wrote in message
...
I bought a small press in a junk shop for $20. I mounted it on a 2x6
and let it collect dust for a year before I started to use it to
flatten sections of copper pipe. It did very well until today: There
was an ominous sound and the frame cracked:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/2768312...7635013299389/

No way will I admit using a cheater bar and even if I did I barely
leaned on it. Anyway...Can this be repaired or is this thing done for?
My understanding of welding cast iron is that it is not a free lunch.

Thanks,

Michael Koblic,
Campbell River, BC

Grind the cracks out to a vee stop short of the thread , leave a
shoulder there, braze with brass . Might not be a bad idea to have it
buried in vermiculite and then cover it up to cool slowly when you're done .
You'll want to alternate sides , you might even keep it round enough not to
bind . Or seize ...
--
Snag
Get a shorter
cheater bar .