[MBDiagMan]

Great Forum!

I am an amateur welder with nothing more than a 230 AMP Lincoln AC crackle box and the ability to run a mud daubing bead. Occasionally I can make some reasonably good looking welds under various conditions.

If I have a welding specialty, it is the ability to weld thin metal with a 5/64, 6013 rod.

I have some hardface rod that I've had a long time, so I don't know exactly what rod it is. It is 1/8". I would like to make a hardened cutting edge on my riding lawn mower blades.

I know that I have to grind it clean before attempting a bead, but because the blade is relatively thin, I don't know if I should try to grind the edge flat and try to put a bead on that, or if I should put a bead on both sides of the leading edge.

I have some old, worn out blades to practice on and plenty of rod.

Any suggestions including current setting would be very helpful.

Thanks very much for any instructions, or experiences that you can offer.

Have a great day,
Doc

 

[vipermanz]

http://www.weldingweb.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1730&highlight=Mower+Blades

that might give you some pointers

 

[Snidley]

You do not want to hardface your lawn mower blades.

Mower blades are meant to be slight soft so that when they hit somthing hard (like a rock) the edge will dent or bend. When you hardface - yes the edge will become harder but also more brittle. So when the blades are rotating at a x? thousands rpm and you hit somthing hard - the blade has lost its ability to dent and now there is a possiblity of a piece breaking off and acting like a wayward bullet. Not good.

If you want a project - take your old mower blade and make into a utility knife.

 

[Xtreme Fabrication]

You have to be crazy to weld lawn mower blades. Anything spinning that fast is dangerous in the first place. You just add to it. Most commercial lawn mower blades are heat treated anyways. So you just ruined the temper by welding on it.

 

[grillonz]

I hardface mt blades. The area that tends to need it is at the bottom of the upstand. If you look at the end of a worn blade & see where the metal wears away you see where to weld.
For hardfacing I use PH600 rods & approz 140 amps. When doing the cutting edge I weld along the bevel & build out slowly. Since it gets thiker than the origanal blade I simply take the excess off with the grinder & then sharpen as usual.
PS Don't hardface mower blades unless you can lay down a good bead. To have a blade crack/ chip not only creates projectile dangers it also is very hard on spindls etc.
James