Chrome tubing repair

[scotto75]

Hi,

I've got an old recliner chair with a chrome tubed swivel base and one of the tubes has snapped.

I have no idea if I can fix this. How would I go about repairing this, and what would I need to do a good job? The missus wants me to get someone who knows what they're doing to sort it.

 

[brightspark]

if its made of steel internal sleeve it and weld up

 

[pedrobedro]

Put a length of close fitting bar inside and you can have the choice of welding or drill and pin it with something, self tapper or tap a thread and screw it.

 

[scotto75]

It's a 60's Norwegian chair and it's apparently worth a bit of money. Probably the only thing we own that is. Obviously it's not worth anything broken though.

I figure there's a lot chrome to be sanded and the welded area is not going to look too pretty, as I doubt I'll go through the palaver of rechroming it.

I like the idea of drilling a couple of holes and tapping a thread through the tube and an inner sleeve and using a couple of grub screws. If I do that underneath then only the crack will be visible from the top, and maybe I could fill, mask and spray the small area around the crack? Maybe not

 

[bc30se]

Repaired something like this, it was a motorcycle luggage rack on a CX500 bike which had been previously welded with an arc welder. Looked really ugly. I cleaned the joints gently, used matching bars inside the tubes, welded all again with TIG 316rods, polished the joints and it looked as new.

After half of the year bike's sitting in the garage it doesn't get rusty, the owner just remembers to polish it with a polishing compound like once in 2 weeks time to keep it clean.

 

[scotto75]

So I'd need to get some stainless mig wire. How much chrome area around the weld would I need to prep?

 

[Kent]

Just be sure it's a quality job as failure could well lead to injury
If you have to ask then maybe get someone else to look at it?

 

[gordon stephenson]

If the internal sleeve is a really good tight fit and a decent length to bridge the break, at least 2 or 3 times the diameter on each side you could even bond it in with Araldite etc, It would give the most unobtrusive appearance

 

[scotto75]

my gut feeling is that I'd make a pigs ear of it if i tried to weld it. Think some kind of epoxy liquid metal adhesive maybe a bit more subtle!

 

[fixerupper]

Yes I think I would find some bar or thick tube that is a good fit and bond it in with araldite ..worth giving a good drink to someone with a lathe to turn a bit to the perfect fit .....jeff

 

[Gareth J]

Is brazing a possibility? Think this would be stronger (with an insert) than epoxy and less messy than welding.

 

[brightspark]

u would need a lot of heat to braze it with it being sleeved .it would be a good heat sink and soak up the heat

 

[Richard.]

So I'd need to get some stainless mig wire. How much chrome area around the weld would I need to prep?

Why would you need stainless mig wire? It's made of steel isn't it. Yes it will weld it but it won't be right.
I would go with the 1st reply from BS and sleave it with a decent fit piece of tube. I'd remove the chrome a couple mm either side of the crack and delicately with a tig put a run right round it with A15 mild steel rods.
Then I would spend some time polishing the area to a standard so that it's hardly noticeable.