can this vice be fixed?

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hi, so i went back home this weekend and brought back a vice that has been in the family for about 25 years. but i had a problem while taking it off the bench. its been bolted to the same bench for 25 years and has been outside that entire time so the bolts were rusted and "fused" to the vice. i got 2 out but me being a moron for one second hit the last bolt to knock it loose and this happened:is there anyway this can be fixed? its not a HD vice and has never been used as one, all it did was hold a sharpening stone lol. i will be getting a new bigger vice anyway but i would like to fix this since it has been in the family for so long. thank you
Reply:I'd probably braze the ear back on. That should work just fine for what you need it to..No government ever voluntarily reduces itself in size. Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we'll ever see on this earth! Ronald Reagan
Reply:braze it, and don't feel too bad, it looks like the crack started quite a while ago.Dynasty 200DXPassport plus w/ spoolmate 100victor 315c oxy/(act and prop)Miller digital elitemilwaukee power tools
Reply:wow that was fast haha. well i'm a new welder so i'll have to wait until i get a oxy setup and take a class before i can make that repair. any idea how much a pro would charge to fix it? i've never had any welding done so i have no idea what you guys charge. thanks again.
Reply:Originally Posted by superwelderwow that was fast haha. well i'm a new welder so i'll have to wait until i get a oxy setup and take a class before i can make that repair. any idea how much a pro would charge to fix it? i've never had any welding done so i have no idea what you guys charge. thanks again.
Reply:Not a pro.....But if you are close to Yukon Oklahoma I will do it for a cup of coffee....Lincoln 305GLincoln 100 WeldpakAssortment of Victor, Smith and Harris TorchesDont Worry About the Mule-Load the Wagon!Lincoln 305GUnion Carbide TorchDon't Worry About the Mule~Load the Wagon!
Reply:wish i was closer but i'm in CA.as for what i can do. well i was a mechanic for 10 years so i'm good with cars and electronics. other than that, i'm sure i'm good at the same things you guys are minus welding haha.
Reply:Sac, huh?  If you supply the torches and a beer I can braze it for you.  I'll be up there next weekend to pick up my dirt bike.
Reply:haha, have no idea where i would find a torch setup that quick. no rush, thanks for the offer tho.where u coming from?
Reply:Originally Posted by superwelderhaha, have no idea where i would find a torch setup that quick. no rush, thanks for the offer tho.where u coming from?
Reply:Keep asking, maybe one of the NorCal folks can lend a hand. City of L.A. Structural; Manual & Semi-Automatic;"Surely there is a mine for silver, and a place where gold is refined. Iron is taken from the earth, and copper is smelted from ore."Job 28:1,2Lincoln, Miller, Victor & ISV BibleDanny
Reply:Originally Posted by superwelderhaha, have no idea where i would find a torch setup that quick. no rush, thanks for the offer tho.where u coming from?
Reply:If you were willing to drop just the base in a flat rate box, I'm sure somebody could help ya out.  I'd offer, but me and cast don't get along most of the time.My name's not Jim....
Reply:BTW,You didn't break that tab on the vise, its been like that for a long time, you just finished it off.Another method is cast rod on a stick welder, but unless you have some laying around its pricey and even harder to use.Me I would braze it, but I spend a long time thinking about any cast project not my favorite stuff to work with ever, so any cast projects take forever talking myself into it.
Reply:thanks guys. i wasn't thinking about renting a oxy setup, i like to buy and have my own stuff. i'm not in a huge rush since i have no bench to put the vice on anyway.
Reply:If your not in a hurry I can tig it for you!My daughters friend is always going back and forth between Sac and here!You can get it to him whenever then get it back whenever!Let me know.AEAD 200LE, Lincoln precision tig 185, Millermatic 251, Spectrum 625 extreme, Victor torch , Smithy 1220LTD. and  Do all C-4 band saw ,  Always adding.
Reply:If you want to box up the base and send it to me I'll fix it for you. Just send postage to get it back to you. I will weld it instead of braze it. I weld up a lot of cast iron pumps and other parts every year, no problem. Just let me know by PM.
Reply:Mr. Bob would please share with us the type of rod you would use on this vice,and do you use the same on a cast pump,do you preheat? Thanks William
Reply:thanks for all the support guys now i have some figuring out to do haha. what would look more "original" brazing or welding? i'm guessing brazing but welding would be stronger right?
Reply:It could actually be silver soldered carefully and could be both stronger and cleaner than if brazed since the right strong alloy will spread in the joint by capillary action and hardly show outside the crack. A good welding job can also look original except for a slight difference in the surface texture when done, and even that can be improved upon by sandblasting or other means. Well, even brazing can be done so carefully that only a thin line will show, but I think a strong silver solder is easier and better. And that coming from someone who loves brass to the point that I even collect key cuttings from the local hardware stores!
Reply:thank you. if you guys could just answer one question for me. what is the difference between brazing and soldering? seems like the same thing. you heat the material and let the filler flow in. thanks again.
Reply:Originally Posted by superwelderwhat is the difference between brazing and soldering?
Reply:haha, thanks, i figured that but is there more to it?
Reply:Huh, best of luck silver soldering old cast iron...you must be a purist ...just wanting to look at the vice, not intending to use it.As you have no welding experience, don't bother even attempting to weld or braze it....the prep work has to be carefully done or the slightes pressure when you attempt to bolt it up will break the joint.Get a pro shop to quote you, or one of the guys here to work on it for a cup of coffee....friends are for that.....LOLLooking at the photos it appears the broken bit is the fixed to the bench base part, not the upper vice part that rotates, so all you need to do is get a piece of 19mm ( 3/4") thick steel plate burnt to shape and remake the base......much stronger and absolutely unbreakeable.Ian.
Reply:never said i was just going to look at it. most it will be used for is maybe holding a sharpening stone, nothing HD, i'm getting another vice for that. as for making a new base, i'm def. not doing anything that hardcore, just need the piece put back on and to look original.thanks for the reply.Soldering is at temperature below 800 F or thereabouts.  Brazing is above and generally/sorta relies on capilliary action.  Braze welding is when you actually prep the metal by veeing out and filling with brazing alloy.  If the silver alloy is melting below 800 you are soldering and above your are brazing with silver.
Reply:exactly what i wanted to know. thank you. when you braze do you get the brazing material between the 2 parts or does it just fill the "V" like a weld?
Reply:You are filling the vee with the bronze or brass alloy hence the term braze weld.  Standard brazing alloys run about 40,000 psi strength and regular grey cast iron is about the same so it is a good match.   The trick is to get a clean joint to start.  I grind out the vee by bevelling with a grinder then I file the surfaces.  For some reason the alloy tins or bonds better to a filed surface than a surface that has been smeared by a grinder.  Preheat and post heat are important to reduce shrinkage stresses.
Reply:The best aspect of brazing is that if you're working at the right temperature the bronze has about the consistency of butter so you can push it and shape it.  So, when you grind out the crack, you can really open it up and then fill in/shape with the bronze.  It also allows you to shape missing pieces such as mounting tabs and ears.  The trouble is, the right temperature is a window less than 200 degrees F wide.  So... it takes a good eye and a lot of skill to be able to maintain the correct brazing temperature.  Most people who attempt brazing are so frustrated by their first attempt they simply give up on it and discount it as an acceptable practice.
Reply:That Vise is a SIMPLEX Shop Vise. Expensive Top of the Line Shop Vise in there day.Spend the money to repair it that you would spend on a new Vise as a comparible Vise would be over $500. Then use it and do not be afraid of breaking it.
Reply:wow had no idea. thank you for that info.