Alumaloy Welding Rod

[Tom_Byrne]

Just came back from a relaxing week in Lake George, N.Y. No good finds on the tractor end:(. While watching TV one night I saw an infomercial for a welding product called Alumaloy. Supposedly it will weld aluminum and pot metal with a propane torch. Anyone ever use this stuff?

[Leroy]

I actually bought some and did not buy the torch they suggested. I saw this at the state fair and i have used it useing a smaller propane torch to weld soda cans togeather. It did work. I did not have a cavitated prop to repair nor the capacity to heat the item to a weld temp but i saw the person demonstrate how it was done. 90 bucks for a propne torch tip seemed pretty high so i thought i would wait and find one cheaper. They do sell a simular one at the local welding supply for 30 dollars less. But now im not sure if it is exact and i dont have an immiediate need. I did not want to pass up on the opourtunity to get the rod. it was 25 bucks. The rod is about half the diameter of a pencil and it is about 2 feet long and about 30 sticks in the clear tube. I don't know whats on the tv. The demonstator said the swirl tip is the key and the welding supply shop could not tell me the swirl tip was in there.

[JoeJ]

Tom, I had some years back, you can use it with a regular propane torch.;) But try for a very small, soft feathered flame. In a pinch I fixed a bunch of aluminum strorm windows for a guy. As far as I know thay are still holding just fine. It is way more a soldering thing than welding though. Don't even try it with oxy/accet, it is way to hot. [img]http://www.simpletractors.com/club2/uploaded/JoeJ/joej_sig2.gif[/img]

[iweld]

Most of this stuff is a zinc alloy of some sort. I suppose it's OK to use is you were in a real pinch. I wouldn't use it on anything that had to be structurally sound though, zinc just doesn't have much tensile strength. I get annoyed at the welding shop when customers bring in stuff they "fixed" with this or J.B. weld. It just makes the price of a good repair that much higher. We keep zinc filler rod on hand though... for welding zinc. Yeah that's right, pot metal. I sure have fixed alot of carb ears.

[Leroy]

There is a pretty fine line when welding thin aluminum and destroying it with a gas type of welding. I would think a temp sesitive paint stick would help in some situations to see if the temp is correct. the thicker the material the better but the more time required to get it to temp. In some cases i would think a fixture in a oven (Not the home oven) would be able to heat the material to a close to welding temp on thick but smaller parts. The majority of time is spent getting it hot enough but not to hot keeping the material clean. A true stainless brush is necessary or a chemical cleaner. A true stainless brush is not magnetic when any material that is consumable is on the aluminum is creates a chemical composition that will probably interfere with a good bond . As Joe said it is more of a soldering thing but they do call it welding. A wire welder is certainly a more forgiving medium with regard to Aluminum. Tig welding is more costly but some folks can repair a part and it will defy the eye on were the weld was.

[Leroy]

Jason, I have a broken base ear on a 20 hp Onan engine. I did not want to ark weld on it because of the electrics. I was thinking about just drilling and tapping it in two places and using JB weld in the Joint. I used JB weld on the right bank of a 360 engine that had a very weak side so much that water was leaking out of it like a sponge. I dumped all the water and ran the engine for 2 minutes. Shut it off, wire brushed it, Washed it with soap and water took the cheapo propane torch to it to remove any paint and see the grease smoke if any. I butter that stuff on and warmmed the engine again for 2 minutes 3 more times before adding water. then i did a pressure test found a little weep hole. repeated the water and warm up and repaired it. and some folks came by that had to buy THAT van for a newspaper route. I tryed to talk them out of it. But they had seen me over it under it and around it for days and though it had to be in good shape lol. It sounded good. It needed brakes and i was sure it was not leaking. I didn't drive it it wasn't licensed . They took all that into concideration when they offerd me 250.00 for it I didn't feel guilty. They drove that van for 4 years like that and had no complaints on the water or overheating. I am sold on it's abilities. But i don't know about it ability to withstand vibrations that the aircooled Onan will put out.

[Agricola]

I tried the alumalloy for some canoes and that stuff pealed like paint. It might be good some places but I think a tig or mig would do a much better job and give you the strength you need.

[Leroy]

Yep, John unless you have some material to work with and time to get it down to a science, Mig or Tig is the way to go. That being said however aluminum can and is being welded sucessfully with the alumalloy. It is not a bogus product.

[BigSix]

By the description of the size of the rod, and it's application, I believe I saw the same stuff at the Reno, NV Air Races, in a vendor booth. Even the pricing was similar, and he showed multiple examples of what it could do, including the repaired "bullets" (lower units) of some small outboard motors that had hit rocks, etc.... Pretty impressive. This man told me it was approx. 1/2 the strength of heliarc. Should have bought some!

[Deazman]

I have seen these aluminum rods at Fleet Farm, is it the same thing? [url]http://www.bernzomatic.com/catal7.htm#Anchor-AL3-49575[/url]

[torinwalker]

There are a ton of them out there. Take a look at this one: http://durafix.com Torin...

[JoeJ]

Leroy, They used that "welding up an aluminum can" thing here at our fair. Yup, I bought some, but after the guy was closed up and off the fair grounds.(I think at about 1/3 the cost) BUT, through all the years I had my buiness, not one stinkin soul called to have me seal up any damned cans!! Go figure!!:D:D:D The first time I tried it it peeled off too. I found I didn't clean it good enough, As Leroy said, stainless brush and clean, clean, clean. But in answer to Toms question, I think it's a good thing to have around. Just don't go to iweld's shop after useing it!! hehehe [img]http://www.simpletractors.com/club2/uploaded/JoeJ/joej_sig2.gif[/img]

[Leroy]

Ha ha ha ha. Good one, i'm laughing. I was proving to the wife i could weld aluminum cans. She said they would melt. I went and put the bottoms togeather and went clean around the bottoms and after a few folks tryed to test the strength it was finnlay a crumpled mess and weld held. It would have been cool to put the cans in a pinch roller and slowly rotate them but i had them flat and had to stich em up first. Ha ha ha I was trying to show the wife the skill it takes to weld aluminum cans. cause anyone can melt them. He he he

[TomMaryland]

I think they also make a cast version and a stainless version of this rod, don't they? Has anyone tried these types?

[Leroy]

I have the cast type it does require a flux and i have that too but it is the experience i don't have nor the material or the alocated time. I'm doubtfull on the Stainless rod regarding this propane type of heat source. Stainless is resistant to stain and resitant to bending and drilling and cutting and welding. Stainless makes the biggest mess of a weld spatter Most folks buy the anti spatter spray rather than try to tune the weld values. Argon helps keep the weld clean with wire welding a stick type with the spray is prolly fastest. Mig tips tend to wear out pretty fast on stainless also. It all depends on all the factors. Equipment, consumables, material and operator.