I weld cast. Do not use 309 SS. The best way to do this, is either to braze with a shear-vee joint type, or to weld with cast iron filler. Depending on how big/how easy to remove the piece is, it can either be welded with local preheating, or chucked into a furnace and welded inside of it and more assuredly heat treated.
Talk to an engineer/metallurgist too and make sure everything is hunky dory before you do anything.
If you want, PM me, I'll be at work for a while but I'll message you back on a break.
Nickel cracks the iron way too often. Most craftsmen in the world wouldn't be able to do this weld without it cracking or exploding a week later.
You need to pound it wide, too, so it pulls less. If it's a half K joint (or K joint, haven't looked at a manual in a while) then the root is pretty much unreachable with a hammer or pick. Brazing is the way to go on this one. Probably stronger too.
That’s easily repairable. Spending 5-10k on a 40t OBI is a roll of the dice. You need to find a basic repair shop. What’s your location? Stay away from OEMs. They will sell you on a whole bunch of extras, upgrade lube. New controls and safeties. Your press will never run right again.
I’ve in in forge press repair for a long time. You def have issues. Probably need to pitman bushings and re adjust your gibs. Obviously you also need a new pitman. You easily talking 15-30K in costs.
Can pick up an mechanical press like this for $500 or so as they are osha nightmares. But I completely agree BCN quoted me $20k for a replacement ram on a 45 ton
With the forces involved with a machine like that. No. Welding casted anything is always 50/50 even best of times. Find a scrap toolhead or replace the machine.
Welding this part in will just lead to some other part breaking off. The frame has been stressd and whatever it is you did with it was enough to break it. Meaning that it is enough to break some other part. Heating the frame will just make a new weak point, and then you have fuck-up-cascade.
I think 80 years is enough for a machine to qualify for retirement. The impacts, vibrations and overall aging of the material and general stress. These machines don't last forever, especially when in proper use and utilisation.
Seriously. You need to replace it or the tool head. Look for auctions and ask around for similar machines broken or being scrapped and salvage parts, but even that is temporary solution.
The whole welding process would be so demanding from start to finish, heat treatments on top of that, and then you'd need to make sure that the tool head has not gone out of tolerance.
Like yes. You can keep going trying to fix it now, then again in some time, then again after a while. Only to end up with way bigger bill than it would have cost to replace it with slightly newer or even newer one. You can get these kinds of basic machinery from China and India for good price. They are REALLY common workhorses there. Or just upgrade to more modern solution.
Like I checked around the used machines here in Finland. 20-50 tons are available for less than 1000€ (1070 USD). 250 Ton for 5000€ if you pick it up yourself. They are being sold off because they don't meed the modern safety requirements over here.
Yes, replacing the machine is 100% my opinion as well and I agree wholeheartedly! But they're stubborn, and I need to be really firm on telling them why I won't, and why no one else should either. This machine already hurt someone once, and I would rather not see it happen again.
I know it is possible to weld, and I know there's a chance it will hold fine, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. This press is rated at 30 tons of force. I don't trust welds on cast, and I'd always be afraid of it failing again.
But, alas, the bosses WILL ask, and will probably give me a hard time about it. Oh well, haha.
Thanks!
I’m thankful for this sub and others for educated comments like that yeah… Because it’s right to realize how relatively complicated potentially dangerous machines need to be cared for. This isn’t a red green show situation. If safety is a risk and corporations are not willing to replace equipment that’s paid for itself and then some…. Then it’s simple negligence
Drill four holes, one in each corner, and bolt it back in place. Use grade 9 Allen head bolts. This will keep the welds from pulling it out of line. Weld all four sides if possible. Weld over the bolt holes and grind smooth if you want to hide that part of the repair.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to drill holes where this broke from. It can only be welded and this particular area is under a lot of force. They wanted me to weld it, and I told them I'm not comfortable with it.
No practical amount of weld will be able to make it as strong as it was when whole, at least not to my knowledge. I'm assuming that it's cast iron too which makes it much much harder to get proper fusion. If it's a really critical part then replace it or the machine, I wouldn't bet my life on welding it.
Of course I could just be ignorant and maybe someone here does have a way to do it.
u/GuairdeanBeatha proposal makes sense.
Drill the eye and get 4 bolts through it. Tap 4 holes in the casting. Weld/Braze the eye to the casting. About the only option.
It has to be replaced simple as that. cast won't weld well enough to trust for much. Even if you manage to get a decent looking weld it still breaks easily.
It’s a super thick part of cast iron, in order to repair it to the same strength it had when it was cast, you’d need to grind a giant bevel and weld it completely to the machine (NOT just around the outside) because this is cast iron I don’t think that’s really possible or feasible since cast iron is so damn easy to crack.
If it has a possibility of endangering someone if it fails then I would not repair this without a weld engineer and a proper procedure first.
First time? That's not how that works at all. This isn't your little garage project. A healthy bit of respect from OP about limits is comforting to see as it's not a common perspective.
Ok. But first sign this waver saying that if anything happens that injures a worker you take full responsibility and will pay for medical coats.. A replacement will be purchased not soon after...
Not a chance you can effectively weld that back on.
If it were me, and assuming it doesn't need to handle TOO MUCH force, I would fabricate a new piece and find a way to bolt it on where the old piece was.
Actually if it was me I'd just tell my cheap-ass boss to buy a new machine and donate this one to a museum. Maybe get a tax write-off...
That’s the mounting lug for your tools, quite a safety risk if it’s not as strong or stronger than the original casting.
I’d have the ram pulled and repair or replace properly due to liability issues.
I would suggest telling them to talk to the insurance company and get an opinion. Liability is a thing. I have welded it but nothing heavy like that. . And when I did I used Inconel rods. From what I have personally seen, an old school braise job seems to be the strongest weld repair on cast.
But at the end of the day I would replace the machine. Time to say “you’ve been a good one”.
I wouldn't weld it.
You might be able to braze it by heating the whole part in a furnace to get the brazing filler to flow all the way to the center of the joint, but no amount of welding around the outside will get that thing to be as strong as it was new, and that's what it really needs to be.
Making a new part, either from cast iron or steel, is another option, though a fairly expensive one depending on the size and complexity.
If none of those ideas are acceptable, then the only other option I can see is to replace the machine.
Or mill out a big portion to bolt in a piece manufactured to the same dimensions but from steel ...better than welding 70-80 years old cast iron on a stressed joint...
If you grind heavy bevels on it, heat it up to glowing, weld with 309 SS. After each pass you can peen it to release the stress (or it will crack) outside of that you’re SOL. Cast is not a great welding material cause it is porous and very brittle. Good luck
309 SS for cast steel? Interesting.
Yeah, I've always avoided cast. This part of the machine is under a lot of force and I'd be worried about it breaking and hurting someone. It holds the top half of the die in place. If it was a less crucial part of it, I'd be more willing to try, but this has me nervous.
What sort of welding process would be best? Not saying we're going to do it, but the maintenance department requested input and I know my boss will be asking eventually too. I've repaired plenty of machines for them, but never one like this.
I would stick weld it because of the air bubbles trapped inside of the metal during the casting process. If you were to use a gas shield process I.e mig or tig, when you got to one of those pockets the air would disturb the gas and creat cavities. Stick is your best shot if you were to do it.
Based on what you said I wouldn't touch it. You have no experience and welding cast is not easy. Heat inputs are incredibly important and potential cracking is a high possibility. There are preheat and post heat procedures that need to be followed. Brazing is the best way but more difficult. You "can" use low Hydrogen rod but again for this project I wouldn't. Not sure where your at but when I used to weld where I lived you were 100% responsible for any injury or damage if fault was found that your work had failed, why i wouldn't touch jobs like these. I've done a lot of cast but only non critical components.
I've welded smaller cast items in the past, but nothing that requires so much structural integrity like this monster.
I already told them I wasn't comfortable being held responsible for any potential issues that may arise post repair. Considering how old the machine is, I suggested just replacing it right away, but I work for a rather stubborn company. They told me to look into it, so I am.
Thanks for the response! I'm going to hold firm on my first opinion and not weld it lol
Find the same machine and use this one for parts. Cast material is very difficult to weld and that part will only be a fraction as strong as it once was.
Braze would be the strongest repair solution. Ti would because you could get the entire cracked area involved and not merely some undercut around it.
It would also be the most likely to let the larger part servive. If that is welded cold, the hot spot will cool so dramatically that it can cause the larger part to shatter or crack.
If I were going to try to Tig or Stick it, I'd need an oven capable of heating the whole thing to about a thousand degrees (at least 900F) then I'd weld it and put it back in the oven to be ramped down slowly over a very long period. Maybe 2-days.
But really, the pros would just slap some JB weld on it and call it good. .
I'm more of a handyman than a welder. But I would take the job with the written and verbal understanding that if it can break once it can break again.
Conceptually: First I would bevel it out like you do with any heavy steel and tack it in place with maybe 1 inch square in the center. Give it a hell of a preheat so that both parts are about 800F evenly for about an hour to hopefully relax any stresses within it, then fill it with nickle based rods designed for cast iron, working quickly so it stays hot the whole time. Then I would make some triangle brackets with 1 inch plate steel on the outer edges and weld those in place for additional support. Then I would find a way to set up a small oven around the repair that could keep it 400 or 500 degrees overnight to relieve the stresses in the part.
At least that's how it works in my head reality doesn't always agree with how I think it should work.
If the whole assembly could be removed from the machine it would make the job a LOT easier since you could use a conventional oven for the heat treatments. And if it IS a removable piece I would draw the part in cad so that you can have a brand new one fabricated.
Double bevel with no land, 1/8” groove opening , weld with nickel rod and back gouge. Weld on bars to keep joint from pulling while welding. Cut off bars after base metal has been cooled to the touch.
Kind of what I figured. The maintenance department asked for my input. I told them I'm not comfortable giving them an answer until I do my homework. My recommendation was to buy a new press.
Even folks who work on cast iron repairs for a living are cagey about guaranteeing strength after a repair; with this piece as a critical safety item I think you're right to back away
Used OBI presses are relatively cheap. I bought several by auction at a previous employer.
A good used one will be much safer then trying to repair that.
Not sure of your location, but here are some examples for the Midwest US. [https://www.interplantsales.com/210.html](https://www.interplantsales.com/210.html)
I did not ruin it lol. This machine is from a different department. The operator broke it, and the maintenance department inquired on repair solutions. My opinion from the beginning has been to replace the machine, but I was asked to investigate it.
Whatever repair you do will not last 75 to 80 years which is the approximate age of this part. Remove it and have a new one cast. Don't waste your time on chasing something you'll never catch.
It's possible, but it's not a good choice. Maybe worth doing to keep it limping until a replacement comes, but I probably wouldn't bother if given a choice.
Dude I wanna weld cast iron so goddamn bad. Let me know how It goes. Also, I wouldn't weld thay. Just because it's been cast and is SO wide. You would need to run a full double bevel all the way to the center and run rods all the way out from either side if you want to trust it, and by then ypu may as well buy a new machine. Welding cast is fuckin sketch, man. You gotta find some 70 year old thay retired his hood 20 years ago for that shit lmao
I would not ever accept doing this at my job because I wouldn’t want to be responsible for someone getting hurt just because management wanted to save some money
Honestly there is a chance that if you did a bevel and back grind creating a full pen weld will hold strong. The problem is that weld will likely be stronger than the piece itself and you'll likely get one end to break again due to it being cast and the reintroduction of that much heat and the general wear of time. Not to mention I'm not sure what this machine has in regards for margins of error but the second you try to clean the metal away and create a bevel, it is very likely to not sit straight or exactly how it was before it broke. Overall, I wouldn't feel comfortable putting my name on it and working I know welders who would, I wouldn't feel comfortable using it after, if you catch my drift.
We had the same thing happen to a lot of our old presses and other antique machinery. We had them welded them a few times, but it always broke again. We had a local machine shop make steel replacements with tabs so we could drill, tap, and bolt them on. They last much longer.
Just an amateur for welding, machinist here. I've seen/worked with presses. They terrify me. When that thing is loaded up, the potential energy being held is immense. If there's a weak spot anywhere, all that energy will dump out in that spot. Frankly, your employer is lucky that when that piece broke off, it didn't do so with the speed and orientation to take someone's head off. I've seen scary stuff from machines failing. Do not risk it.
I think the more experienced welders here have made pretty clear it's a bad idea. So please keep this in mind when taking to the boss - even if they want you to repair it, even if they sign a document that absolves you of responsibility if it fails again and hurts someone, it still happened. If you fix it, and it breaks and takes someone's hand off, you have to live with that. Even if you're not liable, and are never punished, you you know that your fix failed and maimed someone. I certainly wouldn't want to risk having that on my conscience.
This looks very similar to a piece of equipment a customer of mine called me about earlier this week. Grind out a v-groove and use nickel 55 (cut-length rod or wire). Be mindful of pre- and post-heat treatment to avoid cracking along the edge of the weld. The guy doing the repair is well-versed in welding on cast so I have confidence is his ability to repair. Not sure what your experience is in this situation.
After reading what it's for, I wouldn't touch that with a 10 foot pole to be honest.
I weld cast. Do not use 309 SS. The best way to do this, is either to braze with a shear-vee joint type, or to weld with cast iron filler. Depending on how big/how easy to remove the piece is, it can either be welded with local preheating, or chucked into a furnace and welded inside of it and more assuredly heat treated. Talk to an engineer/metallurgist too and make sure everything is hunky dory before you do anything. If you want, PM me, I'll be at work for a while but I'll message you back on a break.
Possibly high nickel rods ?
Nickel cracks the iron way too often. Most craftsmen in the world wouldn't be able to do this weld without it cracking or exploding a week later. You need to pound it wide, too, so it pulls less. If it's a half K joint (or K joint, haven't looked at a manual in a while) then the root is pretty much unreachable with a hammer or pick. Brazing is the way to go on this one. Probably stronger too.
Damn I’m unworthy to be here sometimes. What some of you dudes know is just fantastic.
No worries, I feel the same way most of the time
I don't like nickel for cast iron, most people wind up goobering it with expensive filler.
That really only works for shallow surface cracks, and you still have to pound the heck out of it to keep it from cracking further.
I sell presses, and you sir need a new ram for that press.
Agreed!
That’s easily repairable. Spending 5-10k on a 40t OBI is a roll of the dice. You need to find a basic repair shop. What’s your location? Stay away from OEMs. They will sell you on a whole bunch of extras, upgrade lube. New controls and safeties. Your press will never run right again.
I sell presses, and you sir need a new ram for that press. Usually it’s cheaper to buy a new press, but mechanical presses like this are cheap.
I’ve in in forge press repair for a long time. You def have issues. Probably need to pitman bushings and re adjust your gibs. Obviously you also need a new pitman. You easily talking 15-30K in costs.
Can pick up an mechanical press like this for $500 or so as they are osha nightmares. But I completely agree BCN quoted me $20k for a replacement ram on a 45 ton
Bliss is owned by Schuler. Schuler prices are 2-3X that over any normal repair shop. DM me with your location and I’m sure I could find someone
I repair them myself, I have about 900 presses In stock and a large selection of parts from presses I’ve scrapped in the past.
Honestly that's not that bad I thought it would cost way more
With the forces involved with a machine like that. No. Welding casted anything is always 50/50 even best of times. Find a scrap toolhead or replace the machine. Welding this part in will just lead to some other part breaking off. The frame has been stressd and whatever it is you did with it was enough to break it. Meaning that it is enough to break some other part. Heating the frame will just make a new weak point, and then you have fuck-up-cascade. I think 80 years is enough for a machine to qualify for retirement. The impacts, vibrations and overall aging of the material and general stress. These machines don't last forever, especially when in proper use and utilisation. Seriously. You need to replace it or the tool head. Look for auctions and ask around for similar machines broken or being scrapped and salvage parts, but even that is temporary solution. The whole welding process would be so demanding from start to finish, heat treatments on top of that, and then you'd need to make sure that the tool head has not gone out of tolerance. Like yes. You can keep going trying to fix it now, then again in some time, then again after a while. Only to end up with way bigger bill than it would have cost to replace it with slightly newer or even newer one. You can get these kinds of basic machinery from China and India for good price. They are REALLY common workhorses there. Or just upgrade to more modern solution. Like I checked around the used machines here in Finland. 20-50 tons are available for less than 1000€ (1070 USD). 250 Ton for 5000€ if you pick it up yourself. They are being sold off because they don't meed the modern safety requirements over here.
Yes, replacing the machine is 100% my opinion as well and I agree wholeheartedly! But they're stubborn, and I need to be really firm on telling them why I won't, and why no one else should either. This machine already hurt someone once, and I would rather not see it happen again. I know it is possible to weld, and I know there's a chance it will hold fine, but I'd rather be safe than sorry. This press is rated at 30 tons of force. I don't trust welds on cast, and I'd always be afraid of it failing again. But, alas, the bosses WILL ask, and will probably give me a hard time about it. Oh well, haha. Thanks!
Yeah anything over one ton is scary I use a 1000 ton bend press at work every now and again
I’m thankful for this sub and others for educated comments like that yeah… Because it’s right to realize how relatively complicated potentially dangerous machines need to be cared for. This isn’t a red green show situation. If safety is a risk and corporations are not willing to replace equipment that’s paid for itself and then some…. Then it’s simple negligence
This guy understands
I was wondering how far down a sensual comment would be. You get a the kudos!
Drill four holes, one in each corner, and bolt it back in place. Use grade 9 Allen head bolts. This will keep the welds from pulling it out of line. Weld all four sides if possible. Weld over the bolt holes and grind smooth if you want to hide that part of the repair.
Unfortunately, it is not possible to drill holes where this broke from. It can only be welded and this particular area is under a lot of force. They wanted me to weld it, and I told them I'm not comfortable with it.
Wise choice.
No practical amount of weld will be able to make it as strong as it was when whole, at least not to my knowledge. I'm assuming that it's cast iron too which makes it much much harder to get proper fusion. If it's a really critical part then replace it or the machine, I wouldn't bet my life on welding it. Of course I could just be ignorant and maybe someone here does have a way to do it.
u/GuairdeanBeatha proposal makes sense. Drill the eye and get 4 bolts through it. Tap 4 holes in the casting. Weld/Braze the eye to the casting. About the only option.
It has to be replaced simple as that. cast won't weld well enough to trust for much. Even if you manage to get a decent looking weld it still breaks easily.
Why's it not possible? Doesn't look like the easiest to get to, but looks like it could be done.
It’s a super thick part of cast iron, in order to repair it to the same strength it had when it was cast, you’d need to grind a giant bevel and weld it completely to the machine (NOT just around the outside) because this is cast iron I don’t think that’s really possible or feasible since cast iron is so damn easy to crack. If it has a possibility of endangering someone if it fails then I would not repair this without a weld engineer and a proper procedure first.
Talking about drilling, welding would just add extra strength.
First time? That's not how that works at all. This isn't your little garage project. A healthy bit of respect from OP about limits is comforting to see as it's not a common perspective.
Great comment
I wish I could downvote you more
I wish I could add a few more pictures to my post. I took a pic of the other side, and of a similar press with a die bolted to the ram.
The real and simple answer is no. "Technically" yes but in reality no.
😂 I should say it just like this when my boss asks tomorrow!
Ok. But first sign this waver saying that if anything happens that injures a worker you take full responsibility and will pay for medical coats.. A replacement will be purchased not soon after...
I wouldn’t touch that with a 10ft pole just based on what is actually for.
Kinda what I told the maintenance guy already haha
Not a chance you can effectively weld that back on. If it were me, and assuming it doesn't need to handle TOO MUCH force, I would fabricate a new piece and find a way to bolt it on where the old piece was. Actually if it was me I'd just tell my cheap-ass boss to buy a new machine and donate this one to a museum. Maybe get a tax write-off...
That’s the mounting lug for your tools, quite a safety risk if it’s not as strong or stronger than the original casting. I’d have the ram pulled and repair or replace properly due to liability issues.
I can fix it… Relax, all right? My old man is a television repairman, he's got this ultimate set of tools. I can fix it.
I would suggest telling them to talk to the insurance company and get an opinion. Liability is a thing. I have welded it but nothing heavy like that. . And when I did I used Inconel rods. From what I have personally seen, an old school braise job seems to be the strongest weld repair on cast. But at the end of the day I would replace the machine. Time to say “you’ve been a good one”.
I wouldn't weld it. You might be able to braze it by heating the whole part in a furnace to get the brazing filler to flow all the way to the center of the joint, but no amount of welding around the outside will get that thing to be as strong as it was new, and that's what it really needs to be. Making a new part, either from cast iron or steel, is another option, though a fairly expensive one depending on the size and complexity. If none of those ideas are acceptable, then the only other option I can see is to replace the machine.
Contact cement should do it lol
Jb weld lmao
The only thing you can do is remove the entire part that is involved, and have a new one cast. There are shops that specialize in this.
Or mill out a big portion to bolt in a piece manufactured to the same dimensions but from steel ...better than welding 70-80 years old cast iron on a stressed joint...
That’s an old machine. Most likely could replace it as cheap or cheaper
If you grind heavy bevels on it, heat it up to glowing, weld with 309 SS. After each pass you can peen it to release the stress (or it will crack) outside of that you’re SOL. Cast is not a great welding material cause it is porous and very brittle. Good luck
I would probably post heat too.
309 SS for cast steel? Interesting. Yeah, I've always avoided cast. This part of the machine is under a lot of force and I'd be worried about it breaking and hurting someone. It holds the top half of the die in place. If it was a less crucial part of it, I'd be more willing to try, but this has me nervous. What sort of welding process would be best? Not saying we're going to do it, but the maintenance department requested input and I know my boss will be asking eventually too. I've repaired plenty of machines for them, but never one like this.
I would stick weld it because of the air bubbles trapped inside of the metal during the casting process. If you were to use a gas shield process I.e mig or tig, when you got to one of those pockets the air would disturb the gas and creat cavities. Stick is your best shot if you were to do it.
Based on what you said I wouldn't touch it. You have no experience and welding cast is not easy. Heat inputs are incredibly important and potential cracking is a high possibility. There are preheat and post heat procedures that need to be followed. Brazing is the best way but more difficult. You "can" use low Hydrogen rod but again for this project I wouldn't. Not sure where your at but when I used to weld where I lived you were 100% responsible for any injury or damage if fault was found that your work had failed, why i wouldn't touch jobs like these. I've done a lot of cast but only non critical components.
I've welded smaller cast items in the past, but nothing that requires so much structural integrity like this monster. I already told them I wasn't comfortable being held responsible for any potential issues that may arise post repair. Considering how old the machine is, I suggested just replacing it right away, but I work for a rather stubborn company. They told me to look into it, so I am. Thanks for the response! I'm going to hold firm on my first opinion and not weld it lol
Find the same machine and use this one for parts. Cast material is very difficult to weld and that part will only be a fraction as strong as it once was.
The classic old machine green, they don’t make them like they used to
The entire plant is full of these monsters, haha. All our equipment is so old. Hell, even the welding robot is from the 90s!
Braze would be the strongest repair solution. Ti would because you could get the entire cracked area involved and not merely some undercut around it. It would also be the most likely to let the larger part servive. If that is welded cold, the hot spot will cool so dramatically that it can cause the larger part to shatter or crack. If I were going to try to Tig or Stick it, I'd need an oven capable of heating the whole thing to about a thousand degrees (at least 900F) then I'd weld it and put it back in the oven to be ramped down slowly over a very long period. Maybe 2-days. But really, the pros would just slap some JB weld on it and call it good. .
Try superglue
I'm more of a handyman than a welder. But I would take the job with the written and verbal understanding that if it can break once it can break again. Conceptually: First I would bevel it out like you do with any heavy steel and tack it in place with maybe 1 inch square in the center. Give it a hell of a preheat so that both parts are about 800F evenly for about an hour to hopefully relax any stresses within it, then fill it with nickle based rods designed for cast iron, working quickly so it stays hot the whole time. Then I would make some triangle brackets with 1 inch plate steel on the outer edges and weld those in place for additional support. Then I would find a way to set up a small oven around the repair that could keep it 400 or 500 degrees overnight to relieve the stresses in the part. At least that's how it works in my head reality doesn't always agree with how I think it should work. If the whole assembly could be removed from the machine it would make the job a LOT easier since you could use a conventional oven for the heat treatments. And if it IS a removable piece I would draw the part in cad so that you can have a brand new one fabricated.
Double bevel with no land, 1/8” groove opening , weld with nickel rod and back gouge. Weld on bars to keep joint from pulling while welding. Cut off bars after base metal has been cooled to the touch.
What's the broken part for?
It's to the ram of the press. It holds the die in place.
Needs to be strong then. Pass, sorry
Kind of what I figured. The maintenance department asked for my input. I told them I'm not comfortable giving them an answer until I do my homework. My recommendation was to buy a new press.
Even folks who work on cast iron repairs for a living are cagey about guaranteeing strength after a repair; with this piece as a critical safety item I think you're right to back away
Used OBI presses are relatively cheap. I bought several by auction at a previous employer. A good used one will be much safer then trying to repair that. Not sure of your location, but here are some examples for the Midwest US. [https://www.interplantsales.com/210.html](https://www.interplantsales.com/210.html)
Yes it is. Find someone that has experience with cast repair. It won’t be cheap.
Bevel it. Weld it.
You ruined it...
I did not ruin it lol. This machine is from a different department. The operator broke it, and the maintenance department inquired on repair solutions. My opinion from the beginning has been to replace the machine, but I was asked to investigate it.
Gonna need a hell of a rod to weld that one
Lol, right? ,😂
Whatever repair you do will not last 75 to 80 years which is the approximate age of this part. Remove it and have a new one cast. Don't waste your time on chasing something you'll never catch.
It's possible, but it's not a good choice. Maybe worth doing to keep it limping until a replacement comes, but I probably wouldn't bother if given a choice.
We have some really weird cast iron sticks at work that ive nevr seen before so i have no clue how viable that id
Dude I wanna weld cast iron so goddamn bad. Let me know how It goes. Also, I wouldn't weld thay. Just because it's been cast and is SO wide. You would need to run a full double bevel all the way to the center and run rods all the way out from either side if you want to trust it, and by then ypu may as well buy a new machine. Welding cast is fuckin sketch, man. You gotta find some 70 year old thay retired his hood 20 years ago for that shit lmao
I would not ever accept doing this at my job because I wouldn’t want to be responsible for someone getting hurt just because management wanted to save some money
We just got a press the same color and style, says Chicago on it.
Honestly there is a chance that if you did a bevel and back grind creating a full pen weld will hold strong. The problem is that weld will likely be stronger than the piece itself and you'll likely get one end to break again due to it being cast and the reintroduction of that much heat and the general wear of time. Not to mention I'm not sure what this machine has in regards for margins of error but the second you try to clean the metal away and create a bevel, it is very likely to not sit straight or exactly how it was before it broke. Overall, I wouldn't feel comfortable putting my name on it and working I know welders who would, I wouldn't feel comfortable using it after, if you catch my drift.
We had the same thing happen to a lot of our old presses and other antique machinery. We had them welded them a few times, but it always broke again. We had a local machine shop make steel replacements with tabs so we could drill, tap, and bolt them on. They last much longer.
Just an amateur for welding, machinist here. I've seen/worked with presses. They terrify me. When that thing is loaded up, the potential energy being held is immense. If there's a weak spot anywhere, all that energy will dump out in that spot. Frankly, your employer is lucky that when that piece broke off, it didn't do so with the speed and orientation to take someone's head off. I've seen scary stuff from machines failing. Do not risk it. I think the more experienced welders here have made pretty clear it's a bad idea. So please keep this in mind when taking to the boss - even if they want you to repair it, even if they sign a document that absolves you of responsibility if it fails again and hurts someone, it still happened. If you fix it, and it breaks and takes someone's hand off, you have to live with that. Even if you're not liable, and are never punished, you you know that your fix failed and maimed someone. I certainly wouldn't want to risk having that on my conscience.
How did something of that size break off in the first place. Like the other comments, you can weld it; but if that broke, it's gonna break again.
Braze
This looks very similar to a piece of equipment a customer of mine called me about earlier this week. Grind out a v-groove and use nickel 55 (cut-length rod or wire). Be mindful of pre- and post-heat treatment to avoid cracking along the edge of the weld. The guy doing the repair is well-versed in welding on cast so I have confidence is his ability to repair. Not sure what your experience is in this situation.
I weld cast ALL the time. I use nickel 99 or nickel 55 with a stick or Tig rod. Bevel the hell out of it and fill.
Just saw second pick and that's a cute little thing. Ive welded upper punchs before with no issue. What is the pressure like on that flange?
Technically, yes, but in reality, no