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Alu weld / repair


110WestCape

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http://www.durafix.eu/videos/index.cfm

Any chance of success in welding Alu with this product, as in sections onto a roofrack for example ? Any experiences or comments appreciated.

Edit : The link did not work properly, trywww.durafix.eu/, the video can be found at the top right of the page

I've got some, absolute rubbish, i wouldnt bother wasting my money on it again - either TIG or MIG, not some blowtorch bodge.

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I've got some, absolute rubbish, i wouldnt bother wasting my money on it again - either TIG or MIG, not some blowtorch bodge.

Im no expert, have seen it used on a couple of old Porche and VW gearbox mounts to good success. Well the gearbox is under the car and working. However when i had a go, its no easy thing to get right, my attempt certainly would be classed as a bodge. Didnt use a blowtorch though, Oxy/Acet was used with a nice thin nossle and the torch.

Some old gearboxes etc were made out of such carp alluminium that using this type of practice can be your best bet. Especially if its the differance between using a part or stumping up £££'s I have seen a few attempts to weld with a dissimiliar alley rods and the out come was useless.

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similar thing from frosts, lumiweld, I can vouch for this product. ;) you will need a pencil torch or blow torch.

http://www.frost.co.uk/item_Detail.asp?pro...=&subCatID=

They do quality stuff (dinitrol, chassis paint, engine paint, etc)

Pete

I can also vouch for Frost's Lumiweld kit.

I've made good strong welds with it and none have broken yet even though one weld is holding a caterham exhaust heatshield together, and it races so good testament to an exellent product (and cheap) :D

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Im no expert, have seen it used on a couple of old Porche and VW gearbox mounts to good success. Well the gearbox is under the car and working. However when i had a go, its no easy thing to get right, my attempt certainly would be classed as a bodge. Didnt use a blowtorch though, Oxy/Acet was used with a nice thin nossle and the torch.

Some old gearboxes etc were made out of such carp alluminium that using this type of practice can be your best bet. Especially if its the differance between using a part or stumping up £££'s I have seen a few attempts to weld with a dissimiliar alley rods and the out come was useless.

IIRC this also applies to Land Rover bodies as they use/used Birmabright which is an alloy?

I have seen some articles in the past which stated that one of these products (not sure which of the two mentioned here) worked better than welding?

Marc.

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I frequently use Limiweld to repair aluminium castings etc at work. Done properly it won't break in the same place again, but does take a little practice. Have also used it succesfully on the unweldable ****metal they make carb bodies and window hinges from.

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IIRC this also applies to Land Rover bodies as they use/used Birmabright which is an alloy?

I have seen some articles in the past which stated that one of these products (not sure which of the two mentioned here) worked better than welding?

Marc.

whoever wrote that was talking poop Marc - Birmabright welds nicely, as much as I can see a use for magic sticks to give a cheap and relatively robust repair, I'll keep my tig

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Thing is Gez, not all of us have easy access to Tig. I can get it done but it means an hour or so drive to the coast to get t done. Perhaps this is the next best option for the rest of us that don't have big boys toys ;)

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Im not sure I said anything to the contrary Mark :unsure: everything has a use

all toys are just training, hard work and saving, they dont grow on trees - just depends how much you want/need em :lol:

Totaly agree. But having a euro sized box of a garage without electric 1/2 mile from my flat sort of counts Tig/Mig/grinder/drill/radio out for me :(:(

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Ready welder might help Mark - packs away to fek all, welds ally easily, ideal for storing in a shoe box and bringing out for sporadic glueing, needs 2 or 3 car batteries depending on the application so that would sort the lack of mains :)

Offivaruste have a really neat battery powered mig with a 3 metre torch that hits the same spot

(sorry for wandering off topic chaps)

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he aluweld kit that I have to be the best for me as it cost only 15quid and I've used it several times. It is in the garage ready whenever I need to weld two bits of ally together, it works, no one askes to borrow it, and it only took half a stick or less to master the tecnique so it works for me.

One day I'm going to try it on Landy panels :D

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I've used a few of these different products - and on the whole have been rather impressed!

I have used it to repair a tear in the body of a 90 and can vouch for the fact that it works to the point that the tear became invisible once painted.

I found on a thing I once made (actually a speedy, folding electric scooter) where the head-stock was welded to the main chassis spar, it lasted much longer than the same thing tig welded.

The part was under high stress and suffered fatigue in use. The welding was done by a grown up (but probably a mere child compared to Jez ;) ). My impression is that the final result is more ductile than an equivalent weld - so may be a good solution in some circumstances. Eventually I re-made the thing such that it bolted together - much safer! The front wheel of your scooter parting company at several mph can be upsetting!

Si

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ahh theres a million possible reasons for a weld failure Si, rod type, parent metal, weld construction bla bla bla Im barely a child and will never accept any other title thanks :P

Brazing still finds favour in bicycle frames for exactly that reason - magic sticks give a solution to a problem but in my bodging opinion

are only going to offer a replacement for a welded joint in circumstances, calling the process the magic sticks employ a "weld" is misleading at best.

I was asked about the battery powered migs - not sure if its any use but heres THE LINK

for the non-Finnish speakers in the room (Im sure there may be one or two :unsure: ) Koo-Pee sums it up as

"Mig welders have two types amateur/professional.

Amateur model is 350e export price and pro model is 700e (no vat)

difference is quality, pro model has only top quality KEMPPI parts inside,

amateur model is quite similar looking outside but inside is chinese"

Finnish VAT is about 17% from memory

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