How to repair cracked / broken cast iron parts ?

Looks like a very easy fix with cold weld Ni-cad arc welding rods... Welding something thats broke all the way off like your problem is very easy... Ar you close to Pennsylvania ??? I weld cast every day... I could make it look like it was never welded execpt for a color change... Fixing cast that is only cracked part way is a lot harder to fix...

Do you have any idea (order of magnitude) that sort of job would cost?

I'm in Rochester NY- Depending on where in PA it could be a day trip with lots of homemade wine....

I'm trying to source some more grapes- I like this crusher idea they have here but apparently its more common to use rubber rollers- but like I said, the wine press was the big winner- weighs in around 120lbs and a HUGE basket.

Another side- any easy way of drilling out iron rivets? I'd like to replace the wood staves in the basket press without dinging up the iron with a grinder. I thought abount using a dremel and Xing each rivet to keep the drill bit centered, but that still sounds like alot of work....

Thanks much

Jas> Looks like a very easy fix with cold weld Ni-cad arc welding rods...

I think a competent weldor would have no problem welding or brazing that job. Since it already broke there and since cosmetics probably aren't a factor, I'd probably braze it along with some reinforcing steel bits in the stress concentration zone.

The color problem we used to deal with by spraying the completed job with cast-iron colored spray paint. I forget where we bought the stuff, but it must have been a clear with powdered iron it it. Looked exactly like grey cast when dry, and if the weld was smoothly cleaned off it would completely hide it. The repairs were good, and were legitimate. It just saved much time answering questions.

Dan

At least the crack is fresh, not full of rust. Unsure if it's cast iron, or die cast. [ Hard or Soft ? ] Cast Iron can be repaired by preheating + TIG Welding Some welders use a ' cold ' process, where a small dot of cast iron rod is added, allowed to cool, than another dot, etc. until crack is filled. Why did casting break, did it get banged in transit or before sale, or did it get ' WartHogged " by some crank spinning teenager ? Knowing how much force the casting holds would help. If it got clobbered, formed sheet metal gussets could be riveted to hold unit together, if it broke from ' normal ' use, you need a tougher part.

Honestly, no idea. It was probably broken before purchase- there's a subtle sheen of rust on the inside of the crack suggestive of long term exposure to moisture.

The device itself was not used for 25 years- and it probab was a weak part. There is a screw tensioner that is leveraged off of this piece- my guess is that a rock went into the rollers and jammed them- with a motor spinning them at 600 RPM it very easily could have sheared the part off.

If I could find someone with a smelter I could cast a duplicate out of aluminum quick enough and then just bore out the carriage bolt holes- but I'd like a semi-permanent fix- just long enough for this season's grape crush before I start investigation into a new crusher.

I'm asking around work to see if anyone has the skill set to TIG weld it back in place...

Thanks Paul-

Jas> At least the crack is fresh, not full of rust. Unsure if it's cast