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Aluminum repair

I'veusedit , it's"fiddily" to work with , I found apropane torch not hot enough , switchedto oxy-acetylene , takessomepractice . will not hold ashine , turns grey [like zinc]
 
I bought something like that about 20 years ago. The guy mended holes in soda cans and bonded metal too. Seems like the brush has to be stainless bristles. Never used it.
 
I bought something like that about 20 years ago. The guy mended holes in soda cans and bonded metal too. Seems like the brush has to be stainless bristles. Never used it.
I bought some too. Same thing, a guy at a swap meet was demoing it by brazing pop cans and piston rods from a lawn mower. I didn't have as good of result. Technique and practice is key as is prep, I think. Map gas may be a decent choice. Your right about stainless brush and it must not be used on anything but aluminum, the same is true when mig welding.
 
I used it or something similar to it for an air cleaner, I defiantly wouldn't use it for any thing structural
 
Aluminum is wierd to weld or braze. It will disintegrate very easily, like just about the time you get it to flow, its gone...a little too much heat and it's over. Especially thin material. Practice on scrap before trying to do anything important. That's my advice.
 
Where can you get it .. I would like to do some experiments with that. On the verge of buying a Tig for some light aluminum work but I really only have a two or three day project, this might be the ticket.
 
One of the problems with alloy is that the skin (oxide) has a higher melting temperature than the pure metal. When the skin is just coming up to molten the metal its covering is already there, so as the skin breaks the metal is ready to run out, if you see what I mean.

Pre heat is also a good idea, especially on larger pieces. I used to weld alloy pallets after the morons with a fork lift ran the forks through them.
 
HT is correct this process is adhesion not cohesion! I dont care what the manufactor claims please dont use this process for any load bearing structure!!
you can get satisfactory results with a propane torch but the materal must be cleaned by chemical or machanical means. preheat will help but make sure that you wire brush(stainless) both members after you preheat prior to soldering.
 

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