122 MODERN BLACKSMITHING 



done don't amount to anything. Still, I have never 

 met a blacksmith yet who could not weld cast iron, but, 

 at the same time, I have j^et to meet the man that can 

 do it; and I will give twenty-five dollars to the smith 

 that will give me a receipt for welding cast-iron shoes 

 that will be useful when welded. All receipts I have 

 seen for this purpose are simply bosh. 



Malleable iron is a different thing. Many smiths 

 weld malleable iron and think it is cast iron. "The 

 wish," in such a case, "is the father of the thought," 

 but to weld malleable iron is not more difficult than to 

 weld soft steel. Malleable iron when good, and steel 

 when soft, are about the same thing. I would there- 

 fore advise smiths to spend no time in welding cast 

 iron. Nothing will be gained even if you should suc- 

 ceed in sticking it enough to haug together. It will in 

 most cases be useless, because it will not be of the 

 same shape as before. 



