MaxalTig® 4943 Quality, Diligent Customer Service Keeps Precision Sterndrive on Schedule
Warren Berg, owner of Precision Sterndrive, relies on Hobart® MaxalTig® 4943 filler metal to create strong, quality and corrosion-resistant welds for the offshore racing industry. With the help of the customer service representatives, he was provided with resources to complete his project thoroughly and on a tight deadline. For more information on the Hobart® MaxalTig® 4943 or to learn more about Hobart customer service, go to hobartbrothers.com.
Video Transcript
Well, in the marine field, we use a lot of 6061 T6 and 5356 aluminum because of its corrosion resistance. Welding it with just 4043, if a part was being subjected to a lot of abuse, we would have cracks right next to the heat-affected zone. If they had any type of contaminants in the metals from being around saltwater, that was always an issue to keep it really, really clean. I was constantly grinding and regrinding to try to get the contaminants out of the metal, and that was a real challenge in itself.
It prompted me to look around a little bit. Somewhere I caught in one of the forums, someone talking about post-weld aging, and somebody came up with this 4943 rod. The first thing I did was call Hobart because it was a Friday afternoon, and I didn’t know how to use this stuff, and it was heat treatable. The great thing about it was Hobart had such great customer service. They immediately sent me emails, facts, figures, and information I could work with and read. Given it was late on a Friday afternoon, we had to have this boat on the water the next day.
They got me set up. I tried some test pieces in an oven and followed their guidelines. Lo and behold, the measurements came up exactly to the specs we wanted. So, I filled this bearing housing that was cast with 4943, heat treated it, and then turned it down on a lathe. The finish work was beautiful; there was no porosity, no pitting, no nothing, and the part is still running today. It hasn’t turned at all.
I do need to make repairs and/or build parts or fabricate stuff within a reasonable amount of time, and this definitely helps me in that area. It needs to be promoted big time for the simple fact that it is easy to use, and you are able to heat treat it or post-heat treat it and come up with fantastic results.
I was just floored with the customer service. Usually, you’re put on hold, you get this or that, or somebody doesn’t want to spend the time because it’s a Friday afternoon. They picked me up and held me until I got my job finished to the exact specs that I needed it done. I have never had a problem calling up Hobart and have only ever been treated like they were my brother or sister, like I’ve known them forever. This is the only company I would say that I have never, ever had an issue with.