I've done a little leading, I'm doing some work with an aluminium bodied car and I am wondering about leading on aluminium, anything I need to know? I can't see it not working, I'm just wondering if there are any "gotchas" I should be aware of. Thanks Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I've pounded out what I can, there are a few spots I can't get at the backside. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Yeah, I'm wondering about that too, that's why I'm asking. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
I cant see leading aluminum turning out too well. Maybe weld on some more aluminum and grind it back down.
In the sense we know and understand it doesn't work. There's ways to solder aluminum for very specialized applications but the volume needed for body solder would be cost prohibitive. As much as I hate to say it, mud it. You can use Allmetal, costly and tricky at 1st, or you can prep as needed, spray some polyester primer on the area, rough it up and fill that. It should hold long after the worms gotcha...
I would think the temp that lead melts would be really close to the temp that aluminum anneals and it would be too soft to work. A little too much heat and your body is in a puddle on the floor.
Dissimilar metals don't like each other, electrolysis happens between the two constantly. Alumoloy might work but in the end bondo is where you will end up.
Don't be afraid of body filler!! Todays adhesives and fillers are outstanding!! Hell Audi and other car manufactures glue aluminum frames together(no heat distortion). Pete
I really don't know, but why don't you try it on some s****, and let us know how it worked out. About dissimiler metals and electrolisis, some lead on steel body panels is still good after decades.
Lead won't adhere to aluminum. Go get a piece of s**** aluminum and some heavy gauge electrical soldier and give it a shot. -Brad
Lead will not stick to steel by itself, one has to "TIN" the area first, and then the lead sticks to the tinned area.
Hey, I can't think of an area on an aluminum bodied car where the use of lead or plastic filler would be an exceptable route to take for a repair, but I'll admit, I haven't seen it all Are you sure you can't access the low area from behind with a pry pick, or pry rod, raise the area, and metalfinish it? Whata 'bout the use of a '' Hillbilly-Pulltab''-take a small machine screw together with a nut, one big enough to grab with some vise-grips or a small slide hammer, grind the low area, and embed the machine screw, head down in some two-part epoxy into the lowest part of the dent. Let the epoxy kick whyle you hold the screw straight up. When the epoxy kicks, grap the nut with some big vise grips or grap it with slide hammer, and give it a good yank. With two or three pulls, the metal should be at or above normal contour to the surrounding metal. Grind off the epoxy, not the aluminum, and tap down any high areas, and vixen file the area to finish. If you're alittle below contour, try again with the epoxy and screw/nut and slide hammer. The acid used to work 30/70 or 50/50 solder on carbon steel will cause major paint trouble when used on 1100 or 3003 series aluminum Sent from a computer old enought to have a foot pedal
They make a aluminum welding rod that is used with a torch . Go to your welding supply co. And ask . Its a low temp filler rod . You can weld beer cans with this stuff. Toxic Waste
Some times a piece gets overworked so much that there is not much left to do but either to use a little fill or replace the entire piece. Owner wanted to keep as much of the original body as possible so I wound up replaceing patches of the bad spots and using a thin glaze to even things out, couldnt pick an file ---too many thin spots where the previous bodyguy used a pick-axe and a grinder.
Thanks for the input guys, bongo is a no go as I'm keeping the aluminium bare, I'm going to try a couple of things, I'll let you know it comes out. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Oooooh! is that a Tom Hanna built original On the subject of the previous '' bodyguy's '' work.....more like used a dull hachet and a blindfold
Originaly yes, saved the inportant pieces but had to make new sides and cowel. http://cacklefest.com/Great-Expectations.shtml
My bad I thought the question was could he use lead on aluminum so the simple answer from me should have just been no
Lead fill on a steel car appears different from the steel. If you don't mind your filler showing you can use plastic filler with aluminum like all-metal or metal-2-metal. If you want to run bare aluminum and no filler showing you will have to make new panels and get them perfect. There is no other way, no filler you can use that will not show. And of course, lead body solder will not stick to aluminum.
IF you really want to use a lead type filler on the aluminum you might try contacting Fay Butler, i have spoken to him about doing it years ago and he was the only one i know of that had some ideas. It has been to long and i don't recall what they were. it would have to be an aluminum based soldering alloy to work i believe.
I saw Lazze use lead on aluminum about seven years ago, at one of his cl***es. I can't remember what his process was, but he did it.
Aluminium is not a ferrous metal so lead won't work. Ferrous metals include steel and iron. Non ferrous metals are alloys as they don't contain iron.
Lead is also a non-ferrous, it does not contain iron and is not magnetic. Some alloys are ferrous, some aren't. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Greetings! First, you say you want to use lead filler on aluminum, which can't be done, then you say "bondo is a no go" because you are going to leave the aluminum "bare". The question I have is this really you or is it the eggnog talking? EDIT: Did a quick "google", which you should have done, found out that Johnson's Manufacturing Co offers an aluminum solder, but it is not a filler. Also found some interesting info on "Patientsonline", apparently FoMoCo has taken out a patient for soldering aluminum panels together, involves a flux process and then solder but still no filler.
I believe body solder or "lead" is an alloy of lead and tin. 30/70 or 60/40 etc. Non ferrous metals cannot be TINNED with ferrous metal. Science 101
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