29K Broken Base

[Aven]

I have a 29k that the base broke at the hole for the wooden table top upright.  Would JB Weld be a good choice to fix it?  I don't think I'll ever make/use the table, but I'd still like to fix it.

 

[koreric75]

you should just junk it, I'll take it and even pay shipping...lol , I've been a believer in jb weld for along time.  I had an old chevy monza that i swapped the small 283 for a 350...didn't realize the oil pan on the original motor had a space for the driver side tie rod...long story short, I had a 1/4" grease fitting sized hole in the side of it after one sharp right turn...i drained it, cleaned the oil off, and rounded/smoothed the hole, stuck a short flange bolt in and jb welded it...held up for a few years until the underside frame got so rusted it wasn't safe to drive

[Aven]

7 minutes ago, koreric75 said:

you should just junk it, I'll take it and even pay shipping...lol , I've been a believer in jb weld for along time.  I had an old chevy monza that i swapped the small 283 for a 350...didn't realize the oil pan on the original motor had a space for the driver side tie rod...long story short, I had a 1/4" grease fitting sized hole in the side of it after one sharp right turn...i drained it, cleaned the oil off, and rounded/smoothed the hole, stuck a short flange bolt in and jb welded it...held up for a few years until the underside frame got so rusted it wasn't safe to drive

Nice fix. 

I'm a fan of JB Weld, but I have never tried it on cast iron.

[dikman]

Can you post a photo of exactly what is broken? It will make it easier to advise on the type of repair needed.

[jimi]

Hi there, this machine was fixed with JB weld and is working just fine. it does have SS rods inserted but the weld paste is as solid as a rock, or at least it seems like it to me. i have it on the legs on the floor at the moment and can move it around no problem. it was also tapped for the screw which holds the bottom rod on, as it broke right there, and that is also tightened up and working.  or if someone can tig weld with some SS rod then probably better. this 45k was not soldered as it might have deformed the bed, so that is why i JB welded instead. hope this helps, but as Dikman said better seeing the part broken if possible in a picture. regards jimi.

[CowboyBob]

Here's an Adler we welded with electric & nickle rod,we ground the welded part thinner,pre-heated welded an inch peened it ,kept it hot & weled more & it's still holding after 10yrs.

welded Adler.pdf

[Aven]

22 hours ago, dikman said:

Can you post a photo of exactly what is broken? It will make it easier to advise on the type of repair needed.

 

9 hours ago, jimi said:

Hi there, this machine was fixed with JB weld and is working just fine. it does have SS rods inserted but the weld paste is as solid as a rock, or at least it seems like it to me. i have it on the legs on the floor at the moment and can move it around no problem. it was also tapped for the screw which holds the bottom rod on, as it broke right there, and that is also tightened up and working.  or if someone can tig weld with some SS rod then probably better. this 45k was not soldered as it might have deformed the bed, so that is why i JB welded instead. hope this helps, but as Dikman said better seeing the part broken if possible in a picture. regards jimi.

I'll borrow a camera this weekend and post a picture.

 

7 hours ago, CowboyBob said:

Here's an Adler we welded with electric & nickle rod,we ground the welded part thinner,pre-heated welded an inch peened it ,kept it hot & weled more & it's still holding after 10yrs.

welded Adler.pdf

Ouch!  That looked like an ugly break.  Nice save.

[Aven]

 

Those were way too big!

Edited May 25, 2018 by Aven

[Aven]

[dikman]

Ouch! Is there any substantial stress at that point? If not JBWeld will certainly give a neat finish. Any chance of fitting a supporting bar (or two) underneath the area? They could be glued on to give a bit of support or drilled through and screwed on. Obviously welding would the be the ideal solution - if you know someone who can do it properly!

[jimi]

I Agree with dikman, i would say the best solution would be to weld it. at one point you are going to have to unscrew and tighten up that corner again if you ever disassemble the stand so a weld would seem better. 

[CowboyBob]

Yes,that can  be welded JB would never hold.You can either have it brazed or electric welded.                       OR you could patch it with a piece of steel plate underneath it,matching the contour of the casting  ,drill some holes & use some small bolts & nuts (it won't be look pretty) but will work if done correctly

Edited May 25, 2018 by CowboyBob

[Aven]

16 hours ago, dikman said:

Ouch! Is there any substantial stress at that point? If not JBWeld will certainly give a neat finish. Any chance of fitting a supporting bar (or two) underneath the area? They could be glued on to give a bit of support or drilled through and screwed on. Obviously welding would the be the ideal solution - if you know someone who can do it properly!

As far as I can tell, there isn't that much stress, unless the base is warped.  The gap isn't as big as I've pictured.  It fits together rather nicely.  There a few crumbs missing.  My guess is someone dropped it on the point.

 

9 hours ago, jimi said:

I Agree with dikman, i would say the best solution would be to weld it. at one point you are going to have to unscrew and tighten up that corner again if you ever disassemble the stand so a weld would seem better. 

 

9 hours ago, CowboyBob said:

Yes,that can  be welded JB would never hold.You can either have it brazed or electric welded.                       OR you could patch it with a piece of steel plate underneath it,matching the contour of the casting  ,drill some holes & use some small bolts & nuts (it won't be look pretty) but will work if done correctly

So welding it is.  Now to find someone who can do it and doesn't want an arm and a leg.  I don't want to spend more on the welding than I did for the sewing machine.

Thanks for the input.

Edited May 25, 2018 by Aven

[Gunnarsson]

In my hands, that would be a brazing job. Cast iron has a few problems that makes it harder and in some cases impossible to weld (you don't know if it's a weldable cast iron alloy before you've tried), so you don't want some amateur with no knowlege and experience messing with it. 

[shoepatcher]

Nickle better to weld cast iron with.  But you have to know what you are doing

glenn

[DonInReno]

Brazing won't be as strong as welding, but it's pretty quick and easy - much better than jb weld.   Even silver brazed with the stuff used by hvac techs would look good, but be warned most hvac guys are not used to working with cast iron and it needs to be preheated to avoid cracks. 

[Gunnarsson]

Brazing can actually be stronger than the cast iron itself. I've got old oxygen/acetylene welding handbooks from the 1930s-60s (when O/A was the go to method) where they describe a cast iron brazing test. You build up a "wart" of brazing bronze, about ½" diameter and height if I recall, on a cast iron plate. Once it's done and cooled down you hit the wart from the side with a hammer until it breaks loose, if you've done it right the brazing bronze will take a layer of iron with it, i.e. the bronze doesn't come loose, rather the cast iron breaks under it.

I'm sure there are some methods to weld cast iron with a stronger result, but what's the point? There's still cast iron right there next to the weld ready to break if you overload it again. 

[shoepatcher]

Best to weld cast iron with a nickel rod.  Stronger but the welder must have so skill to do it.

glenn

[Gunnarsson]

Nickle rod might be the easiest way to weld it (a good reason that has made the method popular), but there are many options and that one might not always be the best. Unlike a brazed or O/A weld with actual cast iron filler the usual MMA nickel rod w/o preheat and slow cooling welding will cause the cast iron around the weld to cool down so quick it becomes white cast iron (instead of grey) with a high amount of iron carbide making it very hard and more brittle. 

[CowboyBob]