J W Bennett Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 I have an order for a coat rack with 8 dimple hooks and thought I would make some extras while I was at it. I got 24 started with the dimples drove in the top and had three tapered,and done and started on the next 3 when the top die came loose on my Big Blue. I tightened it back up and started up again and I hadn't finished the next heat on the 3 pieces when it came loose again. I got to checking and the top die block had cracked 3/4 of the way across. Not a good situation. Soonest I can get one on the way is Monday. I put it in the big vise and squeezed it back together and held it there. put a big c-clamp top to bottom and lined it up in that direction also. Tacked it on the end then V ground it down as far as I could go with out it breaking in 2 and then welded it up. It is cooling now and then I will try to grind it from inside and weld it solid again. Don't know if it will hold but it's worth a try. Anyone got any experience with this sort of repair. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bentiron1946 Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 No, but best wishes in your endeavours to get back to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nonjic Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 Keep a very close eye on the repair, and bin the repaired die block when your new one arrives. Ive heard of die blocks failing in use, and the results have been far from pretty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Che Guevara Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 i wouldnt use it at all i have the same hammer and the die block has become loose but i repalced the bolts and used loctite it stayed tight for four years though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragons lair Posted November 7, 2009 Share Posted November 7, 2009 Test of faith my friend. Only you can rate your welding. I would baby it a little. I'm sure Dean will get it to you quickly. Ken Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oscar C Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 I wouldn't advise using it until you replace the top die holder..have you called josh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forgemaster Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 We have had dovetails crack off completely. We repaired them by building up a complete new dovetail with the mig welder using copper side blocks to retain the molten metal. We used a high strenght wire for this job. Sent it off to the machine shop after normalising, the heat treated it when it came back from the machineshop. Die is still going good after about 6 years of daily all day use. We still check it fairly often for signs of cracks. Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peacock Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 If you must use it for a little more safety you could drill and tap a couple of holes thru the part of the dovetail that was coming loose into the base. Use grade 8 bolts even if the welds don't hold the bolts should keep the parts from flying. Also you may find the die key does not fit well after you weld on the block. You may need to refit it. I have saved a few LG hammer frames with bolts and weld. good luck Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nakedanvil - Grant Sarver Posted November 8, 2009 Share Posted November 8, 2009 I believe the Blu uses a bolt-on setup. I'm not a fan of anything but real dovetails. Added to the cost of building the KA, but I think it's still the best way to go. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J W Bennett Posted November 8, 2009 Author Share Posted November 8, 2009 The Block is a bolt on. The bolts holding the block to the hammer were still tight. It's welded back together and I finished the hooks with no problem. I called Big Blu and they said to call back first thing Monday and they would get one out to me. I can't complain this is the first issue I've had with it. Just wanted to know if anyone else had ever welded one up before. We'll see how it does tomorrow. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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