Press repair ideas

[MrLeadMan]

The attached artwork is a hydraulic c frame press we have at work.
The red is a crack that exists in bought sides of the frame.
The yellow is the general area that the boss wants to cut out and insert. The table mounts will also be replaced.
Cut out, bevel and weld. Any thoughts I should consider before I start this deal?
I'll have a Lincoln Ideal-Arc 400 available for the welding, 7018 and 6011 on hand.

[BCTimberwolf]

What material is it composed of? I used to do repairs on some of the huge Niagra presses in my dad's factory which were all cast iron. So it came down to grinding it out, pre heating with oxy-acetylene torch, then welding an inch or so with Ni99 rods then beating the crap out of it with a hammer. Still holding over 10 years later and those presses take a beating everyday

[Fegenbush]

2" plate could be cast iron, cast steel, or rolled steel plate. If I were making it, I would use rolled plate, but that's just me. I would definitely check it out.

I would double bevel the plate to minimize the amount of welding you will have to do. Also, I would post heat the welded area to about 1150°F and heat blanket it to let it cool slowly. This is standard procedure on thick pressure vessels (although, usually I send it out to have the whole vessel done at once) and might not be a bad idea here.

Also, check with Expat Welder. He welds thick stuff all the time.