Antique repair suggestions

[camdigger]

At one time, cattle feed was put up in square bales, and grain was cut and tied in bundles. Both balers and binders used twine. Natural fibre twine was the only alternative, but didn`t keep well from season to season. Rope was always handy to have, so many farmers made their own rope from ball ends using assorted rope twisting devices. Eventually, they became commercially avaliable. Here`s one. All cast. There are inherent weaknesses in the frame and they are often broken. The broken part is missing. I need suggestions on a means of repair...

[Black_Moons]

Can we get a basic list of welding tools you have access to if any?

(Mig, tig, stick, O/A, Or even just propane for brazeing)

Do you have the broken peice to put it back on? Do you wish to reenforce it?
With a mill, Or possabley just an O/A cutting torch and drill, you should be able to recreate that part from a plate and some other bits of scrap.

[SGW]

I'd probably just make an entirely new side plate out of steel, or even aluminum, but if you used aluminum you might need steel bushings for the hooks. If I'm interpreting the pictures correctly, there isn't anything complicated about the side plate.

If you want to preserve as much as possible and repair what is there...you better get suggestions from somebody else. Brazing or welding thin-section cast iron like that is going to be tricky.

[Duffy]

First question: Do you want to REPAIR it or RESTORE it? If repair, it doesnt much matter what it looks like as long as it works. If restore, then you pretty much have to find the missing part and either braze or weld it and "make the seam disappear," and replace the missing fasteners with slot-head stove bolts and square nuts. It looks like it consists of a "handed" pair of castings that contains the planetary gears. There should be three planet gears, each driving a twine hook and, possibly, a central hook driven from the sun gear. If the castings are REALLY identical, then perhaps you could get a replacement cast in aluminum using the good one as a patern. Then flat black rattle can and only you and your hairdresser will know! Duffy

[Duffy]

Sorry, miss-counted the planet gears, and it is not a pair of castings. Almost looks like the carrier is fine, but the main casting is a replacement job. Duffy

[lynnl]

You say "The broken part is missing". If it's missing, how do you know it's broken?

Sorry, I just couldn't resist that.

I've only seen a couple of rope twisters, but one in particular that I saw in a demonstration a few years back sure looked a lot simpler in its construction.

[Tony Ennis]

If you want to make rope, is repair required?

[camdigger]

If you want to make rope, is repair required?

Yes, if I want to use that one. The missing part is required to resist the tension of the rope being made. If there is insufficient tension, the individual strands of twine will kink up and make a weaker, lumpy rope. No, if I want to use one of the other two I have (both shop made, ugly as sin, but effective)


Lynnl
I know it`s broke because there`s one in almost every museum hereabouts, and in about 1 in 10 farm auctions, or junk piles around the neighborhood. Nearly every museum that has live demos around uses one to entertain the kids while the adults gawk at the other machinery....

Getting the hooks out of the planetary gears will be a b*&%h because they`ve rusted solid after 7 or 8 decades of exposure to the elements. Still, casting a new side plate could prove very lucrative. One unbroken, but siezed solid sold at a farm auction recently for $250

I have stick and OA available in my own shop, and have access to MIG. I may be able to do my own castings in Al too, if I get done some other projects and set up my backyard foundry again.

[Tony Ennis]

You may be able to find an artisan iron caster in your area. You make the pattern, they cast it.

[camdigger]

If I could find an artisan iron caster, I could have them cast up several and sell èm as reproductions. I figure they`d bring $250 - 300 easy.

But most who`d be happy with a reproduction, would follow the old saw, that if you want one bad enough make your own.

There`s a museum in Drumheller in the valley between the Tyrell and the town itself that has a whole display of commercially made and home build rope makers. A gold mine for design ideas.

[camdigger]

Here`s a picture of one of the two that were at the last `run day`at the local museum.

[camdigger]

My homemade rope maker. Made before access to machines, etc all out of the junk pile.....

Ugly as sin, but helped my father entertain his grandchildren for a decade or so...

[Tony Ennis]

Ha, I think it is awesome, not ugly!

google turns up lots of small iron casters. Affordability is another issue.