I am trying see if anyone has used Muggy Weld to repair pot metal parts. I am looking to try a repair on a convertible top part. I am also going to try a repair on one of my "Elephant Ears". John
ive used it on the ring around a Studebaker bullet , first try I melted the tab , oops , then I tried clamping a thick piece of steel to the back of the ring for a heat shrink , muggy isn't supposed to stick to steel either , anyhow second try it worked as the directions said , flowed like solder and filled in all the pits and missing piece I liked the results , but you have to draw the heat away , to much in one spot and everything flows away like a glob of solder
forgot to say clean the spot good I used some steel wool and a fine wire brush to get the corrosion out of the pits and roughed the spot up a bit for adhesion
The top frame on my 54 Ford is made with some steel pieces, and the cast pieces are magnesium, I believe.
Yikes!!! Magnesium burns with a blinding white flame!! Maybe its pot metal (zinc) or aluminum?? How about a pic of the break?
The major top pieces for my 51 Merc convertible are made of pot metal. That is what FoMoCo used. The cost to make them out of magnesium would be far to expensive so magnesium was never used. It's interesting to see how porous the casting is. Below is an example of a broken main convertible top mechanism pot metal casting. We made another out of aluminum.
Ive got a friend/fabricator who if I hadn't seen it, I may not have believed it, but he tig welded a bunch of potmetal window frames on a mid 50s Buick that he chopped....amazing
Greetings! Have used Muggy Weld to fix a pair of '76 Monti headlight housings, if you want the repair to be successful you must follow the directions exactly. The stuff is kind of pricey so it's a good idea to call for advice before you buy, I found him extremely knowledgable and helpful.
I'd have to side with 19Fordy....... J-B Weld the piece back together and use it as a mold for casting one out of aluminum. Roger
That replacement piece was actually machined from a chunk of aluminum. There is a company that makes that same piece for 1951 Ford convertibles.
Hey, I'd try and produce those parts from steel, and have them cad or zinc plated. " Muggy '' won't produce a part that's as strong as the original casting " Humpty Dumpty was pushed "
you heat the piece with a torch until the flux gets a dark amber color, which tells you it's the right temp to apply the rod. you don't heat the rod, it melts from the heat of the piece. a bernzo-matic type torch works fine, which is what they demo with. takes some practice.
Thanks to all that responded. I had to take a break from the computer... I spent a few days at my doctors getting a loop-recorder installed. I had a stroke, but I am back at the grind now. I did manage to get the broken part back together using the muggy weld videos. Turned out for my first try. I will get a few pictures posted as soon as I can. Thanks for the help. John
Hope you are o.k now. Take it easy. Never tried muggy , but had ticker problems. Slow is the way .. Good luck Jack
Congratulations on feeling better and also on your Muggy Weld project. I am very glad you are well and that the Muggy welded part turned out so good.
I tried it on a pot metal grille bottom and could stick it together but when tested with a little pressure it broke. Tried it again with more heat and the grille melted away. Was going to use heat dam putty and just let it melt, but found another bottom piece and attached it to my top piece with some small screws.
I have had pretty decent success welding pot metal with 4043 wire with the T.I.G. welder, probably just as high of a success rate as I've had with the low temp. aluminum solder like you have (can't remember the brand name). As for the elephant ear, I wouldn't bother repairing it at all. Just eat it as is...it will still be delicious.
Made a crude one out of barstock until I can get my hands on a real one.....I don't have the talent or the tools (weld) to make one from scratch. The one painted tan is the good one on the driver’s side the temp is the one on the passenger’s side.