# Trouble in Paradise, Pieces of My Broken Heart....



## Ulma Doctor (Jul 14, 2014)

Gertrude, my Altas MFC Horizontal Mill suffered a broken leg,:angry:
the selector casting is made of cast iron.
 apparently in her past her old owner attempted to make a repair to the forward/reverse selector and it failed.
i didn't think to snap pictures of the broken parts before i preped them for repair again.
i didn't really think of detailing the repair until i had a few minutes of downtime.
we'll start with the photographic evidence of the pieces of my broken heart:jester:


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## kd4gij (Jul 14, 2014)

nice work on the repair.


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## Ulma Doctor (Jul 15, 2014)

I set up the broken parts for the brazing operation....
there was a section of the selector arm that was inexplicably missing.
I hand fitted a steel wedge and braze welded it to the cast iron banjo section as seen below,
then braze welded the cast iron broken end back to the cast iron banjo section
i used the oxy/acetylene rig and some good ol' 1/8" LFB (low fuming bronze) flux coated brazing rod. 65,000 psi tensile strength
this stuff is really nice to braze weld with and is easily machineable.
i fitted the repaired part and then smoothed out the grind marks with a flapper wheel on the 4 1/2" grinder


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## chuckorlando (Jul 15, 2014)

Good work on that repair. Brazing is a new world to me. I had no idea it could be as strong a it is. Again, good job man. It's awesome when one can fix verse buy


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## lindse34 (Jul 15, 2014)

Good work there. Did you use flux coated rod or have separate flux you mixed up?


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## Ulma Doctor (Jul 15, 2014)

lindse34 said:


> Good work there. Did you use flux coated rod or have separate flux you mixed up?



Thank You, lindse
I used Harris 1/8" LFB flux coated brazing rod it's good rod and very convenient.

a lot of old timers use Borax for their flux !!!


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## HMF (Jul 15, 2014)

Great job!!


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## Ulma Doctor (Jul 15, 2014)

here's a live action picture snapped during a test cut after the reassembly.




the lubricant is bacon grease and mineral oil 50/50,
.020" depth of cut, .0125" table feed rate , 62 cutter rpm, 2.5" staggered side cutting tool.
it chops very smoothly and cleanly, leaving a nicely finished surface.

thanks again for your interest


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## Uglydog (Jul 15, 2014)

Ulma Doctor said:


> here's a live action picture snapped during a test cut after the reassembly.



Great news!

Daryl
MN


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## GarageGuy (Jul 15, 2014)

Ulma Doctor said:


> here's a live action picture snapped during a test cut after the reassembly.  the lubricant is bacon grease and mineral oil 50/50,



Mmmmmm, I'll bet it smells good!  Great job on the repair.  Very satisfying to fix something like that.

GG


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## Smudgemo (Jul 15, 2014)

How'd you remove the flux?  If you can't soak it off, you can buy Gasflux Type B and use un-coated rods to make life potentially easier.  Soaks right off in warm water unless you char it.  Personally, I very much like brazing and find it's a very strong way to join steel.  I haven't tried cast iron yet, but do have a simple project to try it on one of these days.

Good work.

-Ryan


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## Ulma Doctor (Jul 16, 2014)

Smudgemo said:


> How'd you remove the flux?  If you can't soak it off, you can buy Gasflux Type B and use un-coated rods to make life potentially easier.  Soaks right off in warm water unless you char it.  Personally, I very much like brazing and find it's a very strong way to join steel.  I haven't tried cast iron yet, but do have a simple project to try it on one of these days.
> 
> Good work.
> 
> -Ryan



Thanks Ryan,
i usually tap the flux with a welder's slag hammer and it chips off like glass.
i did have to ream the 3/8" bore of the banjo housing because a little flux did get in the bore.

don't be afraid of brazing cast iron it's surprisingly forgiving and you can become proficient very quickly)


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## Pops (Jul 16, 2014)

I've done a lot of brazing with the Harris flux coated rod and bare rods dipped in borax. Both ways work very well. Have fixed many a gear with this method.


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## COMachinist (Jul 16, 2014)

Pops said:


> I've done a lot of brazing with the Harris flux coated rod and bare rods dipped in borax. Both ways work very well. Have fixed many a gear with this method.


Hi
 I just fixed that same part on my Atlas/Clausing with this stuff. I don't have an iron the fire with this company just used the product. I have a Tig welder and it worked great. This stuff is realy tuff, It took a lot to grind it smooth and it is 70,000 psi strenght. http://ezweldtigwire.com/
CH


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## bfd (May 1, 2017)

mike I would blame the break on the other guy too. quit breaking all your equipment so you can actually use it bill from  nipomo


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## The Liberal Arts Garage (May 7, 2017)

I'm used to brazing all sorts of broken bits and pieces (in another time and place)
Note that often a great deal of time and material can be saved by making up parts
instead of making up piles of expensive chips. Remember, too, brazing rod and
and its particular fluxes continue down through numerous kinds of silver solder.
          BLJHB.


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## Silverbullet (May 8, 2017)

Most underestimate the value and strength of brazing cast and other metals too.  It's been used forever fairly easy to learn to do and inexpensive. The hardest thing is gouging out the room for building it up with braze, the heat up and cool down are really the hardest thing to time but it's best the longer it takes in an oven or wrapped in coals in a fire left to burn out and left till cold .


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## The Liberal Arts Garage (Jun 21, 2017)

Just wondering-- is there a suggested hot bath to remove deep.-- dow
petroleum products from cast iron . Like, boil it for a couple  of days I've
been wishing for years.  What do you do ? .......BLJHB.


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## Ulma Doctor (Jun 22, 2017)

The Liberal Arts Garage said:


> Just wondering-- is there a suggested hot bath to remove deep.-- dow
> petroleum products from cast iron . Like, boil it for a couple  of days I've
> been wishing for years.  What do you do ? .......BLJHB.


i'd suggest a 400*F oven (or BBQ or even controlled campfire) for an hour or 2 
let it cool slowly.
it may remove paint as a side effect, but it will cook the oils out!
all the best!
mike


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## Silverbullet (Jun 22, 2017)

YUPP heats the only way to get oil out. The pores need to open and the oil or grease needs to thin from the heat to run out.


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## 34_40 (Jul 1, 2017)

When I took my mill down to replace a broken gear, I found the same repair had been done.

Maybe it's a more common failure than we think.  But the brazed repair has held up so far for me....  and now Bill! LOL..


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