Can anyone make me a Cast Iron part?

[M@tt]

Hi

I've picked up a lovely little cast iron radiator that I'm in the process of refurbishing however its missing one of the little feet.

Now its not too much of an issue as the other 3 support it pretty well and once the radiator is secured to the wall it won't be going anywhere, but whilst i'm in the process of stripping it i thought I'd see if it was possible to repair the foot easily/cheaply somehow

So if i were to make a mould of one of the other legs (will probably need some pointers on that as well ) is there anybody who'd be able to pour me a replacement foot?

thanks

Matt

 

[M@tt]

 

[ford34/2]

can you not take a female mould off a good foot, in Fibreglass, then cast or repoduce another male in the mould, using fibreglass, resin,or mould casting stuff, once painted, doubt you`ll notice.

Stan

 

[chunkolini]

Careful with the technical jargon people might get confused.
mould casting stuff.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

View attachment 63116

If it's purely cosmetic, as above make your female mould from another leg and have a look at a product called "Milliput" which is available from art shops. It sets like concrete and can be sanded, tapped and/or drilled.

 

[julianf]

Getting someone to prepare a one-off mold and cast you another in iron... Unless you find a hobbiest looking for a challenge, I suspect you could buy a whole new set of radiators for the cost!

But, if you are looking for a diy approach, what about finding a lump of cast, and grinding it back by hand to match? It will take you time and effort, but I'm sure its possible, and will be by your hand (and free)

 

[Tigman]

make a mild steel one and use a disimmilar rod a tack it back on fill the cracks and paint , put the bad foot at the back against the wall , no-one will see it !

 

[Rig Pig]

A bit of steel bar and some time with a grinder and file would soon have a decent looking replacement that could be welded or brazed on a won't fall off if you bang into it with the vacuum cleaner!

 

[Rig Pig]

Looks like we all have the same idea!

 

[M@tt]

thanks for the responses

I've only got a mig welder i don't think i can weld cast iron with that can i? it would have to be brazed if i went down the replacement metal route?

i quite like the idea of that millput stuff thought as a simple fix, i presume as its an epoxy it will sufficiently stick itself to the broken off surface or would it need some other adhesive to bond it?

 

[doubleboost]

If it is just cosmetic make a wooden leg for it
Bond it on with resin then paint it

 

[Gareth J]

Your mig will probably glue a steel reproduction on well enough for cosmetic purposes. Grind back blobs/eruptions and fill hollow bits. If it's really ugly cast it might not stick at all but worth a try

 

[dannyp]

mold one out of epoxy and just glue it on

 

[CompoSimmonite]

Before you invest too much time in the rad pressure test to ensure no leaks. Such rads are made of separate sections and they can leak at the joints as well as cracks, pinholes, rust etc.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

....i quite like the idea of that millput stuff thought as a simple fix, i presume as its an epoxy it will sufficiently stick itself to the broken off surface or would it need some other adhesive to bond it?

"Read all about it" [posted in a shouty, newsvendor kinda voice ], very useful stuff - http://www.milliput.com/

 

[pedrobedro]

If it is just cosmetic make a wooden leg for it
Bond it on with resin then paint it

The parrot is optional if you use this idea. Buy one of these, break the leg off and glue it to your radiator

 

[colnerov]

Hi, disguise it or make a feature of it, drill and tap the stub and fit a drain cock or glue a false leg off say a doll and see how long it takes to be noticed.

Colin