[TheForge] Welding cast iron

[IowaHarry]

Hi All,

    I'm sure this has been asked before but here goes anyhow. I have 
broken the vise nut in my chinese vise shaped object(bench vise). I 
first did it about fifteen years ago, welded it, I don't remember what 
stick I used but I twisted a little too hard and broke it again. I spent 
some time looking for this on the net and most said to braze. So I 
brazed it. I threw another wrinkle in it as well. The crack was on the 
diagonal behind the nut proper so we cut the nut away from the base 
completely and made a black steel base to braze to. I would guess it to 
be A36.  I did this at work so I did not have access to the forge but we 
preheated, brazed, kept the heat up for a while, then dropped it in a 
bucket of sand for the rest of the day. Didn't hold for beans. It didn't 
stick to the steel not the cast side.  In the past I had spent some time 
making brazing repairs to large radiator coils so I thought I had an 
idea on how to do it. Maybe I don't. I have also had some difficulty 
finding steel acme threaded nut to replace it with.

    So, there is my story of woe. Any advice?

Harry