Cast Steel
what is the best welding rod to use with cast steel?
Normal welding rods that are used on mild steel can also be used on cast steel. In sections thicker than 1", preheating may be helpful. In some respects, cast steel may actually be more friendly to weld than wrought steels.
Let me clarify, are you talking "cast steel" or "cast iron"? These are two very different materials.
In particular, cast iron requires special considerations when welding. It is very difficult to weld. CI requires nickel-based welding consumables, which are not sensitive to carbon pickup. Preheat, and maintaining temperatures while welding is essential to avoid cracking when welding CI.
It's easy to identify cast iron from steel, by using a "spark test."
http://www.sweethaven.com/sweethaven/BldgConst/Welding/lessonmain.asp?lesNum=1&modNum=4
Mild steel and cast steel produces a very long stream of brilliant sparks, with some forking.
CI produces much shorter, dull reddish sparks and the volume of sparks is much less. many highly branched or intermittent sparks will be seen.
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