Central Vermont Micro Weld, LLC

07/03/2026

This was the bell we were a part of restoring

https://vnews.com/2026/07/02/norwich-church-bell-repair/?fbclid=IwY2xjawS07zlleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe3KwbQG7tWe8tUduQKUrg-aXuZayKpVmOOt1JPt0pWV37ZUy_c-cq4n7S65o_aem_X0GyxnNvJIgg78Z6fle-iA

Discover the fascinating story of the repair of the historic Paul Revere bell in Norwich Congregational Church. Learn about the challenges and solutions.

06/30/2026

We had a very cool project come through the door recently. I was contacted by a gentleman from the Norwich Congregational church in Norwich Vt about their church bell. The bell clapper had broken in April and they needed it fixed. As the conversation went on I began to realize this wasn’t just some old bell. He explained to me it was a Revere bell made in 1817 by the revere company in Boston. I didn’t know what a Revere bell was but as we spoke he explained the Revere Company was a foundry that was founded by Paul Revere. Here was a piece of history that I was being asked if I was able to fix it. He was in contact with several welders in Vermont and New Hampshire along with metallurgist’s because it is true wrought iron. Not a typical material that you encounter everyday. It had been repaired more than 100 years ago and it needed to be repaired in the same area. I could tell that this meant a lot to the church and they weren’t willing to let it go to just anyone. After several emails and phone conversations with him and his committee they decided it would come to us. Their goal was to have it repaired so they could reinstall it and ring the bell on the 4th of July after the reading of the Declaration of Independence. When he delivered it to me and we talked about it I noticed the 2 sides of the bell clapper had 2 flat areas on either side of it. I realized that it wasn’t manufactured this way but the flats were there because it had been in use for over 200 years and this was just the wrought iron being displaced over time. To think of how many times this must have struck the bell to create this displacement in the clapper is hard to imagine. And then to look at the repair that had been made over 100 years ago that lasted all this time was a testament to the craftsmanship of whoever repaired it without the luxury of modern welding equipment. We also spoke of the fact that this was manufactured in Boston and must have been delivered with horse and buggy on dirt roads. It really makes you kind of step back and try to reflect on this whole process and the history of this snapshot in time. The plan for this repaired part is to use it for a short time until they can have a new one cast and the repaired clapper will be retired and put into a glass case as a display piece. Thank you Smith for choosing us and also trusting us to repair it. These are the types of projects that make all of this worth doing. I hope everyone has a great 4th of July!

06/06/2026

I was approached by a customer requesting a .250” carbide drill silver soldered to a long piece of drill rod. It’s a tricky process because the drill rod is about .008” smaller than the drill. It’s all about set up and preparation. I’d never attempted this before and wasn’t sure if it would work. After a test on one a little larger the customer reported good results and has drill numerous holes drilled in cast iron and still performing well. I try not to be afraid of a new process to help out our customers. It’s a learning curve sometimes.

05/11/2026

Along with micro welding we fix things for customers that don’t have another option. This part is a cast aluminum windshield wiper assembly for an old International dump truck that was obsolete. While welding was not an option making a new part was. We turned it around for them quickly because you never know when it’s going to rain! (Which is every day it seems!)

01/06/2026

A good day to breathe new life into an old machine. This mill was built in 1982 and has many hours and has built a lot of molds. For a 43 year old machine it’s in great shape. A few
Bearings and some new bushings and it’ll be like new again ready for another 40 years! Happy new year!