Case Hardening and hard facing

[damocgc]

Hey there folks,

I've been trying to get some decent information on doing some hard facing or case hardening on some spring steel that we use as Tines for punching holes in the ground on the golf course I work at.

I'm trying to get a little more life out of them as at the moment we are getting only about 8 to 9 greens out of a set which is worth about $120.

I've tried Hardite but without a proper furnace I just end up removing the temper and making them brittle.

Do any of you know something which might suit my needs?

Cheers Damo

[dobre]

Hi Damo, I did some hardfacing on a rubbish compacter truck many years ago and therefore have little to offer. The choices that you have will be stick and mig process with the suitable welding rod or mig wire. The brand STOODY is well suited with these rods and wires and i would go the stick option mainly based on cost. It would be cheaper to buy a small pack of rods than a large roll of wire but the down side to rods is slower and chipping away slag to run your next bead on top. These rods and wires are not cheap plus your time doing the job but in the long run it may be the better option for you.
Once you have done the welding you will need to grind the tines to the desired shape for the job intended. I also assume that you will need at least 2 or maybe 3 sets so as the worn out ones need reworking you can take them off put on a set already prepared and then fix up the other ones. This will save you a lot of down time for the machine, less stress for you and repair the worn tines when you have a little down time.