[dracozny]

Mercury in retrograde for sure......... I may have been over torquing to get things to stop spinning in the R8 collet. Went to loosen the bar and the head snapped right off. Just enough meat I could tap it with a hammer to knock the collet loose but she is down until I fix that thing. Looking at the shaft it is clearly cast. No point in welding it back together other than a cheap fix that will potentially fail.

[dracozny]

I suppose I should have given an update to this I fixed it some time ago.
Since I do not have access to a lathe I wound up ordering a replacement from Wholesale Tool co.
part number 3006-9001
This one is pretty nice since it has an actual nut and threaded on both ends, so if you break it you can just flip it, also gives you a little more flexibility on the length as a result.