Cracked my stretcher head on a commercial job this morning

Was pulling carpet in a hotel lobby near Tulsa, about 20 yards from the door. The cast iron bracket on my Roberts 10-B just snapped clean in half. Anyone had luck welding these back together or should I just go buy a new head?

3 comments

3 Comments

emmasmith2d ago

Welding a Roberts 10-B bracket is a waste of time if it snapped clean... that cast iron is brittle and any weld just creates a weak spot that'll break again under tension. Should just buy a new head and save yourself the headache of it giving out mid-pull again. Unless you know a guy who can braze it with a torch and get it real hot, then maybe it'd hold for a bit. But seriously, for the cost of a new head versus the time messing with that broken piece, just cut your losses. Plus you don't want that thing breaking on you when you're near a window or something... that could get ugly fast.

emmajackson2d ago

Wait, "mid-pull" like... pulling a window open? That bracket snapping while you're yanking on a window could send you flying backwards into something. I've seen a guy break a table that way with a stuck sash. But honestly, you're probably right about the weld not holding on old cast iron. My dad tried to weld a similar bracket on a 12-B and it just cracked right next to the weld bead like it was butter. That brazing idea might work better though, I've heard you need to heat the whole piece up in a oven or something first or it'll just snap. Still, even then, I'd be nervous putting my full weight on it again.

jakeperry2d ago

Would heating it up in the oven first really stop the crack from spreading?