Repair a small cast bell

The photos show a small and delicately cast bell in cast iron which didn’t survive being dropped onto the tiled floor.
I have been asked if I can fix it and before attacking it, I wondered if the panel had some advice (even if it was don’t bother!).
I doubt that it will ring again with the same sound but something better than the dull noise would be good.

Looking closely, it appears that a crack was already in existence and the fall simply finished the job. One side of the break is mildly corroded, the other bright.
I was contemplating cleaning and attempting a silver solder or braze joint from the inside to limit the visible repairs but not sure what the effects of serious heat will be on such a delicate casting with a 2mm or so wall.

any thoughts gratefully received.
simon

My approach … after appropriate cleaning, would be to place a series of paillons of [jeweller’s style] Silver Solder in the joint, then bind it with soft Iron wire, and heat the lot in one go.

MichaelG.

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Oops  … Please ignore my suggestion

… I missed the reference to it being Cast Iron

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 02/07/2023 21:56:20

Manganese bronze is good for cast iron repairs.

It's never going to ring again(although I doubt a thin cast iron bell ever did more than clonk), so epoxy the broken bit back.

If it is just a decorative item will soft solder be a good option or as above epoxy resin which will mean that very little touch up of the paint.

Few metals will bond or wet with cast iron very well. IF this item is only decorative I would use an epoxy after good cleaning. Any form of soldering or brazing and the heat used may well crack on cooling. Noel

I guess you could just JB weld it. Saves any heat

Steve.

That's what I've always used, vee out whichever side you are going to braze, Manganese Bronze will run like Silver solder when the job is up to red heat. use standard brazing flux with the filler rod.

pinkgrip

If you are going to attempt silver solder or braze, you need to heat to red heat, let it cool and then give the mating surfaces a good brush with a fine wire brush to remove surface carbon, then proceed with the braze or whatever.

However, I would advise the 'owner' that it could be a complete failure and worse off than in its present state should the process fail.

Good luck and tell us what happened next.

Bob

This is a repair using bronze brazing rod on a cast base of a steam engine.

It was heated a bright red heat and used Sifbronze flux. It was filed up afterwards and you couldn't see the repair after painting.

David

Thanks for all the advice. Discussions with the owner have pushed me towards a brazed fix. Watch this space for updates and photos !

Simon

A simple repair; that would not ruin the patina as would any form heat with soldering/brazing etc; is cyanoacrylate superglue.

Simon, if your going to braze make sure you have a high temperature flux, silver solder flux is unlikely to last long enough to get up the heat. Noel.

just glue it the old crack ment it did dot ring before it got dropped

What colour did they want it back in?

Brazing will ruin it, just glue it

The customer is always right ! BUT Vic is right, heating it will ruin it ! Noel.

I would glue it with epoxy. Scrape back any external witness and repaint. The glue will be as strong as brazing if the bell cannot withstand dropping on a floor and you would still have to repaint it if it were brazed, and the external brazing would be much harder to disguise.

Hi, you could re-cast it, but you would have to add more metal to the melt, oh! but you'd be adding more metal anyway if it's brazed.

I agree with others, and I would glue it.

Regards Nick.