welding pot metal

SteveM · Post by **SteveM** » Tue Dec 01, 2009 11:58 pm

I had to pull the carriage off my lathe and found that a bracket that appears to be made of pot metal is broken.

Eastwood sells a kit to weld pot metal:
http://www.eastwood.com/alumiweld-stand ... ?reltype=2

Has anyone use this?

Any other suggestions?

The bracket has a bronze bearing press fit into it, so the bearing would provide support while welding. Figure I can just lash some wire around to hold it in place.

Might have to loctite the bearing back in when I'm done.

I might consider just making a new bracket, but that might take a while and I'd have to get someone to silver solder the bits together.

Steve

steamin10 · Post by **steamin10** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 3:39 am

SteveM: What method do you like?

Certainly the major dimensions are no secret, so just make one, beyond the pot metal ( cast Zinc compounds ), Aluminum has some very quiet features.

dly31 · Post by **dly31** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 8:42 pm

Steve, if that is an Atlas or Craftsman lathe, a lot of those brackets are found on e-Bay. If you can get a little reinforcement, JB Weld or a similar epoxy would likely make a permanent repair without danger of ruining it. I have not used the zinc/aluminum repair rods but I think they actually take quite a bit of skill to get it to hold well and not melt the broken piece.

Don Young

SteveM · Post by **SteveM** » Wed Dec 02, 2009 9:40 pm

dly31 wrote:Steve, if that is an Atlas or Craftsman lathe, a lot of those brackets are found on e-Bay.

I looked there, and most of them sell for $50 and up, but I lucked out today and found one at BIN price of $24, so I should have the thing up and running in a week. Not only did it have the bracket, but the bushing, both miter gears and the collar, so if those parts are in better shape, I'll use them too.

I though of JB Weld, but I read someone's comments that said JB Weld really didn' hold well on pot metal

Steve

GeneT · Post by **GeneT** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 1:33 pm

Those kits are actually a braze filler, rather than a weld. Any local welding supply house will have something equivalent. Although I'm with Steamin10 - you could glue the original together and use it as a loose pattern to cast a superior replacement.

GsT

tailshaft56 · Post by **tailshaft56** » Thu Dec 03, 2009 11:44 pm

I remember reading an article where a guy had fixed his. He made a fixture to hold the bracket. The fixture was just a flate plate with holes drilled and tapped so the bracket could be bolt to it. Sorry I don't remember what process he used for the actual repair.

On my carriage the feed wheel was pretty sloppy. I tightened it up by boring the hole to accept a bushing.

SteveM · Post by **SteveM** » Fri Dec 04, 2009 6:57 am

tailshaft56 wrote:On my carriage the feed wheel was pretty sloppy. I tightened it up by boring the hole to accept a bushing.

That was the next thing I was thinking about. You bored the hole in the cast iron apron casting?

Steve

TallTexan · Post by **TallTexan** » Sat Dec 05, 2009 4:03 pm

Before you start on the item that you want to repair. Practice first on something that you care not about.

Their video, make it look easy, however it is not. I bought some and made a mess of what I was welding. I stopped and started to practice on some junk parts. 1/2 of the box later I then went back to what I needed to weld

It is holding, but not pretty....One day I will have time and get the Dremel tool out and clean it up a lot

Post by **Harold_V** » Sat Dec 05, 2009 11:02 pm

TallTexan wrote:Before you start on the item that you want to repair. Practice first on something that you care not about.

Excellent advice!

Welcome to the forum, Tall one!

Harold

SteveM · Post by **SteveM** » Sat Dec 05, 2009 11:43 pm

That is excellent advice. Actually the whole thread has been informative. Thanks for all who replied.

I liked the idea about casting a new one, but casting is not in the cards for me right now, as I have way too many projects.

I cleaned up the apron and adjusted the shims in the carriage. I put it all back together without the bracket (it drives the bevel gear for power cross feed). I installed the carriage and was able to take a 20 thou cut with no problem. I was having problems with a loose carriage.

When the part gets here, I'll install it and see how that goes.

Steve

Copperhead · Post by **Copperhead** » Wed Dec 09, 2009 8:46 am

Once very long ago I tried to do a repair on a cracked pot metal gear....
I was using MAPP and as I was heating the part, all of a sudden it went BLOOP and instantly transformed itself into a ball of molten material...
My approach now is to fabricate a new part or locate a replacement.
I would second JB Weld as a temporary fix.