- Joined
- Feb 7, 2013
- Messages
- 2,487
This box brake was in a school shop probably twenty or more years ago and had seen it's share of abuse. I have used
it over the years and had welded on a cast iron part to return it to functionality. Looking over and cleaning up the fingers
on the brake, I found one that one finger was broken off and was at least 1/4 inch shorter than the rest. While giving it the once over,
one could see that someone had tried to bend the unbendable. I spent several hours cleaning the machine and giving it a light
coat of oil since there was evidence of a little rust. The broken finger I decided to lengthen back to it's original by adding some
weld and milling off the excess. I used some 7018 rod in 3/32 and had to fill and mill several times to get the finger to close
to what it had been in the past.
It's not perfect but certainly will work fine. If the imperfection bothers me, I could resort to some tigging.
It's a Berkroy, a name I have not heard of.
There seems to be lots of combinations one could use so quite adaptable to most any size box. The two foot long ones are
presently mounted in the brake for two foot bends.
Everything is usable now and ready for some box making. Having sat for the last several years in disuse, I'm happy that
it is in better shape now than when I got it. While not a big project, it was something I could complete in the dead of
winter. The sun is up now but it the old thermometer still reading 15 below zero F.
I will never know for sure but I would be willing to bet that the broken finger had something to do with the
broken cast iron piece I welded some years ago.
it over the years and had welded on a cast iron part to return it to functionality. Looking over and cleaning up the fingers
on the brake, I found one that one finger was broken off and was at least 1/4 inch shorter than the rest. While giving it the once over,
one could see that someone had tried to bend the unbendable. I spent several hours cleaning the machine and giving it a light
coat of oil since there was evidence of a little rust. The broken finger I decided to lengthen back to it's original by adding some
weld and milling off the excess. I used some 7018 rod in 3/32 and had to fill and mill several times to get the finger to close
to what it had been in the past.
It's not perfect but certainly will work fine. If the imperfection bothers me, I could resort to some tigging.
It's a Berkroy, a name I have not heard of.
There seems to be lots of combinations one could use so quite adaptable to most any size box. The two foot long ones are
presently mounted in the brake for two foot bends.
Everything is usable now and ready for some box making. Having sat for the last several years in disuse, I'm happy that
it is in better shape now than when I got it. While not a big project, it was something I could complete in the dead of
winter. The sun is up now but it the old thermometer still reading 15 below zero F.
I will never know for sure but I would be willing to bet that the broken finger had something to do with the
broken cast iron piece I welded some years ago.
Anyway, it's a keeper and presently