On Wed, 7 Mar 2007 21:35:38 -0000, "Ron Jones"
wrote:

The Natural Philosopher wrote:
Jimbo wrote:
Araldite (which I believe weakens at 70 C)?

MM. Araldite will go higher than that if well mixed and heat cured.

With a slow setting epoxy like that, heating the mixture to about 70C
while mixing ensures a very good strength, and heating it to that sort
of temp while it dries seems to make it set harder.

You may be confusing Araldite with Araldite Rapid - 2 very different
animals.
The Rapid is known to soften with heat and stuck items can be easily parted
at 150C. If it cures in 10 mins then it's Rapid, if it takes 3 days it's
the original - and that is a much stronger bond, and doesn't really soften
with heat. The slow set also allows the user plenty of time to get a well
mixed glue. Most stores stock the Rapid, because they know that most people
don't want the fuss of carefully holding the parts together for 3 days.
As an aside the original will set in about 2 mins at 100C - I knew someone
who damanged the brass tap of his 1957 Ford Anglia heater supply - we used
Araldite and a large old pre-decimal (1d) penny to block the hole (with
thick gloves to hold it as it was boiling!). Lasted for years....

I had a cracked aluminium thermostat cover off my car back in the 70s.
Smeared araldite into the crack and left it on the radiator in the
workshop for the morning. Put it back on the car at night and drove
away. Was still on the car when I got rid of it a couple of years
later.