Alumiweld Rod for wleding aluminum ??

[CrazyHorse!]

Any input on this rod for welding aluminum I was told you can use a propane torch or O/A to weld with this rod

got a aluminum water tank and it's not important that it hold high pressure
or that the weld even looks good just needs to fix the seapage it has under about 10 psi was told this rod will work as good as tigging it

has any one used this rod before and how was the outcome of it is it all that they claim??

Thanks for any input on this

CH!

[TJS]

Are you talking about "alumaloy". If so 10psi is a tall order for that stuff.
T.J.

[FusionKing]

IMO it is CRAP.
It is solder. It has been around forever. People simply took an existing product and changed the way it was marketed. It simply has a lower melting point than aluminum and adheres to non-ferrous metals.
It requires virtually the same prep as welding.
Something as large as a tank may require a good deal of heat depending on the mass of the area you are working with.
Using that product could have some benefits such as working with an area that may have corroded thru.
If it is somewhere that a weld has failed then I doubt it will help much.
Everyone expects this to work with propane....that is seldom the case. you could spend the rest of you life heating it and never get it hot enuff to work unless it is small and thin (like a pop can) It is used with MAPP gas and they don't tell you unless you ask.
If this tank has water in the area of repair it must be removed before anything will work.
In the 14 years I have operated an Aluminum only welding biz I have never once used this product. When I encounter a situation that this is the only way to get by I would submit a bid for a permanent repair (like a patch) instead..... IMO solder is for plumbers and fusion is for welders!

[CrazyHorse!]

Thanks for the input guys never mess with it just heard about it thought id ask about it was going to pick some up just to fart around with it a bit before trying any repair to the tank in this case it really is cheaper just picking up a used tank any way besides its not really an important project

And Thanks for chiming in it is appreciated.

CH!

[monte55]

It's not total crap. If you need to fix holes in your beer cans it just might be the ticket. Tip..You have to drink the beer first. The more beer you drink, the better you wil become. Just think... A mobile beer can soldering rig. Initial
cost to get going is low.

[Old Sporty]

I agree and disagree with the previous posts. I've used this product in the past and it works if used for its' intended purpose. It's not a replacement for a good aluminum weld but if you need to build up a lug area ( like a broken lug on an alternator mount), it will work if you follow the application procedures. It's also useful in repairing aluminum door handles and window hardware. I have done so and been successful. This was before I got a tig machine, however.

I'll still use it if the item to be repaired lends itself to the product. As for sealing a leak in an aluminum container, I don't think you'll have any problems. If properly applied, it should withstand 10 psi easily. This stuff sets up pretty hard and if the base is properly cleaned, heated, and the rod is used as per the instructions, you get a strong bond.

This is just my experience though. Each person will have their own belief as to whether it works for them or not.

In addition, I don't think I would call this an aluminum welding rod. To me it is more like an aluminum brazing rod.

[Tryagn5]

Not to sound like an info commerical here but what do you have to loose? Its not a critical repair, the stuff is cheap. Spend 20 bucks it might work! I have seen its use in the past to repair leaking pontoons on boats and it worked much bettar than I thought it would. I think the hardest part is getting enough heat on a large area, but if you have oxy/act it would be easy.
Try it then post the results, I believe this has been argued for a while around here and it would be nice to see a field trail...
Kevin

[CrazyHorse!]

Well I pretty much abandon the idea of using it to patch the tank

But i just might take some advice here and pick up a few houndred pounds of it and start my own emergency mobile beer can repair service


But on a more serious note I may just pick some up to just fart around with it and see how it works.

any way here is a link to HF store where i found some

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=44810

[yorkiepap]

Hey CH,
Here's a couple pics of the aluminum alloy rod I use on occasion for mostly diecast repairs & some of the odd very thin easy repairs I get in on occasion. It is very handy &, believe me, quite lucrative fixing those broken garbage diecast decorative items many people treasure. I use the older series rod, HTS-735, the predecessor of HTS-2000, from Charles Kimbrough in Texas as I like this one best. I'm sure others such as Alumiweld are also ok. Need to do some practice to obtain superb results. It works quite well & is surprisingly strong. You must also remember that TIG is welding & this rod is a brazing rod that utilizes the "capillary" action of brazing to bond & not the "fusion" action of TIG. I use both MAPP & O/A for most repairs, although propane will work on very thin metal adequately. This rod is not crap, works well, & will fix those "crap" broken diecast items nicely. I have made some very nice $$$ fixing those garbage metal mixed items that would be discarded normally by most. Also got some superb referenced work that also resulted in nice $$$$. Who doesn't like to make good $$$ for easy jobs? Get some & try it.... you never know.

Denny

Here's the fellow I get mine from: http://cgi.ebay.com/1USA-WELDING-ROD...item3c9b2b9068

[SundownIII]

I'm not going to comment on the usefulness/utility of the subject aluminum rods, but I will say this (based on experience).

If you think you'll EVER need to tig the repair to get it to hold, DO NOT try to do a "quick fix" with alumarod (or whatever). The stuff is a "B1TCH" to remove and get back to a tiggable surface. With any of this stuff present, it will be nearly impossible to get a good tig weld.

That's my .02 on the subject.