[zj-jeepster]

Has anyone seen or used a type of aluminum repair method where you use a torch and some knid of aluminum welding rod to repair aluminum parts?I saw this commercial one Sunday morning (still half asleep). It looked like a simple yet effective way to patch or repair aluminum. I've never since seen this commercial.Anyone tried it yet?.

[JB]

Years ago I used a brazing rod and flux that would braze aluminum pretty well with a propane torch.I have more recently seen an aluminum rod advertised that made the same claim, but didn't try it.I suspect it works, if you have a really clean joint to seal. I wouldn't vouch for strength.

[ZmOz]

Depends on what you're using it for. Probably better than filling a hole with epxoy, but not good for a structural joint.

[zj-jeepster]

This commercial showed an automotive manifold being repaired with this method/product. And some other aluminum part that had a whole chunk of aluminum missing and it was repaired. Looked original again though its strength is unknown.Has anyone tried this and how expensive are the rods? Probably just regular aluminum brazing rods?.

[imported_JD__]

I'm no expert, just a do-it-yourselfer, took welding for 4 years in high school back in the dark ages. Aluminum is one of the hardest metals to repair unless you have the proper equipment. If you get it too hot, chunks will fall out like parafin wax. Too cold and it barely sticks to the metal. Too slow and you burn through, too fast and you don't get a good weld. I mig weld aluminum a little, have to be very careful with the heat and speed. Not what you were asking but be careful.JD

[mbareta]

Do a net search for alumiweld or alumaloy. They look interesting, but I don't have any experience with them...

[PatPatterson]

Originally posted by JD__: .... Too cold and it barely sticks to the metal. Too slow and you burn through, too fast and you don't get a good weld. ....JD

You got that right, JD, Not to mention the pin-holes, case hardening from the heat, warping from heat, and a hundred other things that can happen when you weld aluminum.

[tee-boy]

I met a guy who was selling these rods at a boat show in houston a couple of weeks ago. He was giving a demonstration. He got me to demonstrate to the small audience how easy it was. It was pretty easy. I repaired a hole in an aluminum can, then asked him if I could hit it with a hammer and punch. He put it in some kind of fancy vise, and I pounded the weld 3 or 4 times. It didn't give. It took some of my skeptecism away, but not nearly enough to dish out the money he was asking for the rods.

[petrolhead]

I use Alumiweld quite a bit, most recently to repair a chunk missing out of my prop which it did very well. I've used it for all sorts of stuff, repairing aluminium castings, fabricating sheet aluminium parts etc...The stuff they sell now is very easy to use, it was reformulated a few years ago and is now much easier to use than the original.The key is heat, you can use a propane torch and I suggest you do, as although an oxy-acetylene torch also works well it's too easy to melt a hole in whatever you're trying to repair! If using propane though it needs to be a big enough torch to apply a lot of heat over a wider area than just the joint, a little flame won't do any good as the heat dissipates too quickly.They tell you to heat the whole workpiece to working temperature but in my experience that's not usually neccessary.

[Paul Moir]

Is this the same thing? Bernz-O-Matic aluminium rods Ever try Mapp or propylene, Petrolhead? It's a nice compromise between propane and oxy-anything. Will melt Al, but not nearly so easily.I use it even for plumbing now, even though it's 4x the price. It's particulairly nice in an 'internal combustion' type torchhead rather than your typical propane bonsun burner type.

[petrolhead]

I've never seen Bernz-O-Matic before, maybe it's not sold over here, in fact Alumiweld is the only one I've seen sold here I think. It could be the same stuff. Alumiweld is sold in a starter pack with a stainless steel brush for cleaning prior to welding, and a stainless steel rod which is used to break through the oxide layer and allow the Alumiweld alloy to stick. Then you can buy additional welding rods in packs of 5 or 10.I haven't tried Mapp or propylene, I'm aware of them though. We have big propane torches at work which we use for all sorts of things, so I just use those. If I need something hotter I use oxy-acetylene, but something in between could be useful, I'll have to look into it.

[WillyBWright]

I have those rods and have had good and bad luck with them. Nice thing about using propane is that you can't hardly get the aluminum hot enough to melt it unless it's very thin or you hold it on way too long.This will suprise you. I have had better luck with aluminum stick-welding rods (for arc-welding) and an oxy-acetylene torch. I got this trick from the plant engineer at a candy factory I used to work at. You adjust the tip to put out a proper flame, but with as little oxygen as possible. Then basically solder with the rod. But again it's kinda tricky trying not to let the aluminum you are welding melt. The reasons for the low oxygen flame are to use all of the oxygen up in the burn so it doesn't throw extra oxygen at the aluminum and oxidize it as you are welding, and to give you a cooler flame compared to one with a lot of oxygen blowing thru. If you happen to have this stuff around anyhow, give it a try. You'll be amazed. I was.

[Rudderman]

I've tried using the Benzo-matic aluminium rods with a propane torch, but I gave up, I was probably doing it wrong anyway. They sell them in B&Q.

[zj-jeepster]

I have never seen this commercial again anywhere. You guys aren't talking about the same thing are you? Is it expensive? I don't have any projects that needs it yet but just in case so I have some around..

[CTD]

I think JC Whitney sells it, not really too expensive. I used it to repair a heat sheild for a chainsaw exhust and it held until it got bumped pretty hard. If I had a pinhole in a boat I would try it. I wouldn't use it to hold anything that required a lot of strength where someone could get hurt though. I figure if I ever get corrosion in my lower unit I'll try filling it with this stuff.

[Tracy Coleman]

My experience with the product is it takes a LOT more heat to make it work than you think after seeing the beer/soda can demo. I had a a few projects involving thicker metal and never could get enough heat to do the job. Like the flyer saysyou may have to preheat the piece to 400 deg.(in the wife's oven) to get the propane torch to finish the job. The next time I'll have a gas rig with a rosebud. You have to get the object hot enough to melt and flow out the rod material.The trick is to get to about 900 deg. and finish before the object gets too hot and melts. You just need a friend to hold a non contact heat sensor while you work to keep you on the down side of 1300 deg.Backfire