Anyone good with this besides the swap meet guy? I have tried mine a couple of times and can't get it to stick. Now I have put a nick in an aluminum mill track out in the woods and would like to fill it with this stuff and a propane (or MAP) torch, I don't want to take a chance, nor the trouble, of heating it any hotter. Scrub first with stainless brush. Do you heat the base metal until the rod melts on it?
I have only been able to "weld" aluminum tubing, i.e: lawn chair, vacuum hose fittings, nothing thicker.... just like brazing.....
Yes heat till rod will melt, scrub in and heat little more for flow...Takes practise..In my case extreme amount so I reverted to TIG..
i've got some of that stuff... works OK, kinda like brazing. if the aluminum is even remotely thick, it needs more heat than MAP is gonna do, at least in my experience. the end product is soft, too. me, i'll stick with actually welding... oxy/ace, TIG or even MIG. for a mill track... how about JB weld? seriously, it's what i'd try...
I use it from time to time. I TIG aluminum 99.99% of the time, but sometimes that is not feasible. I have had good luck with this stuff repairing aluminum radiators, in the delicate area where the tubes meet the header. Various other repairs that I don't remember too. When I bought mine, I made the guy move out of the way and let ME demo the stuff so I knew I could do it when I got back to the shop. I use MAP gas for it. I can't stress enough how important it is to have everything very clean before you start.
I used thid several years ago, and if you are doing more than repairing Beer Cans you need more heat. Put some tabs on 1/8 inch plate about 4 X 6 and couldn't get enough heat from a propane torch. It worked quite well with Oxy Acetylene and was quite pleased with the results.
I was set up next to the guy selling it at a meet a few years back. I ended up with a couple of bundles. I've used it some with limited success. I still don't know how he puts cans together. it's a fine line between making the rod flow and liquified can in my experience.
I find it works best with the special propane torch the guy sells. An ordinary torch is too diffuse and not hot enough, the oxyacetylene too hot. There is a knack to it. You have to get exactly the right degree of heat and kind of scribble the rod into the weld. It is hard to describe but too little heat and it won't work, too much and everything melts away, keep the heat on too long and it oxidizes and the weld won't take. But get it right and you can do a perfect weld in seconds. I guess it just takes practice.
I had some Karmen Ghia aluminum door hinges that were cracked that I tried this on. I found out that the stainless steel brush had to be exceptionally clean and scrub the aluminum with it really well with it for it to stick. I don't remember if I used Propane or MAP gas but it worked really well on the door hinges. I never did get the hang of welding beer cans though...
These brushes are to be dedicated to a specific metal. If I use a new brush on iron I use a felt tip marker and label it Iron. Same thing with other metals. Aluminum seems to be especially susceptible to contamination.
Thanks guys. Here is the repair I want to make, just these small chips in a 20' wood mill track. The wheels still roll fine so the last thing I want to do is make it worse, it's not mine but I did the damage when a bar fell against it. There is no power out there for TIG, I have a small oxy/acetylene torch I'm just afraid of warpage, or worse. So the question is: can I get it hot enough with MAP to melt some magic rod in there with no chance of hurting the parent metal?
the large piece is a big heat sink, so i doubt it. metal bondo or jb weld would work. sand it smooth and voila!
when we went to welders school we were told wrap your aluminum brush in aluminum foil to keep it clean and also so you know what its used for too .
The "damage" is marginal at worst (I had to study the pic to see it.) Probably not the first ding it has gotten and certainly not the last. If it functions properly, let it ride man. MHO
^^ Yeah I know, if it were mine I wouldn't bother but you know how it is when you f*ck up someone else's stuff. Stimpy is probably right, I'll never get it hot enough without oxy/ac and I don't want to dare that. Gonna JB weld and if he wants I'll pull it apart and bring it in for a TIG job.
Sounds dumb, but I've had luck with PC7 in the past. If you need a real smooth finish I'm not sure it would do the trick.
As others have said, controlling the heat is most important. You have to isolate the area so the heat stays where you need it.
wasn't me who said it it was johnny walker above me ( giving credit were its due ) if its a low pressure part I would use Jb weld , thats stuff holds up pretty damn good
That piece of aluminum is going to soak heat like a camel soaks water. you are probably not going to get it done with map gas but you could try and if that fails revert to oxy/acetylene. We used to braze Rain makers in the field with oxy/acetylene and aluminum brazing rid with no problems. The couplings had to get pretty hot and warpage was always a consideration with a coupling. You may have the rail walk on you a bit after it cools but you should be able to pull any twist out with a crescent and a cheater and if it bows to one side or the other just heat the other side to pull it back. I have tried the aluminum welding rod that you speak of without much luck but that doesn't mean that you can't do it. of course there is always JB Weld for aluminum.
I used it to repair a cracked bell housing last year. I used a MAPP torch and was able to get it hot enough.
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