earlthegoat2
Member
Gonna have to start forging them.....
Who knew a Rock Chucker could break in half???
- Thread starter Citadel99
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I'll call them, too. I just knew they weren't working on Saturday evening. Not today. And maybe not on Christmas Eve either. Pretty sure they will remedy this. I mean, sending me the correct part is sending me a press, right? Anywho, I'm not mad at them, just surprised like everyone else here.
Mark
Mark
Do you resemble this guy by any chance?
lightman
Member
Wow, I didn't know you could break a RockChucker. I've seen pictures of the JR press failing but not a RockChucker!
FROGO207
Member
Impressive! OP remind me to never attempt to arm wrestle you.
someguy2800
Member
That’s the new Rock Chucker Takedown model. Breaks down for easy storage.
Riomouse911
Member
After several years of use I cracked a Lee "C" press where the ram/handle pin met the frame. When I sent it back Lee sent me a new one. I haven't ever seen an "O" press crack like that, especially one from Big Green...but I expect they'll send you a new one, too.
Good luck and stay safe!
Good luck and stay safe!
I wouldn't be surprised if JB Weld worked. Guys have fixed engine blocks with that stuff. I had a regulator break on an air compressor (piece that holds the adjuster and holds back air pressure) about 15 years ago. Figured what the heck - JB Weld - and it's still going strong. I think its stronger than the original piece. If I was going to fix the press, I'd drill it to insert a couple steel rods and JB Weld the snot out of it.
This is cast iron, how can anyone drill the stuff?! It would be interesting to see if a two part epoxy could hold the pieces together, but, I would do something like that, after I got a new press.
Based on the pictures, it looks to me that this was a crack that propagated. Materials that fail through crack fatigue have a textured appearance as the crack rocks during load cycles. The final break is clean, but the early fracture surface has a different texture.
In ancient societies, a virgin was tossed into the ladle, to ensure a good casting. Many bronze age bells were made this way, and they are still ringing today. However, virgins are much harder to find, particularity since the 1960's, and so, casting quality is not as good as it to be.
tightgroup tiger
Member
It's grey cast iron. It drills very easily and very well. White cast does not. It was used for bob sled runners, wheel rims and any fast wear application because it is so hard.
Gray cast and White cast are the same cast iron. The only difference is how fast you cool it down. For cast iron to be machinable it has to be cooled down slowly over a period of around 40 hours before it can be used. Cast iron engine blocks are made this way.
During this 40 hr period it is said to be still green. If it wasn't annealed properly over this time it can be brittle or weak and uncured.
White cast is either quenched or cooled down rapidly so the carbon that makes it so hard doesn't have time to settle out and stays in solution so to speak. This stuff is hard as the hubs of hell and is not machinable at all. All that carbon that is still in solution, think diamond,and makes it hard and brittle but wear very well.
With gray cast the carbon settles out in little pockets when annealed properly, making the cast iron softer is what gives machinable cast iron the gray color. The op's is definitely gray cast and very machinable. You can drill it easily.
jmorris
Member
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It drills super easy, using no lube, depending on the foundry. There was one we used to cast parts for us, sometimes you would get castings that would smoke tooling. Even found a spark plug porcelain in one casting.
Silicon bronze rod and a TIG welder would fix the OP’s press but I bet a phone call would too.
Or nickel rod and an arc welder. I welded an axle housing back together when I had more time than money.
Big green takes care of their customers.
Zaydok Allen
Member
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- Feb 12, 2011
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- 13,274
Wow so you're like really strong.
someguy2800
Member
It was definitely my strength and manliness. Not sure why all of you people think there could have been a defect with the iron...
Mark
Ever rip the car door off the hinges by accident?
lightman
Member
If they don't want it back I would attempt to repair it and make a dedicated deprimming press out of it. I've deprimmed so many cases on mine that I'm getting concerned about all of the wear and tear caused by the primer residue. I have like gallons and gallons of used fired primers. I expect that they will take care of you and that they will want it back.
Ks5shooter
Contributing Member
Never saw that before
makes those three posts on my Lee seem like a nice assurance. But really if they don't want it back, epoxy it, when dry, drill some cross holes, bolt it up, grind the crack down, and have it welded up. Go cheap and leave the ugly bead in place. Frame these pictures, and put them on the wall behind the press. It would be a hell of a conversation starter for you, and however inherits the press for however long reloading is a thing.
ArchAngelCD
Member.
I'm betting they will want it back to determine how it failed. (in addition to manliness of course 
)
)
someguy2800
Member
They are superb presses but the primer catcher on the rock chucker sticks. If I wanted a deprimiming press I would get one of the Lee’s with through ram primer handling.
Weld it after you have epoxied it? Might want to think that through.
Agreed on that note. Had just bought one of those 3D printed catchers with the hose attachment and it works perfectly. Guess I'll have to get one for the Supreme if that's what they replace this with...
Mark
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just epoxy a small space in the center to hold it together while you drill holes for a bolt. The bolt is there so when you grind the seam, it doesn't call apart, and come out of alignment while you weld. The epoxy isn't structural.
In the past my best luck came from tacking, then bevelling it for welding. Epoxy melts at 900ish degrees and would contaminate the weld.
That event has been determined classified, top secret and any and all information has been deleted, scrubbed from any data sources.
Dillon has Govt contracts, they have excellent "damage control" methods
There is no knowledge of such a thing ever happening, All witnesses have disappeared.
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