can't braze it.

Guess I'll be faffing with a thousand tiny bolts and bits of angle like a model loco maker! Hehe.
 
That blows! Sorry to hear it, but I am glad you're pressing on. Post some photos when you have it done.
 
Another approach would be to use regular carbon steel plate, weld it up and stress relieve it and finish machine the result; due to welding distortion, you'd have to do that anyway to achieve any significant accuracy.
 
If I'd had some regular plate in, I probably would have used it. The gauge plate seemed so convenient.... Might try some TIG brazing, I think I've got some rods and flux. Don't have a gas torch powerful enough, but good a time as any to try it with the TIG doing the heating. I've got it all set up to finish machine the critical bits once it's stuck together, which is the bit I'm actually looking forward to.
 
Lo-Fi said:
If I'd had some regular plate in, I probably would have used it. The gauge plate seemed so convenient.... Might try some TIG brazing, I think I've got some rods and flux. Don't have a gas torch powerful enough, but good a time as any to try it with the TIG doing the heating. I've got it all set up to finish machine the critical bits once it's stuck together, which is the bit I'm actually looking forward to.
Click to expand...
TIG with silicon bronze filler rod may be an option.
 
I think it's worth a go. Thank goodness I realised when tacking with the MIG that it wasn't right.
 
What went wrong? Was it hard spots or cracks? I'm pretty cavalier about welding tool steel. I just do a little pre heat, weld with lo-hi (else it will crack at the toe), then slow cool. Maybe a sub-critical annealing or full normalize if feeling picky. The only time something really went wrong was when I fabricated a structure and accidentally put a piece of gauge plate in. The HAZ ended up impossibly hard.
 
Tacks cracked off with the tiniest bit of force applied, they were supremely brittle. Left a fuzzy, almost chalk like surface where the weld broke off. I've no idea what this plate actually is either, which complicates matters. Regardless, it should braze or solder fine.
 
I recently had a similar experience. I had drilled several 15/16 holes off location (2.25 vs 2.5) and needed to plug & re-drill. I grabbed a piece of "Hot-rolled" round and made the plugs. Mercifully, it occurred to me at that point to check the material. I ran a quick stringer with the TIG on the remaining piece and hit it with a file. Hard as glass! If I had welded them in it could have been a real disaster.

Let me also suggest when welding material of unknown provenance that using stainless steel filler will reduce the likelihood of cracking and other problems.
 
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