Is this pipe likely ductile iron? Building a stand for my new JD2 32 Bender!

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I'm building a stand for the new JD2 Model 32 bender being brought over to me here in West Africa next week! It's being brought over in airline luggage, so obviously I didn't ask the poor souls carrying the bender and die over to also pack a stand in their luggage. I have this cool piece of scrap yard pipe that I picked up a while ago. It has the maker cast/forged into it, from London. I'm pretty sure it came out of a ship. Anyway, it's about 4" OD and 1/2" wall so it should be a pretty stout stand.I'd like to weld it to a plate base and then weld the piece of plate on top to receive the bolts from the bender. I'm pretty familiar with cast iron, but this doesn't look like that. It spark tests like cast iron (few sparks that split), but cut on the bandsaw with defined cut lines - not like the powder I'm used to when cutting cast iron. I think ductile iron would be pretty common for pipe, right? I'm assuming that's what this is.I don't need huge strength from the pipe to MS plate welds, just enough that reefing on the bender (which is manual) won't break the welds. I think I should be fine with nickel rod, right? I'm tempted not to preheat it as the only way I have of doing that is putting it in a campfire - but is that a mistake, given how little strength (relative to the weld footprint) I need? Attached Images
Reply:After seeing the above pics, I'd say: weld a small bead of about 3/4 inch with a regular rod on a clean part of the tube, and take a file to the bead. if you can file it easily, you'll probably be fine using regular rods.if you can't, you'll need to determine the material more precisely before taking Ni-based rods to it...
Reply:looks like a piece of cast iron drain pipe, very brittle, if you smack it with a hammer it will shatter..
Reply:That may be part of an old telegraph or light pole.  Bullers made ceramic insulators, and poles.http://teleramics.com/other/bullerspole.htmlDuctile iron has only been around since 1943.Last edited by Oldendum; 03-29-2016 at 09:24 AM."USMCPOP" First-born son: KIA  Iraq 1/26/05Syncrowave 250 w/ Coolmate 3Dialarc 250, Idealarc 250SP-175 +Firepower TIG 160S (gave the TA 161 STL to the son)Lincwelder AC180C (1952)Victor & Smith O/A torchesMiller spot welder