June 26, 201510 yr Hi, I have a cast iron anvil stand with a fine crack that runs for about 8 or 10 inches from the bottom up towards a corner, but not into the corner. Would it be possible to silver solder the cracked stand? I looked at some other posts on here and saw other methods with mixed reviews.Thanks
June 26, 201510 yr Your best bet is send it to a professional welding shop equipped to weld cast iron that size. Sure it can be silver soldered or brazed but controlled heating and cooling needs to be done properly or you're putting it at risk.Frosty The Lucky.
June 26, 201510 yr Have to second Frosty. I have seen small block chevys mated (V16 700ci 700hp any one?!) and even cast anvils repaired. Not exactly cheep but they are not making cast stands anymore. Some shops are even abble to grind and tecture the weld as to make it nearly invisable. Brazing, either silver, brass or copper are options (preheat and controled cooling are highly recommended) as is drilling a hole to kill the crack, drill and rivit a plate at the foot of the crack and intall a few rivits along the crack (think liberty bell) all in all I'd poney uo the coin for a good welder.
June 27, 201510 yr Author Hi, thanks guys, I figure I will get a pro to weld it up. It is a big stand around 2.5 inches thick so I may have a hard time getting it to temp for silver solder.
June 27, 201510 yr Its not worth the time & pain to repair weld it right !!!easier to just make another steel ! stand -- believe me& 2+ inch thick you're gonna need a oven ! to get to temp & cast rod is not cheap & you'er gonna need alot of it !!make or find another standSteve's Welding & Fab
June 28, 201510 yr If memory serves I have seen threaded rod used indted of rivets, drill and tap holes along and at the terminis of the crack. The addition of a claml wound help. I would be tempted to fill the inside with foam sealant as well. The truth is if the crack can be stabilized, the stand its self will probbably out live us all.
June 28, 201510 yr If you are a decent welder, have the time, equipment and don't mind the color mismatch Nickle rod works nicely on cast iron. Still, no matter what it's at risk. No matter what you decide you need to drill a stop hole at the end of the crack to help prevent it spreading farther.I was a certified welder and haven't repaired the cast iron rivet forge I have out back and it's a nothing to lose situation as it's nor really functional right now.Frosty The Lucky.
June 28, 201510 yr A right proper blacksmith repair will add tons of character to your set up; (and I will pile on with the drill a stop hole just beyond the visible end of the crack).
June 29, 201510 yr Double horn - try writing your post and copy it before posting. Then after the forbidden message. paste it quickly and try again. Sometimes works.
June 30, 201510 yr What I decided to do if forbidden, well before is copy the post and if Forbidden send the pasted message in the "REPORT post" message I send to Admin. I've found that I can exit the thread, come back, paste and post successfully pretty often. . . . Stillllllll. <sigh>As frustrating as it is I'm sure glad I'm not Admin trying to debug this platform.Frosty The Lucky. Edited June 30, 201510 yr by Frosty
June 30, 201510 yr Author I definitely want to fix the cast stand even though a fabricated steel stand would work well.
June 30, 201510 yr Author Basically, I have a matched set (anvil and stand) and want to keep them both together.
July 21, 201510 yr Google stitch lock castings, you may find it very useful .We used to use it to repair Machine beds very effective
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