Aluminum filler/welding rod?
 

I'm having a hard time finding it on here, but a few months ago, I saw a discussion about a new kind of aluminum rod you could use to fill in stripped holes and such. I can't find that thread now and didn't book mark it. The rod acted like solder, but was supposed to be strong like aluminum. I have a cam gear cover on our "ole farm tractor" that my father managed to strip, drill larger, tap, and strip AGAIN. I now need to fix it before putting the thing back together.

Ideas? My search skills are failing.

Search for HTS rods or alumiweld. You can buy it at harbor freight.

I've been thinking of picking some of these up myself, but from what I've been reading, you need a REALLY hot flame. MAPP gas might work for thinner parts, but an oxy/acetylene torch might be required.

Ahh... I completely forgot about that. I have been meaning to check it out and get some "science fair" projects back in the works.

I tried them... didn't work worth a shit. It stuck the parts together, so in that aspect it worked great, but it's difficult to work with. You have to get the surface up to temperature and the melt the rods into the surface, otherwise they just crack and it won't bond. Even with MAPP gas, it's difficult to get pieces of any appreciable size up to temperature. Aluminum just sucks the heat away so fast and cools off really quickly. I even went as far as putting the piece in the oven and got it up to about 400* before I took it out and took the MAPP torch to it and it was still really difficult to get the stuff to melt. And then on top of all of that, when it does melt, it's like water and is very difficult to work into the correct place.

So I need to fire up the torch and use a funnel?

What about using a Helicoil or Time-sert?

--Ferdi

lulz did you bother to clean it? Worked great for my lexus's cracked intake mani after I doctored the crap out of the crack... full on drill holes at both ends of the crack (winning), taking a dremel and beveling into the crack half way (winning), and taking that HTS rod with a MAPP torch (bi-winning)


edit: I also used a stainless steel wire wheel on a hand grinder to clean that shit

^ This man is a Warlock.

Congrats on the Tiger Blood.

The one time I played with this stuff on a cast aluminum part it worked but only if we used oxy/acetylene. After the joint was braised we put it in a vice and tried to break it with hammer and the aluminum broke, not the joint.

Yes, I cleaned the crap out of it too with a stainless brush on an angle grinder. Maybe it was the cheap ass cast aluminum I was working with, dunno. But I don't like them. I just learned to use the TIG at work, much easier and less tricky in my experience, just takes practice.