Alloy question
 

At various markets people set up stalls selling an aluminium soldering
(brazing) rod Which they demonstrate filling holes in aluminium cans,
also aluminium to bronze etc using LPG flame.It melts at a lot lower
temp than aluminium,they heat the can and sort of paint and puddle the
rod on and they do not use flux.
This rod looks like thin rudimentary solder sticks.
I think it is a zinc based alloy
I would like to know the formula as I think they make this alloy
themselves and pour it into sticks, I don't think it is a commercial
product.
can any one tell me which metals and the proportions it would be made from

Alloy question
 

On 10/8/2011 10:35 AM, F Murtz wrote:
At various markets people set up stalls selling an aluminium soldering
(brazing) rod Which they demonstrate filling holes in aluminium cans,
also aluminium to bronze etc using LPG flame.It melts at a lot lower
temp than aluminium,they heat the can and sort of paint and puddle the
rod on and they do not use flux.
This rod looks like thin rudimentary solder sticks.
I think it is a zinc based alloy
I would like to know the formula as I think they make this alloy
themselves and pour it into sticks, I don't think it is a commercial
product.
can any one tell me which metals and the proportions it would be made from

What country are you in?

The aluminum solder rods in the US look like they're home-made (they're
kinda lumpy) but the rods are flux-core. I dunno how you'd do that
cheaply at home. ?

The stuff is all mostly zinc, it's not expensive. That doesn't stop at
least one company for vastly overcharging for it however.

Fourney, Muggyweld, HTS-2000 and Dura-Fix are the four most-common US
brands. Fourney and Dura-Fix are the cheapest, and local hardware stores
often sell them.



You have to play with it to see what it can and can't do. The
heat-dissipative nature of aluminum can make it difficult or impossible
to do multiple joins close to each other.

For small spot/hole repairs or for "spot welds" in thin aluminum it is
great--but for long cracks, long welds or lots of stress, it is not a
substitute for true welding.

Alloy question
 

DougC wrote:
On 10/8/2011 10:35 AM, F Murtz wrote:
At various markets people set up stalls selling an aluminium soldering
(brazing) rod Which they demonstrate filling holes in aluminium cans,
also aluminium to bronze etc using LPG flame.It melts at a lot lower
temp than aluminium,they heat the can and sort of paint and puddle the
rod on and they do not use flux.
This rod looks like thin rudimentary solder sticks.
I think it is a zinc based alloy
I would like to know the formula as I think they make this alloy
themselves and pour it into sticks, I don't think it is a commercial
product.
can any one tell me which metals and the proportions it would be made
from

What country are you in?

The aluminum solder rods in the US look like they're home-made (they're
kinda lumpy) but the rods are flux-core. I dunno how you'd do that
cheaply at home. ?

The stuff is all mostly zinc, it's not expensive. That doesn't stop at
least one company for vastly overcharging for it however.

Fourney, Muggyweld, HTS-2000 and Dura-Fix are the four most-common US
brands. Fourney and Dura-Fix are the cheapest, and local hardware stores
often sell them.



You have to play with it to see what it can and can't do. The
heat-dissipative nature of aluminum can make it difficult or impossible
to do multiple joins close to each other.

For small spot/hole repairs or for "spot welds" in thin aluminum it is
great--but for long cracks, long welds or lots of stress, it is not a
substitute for true welding.
Australia,my research on another NG suggests Lumiweld.
The sticks I have are thin with two smooth sides at right angles and
the third side lumpier as if they had been poured into a bit of bent sheet

Alloy question
 

On Sun, 9 Oct 2011 15:12:08 -0400, "Wild_Bill"
wrote:

There likely isn't any real savings to be attained by making your own, even
if you had a perfect formula.
These rods are a commercial product, available at many hardware retailers
and welding suppliers here in the US.
Patching old roof flashing, for example, isn't really a good way to repair a
leaking roof IMO, but I suppose some would feel a great sense of
accomplishment from doing something like that.

The real value is in being able to repair non-ferrous parts instead of
buying new parts if/when they're still available.
Obviously there isn't much value in repairing mum's pie pans with these
rods, but real savings can be realized by repairing machine parts or various
fittings which would require parts searches and ordering, or custom
assemblies which aren't commonly available.

I've saved many hundreds of dollars worth of aluminum parts with these types
of rods, having started using them about 30 years ago.

I've also been able to fabricate a lot of items with stock aluminum shapes
which would have needed to have been riveted or screwed together with
fasteners.
Very handy stuff for fabricating outdoor or boat hardware items.

Some holes can be patched with plastic/epoxy products, but the fix is often
inferior to actually making a metal repair.

I've found MAPP gas and a MAPP torch (not an ordinary propane torch) to be
much more effective for using these types of rods, since aluminum can
dissipate heat fairly rapidly.
Actual use requires proper shaping and cleaning of the joint, heating to the
correct range, and using a stirring/scratching motion of the rod to keep the
oxides afloat and maintaining the proper heat range while adding more rod to
fill any voids.. scratching the rod into the workpiece material to attain an
alloying of the rod with the workpiece.

I dunno what Doug's seen, but I've never seen the rods with flux core.


Repaired the old Springbok Aluminum canoe several times with the alloy
rods, and made both canoe carrier for van rooftop and bike carrier for
trailer hitch using the stuff - no problems. Also used to repair
motorcycle engine side covers etc, and even repaired crankcase of lawn
mower engine where con-rod came out through.

I do also have aluminum solder, in wire form, which IS flux cored. I
wouldn't use it on anything large, but it is available - and it
apparently works. I have about 5 lbs of it - have not used it yet but
it was used by NCR (National Cash Register) in production at their
Waterloo Ontario plant = where I bought it at a surplus sale a number
of years back.

Alloy question
 

Yep, the stuff is handy, regardless of the cost. A TIG welder would enable
one to do equivalent, and likely better or more complex repairs.. but
comparing the cost (and maintenance) of a TIG welder (30 years ago when I
started using the rods, or today) can't come close to the cost of the rods
and some MAPP gas.

As far as I've seen, the rods don't need any special storage protection, and
old stuff works as well as new stuff, I generally just keep it in the
plastic tube it's sold in until needed. Different brands seem to work just
as well as others, IME.

Back when I was boating, I discovered numerous businesses built around prop
repair, and apparently they were making money because they'd been in
business for years (lots of river boating around here).

Many things just aren't worth the effort of repairing (cheap lawn chairs,
for example), but real value can be realized when recovering a damaged
expensive part.

--
WB
..........


wrote in message
...

Repaired the old Springbok Aluminum canoe several times with the alloy
rods, and made both canoe carrier for van rooftop and bike carrier for
trailer hitch using the stuff - no problems. Also used to repair
motorcycle engine side covers etc, and even repaired crankcase of lawn
mower engine where con-rod came out through.

I do also have aluminum solder, in wire form, which IS flux cored. I
wouldn't use it on anything large, but it is available - and it
apparently works. I have about 5 lbs of it - have not used it yet but
it was used by NCR (National Cash Register) in production at their
Waterloo Ontario plant = where I bought it at a surplus sale a number
of years back.

Alloy question
 

DougC wrote:
..... The typical stuff melts
up at 1050F or so IIRC.

I'd say it's closer to 800F, the melting point of zinc.

Bob