johnc Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 So, I've got this R180 moustache bar that I have to reinforce a bit and redrill for a R200. I plate the center area and proceed to fill the old holes in the bar prior to redrilling with what I thought was ER70S-2 filler. With the bar mounting in my mill I check up a .563" TIN HSS drill and start making a hole. It goes nowhere. Coolant, slow speed, lots of pressure, and its like I'm drilling hardened steel. It took 15 minutes to get one hole drilled and another 15 minutes (and a second bit) to drill the second hole. WTF? Sitting at my welding table, grumbling about the drilling hell I just went through and getting ready to start welding another project, I notice the stub end of the filler I used to fill the holes in the moustache bar. I look at the filler number coined in the end: ER120S-3! Holy crap! I look at the 10 lbs of filler I just bought. Its all ER120S-3 in a box labeled ER70S-2. Luckily this was my second job using this filler and the first was something that a super high strength (120,000 psi) filler won't affect. Now I've got 10 lbs of filler strong enough to weld a nuclear containment vessel. Luckily I only paid ER70 pricing for this stuff. But it did cost me $18.00 in drill bits and 30 minutes of confusion and frustration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badjuju Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 damn man, lucky break? lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pop N Wood Posted May 24, 2007 Share Posted May 24, 2007 You should take that back and demand what you paid for!!! And make them give you a new bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted May 25, 2007 Author Share Posted May 25, 2007 I took the ER120S-3 filler back this morning. I can't think of any alloy steel I'll ever weld that will need that kind of strength and I can really use the ER70S-2. If something does come a long, I know where to find the super strong stuff. The guys a the welding supply shop were thoroughly confused becasue they sold me a sealed 10 lb. box. Looks like Harris is screwing up at the plant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roostmonkey Posted May 26, 2007 Share Posted May 26, 2007 Mustache bars are made from a hardened steel. Once you have located the new holes with a prick punch ,you can anneal the the drill zone with a pintipped torch.Bring it to cherry red and allow to cool on its own. You can use a wet rag to keep the heat from spreading too far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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