Ideas for fixing a screwup

[Bigbandguy]

Today a friend and I moved a floor model drill press from an overcrowded garage to a workshed out back. Things were going great until we hit an uneven spot on the path and the drill press rolled sideways off the cart we were moving it with. It didn't fall far but just enough to break the table crank. The drill press is a generic Chinese "Buffalo Tools" and the crank was snapped right in half. The crank is fairly decent quality cast iron. Does anyone have any suggestions as to how best to repair? I know welding isn't supposed to be very easy if at all possible. Anyone know a source of cranks? Worst case I expect I could make one but repair would be the easiest if it is at all possible.

Any thoughts would be welcome aside from the obvious one about breaking the damn thing in the first place.

 

[Superbec]

if you're friendly with your LWS guy go and buy 2-3 cast rods and weld it .

chinese casts usually don't weld ... doesn't hurt to try.

 

[APEowner]

http:// http://www.mcmaster.com/#crank-handles/=11dj8oz

 

[hawkeye2]

lots of Handles here - http://us.essentracomponents.com/

I've had good luck with spare parts from Grizzly tools or Harbor Freight Find the closest model they sell to your DP and order the handle... good chance it will be an exact fit.

 

[LXCam]

You can also search the "surplus center". They have all kinds of that stuff cheap.

 

[kkroger]

I fixed a broken casting on a Chinese drill press about 20 years ago with ER70S6 wire from a mig, take a carbide burr, "Vee" it out , put a couple good hot tacks on it and zap it... It is a drill press not a bridge support. I've TIG welded some offshore castings of late.
ER70S2 wire... I just ground it shiny in the area of the weld, it was a LAP joint and tacked it up and off I went. That 20 year old repair on that drill press is still holding up.

 

[kerr]

J B Weld should work .

 

[kerr]

There may ever be better 2 part epoxy on the market now that I dont know of . I know J B Weld will fix all kinds of thing where a strong glue is needed . Worth a shot .

 

[joe49]

Brazing it will be the easiest.

 

[brianh]

Another vote for brazing, its a small enough part to heat up

 

[Lassen Forge]

Hell, you were going to make a new one, why not try to fix it, see if you can make the old one work? If it gets f***ed up, then you go to plan B, but you'll have some idea how to fix it.

I fixed a broken casting on a Chinese drill press about 20 years ago with ER70S6 wire from a mig, take a carbide burr, "Vee" it out , put a couple good hot tacks on it and zap it... It is a drill press not a bridge support. I've TIG welded some offshore castings of late.
ER70S2 wire... I just ground it shiny in the area of the weld, it was a LAP joint and tacked it up and off I went. That 20 year old repair on that drill press is still holding up.

Welding cast - takes some prep but really isn't that hard, as long as it's NOT pot metal (which I have seen). Then again, if it IS Pot Metal, I wouldn't waste my time on fixing it. But yeah... THIS is good advice!

- - - - - - - - - - -

chinese casts usually don't weld ... doesn't hurt to try.

Read that as "Chinese Cats"... I think it's coffee time...

 

[CNGsaves]

^ ^ ^ ^ ROFL . . . .

If the Chinese do indeed teach cats to weld . . . . we ARE in trouble !!

 

[Superbec]

^ ^ ^ ^ ROFL . . . .

If the Chinese do indeed teach cats to weld . . . . we ARE in trouble !!

lol, you didn't see my 4 ton lift I had couple of years ago... it was welded by cats for sure

 

[Bigbandguy]

Update... I took it to a buddy who has a little DC wire welder. He must have had the right wire in it. We preheated it and he welded the break all the way around. The part appears sound and will go back on the drill press today. I was surprised that it welded that easy but it looks like it will do the job. Thanks for all the suggestions. If it breaks again I will try plan B at that point.

 

[joe49]

Were's the pic's.

 

[Bigbandguy]

Were's the pic's.

Here you go . Not beautiful but should work.

 

[spooler41]

When I bought my mill about 15 years ago, it came equiped with a broken table lift
handle. I taper ground the break about 2/3rds of the diameter and tiged it using
silicon bronze rod, its lasted to this day with out problems.

................... Jack

 

[AB9NZ]

Yup, what Spooler41 said. Tig brazing works great for repairing cast iron.