mending cast iron table

[patndoug]

I have a very old hospital bedside table. It has an "L" shaped support so that the bottom can slide under a bed. This bottom section, in cast iron, has 4 "feet". One of these has sheered off. The break is about 3cm wide. I have tried using Araldite to mend it, but need something stronger as it isn't working. Ideas will make HUGELY happy!!!!!

 

[Symptoms]

patndoug - cast iron can be welded, and it seems to me that this is the route to take - bonding/glueing with adhesives is not, IMO, a satisfactory solution. Gas welding of CI can either be a fusion weld (each side of the break is melted and a CI filler rod is melted into the moulten puddle). This is a more difficult process than the alternative phosphor bronze welding of the CI - each side of the break is heated with the welding torch, but not melted, and then filled from a fluxed phosphor bronze rod (this process is often inaccurately called brazing). The resulting 'gold' colour of the join can be black-leaded or painted to match. We've repaired original reclaimed Victorian chimney-pieces like this. If the broken foot is really bulky it's always wise to pre-heat before welding - use a gas ring or propane torch - CI acts like a heat-sink drawing heat from the welding torch making the weld difficult to do, by pre-heating you minimise this effect.

Your local garage or metal fabrication workshop should do this small job for a 'drink'.

 

[patndoug]

WOW!!!! Thankyou!! Read your reply last night, and whether it was because I was tired, or because I'm a "recycled teenage" Grandma - - - felt it was VERY technical!!! Up with a sparkle this morning, and understand completely! Have printed your instructions off, will put on my glad rags, and try to charm my local garage man. You are a STAR!!!!!!

 

[Master of None]

I have not welded cast iron myself but have seen it done on construction sites repairing cast iron rain water pipes. I belive if you are going the welding route the welder will have to us a special rod called dissimilar metal rod (don't know why but our welding supplier recommends these over CI, maybe the don't stock CI). Please ensure your garage man has welded cast iron before because I belive he may only get one chance if the material is thin. However Symptoms seems to know a lot about joining metal, so if your garage man is unsure post back before he attempts it.