I've never welded together a excavator boom. The cranes I'm around, range from the dumbest of dumb old iron, to what they tell me is pretty exotic steels in the new ovaloid booms coming out of germany. Most manufactures of the crane booms, don't want to give out much in repair procedures. They just want it condemned. And don't really want to sell new sections to repair any thing either. Or the manufacturer is simply gone. So you do the best you can with what you have to work with- experience and a guess at what might work.
I've held 1 1/2" - 2" wall 16-24" pipe at a natural gas pumping plant, while they welded all day to make a joint. They would weed burner preheat after breaks and lunch. Everything was stress relieved and xray inspected. But we're talking about a bomb that takes out a couple square miles if things go wrong. So everything is pretty spelled out. Same deal with all the steam pipe at a powerhouse project I worked on.
I think Dave comes from a manufacturing background, where there's blueprints and procedures for everything. Nobody freelances in a environment like that. John C. has been out in the woods with little in the way of backup, with a welder and a can of 7018 and not much else. But has to get a boom patched back together. Whether there's any procedures or not. I find it interesting to read both perspectives.
As far as the original issue- I think Case is going to mess with you for months on end trying to get any kind of a repair procedure, and you may get nothing from them at the end. Its not like your buying 10million in equipment a year from them- you aren't even the original purchaser. I think they're going to tell you to pound sand. I'd cut it open and patch it up inside and out and hope for the best, but I'm just a dumb old farm kid.
Most members are wishing me well and you're trying to start a pizzing contest. Now everyone can see your true colors. Hope you're proud of yourself.
I know you've got some health issues right now dave, but just because someone disagrees with you, doesn't mean they are wishing ill for you. They just don't agree with you, because they are coming at the job from a different experience background. It doesn't have to be personal.