Vice Repair (Welding) Advice?

C

Charley Davidson

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Benny gave me a vice that has been broken in half & repaired by screwing it back together, I would like to do a better job & paint it up. What rod and amps, process to do a good repair?

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I'd be the first to admit that what I know about welding you could write on the head of a pin, I've never welded cast but I've had real good success brazing it, it makes a very strong joint on cast, is that an option for you?
 
Not really as I don't have any oxy or gas for my torch set yet. ($200.00 for acc tank)
So I really want to weld it with my stick welder
 
Use a high nickel rod and enough amperage to get good flow! The trick to welding cast is preperation and babysitting it afterward. "v" out the crack , then pre-heat where you are going to weld. Lay in a root pass and then using a chipping hammer peen the everlovin @#$&% out of it! Follow that up with a couple of fillet welds. When finnished repeat the peening process as outlined before( this helps to releive the stresses caused bu the intense heat ). After it is all said and done, you are not quite done yet! Post heat the cast and bury it in a can of floor dry or something like it while it is still hot, and allow it to cool slowly. I repaired a 8" Record that a co worker and I managed to break thru the throat one day , attempting what the boss thought to be a good idea! I have been beating on that same vise at home now for about 10 years with no sign of dammage.
 
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High nickel rod on high amps and preheat the vise to a dull cherry red before you weld. Once it is welded and still cherry red bury it in some fresh sand and let it cool overnight in the sand while it is well covered. That will get the crystals properly arranged and help strengthen the weld enough to pull down as hard as you would like with no fear of breaking it again. Pm me if you need help with selecting a rod or getting the preheat hot enough.

Bob
 
Looks like I'm gonna have to wait till I get the acetylene tank to do this project. I'm getting ready to sell off all of my grinding equipment and use some of that money to tool up for things I started out originally to do that I can make money at.

I see a couple different variations in Bob's method and Blaser's method so I need to study up a bit, I know I have heard quite a bit of talk about peening. It may be a month till I get around to it now.
 
Yup V-cut the crack about 1/2 in. deep in the entire crack all the way around on both sides. Once you have it fitted tightly you can use a burnzomatic Mapp torch to preheat the casting and weld 1 inch long beads then peen it with the pointy end of the slag hammer and repeat till you have built up the metal all the way around flush or even slightly above the surface of the weld position. Peen it extremely well between each bead and keep the heat on it till you are done weling and peening the completed repair. Then I always used a bag of white playground sandy and threw the part in with the heat still on the part and covered it up. That will give you nearly 100% penetration of the weld into the base material and allow the chrystaline structure to normalize without putting more stress into the vise and causing it to pull in funny directions. Once it is cooled you can re-mill the faces of the vise and the top to insure it is square to your machine and the table. Good luck and PM me if you need any help selecting the right rod and heat on your welder. Remember pre-heat and peening will relieve stress buildup and prevent rebreaking after the weld is complete.

Bob
 
If you only have a stick welder, you will still have to get a torch. I have found that a big propane torch is good enough if you don't have an oxyfuel torch. But, you will have to, as others suggested, be prepared to bury the piece. Sand works, but there are better things like soft firebrick or kaowool. Don't inhale the fibers, but you should be ok as long as you don't get it too hot. Heat to near or past red, and weld. Peen immediately after welding hard enough to be afraid that you will break the vice. If you break it, too bad, it was meant to be broken. When done, the vice should still be very hot. 500 (blue) may not be hot enough. Bury with sand, fiberglass, whatever, and let it cool overnight. I have been successful with 6011, but others have reported that 7018 is better. Nickel is great, but pricey.
 
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