Jarrid Gross wrote:
> Piners,
>
> I have seen recent ads about a product call alumaweld.
>
> Its claim to fame is it allows you to "braze" aluminum similar
> to soldering on brass or copper.
> Claims to have a rather low metling point, but a rather high
> tensile strength.
>
> I have some stress tears in my alum hard top that perhaps could
> be repaired with such a product.
>
> Anyone have opinions.
>
> Jarrid Gross
Jarrid:
While this may be a new or break-through product, I doubt it, since
aluminum solders and aluminum brazing alloys have been around for a long
time in the maintenance welding
field. One reputable rod supply company that has been in the business
for over thirty years is Magna Group (originally from Australia, where
much welding innovation goes on). They have a website (quite good) at
http://www.magnagroup.com/Products/Magna/Index.htm
Here, you can look at some data and methods of low temperature aluminum
brazing and soldering and, in my experience, products that do what they
say they will do.
Alumiweld, which claims to be a competitor of Alumaloy (only better!)
has a website at
http://virtual-adnet.com/alumiweld/alumiweld.htm
and makes some claims that I would take with a grain of salt. ( I would
bet that the 47000 psi T.S. is not based on a butt weld, and any
maintenance supervisor who has been working for 45 years without hearing
of these alloys is incompetent!).
For your application, I would say that this might be quite adequate, as
long as you keep in mind that heavier repairs may require oxy-actylene
because of the rapid heat transmission of the aluminum, and that Rich's
good description of some of the problems illustrates that not just any
housewife can do it! (practice on some similar scrap first). Finally, I
haven't checked Magna's prices lately, (and they were never cheap!) but
you might check there first since $30-40 a pound might get higher
quality materials.
Ron Tebo
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