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Well I really messed up this time.

Something that has been bothering me for a while and probably bothers others too....

For most of us, the EStop is on the far left someplace. But we are right handed. Perhaps worse, regardless of handedness, it is counterintuitive to reach nearer to a bad thing to stop it. In my mind, the EStop should be on the right someplace. Or perhaps there should be two or three of them.

When I install a 3phase motor and VFD, I am planning to add another EStop on the right of my carriage.

A very good idea... and make it a huge paddle switch that is hard to miss.
 
On my mill I wired in the original ESTOP that is up beside the head on the left and added a second one lower down on the machine cabinet. I still tend to go for the one on the head even though the machine cabinet it closer.
DB25CleanedUpESTOP.jpg

On my Gingery it's on the headstock right by the power switch.
EncoderBracket.webp

On the CNC router its right up front to the left of where I stand in front of the PC and monitor. Mounted on a piece of aluminum angle plate and a sheet metal box I folded on the 3:1 tool. Very amateur work here.
CNCSwitch.jpg
 
Oh and on the South Bend since I added the cabinet for tooling the control box is on the floor. I can kick the ESTOP paddle.
CabinetInstalled.jpg


I should really install a second one on the white box sitting beside the carriage. That's my ELS and stepper drivers and what I'm usually using for motion with my right hand.
 
Could the two outboard driver/driven gears swap position to get tpi doubled?

Without knowing better I would have look into drilling/bolting/brazing similar to mentioned above. Braze is very strong with some surface area. Maybe side plates added for additional reinforcement? If it didn't work could always go plan B.
 
View attachment 28687

You may have the wrong combination here, that loose gear switches out for one of those no doubt and changes the ratio of the box

I agree with studding and brazing, that's a common repair for cast, braze is similar in strength to cast, has minimal warpage, .I would however not try to weld it, not in a million years, and I have welded plenty of cast
I'm curious as to why you wouldnt recommend welding that cast. I had a cast iron combine cylinder bearing housing split one time and replacement was weeks away on back order and in harvest weather "weeks" are a lifetime so took it to a local machine shop asked if anything can be done. The really old guy at the counter looked at it and said I think I have some nickel rod left that will fix this right up" and he did, that damn housing was still on the combine 5 yrs later when we sold it. I was amazed that it held for a dy let alone yrs (
Susquatch will attest to the beating that a cylinder bearing takes under regular use).
 
I'm curious as to why you wouldnt recommend welding that cast. I had a cast iron combine cylinder bearing housing split one time and replacement was weeks away on back order and in harvest weather "weeks" are a lifetime so took it to a local machine shop asked if anything can be done. The really old guy at the counter looked at it and said I think I have some nickel rod left that will fix this right up" and he did, that damn housing was still on the combine 5 yrs later when we sold it. I was amazed that it held for a dy let alone yrs (
Susquatch will attest to the beating that a cylinder bearing takes under regular use).

Distortion, ease of repair, likely hood of success, lower skill level required, similar tensile strength with more ductility, a hardwearing surface is not required

if a guy were to grove that out, clamp it down and fill it up with braze vs weld there is virtually no risk of cracking, no risk of a brittle joint, very little if any distortion, no appreciable risk of destroying the part, no worry of poor casting quality causing problems welding and there are no residual stresses from the welding process

a weld repair could be attempted, but i dont think its worth the risk, cast iron welding has its place, but i dont think this is the repair for it
 
I'm curious as to why you wouldnt recommend welding that cast. I had a cast iron combine cylinder bearing housing split one time and replacement was weeks away on back order and in harvest weather "weeks" are a lifetime so took it to a local machine shop asked if anything can be done. The really old guy at the counter looked at it and said I think I have some nickel rod left that will fix this right up" and he did, that damn housing was still on the combine 5 yrs later when we sold it. I was amazed that it held for a dy let alone yrs (
Susquatch will attest to the beating that a cylinder bearing takes under regular use).
Distortion, ease of repair, likely hood of success, lower skill level required, similar tensile strength with more ductility, a hardwearing surface is not required

if a guy were to grove that out, clamp it down and fill it up with braze vs weld there is virtually no risk of cracking, no risk of a brittle joint, very little if any distortion, no appreciable risk of destroying the part, no worry of poor casting quality causing problems welding and there are no residual stresses from the welding process

a weld repair could be attempted, but i dont think its worth the risk, cast iron welding has its place, but i dont think this is the repair for it
The chances of martensite and carbides forming when you weld the cast iron.
Solution around this is high % nickel rods. And in my opinion POST WELD HEAT TREATING. This allows the dissolution of the martensite in the weld area and or heat effected zone.

So pre heat to 400 or 500F and then welding short stringers. Peening the weld and repeating the process. Then a slow cooling in fire blankets and or high temp insulation. Perferably a temp controlled oven.

Cracking is a big chance as well when the part is subjected to high weld temps.
I prefer nickel 99 rods when doing multiple passes or machining required afterwards.

Skip the BS and headaches.
Preheat as per normal. Ready the oxy propane or oxy axetylene torch and braze it with low fuming braze rod. Coated or uncoated rods. Flux is your friend.

More if youre interested.
Gluck !
 
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The chances of martensite and carbides forming when you weld the cast iron.
Solution around this is high % nickel rods. And in my opinion POST WELD HEAT TREATING. Thid allows the dossolution of the martensite in the weld area and or heat effected zone.

So pre heat to 400 or 500F and then welding short stringers. Peening the weld and repeating the process. Then a slow cooling in fire blankets and or high temp insulation. Perferably a temp controlled oven.

Cracking is a big chance as well when the part is subjected to high weld temps.
I prefer nickel 99 rods when doing multiple passes or machining required afterwards.

Skip the BS and headaches.
Preheat as per normal. Ready the oxy propane or oxy axetylene torch and braze it with low fuming braze rod. Coated or uncoated rods. Flux is your friend.

More if youre interested.
Gluck !

and dont forget ni-rod 99 is expensive shit
 
Redneck. Where do you live. Perhaps we can assist in the braze or weld ?

 
and dont forget ni-rod 99 is expensive shit
Waaay back , I ran a portable welding truck . One day I was on a construction job site and away from my truck , much to my surprise , when I returned to the truck some dickhead decided to use the vise that was bolted to the deck of my truck and broke the movable jaw in half , then slipped away quietly without their identity being revealed . I was pissed but was able to weld it with Ni-rod , grind , pre heat , weld , peen , weld , post heat , grind , paint ....... it was never the same , it took a long time to repair and I burned a bunch of expensive rod in the process. A better solution would have been to huck the vise in a dumpster and buy a new one.
 
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Waaay back , I ran a portable welding truck . One day I was on a construction job site and away from my truck , much to my surprise , when I returned to the truck some dickhead decided to use the vise that was bolted to the deck of my truck and broke the movable jaw in half , then slipped away quietly without their identity being revealed . I was pissed but was able to weld it with Ni-rod , grind , pre heat , weld , peen , weld , post heat , grind , paint ....... it was never the same , it took a long time to repair and I burned a bunch of expensive rod in the process. A better solution would have been to huck the vise in a dumpster and buy a new one.
This outcome has been my exp too. But it was the company who paid my wages and rod.... I lost nothing and gained wisdom.

Braze it !
 
Waaay back , I ran a portable welding truck . One day I was on a construction job site and away from my truck , much to my surprise , when I returned to the truck some dickhead decided to use the vise that was bolted to the deck of my truck and broke the movable jaw in half , then slipped away quietly without their identity being revealed . I was pissed but was able to weld it with Ni-rod , grind , pre heat , weld , peen , weld , post heat , grind , paint ....... it was never the same , it took a long time to repair and I burned a bunch of expensive rod in the process. A better solution would have been to huck the vise in a dumpster and buy a new one.

some dick head broke my one of my vises pressing a u joint in with a snipe, and another bending a 10 foot piece of tube! :mad:

one went to the bin, the other i welded up with 7018.....every once and a while i have to re-weld it when it cracks again, meh, at almost 100$ a lb for 99 and 70$ish for 55 ill just throw another 7018 rod at it every year or so

wait a second....now that i think of it that dick head was me :p
 
Skip the BS and headaches.

If you are going to repair (not my first choice) I agree with this.

A year or two ago some hamfist busted the main casting on a set of rolls. Fed something too thick. (of course never owned up to it).

I have a lot of amazing welders, but we don't cast so none have great experience with it. Being a production machine, and rather expensive to replace if we messed it up, I decided to hire the job out.

Specialty firm, and very expensive, a few hundred per hour. I suppressed the Scottish part of me as I needed this fixed. All they do is cast iron repair, a great deal of it on the road. Had to wait two weeks because they were in Sudbury fixing something for a mine.

Chatting him up, they would not even consider welding. "We don't do that". Why? He said there is no point, the braze is just a strong and requiring a lower heat, there is less chance of cracking/distortion, now or in the future. They did preheat and cool slowly with blankets. This is a btw a highly stressed part, takes all the force of the rollers that are trying to be pushed apart by the work.

I've done small CI repairs by brazing and it worked, but hearing that these guys who full time fix CI say they never do it by welding was fairly convincing that the types of repair we'd encounter brazing is the way to go.
 
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Disclaimer: I am not a welder so take this advise at your own risk!

I have done work on none stress bearing cast the following ways and my feelings are as follows:

MIG (flux core) welded....don't, not worth the effort.
Brazed cast with torch......not impressed.
TIG welded using SS filler.....not bad actually. Hasn't failed yet.
Have yet to try TIG brazing cast but I expect good results.

There are specific Stick rods for cast (expensive as hell) and you better be able to Stick weld good (not even there yet as my Stick sucks).

What I do know is preheating and stress relief after welding (or brazing) is important, For stress relief various both heat and penning (or both are options).

For technique, it's on YouTube, you want to go down this route, you find it, this is on you. Cast is funny so do so at you're own risk! As to finding welders to do the work is next to impossible (they only work in specific industries) because if how problematic it is.

Last DISCLAIMER: Go this route, its on you, do your research, accept the risks and most importantly if something goes wrong, the fingers point only at yourself! You were warned not to! Your choice!
 
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MIG (flux core) welded....don't, not worth the effort.
Brazed cast with torch......not impressed.
TIG welded using SS filler.....not bad actually. Hasn't failed yet.
Have yet to try TIG brazing cast but I expect good results

Silicon bronze lacks the ductility of standard RBCuZn-C (low fuming bronze ) so it is not the best choice for cast iron or structural brazing. Silicon bronze is best suited for buildup worn work surfaces and sheet metal where paint adhesion is critical.
 
Silicon bronze lacks the ductility of standard RBCuZn-C (low fuming bronze ) so it is not the best choice for cast iron or structural brazing. Silicon bronze is best suited for buildup worn work surfaces and sheet metal where paint adhesion is critical.
Thanks for the update (and everyone elses information). I have seen a few articles indicating that it is an alternative. But as noted for Cast...Do so at your own risk.
 
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