Cast iron "stitching" repair

[mavryk]

Just curious if anyone has ever used stitching pins to make cast iron repairs. I had never heard of it until recently, and my research has shown it is a very old practice and has been used to make repairs to heavy duty industrial machinery and even some engine repairs to U.S. Navy vessels. When I watched how the process is done, it seems like it wouldn't last or seal things properly, but apparently it is quite a strong and reliable repair. Just curious to hear from anyone who might have used this process and the results.... good and bad.

Thanks

 

[glenn property of pam]

Re: Cast iron "stitching" repair

ive seen it done and it worked well for the foot section on a old cast iron stove and after the repair it was invisible. Its a real old school fix but it works when cross welding or heating is not a option due to ruining a finnish or if the item has oil soaked into the iron. Ive heard that it can be done on very large castings but ive never seen it.

 

[achris]

Re: Cast iron "stitching" repair

Had it done to a 165 in-line 6 many years ago. Worked well and never leaked....

Chris.....

 

[RCAnderson]

Re: Cast iron "stitching" repair

I have done it, and it works well in a lot of applications. Being that this is a boating forum, and the mercruiser section, I'm thinking you have a cracked block ? Depending on where the crack is, I would say that stitching is probably the best option to repair. However, you have to look at the cost. Stiching is a fairly labour intensive process, thus fairly expensive. It might not be worth it.

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: Cast iron "stitching" repair

Just curious if anyone has ever used stitching pins to make cast iron repairs. I had never heard of it until recently, and my research has shown it is a very old practice and has been used to make repairs to heavy duty industrial machinery and even some engine repairs to U.S. Navy vessels. When I watched how the process is done, it seems like it wouldn't last or seal things properly, but apparently it is quite a strong and reliable repair. Just curious to hear from anyone who might have used this process and the results.... good and bad.

Thanks

It's a fairly successful process for metal repair on external cracks in castings. It's not as successful in marine engines that are freeze damaged because those engines frequently (also) crack internally where it's simply not practical to do the process.

It's also practical for big diesel engines that would be extremely expensive to replace so the cost of the "stitch" is very low compared to the replacement block and rebuild.

With a "plain-vanilla " V-6, v-8. inline 6 gm truck engine that wrecking yards usually a LOT of on hand, it might be better to just replace it instead of doing a "stitch" only to find out later that it's also cracked internally.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Cast iron "stitching" repair

I'm old enough to have seen things repaired back in the day when people did not dispose of things if there was a reasonable chance it could be repaired. Probably the most effective repair I'd seen was on a farm tractor engine that threw a rod and put a hole in the block in addition to a bulge where the pieces escaped. Fortunately the damage was in relatively smooth but curved area of the block so the bulged material was cut out leaving a relatively large hole (about the size of a tennis ball, A metal plate was fashioned and then using a forge, it was shaped to fit the curve of the block. Two small holes were drilled (one on top and one on the bottom) of the plate and screws were used to hold the plate while the other holes were drilled around the plate. The plate was removed, clearance holes drilled in the plate and the holes in the block were tapped. A gasket was made and the plate reinstalled. The engine was repaired and went on to work again. This obviously would not work on an internal crack but it would certainly be worth a try on an external crack. One should drill a small hole at each end of the crack to prevent it from spreading

 

[Maclin]

Re: Cast iron "stitching" repair

A lot depends on what exactly you are thinking of using it for.

 

[Howard Sterndrive]

Re: Cast iron "stitching" repair

We used to stitch old iron - the rare birds. If you have a common automotive block, I can't see it being worth the effort.

We used it when a rod came through the side or something. For freeze cracks, nah... no way to verify it's the only crack until you have completed the repair... then you may find out it's still cracked internally.