# Cast Iron repair



## Joey n Brad (Apr 18, 2017)

I recently found a cast iron stewing/roaster/Dutch pot. Unfortunately it had been spray painted, as with any yard sale, thrift store find I started a fire, got a great bed of coals, placed more wood on it set the pot a top and continued with some yard work, to let it burn off any unwanteds. (I've done this hundreds of times). This time the wood shifted the pot fell in and some of the wood fell on top of it and it warped. Does anyone know of a way I can reshape the pot back to it's original shape?


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## ceresone (Oct 7, 2005)

not positive, you will probably get other answers--but i doubt it--think its warped permanantly


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

There's no way to repair "warped" without lots of expensive equipment.


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## chaossmurf (Jan 6, 2017)

just theorizing here ---- but if heat & laying wrong warped it ---couldn't ya reheat it an make sure its laying flat too cool ? I mean you've got to have a hell of a set of oven mits to grab it and place it somewhere flat when its red frickin hot ---but might be worth a try --that or put it in a yardsale


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## Ellendra (Jul 31, 2013)

If you've got a hammer, anvil, and a little knowledge, you might be able to pound it back into shape. Cast iron is more brittle than steel, so go slow. If you know any blacksmiths in your area, you might do well asking them for advice.


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## Ellendra (Jul 31, 2013)

I should mention, the advice I gave is just a hypothesis, and has NOT been personally tested.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

Hitting cast iron with a hammer is most likely going to cause it to shatter or crack.

The ideal way to fix it would be to heat it to the point where the metal is pliable, and then use a press and a shaped form to push it back into alignment and hold it in place while it slowly cools.

It's not a DIY type of repair


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## krackin (Nov 2, 2014)

In this case before you attempt anything you will have to heat up cast iron above critical temp and hold it. A dull red color will be close enough as long as the whole item is at least dull red, brighter is better. This will release pent up stresses. You will hear stress being evened out, it makes noises, pings, etc. The item may fail due to stresses. The whole item must be heated evenly or it will fail, that means don't try to heat an area with a torch and then commence hammering. 

Cracked cast iron can be easily welded with nickel electrodes. I'll done a fair amount of water pump repairs and it works well. Nickel rods are quite pricey, worth it if you can do your own. I never did preheat with them but you need to weld correctly. Pretty easy though, nice smooth arc.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

Sell it as an antique, then buy yourself another one that's not warped. The time and effort you expend trying to rescue it just isn't going to be worth it.


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## vickinell (Oct 10, 2003)

Sorry to butt in, but it made me remember I have an old cast iron iron that the handle has come off. Is there a way to reattach it?


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## krackin (Nov 2, 2014)

If it is what I'm picturing in my mind you can weld it with nickel rod/electrode. It could be brazed also but the weld does a better job. If it is like what I have you don't really need pre or post heat.


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## vickinell (Oct 10, 2003)

Thank you.


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## JoshuaM (Jul 8, 2014)

chaossmurf said:


> just theorizing here ---- but if heat & laying wrong warped it ---couldn't ya reheat it an make sure its laying flat too cool ? I mean you've got to have a hell of a set of oven mits to grab it and place it somewhere flat when its red frickin hot ---but might be worth a try --that or put it in a yardsale





Ellendra said:


> If you've got a hammer, anvil, and a little knowledge, you might be able to pound it back into shape. Cast iron is more brittle than steel, so go slow. If you know any blacksmiths in your area, you might do well asking them for advice.





Bearfootfarm said:


> Hitting cast iron with a hammer is most likely going to cause it to shatter or crack.
> 
> The ideal way to fix it would be to heat it to the point where the metal is pliable, and then use a press and a shaped form to push it back into alignment and hold it in place while it slowly cools.
> 
> It's not a DIY type of repair





krackin said:


> In this case before you attempt anything you will have to heat up cast iron above critical temp and hold it. A dull red color will be close enough as long as the whole item is at least dull red, brighter is better. This will release pent up stresses. You will hear stress being evened out, it makes noises, pings, etc. The item may fail due to stresses. The whole item must be heated evenly or it will fail, that means don't try to heat an area with a torch and then commence hammering.
> 
> Cracked cast iron can be easily welded with nickel electrodes. I'll done a fair amount of water pump repairs and it works well. Nickel rods are quite pricey, worth it if you can do your own. I never did preheat with them but you need to weld correctly. Pretty easy though, nice smooth arc.


So I'm a professional welder with 10 years of blacksmithing experience, I will do my best to explain this using laymans terms while still being specific.

If your pot warped, it is NOT cast iron. THE ONLY way for cast iron to change form (bend, warp, change dimension and or stretch) is if it is brought to a molten temperature, melted (at 2190 degrees F) and then allowed to cool slowly. Cast iron is brittle, due to the amount of carbon its molecules hold the bonds between them are weak, therefore attempting to bend, strike or stretch cast will result in either it shattering like glass (or a grenade) or cracking.

If the pot warped then it is most likely steel, made to look like cast as a marketing ploy, so, you can fix it by heating and hammering (blacksmith may be needed) but it will never be a cast iron pot.

basically, if it warped, it aint cast, if it aint cast then anyone can fix it with some heat and a hammer, but why bother if you wanted a cast iron pot?


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## mosepijo (Oct 21, 2008)

My 'Wagner's' cast iron skillet warped also. My husband heated it up and the first hit shattered it. It Was Cast Iron. My advise... you can still use it on a grill, for camping, etc,


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## captain belly (Feb 7, 2018)

I've welded a fair amount of cast iron with nickel rods as well. I have found that (if the item fits), heat it up on a gas grill before welding. It was a great tip I received years ago.


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