Alumalloy

[jfsmith]

I saw one of those infomocerials yesterday and they were trying to sell Allumalloy, an aluminun "welding" rod that you can use a propane torch to do the work.

Anyone ever try this stuff?

Jerry

[aametalmaster]

I have some from Crown Alloys that is about the same stuff, but i have never needed it...Bob

[Danny]

I have some from HTS ( I think thats who makes it?) , it works with propane on very thin stuff,mapp works better and oxy/acct for thicker material. If your welding aluminum cans I swear by it, but the need for custom mountain dew tall boys around here is thin. I did give a rod to a local auto guy and he managed to repair a ear on a water pump housing with it. I can say it works but as far as how much you will use it depends on if you have a tig welder or not, if you do you probably wont use the stuff much. Plus it is a bit $$$ ! The thing that I liked was that you could plug a hole with it on really thin stuff, thought it would be great for aluminum boats.

[Winger Ed.]

Its been around and sold by one company or another for several years that I know of. I first saw it back in the 80's.

Nobody hardly uses it though. I think it works sort of like soldering together a Copper water pipe & fitting does instead of a true weld since the parent material and the filler never melts and 'flows together' the way it does in a weld.

If that's how it works, it can never bond the pieces together the way welding does, and you wouldn't have as strong of a joint if the parent material is harder or more flexible than the filler material.

I can see a market for it, and lots of uses in low pressure/low stress type applications-- Alum. hull boat leaks is one, but for some reason, the stuff never really got popular. I'd guess that for what most people would do with it, JB Weld or some sort of Epoxy compound will work just as well.

[JonnyTIG]

I found a box of flux cored 1/8" aluminum filler rods for gas welding at work. I had never thought of gas welding aluminum until recently when MIG and TIG weren't available. I tried using the flux cored rods and they worked pretty good. I fixed two cast air intake pipes, about 1/4" thick through the cross section, and the repair worked quite well. I dont know what brand of rods these are, but they definately melt into the base metal and leave a color matched finish. I also used these rods for repairing a broken cast brake drum dust cover from an ATV. They didn't work as well for the cover, but it's holding still, after a few months of rigorous use. I still prefere TIG, but the gas rods seem to work well in a pinch.

[david myers]

I have bought some at Harbor freight. HB sells it in a tube with about 8 or ten sticks for about $10.00.

I just wanted to check it out. Like every one has said it's fine for thin stuff but very pricey.

This is my first post but a long time reader.

David

[DSW]

Hello David and good to see you posting.

[Portable Welder]

I would also agree that its more of a bonding agent verses welding.

I have never used it but have seen it used at shows, I would think it would be great for a hole in an aluminum row boat.

They used to use it at the swap meets showing how you can weld pop cans along with repairing Ford escort heads back in the 80s.

I have a sneaking suspition that it wouldnt be good for aluminum heads.

[dseman]

If the filler melts below 840F, and joins metal through bonding by capillary action, then it is soldering. If it melted above 840F, but below the melting point of the object being joined, then it would be called brazing. This stuff is solder.

[Aerometalworker]

If the filler melts below 840F, and joins metal through bonding by capillary action, then it is soldering. If it melted above 840F, but below the melting point of the object being joined, then it would be called brazing. This stuff is solder.

I would not even call it that good! Its just zinc based "pot" metal. Real brazing and soldering materials are aluminum/silicon based, with some of the real solf solders having lead and tin as well. This stuff has no ductility, and in fact can cause the base metal to become brittle depending on the alloy.