Broken item purchased at the Creek, what to do?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Normally I will stay away from threads like this but I think there are a couple things being overlooked.

1. People should discuss at the point of sale......will the item be insured....and whether this would be included in or added to shipping costs. A few years ago, the idiot turners here gifted me with a lathe. A couple years later I passed it on to another turner. I insured it when I shipped it. It was a good thing as the shipper destroyed it.....and once I produced receipts they reimbursed me for the cost and the new turner got a brand new lathe.

2. Packaging of items. The lathe I talked about in the previous paragraph....It was screwed to wood and then placed inside a double walled cardboard box, lined with plywood screwed together. It still got destroyed. Recently I shipped the collaboration box to anther Creeker and a tool rest to another Creeker. I invite either one to testify to my shipping crates. It adds cost to shipping but can save a tool or item but even good packaging is no guarrantee as in the case of the mini-lathe I described.

[David Kumm]

When buying used stuff happens. Best to learn and move on. I've learned to spend as much time discussing the packaging as the machine. I even ask if the seller has packaged and shipped a lot of things, whether he is doing it himself or going to the UPS store etc. I ask the freight company for different quotes depending on how packaged. The price goes down with more protection around the unit. I've also learned that the better the deal, the more likely the seller is inexperienced in not only how to price stuff but how to handle it. Dave

[Bob Reda]

Fedex and ups automactically insure up to $100 The post office doesn't. So if it came by either of the carriers that do insure someone got $100.

Bob

[brian wight]

Why not just try JB welding it and see if it holds up? It certainly won't be as strong as a solid cast piece, but you might not need it to be that strong.

[phil harold]

If you do decide to weld the cast iron the trick is to get the casting up to 400+ degrees before welding
Put the part in your oven heat to 450 or more for an hour, quickly weld it, and return to the oven let it slowly cool down
I have had good luck with this method, when fixing farm implement parts.

[Bruce Wrenn]

First, I don't think seller's name should have been listed in post, Moderators should have removed it IMMEDIATELY! If goods left seller in good shape, and arrived broken, then this isn't seller's fault. As for newspaper packing, it depends upon how much and how it was placed. Was outside package broken upon arrival? When was package actually shipped? Has it been in transit since back in August? If so, then your beef is with transit hauler.

[Matt Meiser]

Well, it would be if insurance was purchased but it wasn't apparently. Not sure of the agreement with the seller but unless it was explicitly declined I'd think it's reasonable to expect it or self-insurance on the shipper's part.

Jim, it looks like there is just a round post, sticking up from the base. Any reason that the base has to have three legs? Could it be a square plate? What is the OD of the post?

[Jim Foster]

You should be able to braze it if it's cast iron.

[Kevin Presutti]

Find someone that welds Cast Iron, it's not that big of a deal. I have welded cast iron many, many times with almost no issues at all. A vise base is a walk in the park if the knows how to weld. Try the insurance route first but doubtful you'll get anywhere since so much time has passed. Look in the yellow pages for a welder and if he has an ad then see how many things he is capable of doing. Mig welding two pieces of plate do not many you a welder. You need more than a 1 Trick Pony. Be sure to have him heat both pieces before he welds them, to at least 400 degrees, if he has temperature sticks to see if it is warm enough (just turning red) he knows what he is doing, he should also use nickel (high content) rod. The base will break somewhere else before the weld will.

Good Luck!

[Bob Wingard]

I was going to mention the insurance minimum with UPS/FEDEX but the claim and it's subsequent settlement must be made by/to the one who shipped the item. If the seller is the least bit underhanded (and I'm not implying that such is the case) he could claim the damages ... have the carrier inspect the item at the recipient's home ... and then pocket the $100.

I'm not real big on disclosure of the seller, but, now that it HAS happened, we haven't heard from him on this matter, have we ???

[keith micinski]

Even if a real name was used I would have no problem with that. There were two parties involved in the transaction and one of them is stating they were wronged. The other person has the right to respond with his side of the story accordingly. There was nothing malicious about the OP post he was just giving all of the facts, plus I would want to know if someone here is involved in a bad transaction so I could stay away from dealing with them. Also, I am baffled how anyone could say a seller is not responsible for an item that was paid for in full, in a timely fashion showing up broken and unusable. Incredulous is my reaction to that response I guess.

[Mike Heidrick]

He has a name he wrote on the check and an address where he sent it correct?

[Stephen Cherry]

He has a name he wrote on the check and an address where he sent it correct?

Maybe, and this is just an idea, the name has some signicance so that a check to an alias could be cashed.

http://www.manta.com/g/mms9scp/andrew-johnson

It seems to me that if you are buying something from someone who represents themself with a name, it would be reasonalbe to expect that the name that you are given is a real name in case there is a problem with the sale. I don't know what you would call selling something on the internet using a name that may be fake.

[Jim Shockey]

It was said that the seller has a new base so I would think that it was sold with the base already broken. I'm glade the sellers name was given so maybe he does not stick it to someone else. Jim

[John Keeton]

Folks, the OP stated what he felt to be the salient facts regarding this transaction, and the seller certainly has the ability to respond with any pertinent information. Please do not speculate anything beyond what has been provided by the seller. Insinuating anything further regarding the identity of the seller, or to cast dispersions beyond the OP's original statements is not warranted and should not be done.

There have been some good suggestions about how to repair the piece, and it would seem this thread has served the purpose of the OP - to identify the potential problems with the transaction, and to seek information regarding repairs. Unless the seller desires to post, or someone has other helpful information on repairing the piece, I do not see the need for further posting.

Thanks!