$20 yardsale Emmert

[Hughman]

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid210/pb0738f335c1855460f2e7c1586d0e529/edc4532b.jpg

Rusty, and needs some welding. Anyone with advice welding cast iron?

Or finding parts? Maybe a damaged Emmert in a junk bin somewhere?

[ssor]

Nirod is the arc welding rod for cast iron. It is a high nickel alloy. The other option, there are probably still a few men around that can braze cast iron with an oxy- acetylene torch.

[cjp63]

had a freind that welded the base of a bench vise (cast) worked just fine. where is it broken?

[Bob Smalser]

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/7297605/95066149.jpg

Does it have the under-bench elevation bracket and bar? Otherwise those parts from the new Taiwanese clones should fit.

Welding cast iron effectively is a job for an experienced specialist. Extensive preheating and slow cooling....like 48 hours packed in lime...is required or the piece will warp.

[merlinron]

nyrod is the rod you want to use. welding cast iron is different than welding mild steel. you need to grind a trough about 2/3 depth into the crack if the piece is still whole. then fill it with weld, start with small rod(3/32) in bottom of trough and bring the weld to about half depth, then switch to bigger(1/8) rod. nyrod is real fluid, welding with it is more like brazing than welding, so you have feed the rod fast and have a good eye for the puddle, much like stick welding aluminum. keep the rod in the weld tight and pull out fast to keep pourosity down to a minimum, you will find it hard to do if you're not practiced at welding cast, the rod puddles extrememy fast and it will puddle itself out of continuity if you work it like you are welding steel. the resultant weld will be rough looking and pourous, with little strength. a good weld will look smooth, almost like a braze, and shiney nickle colored. look closely at the very edge of the weld, you should see the filler blend smoothly into the parent metal, if the puddle looks like a drop of water on a table, the casting is dirty, or you need a little more amperage, or your're not staying in the weld good enough and the rod is puddling itself out (you need to feed the rod faster).
cast iron or steel should be hot when welded. the expanded pores will recieve the nickle better and give a stronger weld. pre-heat the area slowly for 3-4 inches around the weld area if it is a big piece, preheat the entire piece/pieces if small, not real hot, but, hot enough to sizzle your spit. 20-30% lower amperage than steel for same rod diameter is the norm, you need to find out how good of quality the casting is, cheap dirty castings won't conduct well. i would think the emmert would be decent. find something to practace on. an old engine block is great, grind a ditch and fill it.

[merlinron]

bob has good advice as usual......
packing a cast piece in lime is usually done immediately after pre-heating and before welding, they are actually welded in the lime packing, this is done more to control how fast moister in the casting expands and leaches to the atmosphere, the lime slows the leaching process, it is the expanding moisture in a cast piece that cuses the warping and heat stress cracks. it is also done most commonly on big preheated pieces that have a large heat sink volume to disipate heat into faster than the welding process can supply it, the lime creates a heat blanket insulator to keep the heat in the piece so that it will reach a more even heat saturation. smaller pieces such as your vice will saturate in the welding process and will cool evenly because the entire piece reaches a more even heat saturation easily just from the welding process.

[PeterSibley]

Does it have the under-bench elevation bracket and bar? Otherwise those parts from the new Taiwanese clones should fit.

Welding cast iron effectively is a job for an experienced specialist. Extensive preheating and slow cooling....like 48 hours packed in lime...is required or the piece will warp.
and possibly develope stress cracks.That will be a great vice , get it repaired by the best welder in town.I've done it with gas with good results,lots of preheat and sloooow cooling .

[Hughman]

So far, I haven't found a welder who will take this on, but I'm still looking. The only guy who maintained a forge and oven died last year. :(

If I was to build a heat source, say charcoal fired brick oven (Dingo bring the prawns!), -the info on the nickel rod states core temps should be 300-400*F, so I would weld it (Oxy-Acetylene) while on the "grill"- how should I arrange the cooling of the piece? I'm thinking a quick shift off the heat and into a lime box, and dump more lime on top.

I'll need to build a frame to hold all the parts in line, as well.

Does the lime add to the process chemically, or would sand do as well?

[Hughman]

http://pic20.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/7297605/95066149.jpg

Does it have the under-bench elevation bracket and bar? Otherwise those parts from the new Taiwanese clones should fit.

Welding cast iron effectively is a job for an experienced specialist. Extensive preheating and slow cooling....like 48 hours packed in lime...is required or the piece will warp.

Bob, I have the bracket and bar. The face jaw has been fractured as if it was dropped on the handle, perhaps the bench tipped over, or an M60 tank backed into it. This thing weighs an ounce or three! Repairs were done with stove bolts through a board holding the three pieces together.

[Hughman]

bob has good advice as usual......
packing a cast piece in lime is usually done immediately after pre-heating and before welding, they are actually welded in the lime packing, this is done more to control how fast moister in the casting expands and leaches to the atmosphere, the lime slows the leaching process, it is the expanding moisture in a cast piece that cuses the warping and heat stress cracks. it is also done most commonly on big preheated pieces that have a large heat sink volume to disipate heat into faster than the welding process can supply it, the lime creates a heat blanket insulator to keep the heat in the piece so that it will reach a more even heat saturation. smaller pieces such as your vice will saturate in the welding process and will cool evenly because the entire piece reaches a more even heat saturation easily just from the welding process.

Ah, I missed this...:o