Best Epoxy for...

JB Weld, of course.

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Many thanks,

Don Lancaster                          voice phone: (928)428-4073
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Jim - you might take a look at rec.crafts.metalworking. There was some discussion about methods for epoxy & aluminum. Using sandpaper wet with epoxy to clean the aluminum was most notable. Also, slow curing resin rather than the quick type is reportedly stronger. I made a shear test of Devcon's "2 ton epoxy" on yellow pine glued to yellow pine that broke at 1200 psi (~2 minute delay). Similar tests with polyester (waxed) indicate strength with aluminum at

2/3 that of yellow pine. Assuming the bolt head isn't microscopic, you may have a little leeway.

Hul

Jim Thomps> Best Epoxy for...

I don't know about that, it's done at work all the time to repair welding cracks in aluminum armor and this is with the cable/wire product already inside the armor, so heat is also a concern. Any repairs done in line are always water/pressure tested after the fact, of course.

After all the bending and twisting it does, going through the corrugator, it does not crack and stays bonded to the aluminum material that makes up the main body of the armored cable. (air tight)

But in Jim's case, the heat may destroy any decorated paints or plastics on the piece. which is why I suggested using a blind nut and just pressure back it as a fastener.

Jamie

Well, I was going to suggest that but they seem to be in less supply in basic hardware stores.

Jamie

How did you crack your JB, Don? ;-)

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You can't fix stupid. You can't even put a Band-Aid? on it, because it's
Teflon coated.

Moron! You can buy the tool and internally treaded rivets at Harbor Freight.

--
You can't fix stupid. You can't even put a Band-Aid? on it, because it's
Teflon coated.

A number of people have failed to note "too thin to tap", it would show on the face with a thru-hole. ...Jim Thompson

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| James E.Thompson, CTO                            |    mens     |
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      Remember: Once you go over the hill, you pick up speed

That stuff is fun. I used it to braze/solder copper connections to an antenna homebrewed from heavy aluminum wire. "Works real good," as they say. Melts at 730=BAF, flows like water, hard as mild steel.

-- Cheers, James Arthur

Yes, I saw that. The rivets would rip the metal, since it is likely to be potmetal instead of pure aluminum the zinc makes it soft and weak.

The epoxy is probably your best bet. What size screw were you planning to use? I would try to find an internally threaded spacer and cut it to length to fit from the outside to the far side, inside, then epoxy it in place for maximum strength without messing up the outside. I was just waiting to see what other stupid ideas some would suggest.

--
You can't fix stupid. You can't even put a Band-Aid? on it, because it's
Teflon coated.

No one seems to have noted that you did not supply enough information for a reasonable answer. Your question was kind of like asking "I need to get 4 volts from battery to load, what kind of wire should I use?" Obviously the strength of adhesive required to support a 4 pound load in shear depends on your unspecified bond area rather directly. If you remember how to do the dimensional analysis you should have learned in high school, then even a right-wing Republican-crook apologist like you should be able to get the units right on this simple calculation :-).

(Sorry, I couldn't resist :-).

Glen

Jim - you might take a look at rec.crafts.metalworking. There was some discussion about methods for epoxy & aluminum. Using sandpaper wet with epoxy to clean the aluminum was most notable. Also, slow curing resin rather than the quick type is reportedly stronger. I made a shear test of Devcon's "2 ton epoxy" on yellow pine glued to yellow pine that broke at 1200 psi (~2 minute delay). Similar tests with polyester (waxed) indicate strength with aluminum at 2/3 that with yellow pine. Assuming the bolt head isn't microscopic, you may have a little leeway.

Hul

Jim Thomps> > >

Some good suggestions.

What about the one-shot, low-volume epoxy kits available as 'rear-view mirror repair'. I'd try it on a test piece first. Maybe select and machine the bolt-head for size and uniformity, first.

Easy to get, anyways.

RL