Repairing a 1-Ton Arbor Press

[rgsparber]

I snapped my little 1-ton arbor press in half. Buying a new one had two big problems. The price has gone up, and the fundamental problem was still there: cast iron in tension is weak. A better option to try was to mend what I had. This mode restored my press to full capability. It isn’t good as new because that crack is still there. But if I had made this mod before the failure, I could claim the press was better than new.

If you are interested, please, click here


Your comments are welcome. All of us are smarter than any one of us.


Thanks,

Rick

[mklotz]

I stand in complete awe of someone who can break a one ton arbor press. Nice fix, though although I think it's incomplete until you saw that cheater bar in half. :-)

[rgsparber]

I stand in complete awe of someone who can break a one ton arbor press. Nice fix, though although I think it's incomplete until you saw that cheater bar in half. :-)

1TINO ;-))

[Frank S]

You could still vee out the crack and weld up with nickel rod plus weld the strips to the body as well then it would be a lot better than new but the for the cost of the rod you would almost have half the price of a new press.
The cast iron in those little arbor presses is just barely above the Blume stage in refinement but with a good preheating and a little care you can even weld it with oxy fuel and old piston rings, it really takes to brazing well too.

[tooly]

I have mine mounted on a steel bench and made provision to build extension supports under the front legs where they overhang the edge of the bench.

[owen moore]

I'm not sure how you broke that but I know things do happen. I have a young neighbor who could destroy a crowbar in a sand pile. He has broken almost all of his heavy equipment. I tell him that no matter how big and heavy an item is, it still has it's limits. You need to treat all machinery like two porcupines making love. Slow and easy!

[rgsparber]

I'm not sure how you broke that but I know things do happen. I have a young neighbor who could destroy a crowbar in a sand pile. He has broken almost all of his heavy equipment. I tell him that no matter how big and heavy an item is, it still has it's limits. You need to treat all machinery like two porcupines making love. Slow and easy!

I was pushing the 2’ long cheater bar slowly when the casting broke. This is a bottom of the line press so the cast iron could have defects in it. I’d rather learn something from trying to repair the press rather than learn nothing by throwing it away. With enough heat, I believe I could braze the straps to the casting and have a superior repair. I did try my MAPP touch but it was a joke.

[DIYer]

Thanks rgsparber! We've added your Arbor Press Base Repair to our Brakes and Presses category,
as well as to your builder page: rgsparber's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Arbor Press Base Repair by rgsparber

tags: arbor press, repair

[WmRMeyers]

I sent this to Rick in personal email when I got his email about this repair:

Now get a hotter torch, and braze the crack, then fill the drilled holes with braze, redrill where you want them, and bolt it back up with the nuts you wanted in there. If you have a gas-fired BBQ grill, you can get a 60psi propane regulator, and make a Mikey Burner with black iron pipe from 3/8" up to 1-1/2", to get the additional heat you need. Mikey burners are described in Michael Porter's Gas Burners for Forges, Furnaces and Kilns. https://www.amazon.com/Gas-Burners-F.../dp/1879535203 it's out of print and paper copies are getting dear, but I own a paper copy, and will be happy to scan the basic instructions for you. You can also get pdf copies all over the internet. they are missing important notes, but you can figure it out if needed. Mike was writing a new better book last I talked to him, but that was before Yahoo crashed and burned their groups, and I've not heard from him since.


Been thinking about it since I sent that. If you need more heat, you can either make a larger burner, or more burners. I built a 3/8" Mikey burner for a planned two-burner miniature furnace some years ago. This was back when I didn't know how to use my lathe well enough to make the parts myself, and Mike was kind enough to send me the parts. Still have the one that I completed, and parts for the 2nd burner. A bunch of folks have built a 3/4" single-burner furnace and gotten enough heat to melt aluminum. A couple of 3/4" Mikey burners, and some fire brick for a brazing hearth should do the trick!

Bill

[DIYer]

Thanks WmRMeyers! We've added your Mikey Burner to our Heating and Cooling category,
as well as to your builder page: WmRMeyers's Homemade Tools. Your receipt:

Mikey Burner by WmRMeyers

tags: burner