Shaft Weld-overs
Shaft weld-overs, also known as metalizing or cladding, is the process of repairing a worn or damaged area on a propeller or rudder shafts. Shafts can be damaged by excessive wear in contact areas due to long life or misalignment. Shafts can also be damaged from crevice corrosion or electrolysis.
Typically, if the wear is smooth and less than 0.010″ it is acceptable. Deeper wear affects structural integrity. Any crevice corrosion or electrolysis in a seal area must also be repaired since seals such as Tides Seals need a smooth surface to work effectively. If the corrosion is in a packing area the flax packing life will be greatly reduced due to accelerated wear.
To repair a shaft it must be placed in a lathe and have the damaged area turned down approximately 0.125″. The area is built back up using semi-automatic MIG welding while slowly turning in the lathe. After overnight cooling, the shaft is turned back down to the original shaft diameter. Expert weld-overs cannot be detected once complete.
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- Repair area cut back and prepped on lathe
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- Chris Z expertly builds up the repair area
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- Welding complete – cooling down
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- First pass machining back to spec
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