Re: [bolger] Gluing aluminum
wwostar@...wrote:
melt glue guns, also known as a MIG welder with a spool gun.
The hardest thing about welding with a MIG is getting the
machine setup right. Next is learning where to look and what
to watch as you weld. Most anyone who can produce a boat in
wood and epoxy can learn to weld fairly easily if they choose.
The bad news is cost of equipment. You need a 250 amp, industrial
welding machine to get the power and duty cycle needed for boat
building and you need either a spool gun or a push-pull feeder
to reliably feed the soft aluminum wire. You can get setup for
about $3000.
The good news is that you can get nearly all of that money back
if you ever decide to sell the welder.
More good news/bad news;
You will likely have lots of friends bringing over things for you
to weld. If you like company this can be a good thing. It will
also slow down the building of your boat. It will bring in money
or other compensation that can help offset the cost of the equipment.
I have found welding to be great barter stock.
BTW If you do decide to try welding, get a good electronic welding
helmet. It will save more time and frustration than it costs and will
help improve the quality of your welding very quickly.
michael
>The best way to glue aluminum is to use one of those big hot
> What is wanted, in gluing aluminum, is a bond to the
> raw metal.
melt glue guns, also known as a MIG welder with a spool gun.
The hardest thing about welding with a MIG is getting the
machine setup right. Next is learning where to look and what
to watch as you weld. Most anyone who can produce a boat in
wood and epoxy can learn to weld fairly easily if they choose.
The bad news is cost of equipment. You need a 250 amp, industrial
welding machine to get the power and duty cycle needed for boat
building and you need either a spool gun or a push-pull feeder
to reliably feed the soft aluminum wire. You can get setup for
about $3000.
The good news is that you can get nearly all of that money back
if you ever decide to sell the welder.
More good news/bad news;
You will likely have lots of friends bringing over things for you
to weld. If you like company this can be a good thing. It will
also slow down the building of your boat. It will bring in money
or other compensation that can help offset the cost of the equipment.
I have found welding to be great barter stock.
BTW If you do decide to try welding, get a good electronic welding
helmet. It will save more time and frustration than it costs and will
help improve the quality of your welding very quickly.
michael
What is wanted, in gluing aluminum, is a bond to the
raw metal. But raw aluminum- recently sanded- protects
itself by oxidizing almost instantly, so you are gluing
not to aluminum but to an oxide coating, and get a weak
joint.
There is a way, a nasty and sticky way, but a way to
beat the propblem. Wet out the surface to be glued with
epoxy, and then sand the wet surface, getting raw
aluminum which is protected from atmospheric oxygen by
the glue. It can then be glued nicely.
Exactly the same thinking applies to stainless
steel, exactly the same technique works.
Bill Wallace in Texas
raw metal. But raw aluminum- recently sanded- protects
itself by oxidizing almost instantly, so you are gluing
not to aluminum but to an oxide coating, and get a weak
joint.
There is a way, a nasty and sticky way, but a way to
beat the propblem. Wet out the surface to be glued with
epoxy, and then sand the wet surface, getting raw
aluminum which is protected from atmospheric oxygen by
the glue. It can then be glued nicely.
Exactly the same thinking applies to stainless
steel, exactly the same technique works.
Bill Wallace in Texas